Topic: What would *you* change about the CV Universe?

[X]

Lament of Innocence: Lose the whole Dracula/Mathias connection entirely. Have Mathias instead be like Walter; A stepping stone to help strengthen the early Belmont family. To prepare them for when they must face the real Dracula.

Remake a new Legends game with Sonia reinstated. Have a backstory describing Vlad's rise and fall, his betrayal to Mathias (now King Mathias of Hungary), and stealing of the Crimson stone. Vlad loses his wife due to the Turks deceit and this act prompts Vlad to become Dracula. The Japanese backstory of legends would be used rather then the US version. Sonia is Trevor's mother and she trains her son to be the next hero of legend.

CV Resurrection would be made.

Curse of Darkness never happens. There are no devil forge masters nor any time travelers.

SCV4 would be made into a sequel of CV II.

Give CVII's game a further in-depth backstory

CotM would still be a Castlevania gaiden but Nathan Graves would actually be a Belmont descendant thus explaining why he's able to kill Dracula. His hunter whip is similar to the Vampirekiller, but not one and the same.

Only a Belmont by blood decent can slay the Count. No more wannabes.

The Vampirekiller whip is brought back as being a divine weapon of holy power rather then a whip of alchemy. And only a blood descendant of the Belmonts can wield it or it simply won't work.

Give Carmilla a more important Role in the CV universe. As a bloody rival to Dracula.

Death is one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and is not in any way a Shinigami.

PoR happens just like;

or, if it did happen, incorporate more "military-esque" vibe in the story. brauner would be replaced by hitler, since hitler too was an aspiring artist. hitler & the nazis, wanting to gain advantage over the allies, resurrects draculas castle. little known fact is that some of hitler's top officials were into the occult & mysticism

^^^
This.

Bram stoker's Dracula would be incorporated into the CV universe with some slight (but not major) changes.

The backstory of Bloodlines would be explained as to clear up the confusion of the Morris and Lecarde childrens' involvement at the climactic final struggle between Dracula and Quincy Morris.

The whole idea of why the Belmonts cannot touch the whip would be dropped entirely if it cannot be explained in any coherent or rational way.

Make the 1999 game.

Dawn of Sorrow never happens.

Have a far more gender neutral series with female Belmont leads.

Fully explain the 100 year cycle of Dracula's resurrections so as to avoid any further confusion. And also explain in detail about his premature resurrections.

Dracula himself created Castlevania through his own power.

[Kaneda]

*Tie in the 64 games with Bloodlines. Renon mentions an approaching war. We know Elizabeth helps spark that conflict, but perhaps Renon has a hand in providing some resources. Chainsaw Frankenstein and the motorcycles the skeletons ride would be technology that he began developing and for whatever reason was not able to put them to use and they ended up falling into humanity's grasp.

*The stock of the whip is the Vampire Killer, not the entire whip. It's a unique weapon among the Belmonts in that it can work as various types of whips. Leather, morning star, etc. The Belmonts could screw on whatever attachment to the stock that fits the situation. It would explain how the Vampire Killer is passed down each generation but doesn't seem to be consistent with the lash. Simon has a leather whip, Richter has a morning star, Schneider goes back to a leather whip. Each warrior would have an attachment unique to their skills and personal preference.   

[DarkPrinceAlucard]

I'm pretty satisfied with what IGA gave us, so I won't have a big list like some of you.

But here are some things I would change

I would have Joachim play a larger role in LOI, maybe as a anti hero you control through parts of the game's story leading up to him taking on Leon and losing and thus passing his power on to the whip or something. Or more likely a unlockable story prequel mode for him that has a actual story and features his exploits to overthrow Walter.

