CastlevaniaRL

CastlevaniaRL
Stable game
Developer	Slash
Theme	Vampires
Influences	Castlevania Series
Released	2005 May 14 (7DRL)
Updated	2024 Apr 22 (0.8.3)
Licensing	Open source
P. Language	Java
Platforms	Java
Interface	ASCII, Graphics, Keyboard
Game Length	4 hours
Official site of CastlevaniaRL

Description

CastlevaniaRL is a roguelike in which your character must challenge the castle of count Dracula seeking to finish him off, after facing all kind of monsters in different environments into the Castle of Chaos. Each one of the six different classes is armed with an array of skills for both offense and support and gains power as they advance through the game.

The game features both console and graphics mode, as well as support for midi and mp3 music and wav special effects.

Gameplay videos

Graphics Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4u1JyBDJgY

Console Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=424eE-FQoIE

History

CastlevaniaRL dates from the first 7DRL challenge (2005). The very simple game that was submitted evolved guided via a centralized RFE and Bug Report system, based on community feedback.

On June 2006, development of the game graphics version started due to contributions of Christopher Barret on the pixel art front. The game continued the development until mid 2007.

In 2009, development was resumed with the main goal of stabilizing it. This short push lasted until early 2010.

In 2024, updated versions were released addressing many of the long standing gameplay and visual concerns.

Plot

The struggle between the Belmonts and Dracula comes from distant times; time after time the count of darkness rises from the shadows, and a Belmont hero responds to the call of fate to confront him.

Years ago, it was the turn of Christopher Belmont to take his place in the history of his bloodline, and meet his fate in the castle of chaos. He emerged victorious, and the land was saved.

However, not much after his victory over Castlevania, when his son Soleiyu was ready to rise as the new vampire killer, the forces of darkness struck again and his son was abducted... Again, Christopher had to fight through castles of different nature, and finally found his child transformed into a vicious demon;

He had to fight Dracula, whom still without his full power, died to the sacred whip.

He came back with his son in his hands. The townspeople had his wounds attended, but there are wounds human medicine cannot cure... three days after returning safe and regaining his human shape, Soleiyu fled to the mountains and forests, and never again came back.

Not much happened for the next years, until one night, the moon turned blood, and the castle raised from the ashes, much before the time it was fated to; one by one the towns of the region fell to the wrath of the dark armies, as no one seemed to assume the fate of facing the count in his own castle. Christopher Belmont, who had become a renowned trainer, was feeling the weight of the years coming over him; still, he joined the most brave and skilled warriors he could and headed to Castlevania, the dwelling of chaos.

One by one, his companions fell to the atrocities of the castle, their sacrifice being the only way to aid their master unto the only chance at sight to save mankind, finally, wounded and tired, he was for the third time in the same place he had been fifteen years ago; the vampire killer whip, which should have been in the hands of his son, gave him the last strengths to face Dracula again, and so, the final face-off began.

The events that followed marked the start of a new age... Darkness swept the world, as all hopes seemed to be lost, and long forgotten Belmont bloodlines had to rise again and take their paths again to the cursed castle, the time has come for the future of mankind to be decided; the threads of fate are in your hands and in your heart.

Features

• 6 different player classes, each one has unique skills and attributes
• Several level layouts and generators
• 2.5D, a simulation of 3D on a 2D space
• A vast collection of items and monsters based on the Castlevania series
• Artwork based on the castlevania series
• Hostage rescuing quests and artifacts

Requirements

CastlevaniaRL requires Sun Java 1.5 or higher, which is probably already installed in your computer. Get Java Now!

See other Java Roguelikes