Topic: Haunted Castle Theory

[Crying Freeman]

Obviously we know that Vampire Killer (MSX), SC4, and X68000 are remakes of the original Castlevania. Haunted Castle is added to this list officially, but I like to think different. Let's recap Simon's escapades:

Castlevania: Simon kills Dracula
Simon's Quest: Simon resurrects and kills Dracula's ghosts. No worries!... unless you go by the good ending where Dracula's hand comes up from his grave after Simon leaves.

In HC, you play as Simon again, but this time, Dracula kidnaps his newly wed wife after they walk off from their wedding, forcing Simon to hunt down and kill Dracula in order to save his love. It makes sense: After Simon's Quest, Simon has settled down, thinking he's finally done with his duty, eventually finding a woman he loves, who he marrys. Dracula kidnaps her to get to Simon. But beyond that, you can look at Belmont's Revenge.

Castlevania: The Adventure: Ends with Christopher killing Dracula. After watching the castle crumble, Christopher walks away. Dracula then flies out of the castle's ruins in bat form, the story ending right there.
Belmont's Revenge: 15 years later, Dracula has built some of his power, and Christopher's son, Soleiyu, has a festival party thrown for him, since he is ready to take on the duty of his father. A deep fog engulfs Soleiyu, with 4 castles appearing off in the distance. Christopher learns this is Dracula's doing, and sets out to stop Dracula once again. When Dracula's Castle appears and Christopher makes his way to the keep, Soleiyu appears, brainwashed by Dracula. Chirstopher engages in battle with his son and defeats him. After killing Dracula, Soleiyu and Chirsopher watch the castle crumble, the battle over.

Dracula took a while to build his strength back, about 15 years. He then kidnaps Soleiyu and makes him his slave to kill Christopher. He then planned to kill Soleiyu as a sacrifice for his power, as Soleiyu admits upon defeat. Assuming Haunted Castle is a sequel to Simon's Quest, it could be the same situation: Dracula waiting a while in hiding for his power to build up, and striking when the time is ready, only this time it's the Belmont's wife.

I doubt the developers of HC even thought of Simon's Quest when making HC, especially since HC's release was a few months after Simon's Quest in Japan. They were just tasked with making an arcade conversion of Castlevania. This theory could be an unofficial way of looking at the timeline, and since Simon's Quest's good ending never received a sequel, we could say we've had it all along... Still waiting for that ending to be followed up on 

[X]

I never did think of Haunted Castle as a sequel to CVII. For me it was always SCV4 as there were far more instances between the two games as opposed to Haunted Castle which I have not seen any. I feel that Simon's wife getting kidnapped had been part of the other CV 1 games, but never having been told, and was only done in Haunted Castle.

[Inccubus]

You could interpret the games that way, but I really don't think they were trying to make a sequel.
Really when game designers intend for a game to be related narratively to another in a series they make it very clear or at least definitively imply it. I don't even see a solid implication here.
That said it is fun to speculate and consider what might be.

[zangetsu468]

I'd argue the parallel timeline or that HC is an alternate narrative to CV1. 

[Crying Freeman]

You could interpret the games that way, but I really don't think they were trying to make a sequel.
Really when game designers intend for a game to be related narratively to another in a series they make it very clear or at least definitively imply it. I don't even see a solid implication here.
That said it is fun to speculate and consider what might be.

It's safe to say that they didn't intend it to be connected. They just used the damsel in distress angle because it's a classic cinema and video game formula, and in the arcades, its an easier way to get people to know the story right off the bat rather than something like SC4's intro. Plus it can have more mainstream appeal.

Just sort of an unofficial theory, and like I said, HC came out a few months after CVII, so HC was being developed while CVII was, plus games back then we're rarely narrative driven. I like to treat it as more than a retelling personally, even though it's obvious the dev team never intended for it.

[JR]

Although it is kind of funny to think of it as Simon's third battle with Dracula. On his wedding day, no less.