I would make a remake of 2.5D remake CV3 and add the Devil Forgemater element into it as a new addition. Don't care what anyone says I actually liked the Devil Forgemaster concept and If a CV3 remake was ever made I think there could easily fit Issac in their as a boss (hector was said to have left Dracula before the game). And no fucken way it would be much of a problem in my opinion, after playing Resident Evil remake for the gamecube which was a remake for the original RE1 game I can honestly say that a remake with new added story elements can work just fine, in RE1 remake we got crimson heads and the Lisa Trevor additions, both things where not in the original game and worked just well.

I would have Curse of Darkness actually feature Alucard,Grant, and Sypha. I can understand Alcuard not being in it given his supposed sleep up until Symphony, but they could have at least included a secret "Alcuard Tomb" level or something actually showing Alucard asleep within the tomb. And there is no reason at all I see that Sypha and Grant could not be included. I just think that those 3 deserved to AT LEAST be featured in the game, even briefly, instead we didn't even get to hear their name in the game which was lame.

I would have Alcuard make a appearance in Order of Ecclesia, since the game did not take place that far after SOTN I felt it would have been a great idea to have him as a supporting and eventually unlockable character. That way we know what he was up to after the events of SOTN.

I would have never made Portrait of Ruin, did not like that game that much and felt it did not do much to explain WHY the belmonts can not wield the whip anymore.

I would make the 1999 game include a team of Alucard,Julius, and a descendant of Sypha, all of them playable from the get go, I would also have it feature MANY modern elements like cars,motorcycles,televisions,neon lights etc.

[darkwzrd4]

1) I'd change LoI. No Mathias. Sara gets kidnapped my Walter. Leon goes to rescue her like in the game. Basically, the only difference is no Mathiasand no Death. Just Leon trying to rescue Sara. Failing to rescue her and using her to complete the whip and slay Walter and vowing that his family will hunt the night to prevent others from suffering the same fate as Sara did. It is simply the origin of the Vampire Killer and the reason why the Belmonts become vampire hunters.

2) Dracula is Dracula. A very powerful and very evil vampire devoid of any humanity or human emotions. Just a prick out to make humanity suffer.

3) Change Alucard's origin. Instead of being conceived in love between Dracula and Lisa. He is the result of Dracula raping a human woman and leaving her human, alive and unknowingly pregnant (simply because Dracula is an evil prick who can't love and enjoys making humans suffer). Despite all this, Lisa loves her Dhampir son she names Adrian, but is murdered by Dracula's underlings on a raid of the town where she lives when Adrian is roughly 16 years old. Hating that he is the result of rape and that Dracula's (his own rapist father) forces murdered his mother (the one person who truly cared about Adrian), he decides that he would use the vampiric powers he has suppressed his whole live to become a vampire hunter and kill his father along with all other vampires (except for himself). At this time, he also begins calling himself Alucard to show that he opposes his father (yes, I know this is corny and that making him a product of rape is going a little too far, but I feel it works.)

4) Although allies, the Belmonts and Alucard don't completely trust each other and simply agree to stay out of each others way.

That's all I got so far.

[GuyStarwind]

Speaking of Mathias and LoI I would keep him in but give him more depth. He's kinda a "it's all in the manual" character until the end. Maybe have him tell you things or sell you stuff instead of Rinaldo. Maybe even have him show up in random parts of the castle where he helps you out.

[JR]

It's a long story.

Hmm...don't know how I missed that thread, but that's a great idea. The first 3 games occupying their own canon would be something I'd love to see.

[Chernabogue]

The fanbase? LOLOLOLOLOL

[Tuxedo Mark]

While I wouldn't remove any games from the canon (I'm all-inclusive), I think a good personal canon would be:

L -> DC -> A -> BR -> CV -> SQ -> HoDi -> RoB -> SotN -> OoE -> BL -> PoR -> 1999. The End.

