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What is your favorite Castlevania "entrance theme"? (+ Share your favorite CV arrangements here!)

You are walking into the famous nightmarish castle. What era is playing in the background?

  • NESvania: Vampire Killer (CV1, 3, Rondo, like, every single CV game)

    Votes: 40 40.0%

  • SNESvania: Entrance Hall (SCIV)

    Votes: 12 12.0%

  • Metroidvania Begins: Dracula's Castle (SotN)

    Votes: 21 21.0%

  • GBAvania: Awake (CotM) | Successor of Fate (HoD) | Ruined Castle Corridor (AoS)

    Votes: 8 8.0%

  • DSvania: Pitch Black Intrusion (DoS) | Invitation of a Crazed Moon (PoR) | An Empty Tome (OoE)

    Votes: 15 15.0%

  • Igavania & Beyond: Luxurious Overture (RotN)

    Votes: 3 3.0%

  • Other (please share below!)

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • Total voters
    100
Canas Renvall

Canas Renvall

Member
Mar 4, 2018
2,779
As the title implies, what are you getting hyped up for when you finally approach the one and only Castle of Dracula? Through the decades (and in lore, through the centuries), gamers have been treated to many varied tracks leading into the nightmare. I'm going to list some of the tracks in their original format, but I insist that you all share your favorite arrangements!

Vampire Killer
as heard in like, almost all of them

View: https://youtu.be/btgi3TPL3AE
How can you not get excited hearing this? My god. It's the OG! It's adventurous!

Entrance Hall
as heard in Super Castlevania IV

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
youtu.be youtu.be
Short, but extremely regal and formal. Kind of a different flavor of entrance. I dig it.

Dracula's Castle
as heard in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

View: https://youtu.be/X7faGl3O6Oc
Michiru Yamane left her mark on history when she began work on the series, and it shows. She began with Bloodlines, but with CD quality audio she blew the gates off their hinges.

Awake
as heard in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

View: https://youtu.be/zpE3j66BpTA
Crunchy GBA sound aside, the melody is really great here. One of my secret faves.

Successor of Fate
as heard in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
I dare someone to vote for this one. :)

Ruined Castle Corridor
as heard in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

- YouTube

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youtu.be youtu.be
This one really touches the soul.

Pitch Black Intrusion
as heard in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
youtu.be youtu.be
Yes this one is cheating a little since it's the village outside the castle, shush.

Invitation of a Crazed Moon
as heard in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

- YouTube

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youtu.be youtu.be
Dat bassline. Nuff said.

An Empty Tome
as heard in Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

View: https://youtu.be/UImoQhzaOJk
Another favorite of mine. Big fan of being the morning sun, come to vanquish this horrible night.

Luxurious Overture
as heard in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
youtu.be youtu.be
Yes, it's a Castlevania game. And damn does Yamane put in the work. Fabulous OST.

Come, vampire hunters, mages, shamans, one and all: share your favorites!

Bonus option:

Haunted House
as heard in Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
youtu.be youtu.be
As soon as I entered this level, the music was unlike anything else in the game and I was stunned at its quality. I literally said out loud "This sounds like something Michiru Yamane would do for a Castlevania game." then proceeded to look up the composer for this track. ...Yeah. To say her style is distinct is an understatement, lol.
 
alpha

alpha

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,481
Honestly a "screw this I won't choose" scenario, as nearly all of them are god-tier. The only one I'm not big on is CV4's but I consider Simon's Theme the real intro song for that and it's also god-tier.
 
FinalArcadia

FinalArcadia

Member
Nov 4, 2020
1,951
USA
Lots of good choices, but my pick is "Invitation of a Crazed Moon." Portrait of Ruin's OST might be my favorite in the whole series, and its castle entrance theme is no exception to how fantastic the OST is. Super catchy and distinctive, it kinda fits Jonathan and Charlotte tone-wise too, a little sillier/lighter than usual. I'm super biased though because PoR is also my favorite game in the whole series lol
 
Phendrift

Phendrift

Member
Oct 25, 2017
32,873
An Empty Tome
Dracula's Castle
Ruined Castle Corridor
Vampire Killer (all versions)
Pitch Black Intrusion
Awake
Invitation of a Crazed Moon


Successor of Fate
 
Morrigan

Morrigan

Spear of the Metal Church
Member
Oct 24, 2017
35,430
Vampire Killer is a classic and all, but Dracula's Castle by Yamane is just peak Castlevania music. So it must win.
 
SweetJohnnyCage

SweetJohnnyCage

Member
Nov 13, 2017
1,754
SCV4 goes pretty ham, especially with the low ambient intro.

I consider SotN's intro to be Bloodlines and not Dracula's Castle, though. That guitar slide wins every poll.
 
CeVee

CeVee

Member
Nov 8, 2019
2,604
Anywhere and everywhere, all at once.
Successor of Fate. Every time I hear it, I always think back to the first time I ever played the game and heard it—and like, smile. It's one of my favorite 'Belmont' themes from the series (despite the GBA sound chip limitations).
 
Eddman

Eddman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
689
Mexico
While the NES theme is legendary, Super Castlevania IV is in my top 5 game OST of all time, so I'll go for that.

I absolutely love the combination of the John Carpenter-like spooky 80s synths with the nasty bass and catchy as hell melodies. For me is the ideal and perfect mood for Castlevania.
 
steviestar3

steviestar3

One Winged Slayer
Member
Jul 3, 2018
4,785
An Empty Tome wins just because the context of when it plays is so good. I love the buildup to Dracula's Castle in OoE.

My runner up is Invitation of a Crazed Moon just because it's funky as hell
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
123,835
It's Dracula's Castle. The guitar drone at the beginning of it is such an incredible tone setter.
 
Grenlento

Grenlento

Member
Dec 6, 2023
731
High-five to the one other person that voted Luxurious Overture, lol.

EDIT: Now three! Group high-five!
 
Last edited:
DaveB

DaveB

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,677
New Hampshire, USA
I have a wicked soft spot for SOTN's and Dawn of Sorrow's opening level themes, but Vampire Killer is too iconic to not vote for that.

A boss theme poll would be interesting… Festival of Servants from SOTN goes so fucking hard.
 
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