Cycles of Trauma: Castlevania's Subtextual Narrative

Cycles of Trauma: Castlevania's Subtextual Narrative | Video Essay

Рет қаралды 42,592

Күн бұрын

sorry for the terrible voice acting in this one, but i was trying to tap into that symphony cheese..
Here is what’s been in the works for a little while. I’ve spent a long time analyzing Castlevania over the past couple of years, and I thought having a video record/introduction to the more common textual readings would be a nice resource for people looking to get into the story. I think just looking at wiki summaries doesn’t quite communicate what Castlevania is about and the timeline can get a tiny bit confusing that way. I thought something like this would be more comprehensive- and I’ll always look for an excuse to discuss the games I love.
Also, I included some text and notes on-screen during the video that I forgot in the script, make sure you check those out since they’re Important and Interesting.
The Shanoa/Laura essay I mentioned: wygolvillage.neocities.org/sh... (it's the first entry on there, changed the link to one on my own website/OOE fanpage since I don't use AO3 anymore LOL)
Also, very late in the editing process, a retranslated SOTN script was posted on Tumblr which is very interesting and actually has even more points that support my reading of the narrative: beevean.tumblr.com/post/70420...
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
3:40 Lament of Innocence
5:31 Dracula’s Curse & Curse of Darkness
10:47 GameBoy Games & Simon Duology
14:06 Harmony of Dissonance
18:01 Rondo of Blood & Symphony of the Night
30:04 Order of Ecclesia
42:40 Bloodlines & Portrait of Ruin
58:27 Aria of Sorrow
1:08:31 Conclusion
Songs used:
Game Clear (Castlevania) [used on every transition]
~
Admiration of a Clan (Castlevania: Lament of Innocence)
Evergreen (Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse)
~
Lament of Innocence ~ Leon’s Theme ~ (Castlevania: Lament of Innocence)
~
Riddle (Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse)
Overture (Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse)
Flash Back (Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse)
Abandoned Castle (Curse of Darkness)
~
Passepied (Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge)
Bloody Tears (Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest)
~
Successor of Fate (Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance)
Offense and Defense (Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance)
~
Portrait of a Ghost Ship (Castlevania: Rondo of Blood)
Wood Carving Partita (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
Dracula’s Castle (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
~
Ecclesia (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)
Heroic Dawning (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)
Cantus Motet (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)
Stones Hold A Grudge (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)
Rituals (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)
An Empty Tome (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)
Welcome to Legend (Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia)
~
Iron Blue Intention (Castlevania: Bloodlines)
Name Entry (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
Meeting of Destiny (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
Victorian Fear (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
Hail From The Past (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
Chaotic Playground (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
The Hidden Curse (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
Dance of Sadness (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
Portrait of Destiny (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
The Night Flows (Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin)
~
Vampire Killer (Castlevania)
Ruined Castle Corridor (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow)
Prologue (Mina’s Theme) (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow)
Heart of Fire (Don’t Wait Until Night) (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow)
You’re Not Alone (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow)
Purification (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow)
Epilogue (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow)
~
Voyager (Akumajou Dracula Tribute Vol. 1)

Пікірлер: 462

@Skios Жыл бұрын

There's actually a ZX Spectrum homebrew Castlevania game where you play a Belmont who was born inbetween Dracula's reincarnation cycle, and so decides to try and bring Dracula back a few decades early just so he can become one of the famous Belmonts who defeated Dracula.

@RavenV2 2 ай бұрын

literally just a richter rehash

@zeroattentiongaming820 Жыл бұрын

I could be wrong here but to my knowledge Igarashi's problem with Sonia Belmont was never because she was a woman. Rather it was the fact she had a kid with Alucard, this tying the Belmont bloodline to Dracula's from the very start. As you laid out in this video, Igarashi had a very clear idea of cycles. He needed to erase Sonia's story to set up the one he had planned with Lament. As both Shanoa and Miriam show, guy doesn't have a problem with women in the lead roles, seemingly only Sonia. On another point, one aspect of Curse of Darkness I've always loved is that the English dub foreshadows the twist right out of the gate. Matthias Cronqvist and Hector share a voice actor, while COD's Dracula has a new one. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I always saw that as deliberate foreshadowing, specifically because Dracula was recast. Hector was walking the same road that Matthias was, but Matthias lost his humanity and became the monster Dracula, gaining a new voice to signify it. Hector having retained his humanity, retains the voice Dracula had in his human life.

@AdrianFahrenheitTepes 10 ай бұрын

That’s an interesting idea about why Crispin Freeman is Matthias in Lament of Innocence and Hector in Curse of Darkness. I think it was simple to reuse the actor from the previous game. Also Douglas Rye, who voices Dracula in Curse of Darkness, also narrates the opening text in Curse of Darkness foreshadowing later when you know what happens.

@TimedRevolver 3 күн бұрын

...IGA decided to replace Sonia with completely destroying Dracula's mythos and pulling the 'your wife is in your weapon/special item' that games did during that time. He also outright said the first Belmont to fight Dracula couldn't be a woman. Every female in Castlevania is a sidekick, damsel or motivating factor. Shanoa is the only female in the entire series that has any real agency of her own. And if you played that game, you know even that isn't entirely true.

@matthagen67 Жыл бұрын

I don't think Order of Ecclesia gets enough love and respect. Shanoa is such a tragic character. The image of her smiling through tears for Albus gets me every time.

@migovas1483 Жыл бұрын

Indeed, lots of GBA & NDS Castlevania games don't get the love they deserve, there is a lot of tragedy, like portrait of Ruin, with story of Eric Lecarde... and Ecclesia , how many experiments were performed to get the glyphs, and so much more. There is a whole territory to explore on those dark times.. Also I like how they have the Belmont's before 99, and after that is Dracula resurrected as the protagonist... really opens the door to so many things, could have been going as a cyberpunk story going forward (like megaten games ) , Sadly they lost their tacks and tried to go into the 'God of War' territory with Lord of Shadows 1 & 2 ,... which I don't even bother talking about..