[zangetsu468]

LOI:
-The Vampire Lord of the Castle's identity remains anonymous until the end of the game but is assumed it's Joachim
-Mathias was this vampire lord all along, Joachim was his puppet.
-Build up more of backstory as to the cruelty of what the vampire Lord is doing to the women he kidnaps.
-At the very end Sara has to die but not before giving birth to a child which is actually Mathias' demon seed (yes he forced Sara) rather than Leon's i.e. the Belmont bloodline is cursed by Mathias (like what Griffith did to Guts/Casca in Berserk) The child is normal but the bloodline is affected, to be revealed centuries later....** (i.e. part of Drac's energy housed within the Belmont bloodline until after 1999_
-Confirm that this Castle is in fact Castlevania, which is why it is encased in eternal night, for eternity (alteast until 1999)
-Make Elisabetha and Lisa the same character, it makes so much more sense. Dracula never loved anyone, he has lost all humanity.
-Mathias makes a pact with a fallen angel in order to obtain the Crimson Stone.
-Explain the existence of the missing two stones (ivory and emerald? who has them, are they used in the whip of alchemy's completion etc)
-Explain how the crimson stone resurrects Dracula (like he never really dies, his soul is just re-absorbed each time)

Legends/ Resurrection:
-Remake it, even if it isn't canon. But make it canon!

CVIII:
-Final Battle takes place in Castlevania. Forget Alucard, Trevor is Sonia's son.

Curse of Darkness:
Hectar is a descendant of Alucard (and some she Demon..)

SCV4:
This is the third and final time Simon faces Dracula. It is not a retelling of CV I

Simon's quest:
-Remake the game in 3d and have it make some god damn sense.
-Change Vrad Graveyard to VLAD Graveyard.
-Fix the endings ffs

POR/ Bloodlines:
-Show Bartley/ Barthory bathing in blood.
-Have the game actually take place around the World during WWII, story direction to be more like bloodlines where players traverse Europe in search of finding clue to slaying evil i.e. Dracula.
-Leave the Morris Family, and the ties back to Bram Stoker's novel intact, I believe it has its place.
-Canonically the Morris clan don't need the VK to slay Drac, but if they do the player gets the good ending, where Jonathan dies.
-Lecarde is Alucard's descendant and he and Johnny Morris are older which explains how they witnessed Quincy's death.
-Explain why the Belmonts can't touch the whip for 2 centuries. (purification prior to Julius destroying Drac)
-Leave Bloodline's original Japanese artwork as is.
-Final battle takes place in Castlevania.

Dracula XX:
This is a direct sequel to Rondo, Maria and Annette are older. Drac comes back fiercer than Rondo.

Sotn/ Alucard:
-Alucard is a byproduct of Dracula forcing his way into a human female (maybe a Belmont's daughter)
Torn between his Vampiric nature/ abilities and his discipline as a Vampire hunter. (or not, maybe just Elisabetha)
-Bad ending, Richter kills everyone and becomes lord of the Castle, Annette becomes his Vampiress.

OOE:
Confirm that the vessel housing Dracula's spirit (glowing red) is in fact the crimson stone.

LOD/ 64:
Canonise, it's awesome

1999/ Sorrow:
-make the 1999 game
-Soma is the by-product of Drac's seed remaining dormant within the bloodline.
-**Female Belmont gives birth to Soma c.2018 who will eventually be called back to the Castle sealed in the Solar eclipse. This curse had always stayed dormant in the Belmont bloodline, because effectively Drac had never been destroyed (due to the crimson stone) which recalls Mathias' violation of Sara.
-Aria happens with the above considered
-Dawn happens, except after the Menace is beaten, Celia absorbs the souls of the Menace and transforms into the real final boss. The final battle takes place in hell. mwuahahahaha.
-Soma gets to fight/ kill Celia if he wears Mina's talisman (the good ending)

[Tuxedo Mark]

Morris' (is that Morris in plural? )

Morrises.

[GuyStarwind]

I would also add more vampires. The 64 games did it right imo. They had vampires as normal enemies that turned into bats, bit you, and could turn you into a vampire (thus getting a game over of course).

