Castlevania: Nocturne is a Fantastic Sequel

Grab your whips and say a prayer, everyone. Here we go again.

I loved the first Castlevania series. Sure, it had it’s problems, especially in the latter seasons. But I’d still say it’s among the best video game adaptations we’ve gotten so far.

Question is: does Nocturne have the same spark? I’d say it does. It’s got a few glaring issues, but on the whole, I still really liked it.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

After watching his mother die as a boy, Richter Belmont has grown up to become a monster slayer worthy of his family’s name. But the vampire menace is growing, and the creatures of the night whisper of a vampire messiah who will lead the world to darkness and ruin. Will Richter and his friends be able to stop this would-be god?

Nocturne has a very different feel to it than the original series. Not just because we’re in the French revolution now. It leans less into the fantasy elements and much harder into the horror.

Which works. There’s some pretty horrifying stuff in this show.

But what about the actual characters? They’re… alright. Richter is basically just a less cool version of Trevor. He’s got a decent arc, but he isn’t especially memorable or charming. Although his powers and fighting style are really cool.

I do really like Annette, though. Her arc is really interesting, and her powers add a cool bit of African spiritualism into the narrative. The scene of her grand triumph is legitimately badass and beautiful, somehow both at the same time. I really didn’t think I’d like her at first, but she quickly became my favorite member of the new cast.

Then there’s Maria. She’s the one friend who only ever talks about politics.

As for our villains, they’re a mixed bag. Some of them are legitimately terrifying! Others are obnoxious and distracting. I’m sorry, but why is one of the main villains a 21st century deva with pink dyed hair and ridiculous heels? Are we in the French Revolution or Cyberpunk 2077?

Deus ex Machina happens rather frequently in this show. Sometimes things happen just because the plot needs them to, with no build-up or foreshadowing whatsoever. Hell, the ending of this season is a Deus ex Machina and a cliffhanger! Not a very satisfying note to wrap up on!

Even if it re-introduces my favorite Castlevania character into the show. Just this once, I won’t let my personal bias win.

Despite these issues, this show is really good at keeping you engaged. Its perfectly paced from beginning to end. I only intended to watch the first few episodes, but I ended up binging the whole thing in one sitting! This show goes down smooth!

Now, let’s talk animation. This show gets pretty weird, experimenting with all kinds of different styles in different scenes. Some of them are really cool and gorgeous! Others feel like the animators forgot to put in the between frames. It looks better more than it doesn’t, though.

The action scenes are as hype as ever, though. Seriously, Castlevania fight scenes never miss!

Musically speaking, this show is a delight. The original score works really well, and they managed to incorporate classic game music brilliantly! When ‘Divine Bloodlines’ (Richter’s theme from Rondo of Blood) kicked in, I legitimately lost my shit, it was so hype!

Before we wrap up, I wanted to talk about the voice acting. Namely in that, if I’m being brutally honest: it wasn’t very good. Some of the performances felt very inconsistent. In one scene they’d sound fine, in the next they’d feel stiff and awkward. Like the animation, it’s better more than it’s not. But it’s still very jarring.

As a whole, I really enjoyed Castlevania: Nocturne. It captured everything I loved about the original series and spiced it up with a new setting, new characters, and new horrors. There’s definitely room for improvement, but its potential is undeniable. Here’s hoping season two keeps going strong!

Remember when Castlevania was a video game series? Feels like it’s getting easier to forget that. Which, as a lifetime fan of those games, makes me really mad.

So, to close: play Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. ‘Kay, bye!