@SindraVaniaProjects Жыл бұрын

That is legit the first time I cried over a Castlevania scene. The music didn't help. ;_;

@marlondemello8582 Жыл бұрын

Now THIS is a horrible night to have a curse and stumble upon such a ghoulishly good essay! Thank you, my friend.

@kingkongmalunggay Жыл бұрын

We all know who stopped the cycle of trauma. The evil lord themselves, Konami.

@Vee_Sheep Жыл бұрын

they only started a new one all around themselves

@ericm215 Жыл бұрын

As long as Konami exist the calamity that is castelvania will rise again

@Vee_Sheep Жыл бұрын

@@ericm215 "The longer the Icon of Konami remains on Earth, the more powerful it will become"

@HighLordSythen Жыл бұрын

You are the first person I've heard bring up the Japanese face aspect of the two castles in Harmony of Dissonance. That's very cool -- I was not aware of that!

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

Yeah! I learned about it by reading some old IGA interviews on shmuplations, where that gets mentioned... It's worth reading through them if you're curious about that kind of thing, there's a lot of neat insight into the creative process :)

@WisteriaNerium Жыл бұрын

There's a story beat or "trope" that gets used often in Castlevania narratives. And that's the corruptive presence of Dracula that prays on hidden feelings and desires and curses everything it touches. If a character feels grief, envy or greed, then Dracula will pray upon those feelings and intensify them to set people against each other. But what's weird is that sometimes this happens without him being aware of it. Like sure, the curse he places upon the land in Curse of Darkness and upon Simon seems very intentional. But there's more to it I've already talked about in the other comment how the Dracula we fight in HoD isn't the real one because it lacks any memory of the whip and isn't aware Juste is a Belmont. His powers subconsciously were feeding Maxim's dark feelings and tried to take him over. There's also the fact that the Domimus possesses Albus, and he calls himself Lord Dracula and the seal Dracula was placed upon gives Barlowe power to destroy it, but when Shanoa finally reached the throne room Dracula isn't even aware of who she is. He assumes that she's the one who called him because she arrived before anyone and isn't a Belmont. He doesn't seem to remember he already fought Shanoa as Albus or who Barlowe is. To me it seems that Dracula's corruptive nature, or rather the corruptive nature of Chaos is something that affects him to. Which might explain why he seemed to regret everything he had done at the of SotN but suddenly went back to his own ways. It's almost as his own powers keep feeding into the worst aspects of himself because Chaos needs a "Dark Lord". Something that Dracula became sometime between the ending LoI and the start of III. Maybe that's why Death never even stopped to speak to Soma, because he sensed no grief in him and thus he wasn't useful to chaos.

@brond.8009 Жыл бұрын

I always thought that with each respawn, dracula came back a little less dracula and more and more chaos. Until eventually chaos is the only thing that comes back

@DraculaCronqvist 8 ай бұрын

Not quite true. Neither Barlowe or Albus were, at any point, actually possessed by Dracula. Barlowe simply made use of dark powers, while Albus only *believed* himself to be Dracula thanks to possessing a part of Dracula's corrupting power, losing his mind in the process.

@WisteriaNerium 8 ай бұрын

@@DraculaCronqvist It's what I said. I just presented it that way first to point out that not even Dracula seems to be aware of the corruptive influence of his powers after death/before resurrection. Aka, they seem to act on their own.

@vaiyt 2 ай бұрын

That seems to track. Dracula is simply a vessel for the role of Dark Lord, and if it wasn't him, Death abd Chaos would find someone else to wield that power.

@SIFAssassin 10 ай бұрын

The Grimoire of Souls mobile game confirms your theory about Richter. He himself shamefully mentions that the desire to keep fighting, a thirst for battle was in him all along. It was exacerbated and brought to the surface by Shaft and slowly took over his mind.

@jasongarrett768 Жыл бұрын

This video was a hell of a pleasant surprise. I love Leon as much as anyone else but I do wonder how strained his relationship with his later family had to be with him essentially drafting his descendants into a centuries long war.

@Tyranogre Жыл бұрын

Elisabetha Cronqvist died of an illness. Lisa Tepes was a doctor. Lisa was executed by religious extremists. Mina Hakuba is a Shinto Shrine Maiden. The current incarnation of Dracula’s love interest has always had some sort of connection to how the previous incarnation died.

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

We don't actually know if it was religious extremists who killed her in the canon of the games but I've always thought it was the most likely explanation (especially bc of the lore that Sypha was trying to avoid being tried as a witch around the same time). I really like this headcanon :)

@satansjihad6353 Жыл бұрын

I sometimes wonder if Lisa and Mina ate reincarnations of Elisabetta.

@AdrianFahrenheitTepes 10 ай бұрын

@@satansjihad6353Lisa sure resembles Elisabetha a great deal, which is funny considering the 1992 Dracula movie starring Gary Oldman had a dead Elisabetha and both Mina and Elisabetha are played by the same actress. Also Isaac somehow manipulated a mob to kill Rosaly before Curse of Darkness, I’m going to presume Isaac LaForeze had some kind of disguise to do it considering an anti-witch mob would presumably see either of the LaForeze siblings as monsters? Julia for her magic and tending to monsters. Isaac for his symbiotic attachment where his Forgemaster Armor is becoming symbiotic and embedded into his body.

@swordofstabbing 7 ай бұрын

Lisa got killed for discovering penicillin too early smh

@zaprowsdower4938 Жыл бұрын

"Man, this was a really interesting and well thought out essay I stumbled upon. I wonder what else this creator has made... WAIT, THIS IS THEIR FIRST VIDEO ESSAY!?" Was my immediate reaction after watching this. Holy crap I enjoyed your video so much! Amazing work!

@ArcticWolfGod Жыл бұрын

I don't know if the part with the Richter battle with Jonathan throwing pies at his face with all the serious talk in the background was intentionally supposed to be funny, but it was lol. Anyway really nice job for seemingly first timer, always nice seeing new talented youtubers popup.

