5 Things We Want To See From A Castlevania Animated Series

So it looks like Frederator, the studio behind Adventure Time, might finally be working on that long-awaited and highly anticipated animated adaptation of the 30-year-old video game series, Castlevania. With more than two dozen games and spinoffs to the series' name, that's got us pondering what we absolutely want to see make it into the new show.

The Arsenal

Castlevania wouldn't be Castlevania without its iconic collection of weaponry. The Vampire Killer whip has to make it into the animated show, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. The arsenal got a bit carried away in games like Symphony of the Night and the pair of Sorrow titles, offering players a huge array of pointy object to murder monsters with. But what really stands out to us are those series staples that keep popping up time and time again. We want to see holy water used like a blue-flame grenade, a crucifix that doubles as a boomerang, a massive throwing axe and maybe even a set of silver daggers perfect for picking off frogmen and succubi. Those are the death-dealing implements that have made it into the most Castlevania games and we hope that tradition stays alive in the new show.

Death

We're not talking about death in the Dark Souls sense of the word. Much like the repeating weaponry, the character of Death has popped up in many Castlevania games, though his role occasionally changes. Death frequently arrives to taunt the Belmont clan and others who have been called to fight back against Dracula's hordes. Sometimes he appears to be working for the Prince of Darkness while other times he seems to have his own devious plans in motion, potentially pulling strings from behind the scenes. As for his look, he's usually the typical cloak-clad skeleton carrying a scythe. Either way, his fluid appearances and motivations make him an intriguing character, and one that would make a perfect addition to the cast of the animated series. We'd also settle for a skateboarding Alucard.

A Killer Soundtrack

We hate to keep using the term "iconic" but, when you're talking about a series that's been entertaining gamers for three decades, it's an appropriate term to describe many of Castlevania's key features. That term can certainly be applied to Castlevania's soundtrack, full of tracks that range from organ-filled gothic melodies to rock riffs full of screaming guitars. Just about every retro game-themed rock band out there has at least one Castlevania song in their lineup, and that's because so many of the series' songs are so damn catchy. Ideally, we'd love to hear some of the best-known songs from games like Castlevania II or Castlevania III, but you could just about throw a dart at the series' full soundscape and hit a winner. In short, the show's soundtrack had better be just as rad as the soundtracks in the games.

A Freaking Clock Tower

Again, there are certain things that keep popping up in the Castlevania series that, if lacking from the show, just won't feel right. A clock tower is one such mandatory inclusion. Every Castlevania fan knows how important the clock tower is, typically providing some of the most entertaining platforming sections due to all of those spinning cogs and swinging bits of machinery. Referencing back to the previous item on this list, the clock tower is also usually home to a fantastic score, making the location a welcome appearance in just about all of the Castlevania games. Even Bloodborne, which many see as a semi-homage to Castlevania, had its own clock tower level, which felt like a perfect not to the legendary series. Speaking of which, if someone wants to just hand the reins of the Castlevania series over to FromSoftware, that would be A-OK in our book.

A Long Running Story

We're of two minds on this one. While we'd be fine with a Castlevania series that just focuses on one Belmont's tale of battle with Dracula, the series is far, far greater than that. While we're not sure what method would serve these purposes best, we'd love to see many of the game series' protagonists make some sort of an appearance. Heck, maybe they could do a different Belmont per season or something. Either way, Castlevania's lore began with Leon Belmont in 1094 and (so far), has stretched to the tale of Soma Cruz in 2036. That's a lot of ground to cover, all of it full of interesting plots, great characters and memorable battles. It would be great if the new show could somehow pull all of those bits and pieces into a single, blood-stained concoction of awesomeness.