[Mystic Myotis]

Can I just re-list what I agree with, but with slight tweaks? XD

(click to show/hide)

-Make Dracula Vlad Tepes, but still having a connection with the Belmonts (I really have no problem with him being Mathias, but I'd choose for him to be Vlad Tepes for it to coincide more with Bram Stoker).
-Make Vlad Tepes REALLY be more active into Lament of Innocence. Like, really more active as in "Vlad and Leon storm Water's castle together, but it ends up to be a trap set by Vlad himself". Have Vlad be playable.
-Reintroduce Sonia as the first human to face Dracula, but make her die, prompting Trevor to return to Wallachia and go after Dracula himself using the Vampire Killer.
Lament of Innocence: Lose the whole Dracula/Mathias connection entirely. Have Mathias instead be like Walter; A stepping stone to help strengthen the early Belmont family. To prepare them for when they must face the real Dracula.
Remake a new Legends game with Sonia reinstated. Have a backstory describing Vlad's rise and fall, his betrayal to Mathias (now King Mathias of Hungary), and stealing of the Crimson stone. Vlad loses his wife due to the Turks deceit and this act prompts Vlad to become Dracula. The Japanese backstory of legends would be used rather then the US version. Sonia is Trevor's mother and she trains her son to be the next hero of legend.
One of these two scenarios really needed to be in the actual story.  They are much better than what happens in-series.

*Bring Dracula more in line with Stoker's novel.
Agree entirely with this.

*No Tepes. It's a title, not a surname.
But I like 'Alucard.'  It's claaassiiic.

*Incorporate more traditional vampire remedies/killing methods.
*Do away with the 100 year resurrection gimmick.
At the very least they need to come up with a better reason for why he keeps coming back.

*Explore the origins of other vampires and monsters, i.e., Carmilla, Mummies, Medusa, etc.
*Fix the name translations to their intentional references. Fernandez instead of Belnades, Ricardo instead of Lecarde, Orlock instead of Olrox.
*Incorporate loyal gypsy slaves of Dracula as villains for the Belmonts to confront. 
This is a good idea, and could help craft good characters.

alucard grant & sypha would play a role in curse of darkness
I agree with Grant and Sypha but not with Alucard.  That doesn't seem... correct.

more insight into the Belmont family, as well as dracula & lisa's relationship
The games could really use deeper characterization.

or, if it did happen, incorporate more "military-esque" vibe in the story. brauner would be replaced by hitler,
Not Hitler himself, please. Hitler has been done to death and back in every medium ever.  I certainly don't, however, object to making more references to WW2.  PoR really failed in that respect.

-Have Simon's revelation about the curse not be brought to him by a "mysterious woman ghost". Make him either notice this alone, introduce a new character or a ghost from a previous character.
Perhaps he notices something is wrong with him and goes to the Belnades clan for help or something.

-Richter fails against Dracula imediatelly, not after 6 years, prompting Alucard to come imediatelly. Have SotN be about Richter AND Alucard fighting inside the Castle, but having Alucard face Dracula at the end.
This is an interesting thought but leaves a few things unclear.  What happens to Maria, for example; does she exist as a PC in this instance or is her relevance scrapped?  Or is her character re-worked entirely?

-Introduce Drolta Tzuentes clearly on Bloodlines. Have her be the second-to-last boss.

-Have Circle of the Moon reintroduced. The Baldwin are a branch of the Belmonts, and their job is to keep Carmilla at bay using a Vampire Killer replica (The Hunter Whip), parallel to the Belmonts against Dracula. Sometimes, both could overlap. Nathan Graves could be the ancestor of the modern Morrises.

-Do something else with Futurevania (Aria of Sorrow on). There's a cult right? Make them an actual threat. And an actual cult with some scary fucked up people. Have the world shit out some other groups of demons now that Dracula's out of the picture. I dunno.
Agreed.  The cult in DoS was a disgrace.  Every time one of them was on screen I cringed at the awfulness.