@WisteriaNerium Жыл бұрын

Something that reinforces the generational cycle of trauma is like how character archetypes and story beats often get repeated through the games, even when they are centuries apart. Some people might find it lazy how the same tropes are used over and over again, but I think it's a sign of people unknowingly falling into the same pitfalls people who lived centuries before did. While the role of a Belmont is necessary I can't help but to feel that they consider hunting down Dracula at the end of each century more of a ritual to prove themselves rather than a duty. At least that's the impression I get from Ritcher and Simon. There's also the fact that whenever Belmonts try to beat Dracula on their own, it almost nevers works out like they hope to. 1 - Trevor had help from Sypha, Grant and Alucard, but the moment he goes alone to pursue Isaac alone instead of calling Grant or Sypha to help, he gets stabbed by him. It's unknown whether he survives or not. 2 - Christopher tries to kill Dracula alone, but he just weakened him and laid low for 15 years until he could have enough strength to attack again. 3 - Simon killed Dracula on his own the first time he faced him, but it left him with a curse that weakened his body and it wasn't until he was near dead that he realized he had to resurrect Dracula and face him again to free himself of the curse. What of the other Belmonts who had people along the way? 4 - Juste never properly faces Dracula, he fights an aspect or wraith of Dracula that was born out of Maxim's hidden desires and the body parts of Dracula. Like that wraith can't even recognize Juste as a Belmont nor the Vampire Killer. But even then, it was the friendship he had with Maxim that saved the day for everyone. 5 - Richter defeats Dracula with the help of Maria, but his feelings of worthlessness makes him a target for Shaft and it's Maria's pleads and mercy that spare him from a sure death at the hands of Alucard. Also I have theory that I'll share in another comments. It's about Dracula and an explanation as to why he kept targeting humanity after the end of SOTN

@AdrianFahrenheitTepes 10 ай бұрын

That wasn’t the only issue with Sonia, the issue was that she had Alucard’s Son. That has plot issues on its own especially with Maria in the canonical ending saying she wants Alucard, that’s pretty much incest if Alucard is also her ancestor. They did however, make Belmont and Dracula the same family with the alternate universe or reimagining of Castlevania known as Lords of Shadow, in which Gabriel Belmont is Dracula when he started as a knight. I didn’t like LoS2 overall, but it was somewhat sad when Gabriel met Victor and he knew Victor was his posterity and he would be both the first and last of the Belmont at the same time. Order of Ecclesia was pretty sad a lot of the time, especially with the “brother” Albus doing something wrong as he did. Dracula wasn’t truly monogamous in the 1992 Dracula film starring Gary Oldman and Directed by Francis Ford Capolla, in which while Dracula did have a favorite wife also named Elisabetha, whom Mina Harker in the Bram Stoker segment of the film, resembles and Winona Ryder played both Elisabetha and Mina Harker in that movie. Dracula in the 1992 movie also copulated with Lucy and had his harem of three female vampires, on top of also being interested in Mina Harker for her resemblance to his dead wife, Elisabetha from his days as Vlad the Impaler. It also seems that the Dracula in Castlevania had his own side affairs as well, as the Succubus recognized Alucard as similar to Dracula, implying possibly that the Succubus also was familiar with Dracula himself as well as attempting to seduce Alucard. I do feel the dead love interest has a point, but I appreciate that later installments went into sibling relationships like Maria and Richter or best friend relationships too. It’s just that when one puts so much effort into supporting someone only for them to die anyways, that hurts. That being said, this is an overall well-thought video.

@Z-Man7 Жыл бұрын

You're wrong about Simon's motivations in Castlevania 2. He didn't even know he was cursed until a ghostly woman told him this knowledge while visiting the graves of his ancestors. He set out to destroy Dracula's remains by burning them in the ruins of Castlevania. It was the only way to break the death curse. Dracula coming back to life was a surprise twist. Simon was finishing the battle that started in 1691, he was not reviving Dracula for his own personal gain.

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

I said he did it inadvertently, but that's easy to miss :P

@Z-Man7 Жыл бұрын

@@wygolvillage2637 "What are we to make of Simon's attempt to cheat death?" He wasn't trying to extend his life, only meaning to break the death curse and save his family line. Simon's willpower was most likely stronger than the power of the relics or he would have been corrupted like Maxim in HoD. Maxim had selfish goals and the power of Dracula found a way in when Maxim touched the relics. Sorry for my longwinded reply, I am very passionate about old school Castlevania.

@TensyCL Жыл бұрын

@@wygolvillage2637 That's weird way to spell "I was wrong"

@brianteague840 2 ай бұрын

2:16 "these are only my readings.." Thats a weird way of spelling "im a douche that needs to touch grass"@@TensyCL

@StockeTepes Жыл бұрын

Beautifully written & a great analysis on the series 1000 year long story! It’s so inspiring to see more passionate lore content of this quality. Also, wow, NEVER noticed the similarities Chaos’s core had to the crimson stone 😮 Would actually be crazy if that is indeed the mysterious stone form Lament… Soma (Dracula) destroying it would definitely make the narrative come full circle. Awesome to think about can’t wait to see what’s next 😊

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I really enjoy your Castlevania videos so it makes me happy to hear that you enjoyed mine :)

@chrometomato Жыл бұрын

Glad to find someone who also didn’t like Netflixvania very much. As a fan of the original timeline, I really didn’t enjoy some of the changes. I would love to watch a future video of you discussing the show vs the games

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

I really want to make a video on it some day! It would just be a massive project and probably take a long time to come out because I have so so much to say (even this video took around like 3 months to create and a video on Netflixvania would be certainly even longer and more detailed)

@chrometomato Жыл бұрын

@@wygolvillage2637 I think it's well worth the wait if your next videos are on the same level as this one! I truely enjoyed this video essay! Keep up the good work!

@panthekirb7561 11 ай бұрын

Any reason to dislike the netflix show is based.

@AdrianFahrenheitTepes 10 ай бұрын

@@wygolvillage2637I would say do it. I’m eventually going to do it. I’ve had to reschedule realizing that I’m going to be making a really long video talking about Lords of Shadow

@KaosNova2 10 ай бұрын

Well it’s more complex with Sonia than just her being a woman. Legends would also place Alucard as the father of Trevor. IDK, maybe the “test” of Trevor is something a father would do, but still, IDK, it doesn’t feel to me like Alucard is the father of Trevor. In a way, if it was canon, it could be Alucard repeating some of the things done by his father, Dracula, but still, the whole part about Alucard being the father of Trevor is the other part of the Sonia story that would raise questions about the plot.

