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What is the best Castlevania game soundtrack?

By YPB Team

Chiptune whips, CD-audio rock and full orchestras: nearly four decades of vampire-hunting music, with fan anthems up against scores only the diehards still hum.

  1. Symphony of the Night — ranked #11
    Symphony of the Night
    Michiru Yamane's 1997 score, which mixes gothic rock, baroque harpsichord, jazz and ambient pieces such as "Dracula's Castle".
    1000pts
  2. Order of Ecclesia — ranked #22
    Order of Ecclesia
    The 2008 DS score by Michiru Yamane and Yasuhiro Ichihashi, darker and more melancholy than its predecessors.
    682pts
  3. Lament of Innocence — ranked #33
    Lament of Innocence
    Michiru Yamane's 2003 PS2 score for the origin story of the Belmont clan.
    622pts
  4. The Adventure ReBirth — ranked #44
    The Adventure ReBirth
    Manabu Namiki's 2009 WiiWare score, chiptune-style remixes of classic Castlevania themes.
    622pts
  5. Portrait of Ruin — ranked #55
    Portrait of Ruin
    The 2006 DS score that pairs Michiru Yamane with guest composer Yuzo Koshiro.
    622pts
  6. Castlevania (1986) — ranked #66
    Castlevania (1986)
    Kinuyo Yamashita and Satoe Terashima's original score, home of "Vampire Killer".
    551pts
  7. Castlevania: Bloodlines — ranked #77
    Castlevania: Bloodlines
    Michiru Yamane's 1994 Mega Drive score, her first Castlevania work, built on hard-hitting FM-synth rock.
    551pts
  8. Aria of Sorrow — ranked #88
    Aria of Sorrow
    The 2003 GBA score by Michiru Yamane, Soshiro Hokkai and Takashi Yoshida, with standout tracks for the floating garden and the clock tower.
    466pts
  9. Lords of Shadow 2 — ranked #99
    Lords of Shadow 2
    Óscar Araujo's 2014 orchestral and choral score for Dracula's return.
    466pts
  10. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse — ranked #1010
    Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
    Konami Kukeiha Club's 1989 NES score; its Japanese release used the VRC6 sound chip for extra channels.
    363pts
  11. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest — ranked #1111
    Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
    Kenichi Matsubara's 1987 NES score, which introduced "Bloody Tears".
    363pts
  12. Curse of Darkness — ranked #1212
    Curse of Darkness
    Michiru Yamane's 2005 PS2 score for Hector's revenge story, known for its moody industrial rock.
    363pts
  13. Rondo of Blood — ranked #1313
    Rondo of Blood
    The 1993 PC Engine CD score that used CD audio for rock arrangements such as "Divine Bloodlines".
    0pts
  14. Castlevania 64 — ranked #1414
    Castlevania 64
    The 1999 Nintendo 64 score, which leans on eerie ambient horror tracks over the series' usual rock.
    0pts
  15. Super Castlevania IV — ranked #1515
    Super Castlevania IV
    The 1991 SNES score by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kudo, with brooding sampled arrangements of the series' classic themes.
    0pts
  16. Belmont's Revenge — ranked #1616
    Belmont's Revenge
    The 1991 Game Boy score, a cult favourite that squeezes fast rock melodies out of four sound channels.
    0pts
  17. Dawn of Sorrow — ranked #1717
    Dawn of Sorrow
    The 2005 DS score by Michiru Yamane and Masahiko Kimura, the direct follow-up to Aria of Sorrow.
    0pts
  18. Circle of the Moon — ranked #1818
    Circle of the Moon
    The 2001 GBA launch score, which reworks classic Castlevania themes for the new handheld.
    0pts
  19. Lords of Shadow — ranked #1919
    Lords of Shadow
    Óscar Araujo's 2010 cinematic orchestral score for MercurySteam's reboot.
    0pts
  20. Harmony of Dissonance — ranked #2020
    Harmony of Dissonance
    The 2002 GBA score by Soshiro Hokkai and Takashi Yoshida, known for strong compositions held back by a thin sound driver.
    0pts

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