I'd retcon things around so that the adventure mentioned in Circle of the Moon's backstory was actually Order of Ecclesia. Shanoa would have been Nathan's mother, and both Morris and Nathan's father would be among the villagers with ties to the Belmonts.
A good idea.  Shanoa could stand to be a little more relevant.  Thematically it makes sense.  Shanoa having to sacrifice herself to use Dominus, the Morris clan having to sacrifice themselves to use the whip.

The period before Trevor in which the Belmonts had been banished
Maybe some new Belmont that had gone to North America
More of a story around the vampire killer being given to the Morris', as well as the Belmonts reclaiming the whip.
The Demon Castle War
All of these should be expanded upon.  I don't think there's a single Castlevania fan that isn't sour about not getting the 1999 game.

The whole idea of why the Belmonts cannot touch the whip would be dropped entirely if it cannot be explained in any coherent or rational way.
Yeah, that plot point was lame.

*The stock of the whip is the Vampire Killer, not the entire whip.
Better still, the whip reshapes itself an accordance with who is wielding it.

I would have Joachim play a larger role in LOI, maybe as a anti hero you control through parts of the game's story leading up to him taking on Leon and losing and thus passing his power on to the whip or something. Or more likely a unlockable story prequel mode for him that has a actual story and features his exploits to overthrow Walter.

I would make a remake of 2.5D remake CV3 and add the Devil Forgemater element into it as a new addition.
I agree with both of these.  I liked Hector and Isaac and I think they would be great characters in the series provided that they were executed a bit better.

LoI, as much as I like it, is a total ham-fest that ends with you having more questions than answers. The Ebony and Crimson stones need to be re-worked or at least better explained, as does what exactly Death is. I thought that the way the Vampire Killer was created was interesting but it needed to be executed a bit better.  Joachim and Mathias need to be re-worked.  Joachim's run should function story-wise like a prequel, or he should have more relevance in the main story.  Mathias either needs to be re-written as the King of Hungary who Vlad wrests the stones from, or he needs to outright switch places with Vlad for some reason and have it not be totally contrived.

No romance between Alucard and Sonia.  This doesn't fit with Alucard's belief that his bloodline is cursed and should disappear from the world as is indicated in SotN, and that would be a belief he would have held very deeply around Sonia's time.

CV3 has some bosses that are kind of 'meh' in that they are re-used.  I'd replace these with other figures from the series, maybe leave a reference to Isaac or Magnus in there.

Curse of Darkness needs to be a bit nicer to Trevor and Co.  As much as I like St. Germain, he doesn't really contribute anything to the story; improve that or scrap him.  Work Sypha and Grant into the story instead.  Hector could inquire about Alucard.  Death and Isaac working together should have put Trevor out of commission.  Before and after fighting Dracula, Hector should make parallels between what happened to Rosaly and what happened to Lisa.

The Adventure games don't have bad stories but they, like the Simon games, could use more meat to them.

I actually like HoD's story... but it's aesthetics could use a little work. Can we start by re-designing Juste, poor fellow? He looks out of place amongst the Belmonts.  Give him red hair like his grandfather or brown hair like his descendant at the very least.  The overall palette should be more subdued. As far as actual story goes, Death needs to not appear so much to taunt Juste like a derp and the script in general needs some series re-working.

I like the idea that Richter failed from the get-go and immediately becomes the lord of a false castle, and this surge of dark energy disturbs Alucard.  My only problem is that I can't figure out any way to work Maria into the story without it being... weirdly contrived, unless her character is changed completely (for example, if she is Richter and Annette's child and Alucard meets with them before even entering the castle).  Or, if Maria is an adult from the get-go, that would work.  If there's some 'romance' included and one assumes that the Lecarde clan are the result of it, then the Lecardes are adopted.  Period.  Alucard doesn't want biological children brought into this world.