@initial_C Жыл бұрын

You earned a like just for saying you didn't like Netflixvania much. THERE ARE DOZENS OF US! DOZENS!

@guilhermehank4938 5 ай бұрын

Season 1 was good enough its quality dropped fast afterwards

@canceresbunny Жыл бұрын

I like to think Simon got cursed because of his magical incapacities. All other Belmonts are inmune to that curse: except the buff valiant magical illiterate golden child.

@Z-Man7 Жыл бұрын

Giga Chad Simon don't need no magic spells.

@jasonkh4 Жыл бұрын

An hour-long video essay about trauma as a thematic subtext in the CV saga? Count me in, saving this one to watch later, looking forward to it 💪🏼

@ObsessiveBadguy Жыл бұрын

This is an incredible, fantastic, insightful, and altogether a new standard for looking into the subtext of Castlevania as a series. You even managed to help me see the actual depth in Portrait of Ruin a game who's plot I had always seen as a little juvenile due to its weak dialog and uninspired art. Castlevania will always be one of my all time favorite game series and anyone willing to take the time to look at the series with a deeper understanding and respect is getting a subscription from me for sure. Amazing work

@jerrym1218 Жыл бұрын

Nice video kid, I started my long ass Castlevania journey way back in 1989 by playing the original Castlevania on NES at age 6, and it took me a could years to finally beat it and after I did, I moved on to Simon’s Quest and that took me a good 8 years to finally beat that game and the reason was because there was no internet, not too many people played Castlevania where I lived and my friends and I tried to figure out the game on our own but couldn’t, until 1997. When my friends and I finally figured out and beat Simon’s Quest together, we celebrated and ordered a pizza lol. I even played Super Castlevania 4 on SNES while trying to figure out Simon’s Quest around 1994 and managed to beat that game a week or two after buying it and it became my favorite Castlevania game of all time, and of course with my history of struggling with Castlevania 1 and 2 Simon’s Quest and loving 4, that made Simon Belmont my absolute favorite Belmont of all time. I know my friends helped with Simon’s Quest throughout the years, but I beat Castlevania 1 and Super Castlevania 4 on my own and felt like Simon going to take down Dracula and his legion by himself, that’s why I relate to Simon. Yes, I did keep playing Castlevania after beating 4, and went on to play and beat every other Castlevania game that came out, I even got some videos on my KZfaq channel of me playing some Castlevania games. You and whoever reads this comment are welcomed to check them out 🙏🏼. You earned a Sub from me because of your knowledge of Castlevania and love of the series. Long Live Castlevania ✝️🛐

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

Sounds like you have a lot of great memories of the series! Thanks for enjoying my video :)

@vagabon5130 Жыл бұрын

This was a hilarious comment. Kudos to u and ur friends for sticking with Castlevania for so dag-on long😂.

@jerrym1218 Жыл бұрын

@@vagabon5130 At times my friend, the experience of all those days and nights trying to figure out what to do, where to go, or how to approach certain boss situations was all the more worth it. Good times of just sitting around at home or our friend’s houses just thinking about how we are going to pass a video game and having those video games kick your ass more times than you can count were the biggest problems and worries in our minds during those times, and when we finally passed Simon’s Quest and another tough figure it out game before the internet known as Maniac Mansion on NES, we felt like freaking Sherlock Holmes solving puzzles and crimes lol, (that’s an over the top example I know) but it’s the only one I could think of at the moment to how as kids going into our teen years beating those tough ass head scratching games, you feel like a bad ass. A couple of us were in our school telling some of the girls, hey guess what ladies, we beat Simon’s Quest and Maniac Mansion, and they absolutely were clueless as to what we were talking about, and one of them even said, wow good for you guys. Only one girl knew though, she said Whoa?! That damn game is confusing, if you beat those could you guys maybe beat Metal Gear and Sonic the Hedgehog?? My friend and I said, we don’t know where we could play Sonic, but if you know a place, tell us and we are there. I had Metal Gear at that time and was lost at the part where you had to go through the jungle in a certain pattern to reach the secret prison where Dr. Madnar’s daughter is being held by Flame Thrower Merc. Fun Fact: The girl from the school actually had a Sega Genesis and Sonic, and my friend and I were invited to her house to help her pass it, we went through so much hell trying to get all the Chaos Emeralds and pass the game the legit good ending way, and we died and failed so much, but together the 3 of us best Sonic the Hedgehog and got all the Chaos Emeralds and got the good ending, after that we gained respect and a new partner in crime, then began working together to try and beat other NES, Sega, and SNES games. Great times indeed, we felt like the Goonies of video games lol 😂.

@vagabon5130 Жыл бұрын

@@jerrym1218 consider urself lucky to have had friends who enjoyed those games with u. Thats priceless stuff and memories.

@jerrym1218 Жыл бұрын

@@vagabon5130 yeah most certainly, I miss all of my old gamer buddies, they all moved away, grew up, had kids of their own and started families. Everyone that has friend groups should definitely always cherish those moments together with them, because time moves forward fast and life separates them further and further apart, so I just tell them to slow down and don’t rush into wanting to be an adult, just enjoy your childhood and teenage years together with your friends and enjoy every moment.

@ruminator3570 9 ай бұрын

Simon not wanting to die isn't selfish. The bloodline needs to continue the next generation of hunters. Whatever windfalls that may come be them of glory or treasure still pale in comparison. That is until you get to Richter.

@tgr3423 Жыл бұрын

Order of Ecclesia is, without any doubt in my mind, the best Castlevania game in the franchise. I adore everything about it. The music, characters, artwork and story. Hearing "Welcome to Legend" for the first time after beating the game seized my heart in an irreversible grip. Ecclesia straight up changed my feelings on the Castlevania series to seeing the raw storytelling potential the franchise has. So much of my emotional investment in a video game comes from the music, and Yamane Michiru, in my honest opinion, composed her greatest pieces in Ecclesia. My favorite side story in Ecclesia is Daniela. Out of all of the villagers, she is blatantly hinted at to be closest in lineage to the Belmont clan, and her developing friendship with Shanoa is so sweet. Part of me feels like she becomes a sort of adoptive grandmother to her, feeling a kinship with the young vampire slaying sorceress. I like to think that after Shanoa banished Dracula, she did go back to Wygol and Daniela baked her that cake she promised.

