The Netflix Castlevania show recently released its second season, concluding its adaptation
of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, and leaving the show open for adaptations of other games,
such as Symphony of the Night and Curse of Darkness. It's apparently based on an old
movie trilogy plan written by Warren Ellis back in 2007, with Season 1 adapting the first
film, and Season 2 combining the second and third. So, the idea of adapting Castlevania
III has been in place for over a decade. But, why III, specifically? Why not the original,
or the massively popular Symphony? Here's what I think.
If we go into this with the mindset that this could be the only ever mainstream Castlevania
adaptation, we want something that represents the franchise as a whole. It's best to stick
to the original series, so let's drop the Lords of Shadow games, since those are a reimagining.
Adapting those would be like adapting DmC instead of Devil May Cry. Additionally, any
that rely on previous instalments for context, such as crossovers or direct sequels, also
have to go, since this story needs to be able to stand on its own. It should also be a classic
story of Belmont vs Dracula, so any that don't star a Belmont and any that don't feature
Dracula are also out. As good as entries like Symphony of the Night or Order of Ecclesia
may be, they don't really fit this criteria, and are somewhat reliant on the rest of the
franchise to really work, so they're out. And for a more specific criteria: the 1944
setting of Portrait of Ruin is a bit too modern a setting to be considered classic, so let's
cut that. These criteria trim down our options quite a bit.
Now, I'm sure some of you are asking, "Aren't you overthinking this? Just adapt Castlevania
1 since it's the obvious choice." The problem there is that Castlevania 1 is just Simon
running around inside the castle on his own. That might work for a fan film or twenty minute
episode, but for a full movie or season? No. Sure, you could include a portion set outside
the castle as buildup and some supporting characters to go along with Simon, but that's
just Castlevania III. So, let's remove 1, as well as The Adventure, since this largely
applies there too.
This leaves us with three pretty good choices: Dracula's Curse, Rondo of Blood, and Legends.
Now, I could take the easy way out and say that it's more classic to have a male Belmont
fight Dracula and discount Sonia, but she's suffered enough for her gender already. Instead,
I'm going to present four arguments for why Dracula's Curse is a better choice for this
adaptation than the other two.
Status: Trevor and his story are more... classic than Richter or Sonia. Yes, Richter was in
the iconic Symphony, but Trevor goes back to the NES days. He was even chosen as the
only other Belmont to join the OG Simon for Judgment, as well as appearing in Curse of
Darkness, so he's clearly one of the more important characters in the franchise. Sonia,
meanwhile, has only appeared once.
Alfred: "Though not for lack of trying."
Freedom: Dracula's Curse's plot is very... classic video game: you have the premise and
the end, and that's about it. It's all gameplay in between, with the occasional interaction
between the characters when they first meet. Legends is similar, but has a bit more going
on with Sonia's meeting with Alucard and such (and the rather weird direction that ultimately
goes). Rondo, meanwhile, made much more of an attempt to tell a compelling story, even
featuring full-on cutscenes. Choosing an entry with less plot allows more creative freedom
for the writers, since they can generally add material to flesh the story out, without
being accused of changing the story.
Romance: Romance may seem like an odd criteria for choosing a Castlevania to adapt, but if
done well, romance can really add to a story. And as we saw in the actual show, Trevor and
Sypha are bloody adorable. Richter has Anette, who in some versions is turned into Carmilla
or a lesser vampire, which could make for some compelling drama; but as an otherwise
non-combatant NPC, she wouldn't be able to have cool fight scenes alongside her lover,
as Sypha can. And the less said about Sonia's romantic option, the better. On a related
note, let's be real, this is the first good design Sypha's ever had and it's bloody perfect.
Future: Dracula's Curse introduces Alucard, who then stars in Symphony. The game is also
used for the backstory of Curse of Darkness, which begins shortly thereafter and sees Trevor
return. I did say the adaptation should be able to stand on its own, but leaving the
door open for sequels is okay, as long as you don't need those sequels to tell a complete
story. So, Symphony and Curse of Darkness are now both on the table if you adapt Dracula's
Curse. And if you've finished the show, you definitely get the impression they intended
it to be that way.
Rondo also leads to Symphony, while Legends sets up Dracula's Curse. But, it could be
seen as a little redundant to make another Belmont vs Dracula scenario after the first
one. You can get away with this in a game by altering the gameplay, level design or
perspective, which makes the similar plot somewhat acceptable. For a purely narrative-driven
experience, though, this is not really an option and you'll want to do something different,
so it's Legends, Rondo or III, not two of them. And certainly not all three.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see any of these games be adapted by this team. I love
Shanoa, Sonia deserves a second chance, the iconic Simon deserves his time, Symphony would
be an obvious hit, and even an original take on the Demon Castle War of 1999 would be great.
But, Curse of Darkness offered a great balance of a classic setup, plenty of freedom to mould
the story, a strong group dynamic including a great power couple, and the potential for
follow-up and expansion through multiple sequels. That's why, in my mind, Castlevania III: Dracula's
Curse is the perfect source material for a Castlevania adaptation.
What do you guys think? Maybe you disagree with my assessment and think another instalment
would be a better choice. By all means, make your case in the comments or even your own
video. But I think, whether you agree with me or not, we can all agree that the Castlevania
Netflix show, in general, is bloody awesome. Thank God it didn't suck, eh?
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