I'd make CotM canon, but either CotM or HoD needs some story tweaks to make them less... samey.  Overall I think HoD has the stronger plot so I would tweak CotM more, tying it in with OoE and making this the beginning of the Morris clan.

CV64 games could also be made canon but like the other games, they could use some plot tweaks.

Portrait of Ruin needs to be much, much darker in every respect, especially considering that this is the game that takes place around WW2.  One of the two PCs needs to be bolstered emotionally by the other even though they're both cracking under the horror that is Castlevania.  This gives the partner dynamic more strength from a story perspective.  Graphics and character designs need serious tweaking to be in line with the story changes.  Nazis, maybe.  Not Hitler himself though.  So sick of Hitler in video games.

1999.  Make it exist.  FFS, Konami. 

Aria of Sorrow was decent, but I would change some things.  Hammer should be working with Yoko, and be a Danasty descendant even if the surname is lost.  Yoko should meet with Soma more than once to make it more upsetting when she is taken out of commission.  Graham should be a little less obviously evil until he is seen stabbing Yoko, and Arikado should be made more ambiguous to the point where Yoko doesn't know who he is and can't vouch for his character.  Also, change Arikado's name.  It's stupid. Julius needs to be handled better as well; it's weird that he was just wandering around as an exorcist between 1999 and AoS. Did Alucard know he was alive?  Meh...

Dawn of Sorrow.  Make the cult not be completely pathetic.  Have there be other cultists in the game aside from the key members, or explain where all the other cultists went (all the dead in the final boss room, perhaps?).  Cut a lot of the light-hearted banter between characters, make them more focused/down to business or have them talk more about darker aspects, to make the game less derpy. Again, change the art style, and have one of the endings reveal who it was Alucard had looking after Mina.  Do NOT confirm which ending is 'canon.' Make Hammer playable in the bad ending.


In general: in the sorrow games, it's not clear who Alucard is working with, save that he belongs to some sort of organization which make be a government organization and that he trusted one of his associates with Mina's safety.  Hmm... In Curse of Darkness, Hector and Julia are implied to have set up a refuge for people like Hector; people of darkness who reject evil and have nowhere to go.  Between Symphony of the Night and 1999, I would have Alucard find this organization, and he works with them to find the prophesy and then protect the Belmont line until 1999.  This shadow organization would by this point be international and is, imo, a far more interesting group with story potential compared to the 'time travelers who aren't allowed to do anything' group. It also shows that things are not so terrible for defectors like Hector/Alucard as they were in the 1400's, as society has gotten a little less stake-happy over the centuries.

There are some other things but they've slipped my mind for the moment.  I'll throw them in if I remember them.

[James Belmont]

- Stop calling him Vlad Tepes. Tepes was an insult coined by his enemies after he died. His name was Vlad Dracula. He even signed it Wladislaus Dragwlya. Anglicized, that's Vladislaus Dracula.

- Let him use his classic powers from the novel some more. Also, no more death by sunlight.

- Part of the plot of the novel involved the band of heroes searching for various coffins Dracula had hidden throughout England and destroying them. How the hell has this not been incorporated into a Castlevania game?

- Don't keep Dracula confined to one room. In keeping with the original novel, it'd be fun to play a game of cat-and-mouse with him.

- Don't be afraid to play with other Gothic characters. Give Frankenstein's Monster more to do, more characterization. Maybe toss in Melmoth the Wanderer, or the three witches from Macbeth.

- Whoever is in charge of designing the visuals needs to watch every Gothic Horror film that Mario Bava ever made. Follow it up with Corman's Poe cycle and the underrated Vincent Price historical horror, Witchfinder General.

- Speaking of Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins would be a great character to include in some capacity.

[Kaneda]

- Stop calling him Vlad Tepes. Tepes was an insult coined by his enemies after he died. His name was Vlad Dracula. He even signed it Wladislaus Dragwlya. Anglicized, that's Vladislaus Dracula.