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

YES I love Daniela

@RedSpade37 Жыл бұрын

And here arrives the Algorithm, to find what has been lost. And here arrives the Algorithm, to save the tempest-tossed.

@jerrym1218 Жыл бұрын

I love Aria of Sorrow so much too, if Super Castlevania 4 was my number 1, then Aria of Sorrow is my second favorite Castlevania game of all time. I love that the story literally comes full circle by starting back close to A.D 1000 or little after but it was said to be during the Crusades with Leon and Mathias, and then ends in the next millennium in 2035 with Julius and Soma. Cecelia had to ruin everything though in Dawn of Sorrow with her cult though by kidnapping Mina and wanting to antagonize Soma and hopefully bring a new dark lord into the mix for the new Millennium, that would be so tragic if it did happen though, another 1000 years of death and suffering just like before.

@AceMurderCrow Жыл бұрын

amazing video with fascinating analysis of the games, and a great look at the themes of the series, the editing and voicework is very professional! love this!

@matheuslins6597 Жыл бұрын

That video had me smiling from ear to ear from start to finish. The Castlevania series have so much depth and lore in the subtexts and scenarios and little phrases here and there that get ignored by people, so is always great to see an analysis that take those aspects in consideration with conscience and disposition to criticize some real life problems. Anyways, loved the video, I’m looking forward to watch more analysis on this channel from now on. Also hated the netflix adaptation, thank you for pointing this as well.

@MotherNature101 Жыл бұрын

I wasn't a fan of it either it had more of things I didn't like compared to what was actually good in it. What they did to the characters was one of the biggest things I did not like.

@aletec96 Жыл бұрын

Wait, I always thought that Barlowe had been corrupted by being so close to Dracula's remains, not that he was a follower of Dracula who founded his own vampire-fighting guild

@BigGnome Жыл бұрын

I only got into Castlevania fairly recently (late 2021/early 2022) and as such, there was a part of me that worried that I wouldn't be able to find that much people who share my newfound love of the games considering the series is pretty much dead and buried because of Konami being Konami. So needless to say, seeing this hour long love letter to the series that went over various aspects of it I took for granted was a very pleasant surprise. I look forward to seeing your future insights on the series.

@HerbieTEA Жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this video! It really helped me organize my own interpretations of series' themes up to this point. But more importantly, it helped me realize that I was so drawn to these themes of generational trauma and inheritance of expectations across media because that they exist strongly in my own life. I find it inspiring and perhaps helpful to see how each family tackled and succeeded in breaking their generational traumas (by rejecting legacy for Belmonts and finding support systems/inviting others to help you for Tepes). I find that Julius fulfilling his inherited purpose and avoiding the past (losing his memories) not being enough to free himself of his family's trauma adds more facets to the theme of generational trauma you mention. And maybe this is more projection, but I find it interesting how while Julius also continued the cycle of returning to the castle twice, he's way older his second time around than when his predecessors had to, and he doesn't seem to have a child to hand off his unfulfilled legacy to yet either. While Simon, Christopher and Richter either had children or the potential to, Julius is much later in his life in Aria and I think it's that much more poignant how he rejects the temptation to create a legacy through his achievements (by not killing Soma) and isn't bogged down by the idea of being remembered or leaving a mark (genetic or memetic). He instead finds a new role for himself (help Dracula/Soma return to humanity), thus freeing himself of the generational cycle. I think that's a pretty cool statement!

@prynxeofdarkness Жыл бұрын

SOBBING THIS REALLY IS /THE/ ESSAY I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR WHEN IT COMES TO THIS SERIES I LOVE SO MUCH super well done, sharing this around, you perfectly worded a lot of the thoughts i've had for a long time

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

@everestthefrencheevee661 Жыл бұрын

...Harmony of dissonance is the game that says: My best friend is possessed and my crush is kidnapped... but uh I like interior desining soooooooooooooooooooo... lemme fix this one room in a castle I will destroy.

@vxmpxrefvngs2517 Жыл бұрын

cuz professionals have standards (and good taste)

@Bilbologna Жыл бұрын

As a life-long Castlevania fan, you’ve given the series so much more purpose with this video and I’m so grateful. Goddamn, bravo. Truly. :)

@CanaldoGreed Жыл бұрын

This was an amazing watch. Hope your channel grows to the size it deserves, and that you continue to create great content on it~

@berserkerf0x574 Жыл бұрын

It's interesting how it's true that the Vampire Killer doesn't responds to Richter anymore once he's over the cycle. Since Leon made the whip by sacrificing the loved one , maybe the Vampire Killer's power was connected to the grief of the Belmonts ? I never thought about that. Cool video.

@dspsrecedinghairline Жыл бұрын

Been a fan almost 3 decades. I'm paused before this starts and already subbed. Thank you for taking the time to compose this, I'm going to enjoy it.

@prinzadam1302 Жыл бұрын

i just love the name youre account lol

@somebaker2613 Жыл бұрын

This was incredibly well done, and i didnt know i needed this. Thank you for your hard work! it seems like this is the first video of this nature that youve posted, but id love to see more like this in the future

@lilitheve638 Жыл бұрын

beautiful video. i never thought of the themes of the series like that, and i appreciate your analysis. makes me feel like i could make the video essays that i've been thinking about

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! Whatever you make I'm sure it will be amazing :)

@matthagen67 Жыл бұрын

Another solid video on Castlevania?? I'm instantly interested in this!!

@Miss-Alexis Жыл бұрын

Absolutely incredible essay! The presentation and analysis are both excellent, especially if this is your first big video essay like this. I feel like I appreciate Castlevania so much more now with this more nuanced understanding. Very well done!

@richardbors6548 Жыл бұрын

Outstanding work! was a pleasure watching this. Looking forward too more of your work!