He had to be thinking "Oh come on NOT THIS AGAIN I SWEAR I HAVE THE WORST LUCK" 

[Crying Freeman]

Although it is kind of funny to think of it as Simon's third battle with Dracula. On his wedding day, no less.

He had to be thinking "Oh come on NOT THIS AGAIN I SWEAR I HAVE THE WORST LUCK" 

a here's work is never done.

[zangetsu468]

I can hear The Count (Sesame Street) counting the times he's fought Simon...

[Jop]

how do you explain that the castle its up? Dracula needs all his power to resurrect the Castle or use a person or other powers, i dont think that the wife of Simon have the power to do that and Dracula needs more than 15 or 25 years (100 normal) to get up the Castle alone or thats what i always think works the Castle.

[BLOOD MONKEY]

how do you explain that the castle its up? Dracula needs all his power to resurrect the Castle or use a person or other powers, i dont think that the wife of Simon have the power to do that and Dracula needs more than 15 or 25 years (100 normal) to get up the Castle alone or thats what i always think works the Castle.

Simple. It ain't his castle. He stole it.

[Reinhart77]

i thought that Haunted Castle was released before Simon's Quest.  (too lazy to double check)

[Jop]

Well in pages with info about the game its say this:

"Count Dracula sleeps for a long hundred of years. During this time, peace exists at the village and Dracula is nothing but a mere legend.

However, one day a young couple named Simon and Serena were celebrating their wedding at the village's church.

The couple were enveloped with happiness, as the wedding bells rang, their future seemed blessed...

Suddenly, the empty sky was covered with dark clouds and with a rolling thunder that shook the earth, Dracula has once again awakened. Asking for the beautiful girl's blood, he flew down during the middle of the wedding and suddenly took the bride with him.

Now in order to save Serena, Simon heads to the demon castle."

 The problem its who knows if was write exactly of what they say in japan, in spanish sounds like Super Castlevania in a part where its say Simon once again weild the whip and goes to the castle or something like that but in english dont say that, in english its say young couple and Simon cant be young i think but like i say before its better to find the history in japanese and someone that can read that told us what its say.

[zangetsu468]

i thought that Haunted Castle was released before Simon's Quest.  (too lazy to double check)

When was bloody tears first recorded? There's a painting in HC which sheds bloody tears where the stage theme is... You guessed it, bloody tears.
I would say yes, it was made before.

[Crying Freeman]

Well in pages with info about the game its say this:

"Count Dracula sleeps for a long hundred of years. During this time, peace exists at the village and Dracula is nothing but a mere legend.

However, one day a young couple named Simon and Serena were celebrating their wedding at the village's church.

The couple were enveloped with happiness, as the wedding bells rang, their future seemed blessed...

Suddenly, the empty sky was covered with dark clouds and with a rolling thunder that shook the earth, Dracula has once again awakened. Asking for the beautiful girl's blood, he flew down during the middle of the wedding and suddenly took the bride with him.

Now in order to save Serena, Simon heads to the demon castle."

 The problem its who knows if was write exactly of what they say in japan, in spanish sounds like Super Castlevania in a part where its say Simon once again weild the whip and goes to the castle or something like that but in english dont say that, in english its say young couple and Simon cant be young i think but like i say before its better to find the history in japanese and someone that can read that told us what its say.

Back in the day a game's story could vary depending on what the marketing department know, and they usually didn't know jack shit about the games to be honest. If the Japanese branch didn't fill them in on a game's backstory, they'd either make something up, change to make it more marketable to a new audience or take a bit to look at the game and decide what to say, and the backstories you're referring to I'd say fall under the latter category. So yes, we should try to learn more about the game's Japanese marketing/release, it's an interesting game to look at due to it's obscurity.

[Inccubus]

i thought that Haunted Castle was released before Simon's Quest.  (too lazy to double check)

Ah, good. I thought I had gone insane there for a sec or gotten sucked into an alternate reality.
I remember clearly seeing the release date for HC being the year before CV2 and suddenly when I check now it says it's a few months after.
That being the case, what I'm wondering now is when CV2 & HC started development.