- Let him use his classic powers from the novel some more. Also, no more death by sunlight.

- Part of the plot of the novel involved the band of heroes searching for various coffins Dracula had hidden throughout England and destroying them. How the hell has this not been incorporated into a Castlevania game?

- Don't keep Dracula confined to one room. In keeping with the original novel, it'd be fun to play a game of cat-and-mouse with him.

- Don't be afraid to play with other Gothic characters. Give Frankenstein's Monster more to do, more characterization. Maybe toss in Melmoth the Wanderer, or the three witches from Macbeth.

- Whoever is in charge of designing the visuals needs to watch every Gothic Horror film that Mario Bava ever made. Follow it up with Corman's Poe cycle and the underrated Vincent Price historical horror, Witchfinder General.

- Speaking of Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins would be a great character to include in some capacity.

Where you have you been all my life? 

[SiFi270]

I'm not sure how many people have talked about how Super Castlevania should have stayed a sequel, but I've read the Japanese and Western manuals, and watched the Western intro, and I'm not sure if even the translators meant for it to be a sequel?

Every version of the story seems to paraphrase the story from Castlevania 1's manual, and it even says that Dracula's last appearance was 100 years ago. Everything all seems fine and dandy until it says "once again Simon must defeat Dracula". Does this mean Simon's over 100 in this game? Wouldn't 100 years after Simon's Quest mean a year after Symphony of the Night?

The only explanation I can think of for the "once again" thing is that they're suggesting that Simon's first battle against Dracula has become a legend told again and again, and not necessarily the with the same details each time. But even that sounds like a stretch to me.

The first in particular mentions how CV2 having a sequel would give it some closure, but I don't think it needs it. Of course, that's because I'm probably the only one who considers the bad ending, where Simon beats Dracula but still succumbs to the curse, to be canon.

(click to show/hide)

My main reasoning is the whip skeleton's appearances in Harmony of Dissonance and Harmony of Despair (and by extension, Getsu Fuuma Den). In the former, the translation refers to it as "Simon Wraith" instead of "Whip Skeleton", and there seems to be more to this than the Shimon/Gates of Death pun. The enemy is actually wearing Simon's armor. In Harmony of Despair, while it looks like an ordinary skeleton with a whip, the bestiary entry says "Some say this is what happened to Simon Belmont in the end."

Now we all know that when Dracula defeats someone in battle, he gains their soul, allowing him to copy their abilities or summon them to do his bidding. If his curse is what finished Simon, then it stands to reason that he'd be able to do the latter as a result.

Assuming Getsu Fuuma Den has a place in the timeline, I believe mid to late 1600s would be a reasonable time for it to happen, since Getsu is supposedly a descendant of real life historical figure Kotaro Fuuma, who died in 1603, and the game itself seems to have the same feudal period.

Nagumo mentioned in the thread she linked to in this one that Dracula's defeat in Castlevania 2 was supposed to be permanent. And I agree, if by "permanent" we mean "just as permanent as when he died in 1999". When defeated in Harmony of Dissonance, the Dracula Wraith has this to say:

"I will now fade from this world... but I find some pleasure in this... with the cursed powers of yours, destiny calls you to hunt for all eternity."

This suggests to me that, because some idiot gathered Dracula's body parts together and became a vessel for his evil influence, the cycle has begun anew, and just as in Dawn of Sorrow's bad ending, Dracula can now keep resurrecting again.

But this would mean that between 1698 and 1748, Dracula's absence would mean a need for a new Dark Lord, and here's where I finally get back to my point: Ryukotsuki took over hell and briefly became the new Dark Lord. As a result, Dracula's forces were now theirs (Otomedius has made me very confused about Ryukotsuki's canon gender). But when Dracula finally comes back, the Simon Wraith would be forced to work for him again.

okay i think that's everything i wanted to say let me know if you still don't get it