@lukeyspooky611 3 ай бұрын

Incredibly underrated. I love this reading of the story and the way you presented it. It’s also wonderful to come across someone who loves this franchise as much as I do. Keep it up!

@courtjester7778 Жыл бұрын

Great video! This must have been a ton of work for you. Your love and deep appreciation for the series shows in every chapter of this essay. Most excellent!

@TNB12 Жыл бұрын

I always loved the subtext of Symphony of the Night, along with the Sorrow games they stand as really understaded yet potent narratives that elevate the series and characters tenfold. Portrait and Ecclesia also have really good ideas on how to expand the story and world of Castlevania, it's a shame we never got a game exploring the war of 1999. I also do wonder what Iga would've done with the 3D series had it kept going. He was clearly setting more stuff up with Saint Germain in CoD, and I suspect he would've played a part in 1999, but oh well, I'm glad we got the amazing games we did.

@Apollo9898LP Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad KZfaq recommended this absolute banger of a video essay to me, I doubt I ever would've found it otherwise. Amazing work, can't wait to see what you make in the future!

@xombiemike Жыл бұрын

I understand the cycle of reincarnations of Dracula's wife can be irksome, however this is inherited from Bram Stoker's Dracula where Mina is believed to be the reincarnation of Vlad's wife, who's death caused him to swear off his mortality in defiance of God, much like Mathias. It's a balance between upholding the core character of Dracula and trying to do something original.

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

That's true, it's from the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula" but not the book! In the book Dracula had no wife, and he mostly saw Mina as food. What Castlevania inherits from various vampire stories and the influence of stuff like Universal and Hammer would be another topic I should do a deep dive on one day since I love vampire cinema... However, I just kind of get tired of how overused dead wives/"fridging" is. Especially since I'm a woman and like seeing female characters I can relate to (so I tend to prefer characters like Maria, Shanoa, Charlotte, etc). I don't mind too much at the end of the day but I do find it bothersome, especially because it's so overused as a plot device (Elisabetha, Lisa, Rosaly, Sara, etc...)

@xombiemike Жыл бұрын

@@wygolvillage2637 If I knew that, I thoroughly forgot it, thanks! I liked that movie (it came out in my formative years) and I can't recall if I've ever read the novel before. Hey, are you on the Castlevania Discord? They are very inclusive there. I think you would like it, and it would be a great place to share this video.

@SonNeoKaku Жыл бұрын

Really well written, can't wait to see more from you.

@FranzoOnLine Жыл бұрын

This was a great video! While I had pieced together some of this by myself, you filled a lot of holes and made me think of some points I had overlooked. For Jonathan in particular, a headcanon of mine is that while he unlocks the true potential of the Vampire Killer, he ends up choosing to not use it, at all. Aside from this sort of fitting in with understanding why his father didn't want him to use it and not following the same path of self destruction as him, a possible hint to this within the game is that you can obtain the Alucard Spear by completing one of Eric's missions. This is an easy item to miss, but if a player were to obtain it they'd notice it is actually stronger than the Vampire Killer and end up making that their weapon of choice instead.

@caturiges Жыл бұрын

Amazing video on the Castlevania franchise. Sometimes it felt as if I was listening to a friend talk about their favorite games.

@uziel1447 Жыл бұрын

Wonderful video! Your reading of the entire series is so good^^

@mrgodzillar6403 8 ай бұрын

Wow. Just wow. This is love. This was amazing. My whip's off you. Seeing the love people still have for this franchise brings me so much joy. Great job.

@MrSilentProtagonist Жыл бұрын

30:46 It was heavily implied that Barlowe was a good person that got corrupted by Dracula's power after extensively researching glyphs. I really hate the Netflix cartoon. While I keep citing Isaac because he is epitome of everything wrong with the show (the painful moral dissonance of the show), the character that I hate the most is still Dracula. From season 2, I hated the show because of Dracula. I hated the scene that everyone loved because of one reason. Despite everything presented, I do not think that Dracula truly loved his family in a non-superficial way. At least with the games, he doesn't delude himself to thinking that Lisa wanted any of this genocide. In the show, we are expected to believe that he finally saw the light after his second filicide attempt. People keep justifying that scene with the ending of SotN but the show spent half of season 2 making us feel bad about Dracula despite him having that pointless flashback of him saying how he slaughter all those men in that town and talking about it like it was the "good old days". Also, the show made their relationship look rushed. It would have been better if they just implied it instead of showing it because they made it look like Lisa saw a castle full of human lawn ornament and thought "I could fix him". With the ending of SotN, here is basically my headcanon because the later games don't really make sense without it. This isn't recently after Lisa's death yet only now Dracula is asking Alucard Lisa's last words. I interpret it to be Dracula accepting that he is betraying his dead wife's wishes. He already knew what kind of person Lisa was and he avoided hearing her last word to avoid making a promise that he knows that he can not keep. When he said "Forgive me Lisa", he meant "Forgive me Lisa but I can't forgive humanity.". As far as I know, never in SotN did Dracula or Alucard questioned each other on Lisa's wishes.

@TheT3rr0rMask Жыл бұрын

I remember Iga said in some interview that Drac's resurrection overtakes any moments or emotions of self reflection, like he continues to end up as a madman when he comes back, his final lines in SOTN basically unable to occur to him upon new resurrections as he's just so eaten, almost like a re-upping of grief and trauma. I don't have a link for it but thought it was an interesting bit of lore not shown in any games.

@MontyMoelle Жыл бұрын

This is SUCH a beautiful analysis. Thank you so much for making this.

@faeofthorns4013 Жыл бұрын

castlevania is such a comfort series and dracula's character means a lot to me and this video makes me so happy, it's so insightful, well written, made me realize so much about a story i already loved, thank you so much for making it

@HowdyImAlex Жыл бұрын

Glad you popped up in my recommended! Excellent video, thanks for sharing your reading on elements of such a great series.

@EphionWasTaken Жыл бұрын

Wow! This has been such a great essay! Order of Ecclesia is my favorite also and I loved your analysis of its themes. Thank you for posting this!

