My Top 10 Favorite Tunes from the Castlevania Series

Halloween is tomorrow, and that means there's no better time to get into the Castlevania spirit! Today I'm going to share with you my top 10 favorite tunes from the series. Let's take a look.

Castlevania is a series that has been around since 1986, and being around that long and having as many games in the series as Castlevania has, you know there have to be some great tunes found within. In fact, I would even say the Castlevania series has some of the best video game compositions of all time. That's not really a bold claim, but still.

In any case, you're here to find out what my top tunes are and to maybe get mad about them, so let's get going.

10) Reincarnated Soul

Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis)

I feel Bloodlines has an average soundtrack, but this one and Sinking Old Sanctuary really stand out to me. Jumping around in it I find that most of the tracks in the game are actually kind of forgettable, and none really capture the feeling of Castlevania like the track here from the opening level. Bloodlines is just kind of a weird game anyway, I have to say. It doesn't "feel" much like a Castlevania game to me with the exception of a whip wielding protagonist.

9) The Sinking Old Sanctuary

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (Game Boy Advance)

This was honestly a tough one, but I have to give it to the Game Boy Advance rendition of the track. The Sinking Old Sanctuary appears in Castlevania: Bloodlines during the second stage, and in that game it's a beautiful track for sure, but the Game Boy Advance version has a quality to it that I like more. There's something interesting about the Game Boy Advance sound that gives it this weird lo-fi effect that on some level highly appeals to me. It's also quite nostalgic for me.

8) Slash

Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES)

You might be thinking "Hey, Slash is from Dracula X: Rondo of Blood and in that game it has incredible CD quality sound. What's this doing here instead?" Well, truth be told, I actually prefer the SNES versions of the Rondo of Blood tracks in most cases, and this is an instance of that being true. Castlevania: Dracula X on the Super Nintendo gets a lot of undeserved hate, and I think some people might write the soundtrack off as being inferior to Rondo because this game has a reputation of being a "bad port" of Rondo of Blood, when it's actually a totally unique game.

7) Theme of Simon

Super Castlevania IV (SNES)

Super Castlevania IV opens with this amazing song in its opening level. It's hard to put any other track from this game above Theme of Simon. When I first played Super Castlevania IV before I even owned a Super Nintendo, this song captivated me and was one of the many things that sold me on the SNES. The Genesis wasn't putting out tunes like this! That this is Simon Belmont's theme song just makes it even more awesome. The bass line through the song is not to be missed.

6) Lost Painting

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PlayStation)

A wonderful composition from Symphony of the Night that gives me the feels. Something about this song triggers an incredible sense of nostalgia I can't even place. It's extremely haunting and carries a lot of weight. Most of the songs in Symphony of the Night are very, very good, but this one stands out to me among the others. Beautiful stuff.

5) Wicked Child

Castlevania Chronicles (PlayStation)

This track is insane. It takes Wicked Child and puts an unexpected spin on it. The electronic sounds found in the track almost in a way echo the feeling of the original track, in that it's surprisingly upbeat for a Castlevania game. Is it better than the original? Boy, that's hard to say. The original is timeless, but this version just blows me away. I went back and forth on whether to put this version in the list or the original, and in the end, I think I have to give it to the Castlevania Chronicles version. But just barely.

4) Praying Hands

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (Game Boy)

This entire soundtrack is phenomenal, but if I was going to get right down to it, Praying Hands would be my top pick. Yeah, Ripe Seeds is fantastic and gets a lot of well deserved love, but I'm telling you, guys... Praying Hands! When it has that incredible breakdown right before the track loops? That's the stuff killer tracks are made of! You owe it to yourself to listen to the rest of the soundtrack if you dig this track. Don't be fooled by it being a Game Boy game.

3) Demon Seed

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES)

This track has a bass line so heavy that it'll burst your heart in your chest. It's moody and foreboding but still manages to somehow be a rocking track. Demon Seed, as far as I'm concerned, deserves to be given the same respect as other Castlevania tracks such as Vampire Killer and Beginning. It should be remixed and appear in other Castlevania games! Demon Seed has always been a standout track for me.

2) Crystal Teardrops

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PlayStation)

Whoo, boy. Crystal Teardrops almost always gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it. It has such a unique quality to it, almost like the song itself is being played through a crystal, if that makes any sense. The borderline lo-fi background drum beat, the dancing of the foreground keyboard... the composition demands admiration and is easily my favorite track in the game. When you exit the loading screen and this music starts up, you know it's on.

1) Bloody Tears

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)

Hands down, this is not only my favorite Castlevania composition, but also my favorite video game music composition of all time. Period. For me, there is nothing better than Bloody Tears, and it could be nowhere else but the number one slot. This track jams harder than any other Castlevania song you'll ever hear, and I'm here to tell you, there are a lot of jammin' Castlevania songs out there, folks. Bloody Tears has been remixed countless times and appeared in many Castlevania games, but I feel like the original rendition is the best in-game version of the track.

And there it is! I'm sure anyone familiar with Castlevania music at all saw Bloody Tears coming in at number one before they even clicked the article. With that being said, what are some of your favorite Castlevania tunes?

Happy Halloween, everyone!