@Aere395 Жыл бұрын

Lovely and insightful video, hope you'll make more in the future!

@Ronin11111111 Жыл бұрын

You mentioning Tokimeki Memorial made me have a full length flashback to the Action Button review.

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

As it should, I love Action Button

@leftovernoise Жыл бұрын

Such a good video I've lost count of how many times I've seen it

@exxy9931 Жыл бұрын

This deserves so, so, so many more views than it has.

@zeal7742 Жыл бұрын

Great video! I love these castlevania analysis and this one is really well done❤ Symphony of the night is one of my faves

@uop1074 Жыл бұрын

I really loved this analysis this is definitely one of my favorite video essays the only thing I wish you added was mentioning the bad ending of DOS and how the loss of Mina is what sends soma on his dark path in the exact same way the loss of Dracula’s lover did with him

@crimsonite09 Жыл бұрын

If I'm right i think it's pretty much why Dracula's "character development" at the end of SotN doesn't carry in his future revivals is also because of Chaos.

@MisterN1 Жыл бұрын

I know I'm going to sound like a fan boy but it's honestly a great series from start to finish canonically. Dawn of sorrow really wrapped up everything perfectly and left no room for sequels. Some series' need to just end. Remakes however could be a great way of touching things up though.

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

Only real gaps in the timeline I'd like to see filled are the 1999 game and maybe an adaptation of Quincey Morris's adventure... Other than that it really is perfectly wrapped up

@MisterN1 Жыл бұрын

@@wygolvillage2637 That is pretty cool. I think the sorrow games and symphony of the night could use an overhaul. It would be neat if they were done in the style of an fps doom like game. This has been shown to be possible through Simon's destiny which is a reimagining of the first castlevania as an fps Doom mod.

@MotherNature101 Жыл бұрын

I agree, and it's better that it's not milked to where it's no longer as great as it was when it started. I hate it when they do that to all sorts like films, shows etc. They flat out kill it.

@arcbuff44 Жыл бұрын

Very good video! You can really tell you have much experience with this series and have extensively analyzed the series.

@youssefa.2251 Жыл бұрын

I literally love this video. It's so well written and edited!

@lost_koma6350 Жыл бұрын

I really needed more castlevania content lately and I'm glad I found this video. Cheers!

@johnnytutos Жыл бұрын

WONDERFULL descriptions, thank you it was beautiful

@shadowphantom2 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this video essay. Like others in the comments, I had been wanting to tie together all the themes I have seen in the series from each game, but couldn't quite put it together as well as you have. You have captured what I have come to love about the series, and have come to take away from the experience of playing them as well. The best I could come to piece together, from my own understanding of the games, was an idea of how the castle might of represented the concept of self-destruction in its role with dracula, and it's goal of ending humanity. The belmonts mirroring a role of fighting back against those sentiments, but perpetuating a cycle of harm which required a more internal change to properly end it (as represented in Aria/Dawn of Sorrow). Apart from the later introduced origins involving Leon Belmont and Mathias, the rest of the games have always stuck with a wider narrative in my mind, and pushed it beyond that scope of a private feud between those two characters as well. Also, even though christian imagery is used throughout the series, I always felt the story focus of the games had been more around the choices of emotional and mental well being which seems to be the case with your interpretation as well. I was happy to see I wasn't alone in thinking that. I don't feel your interpretation is too far from what might of been intended, in general, from the whole narrative as well based off how many nods and hints were present in each title. Order of Ecclesia was also my first castlevania game, and at the time, it captured my imagination so much that it motivated me to go back and see what I had missed out on with the series. The series now holds a special place in my heart, and this was exactly the sort of discourse I was hoping to find some mention about it since I started playing back then as well. Thank you again! c:

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

I really like your analysis!

@rjd_frostcor3 Жыл бұрын

Somebody is getting all smart... with a series consisting of some of the most simple game play, stories and themes. And I loved it bro. Nice job, seriously. I have a small article I wrote about a scene in Max Payne 3, where like it or not postmodernists. It's a scene only inspired, directly or indirectly by Castlevania. Maybe I'll message you the link if interested.

@gv82089 Жыл бұрын

Well, this being a full on exploration of the series' lore just tells you its story is not that simple 😉

@unersame8253 Жыл бұрын

This video is amazing. I loved your analysis. Specially the Aria of Sorrow, Order of Ecclessia and Harmony of Dissonance parts. Keep up the good work 👏

@germicelli Жыл бұрын

late to comment but i love how effective but fun this video is as an analysis of such a fun series!! proud of how it came out and all the deserved praise its been getting!!!

@LobselErik Жыл бұрын

It's so good to see more acknowledgement for this series' plot and themes, maybe most games on their own don't have the most brilliant story ever told but the series as a whole has such an interesting story with a pretty unique way of presenting these themes

@RadioKaos637 9 ай бұрын

I feel you did a great job connecting Rondo of Blood to Symphony of the Night. I would add a bit on Maria and say that it was more than her just getting in the way of Alucard killing her cousin Richter, it was also how much she had lost with her parents’ murders in Rondo of Blood. She also seems to have a childlike personality which while it was played for humor in part in Rondo of Blood, but it may have also been a coping mechanism for Maria regarding what happened with her parents. She doesn’t want Richter dead because he and Annette are the family Maria lives with after Rondo.

@benjaminkemer6428 10 ай бұрын

I feel it’s a little more complicated than Sonia was a woman, the manual and the game indicate that she and Alucard start the Belmont family, and that conflicts with Lament of Innocence apparently. That being said, I have gotten all three Nintendo DS Castlevania games and they all feel like Legend of Zelda games where you go into Dungeons, kill monsters and get new equipment from each Dungeon, and as someone who likes and played most of the Legend of Zelda games, I’m not complaining, it’s a style of gameplay I have a bias for. I’m having a hard time picking a favorite DS game because both Portrait of Ruin (switching between different characters) and Order of Ecclesia (having various glyphs and combinations of glyphs, both are a unique concept in their own right. OOE had a sad kind of ending IMO though. As far as Alucard in Symphony of the Night, I felt his points about feeling sorry about himself were incorrect. The most obvious wrong assumption from Alucard was maybe he couldn’t stop Richter without killing him. Him being cursed was oversimplified and a bit immature considering Dracula came back three or four times (forgive me for not keeping track) without Alucard being present. Cursed Blood? I’m disappointed he said that when he was needed in Symphony as a last line of defense against Dracula and Shaft’s scheme. Honestly that son of Dracula made me want to smack him.

@crowmagnon Жыл бұрын

I can't believe you got less than 5,000 subscribers, this is absolutely phenomenal!

@Althecor Жыл бұрын

Amazing work! Glad youtube recommended me your channel

@arlecd1338 Жыл бұрын

Great video! I have only played the DS Castlevanias, AoS and SotN so I didn't really have all the context of the series and this video gave me not only that but a bigger picture of the themes in the series. One of my favourite Castlevania videos yet

@iannhellobatac5580 Жыл бұрын

I just want to say that I truly appreciate your passion to extract a cohesive narrative out of this series. More than the fun and solid gameplay, it actually has a compelling thematic narrative. The best way to get trough trauma is reconciliation and acceptance.

@ShinobiestWorm Жыл бұрын

Amazing work. Been a somewhat casual fan of Castlevania for almost 30 years and there's a lot here I wasn't aware of.

@TheMightyMcClaw Жыл бұрын

Fantastic essay! Watching this, I was really struck at how rarely Castlevania gets this kind of thematic analysis applied to it. I guess we've all been taking it for granted.

@elefanteguerreropsiquicoan8951 Жыл бұрын

i usually get tired of essays in like half an hour, but this was actually really nice to watch (even if i spoiled myself the entirety of OoE), with nice pacing and narration, and of a reasonable lenght too that "HELLO SOMA" was cursed as hell tho

@pissqueendanniella4688 Жыл бұрын

One of Alucard's attacks in the battle against Ricter looks like he's throwing infinite pies and that really amuses me

@Syma408 Жыл бұрын

Its not alucard, its other protagonist from a ds game, and yes, he is actually throwing pies in the image of one of the strongest belmonts lol

@dosito86 Жыл бұрын

i love this video essay! thank you so much!

@bS0up Жыл бұрын

Well damn. Glad I finally got around to watching this and hope you do more video essays in the future. Mostly commenting for the algorithm. Hope you get even more eyes on this vid

@captainhenson41 Жыл бұрын

The lore got me into this series in the first place, so any video delving into it has my full attention. This was well done. I'm really interested in hearing your full thoughts on the Netflix series; how that show treats game lore does NOT sit well with me.

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

Thank you! As for netflixvania... That would probably warrant an even longer video because the entire thing is so flawed, both as an adaptation and on its own... I may make a video on it eventually because I'm tired of the show getting such unanimous praise, but it would probably be the biggest video project I'll ever make! I have a lot to say about it lol

@captainhenson41 Жыл бұрын

@@wygolvillage2637 A long form video essay would be great on the matter. As you said, the show has such unanimous praise that we need more people on the other side of the aisle. I loved the show when I barely knew about the lore outside of the 8-16 bit era. So I knew about some of the changes, like even back then I thought not having Grant was dumb, but now I know the full scope. Personally, I wanted the show to basically take the canon timeline, fill in the blanks, make necessary changes, and possibly throw in the non-canon games with changes of course. Castlevania Legends without that annoying SoniaxAlucard angle as an example. Sonia DESERVES respect.

@twentyninerooks Жыл бұрын

I like this video, good work. Ever since a distant uncle of mine passed away, and left an SNES with some Castlevania games to me in his will, I've loved this series.

@jdaywork2693 Жыл бұрын

Good job on putting the lore all together!

@thebeefjstag Жыл бұрын

this is awesome and you're swag as hell for it. legendary video

@Casparatis Жыл бұрын

I've loved Castlevania ever since I was a child, and I always felt like my love for its lore and overall storyline was something that really was only for me. This video is really incredible-seeing another outpouring of passion for one of my favorite series like this, especially told so well, is enough that I'm almost breaking down into tears. My little brother and I play video games together frequently, and lately we've been playing the Castlevania series in chronological order. We just finished Rondo of Blood, so next up is Symphony of the Night. This has only made me even more excited to get to the latter part of the series, when its thematic heft really starts to shine-and Lament of Innocence is still his favorite so far, so I imagine he'll be excited for it, too. Thank you for this video. I love Castlevania. And I never thought I'd find anyone else who actively shipped Shanoa and Laura lol

@wygolvillage2637 Жыл бұрын

This comment is so sweet thank you

@Casparatis Жыл бұрын

@@wygolvillage2637 I wanted to come back to this comment now-we've since finished Symphony of the Night. According to my little brother, "This feels like an ending-like if people just left Dracula alone for the next hundred years, he'd retire." Unfortunately, our series playthrough is slotting Circle of the Moon and Castlevania LOD/64 in between here and Ecclesia, so he actually gets resurrected five times in the 1800s :V Poor Matt.

@worldrummer Жыл бұрын

I fell off the series after Castlevania 64, but this was super cool to get into. Great vid. I can't imagine how long this essay is written out. 👊🏼

@UmbraGaming Жыл бұрын

Great video! It made me appreciate the stories of the older games a lot more.

@OspreySoul Жыл бұрын

What a fantastic analysis! I've always enjoyed the larger Castlevania narrative, and it's really refreshing to see it through the lens of trauma and reconciliation.

@OspreySoul Жыл бұрын

Also, it just occurred to me that Dracula or a vampire as a corrupting force akin to a disease or plague goes back to the film Nosferatu. There's also ties to it back in the original novel, with the Count able to conjure or control swarms of rats when the heroes are ransacking his lair.

@mwalsh616 Жыл бұрын

Awesome video that makes me want to revisit not just the Castlevania games I know and love, but the games I haven’t tried yet. One bit that might be relevant: Barlow may also reference the name of the vampire lord in Stephen King’s “‘Salem’s Lot”

@eddymadison9655 Жыл бұрын

59:38 If you really want to play a Castlevania game involve the timeline of Demon Castle Wars, there's a fan project called "Castlevania : Seal Of The Eclipse" still in development