Adi Shankar proudly boasted that the Netflix adaptation of Castlevania was the first successful western adaptation of the anime genre. The fan following the show has generated crosses all kinds of lines in the media world, attracting gamers, horror fans, vampire aficionados, and people who love period drama and romance. Recent news that the series will be wrapping up the present story threads and drawing to a conclusion has prompted some mixed feelings, with some viewers unhappy to see the series end and others optimistic about talk of a fresh season featuring other protagonists.
Adaptations from literature are tough to make, and video games are even more difficult. Video games don't have essential story elements like character development or interaction, which a movie or TV show can't do without. Dracula, the main antagonist of the video games, was charged somewhat to be a more sympathetic villain and complex character. Details about his personal life, living quarters, and how he interacted with other vampires are all part of the Netflix TV show, and virtually none of that appears in the franchise.
7 The Laboratory
One of the major changes in the show from the games was the dichotomy of the Church versus science. Dracula becomes symbolic of science, and since the audience recognizes that science is the future it makes Dracula a sympathetic character. It's partly his own quest for knowledge that drives him to have a laboratory in his castle and this is what draws Lisa to him.
The addition of a laboratory makes the connection between the two characters authentic despite their more obvious differences. The push and pull between Lisa and Dracula set the whole story in motion, something a video game doesn't need.
6 The Brides of Dracula
Here's a rare instance where a bit of backstory from the video game for a character is omitted as opposed to added. History buffs or those that are familiar with the real-world mythology of Dracula will know about his first wife, Elisabeta. She's mentioned in the games as a way to point out how long Dracula has dominated the world, but there's literally no sign of her in the series.
The presence of a second wife might work in the linear, two-dimensional video game, but in the series, it would just be emotional clutter. It also does more to humanize Dracula if he had one human love that was unjustly taken away from him. It would also make things more awkward for the scenes when we see Dracula and Lisa in Hell.
5 The Floor Plan of Castle of Dracula
In the first few installments in the series, players moved through a different range of settings until reaching the castle and fighting their way to Dracula. When the games were ported to the PlayStation, however, the games changed to focus only on the castle which was divided into four separate sections. These were the Entrance, the Keep, The Clock Tower, and the Throne Room.
None of that exists in the series, but there are some things that stay the same. Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard still have to fight their way through the castle and Dracula's minions to reach his cloistered location on the upper floors at the end of Season 2, a similar climax to the video games.
4 He Walked the Earth Alone
Another thing side-scrolling video games don't need is the occasional plot twist. In the Netflix series, however, Dracula was taking a little excursion out of town when the Church came to call on Lisa, who they suspected of being a witch.
Dracula was walking the earth as a traveler, on a back[backing excursion of sorts. Without his protection, the interaction with the Church didn't end well for Lisa, and her grisly death at the hands of a local Bishop set the plot in motion.
3 Carmilla - Friend or Foe?
Dracula has his loyal minions in the show and the game, but in the Netflix adaptation, they have considerable more personality and divergent goals. Carmilla is one example. She's one of Dracula's most loyal minions in the games and appears as a boss to defend him on more than one occasion. Her role in the series, however, has her as part of a team of powerful vampires that are secretly opposing Dracula. Another change would be the addition of Godbrand, who doesn't exist in the games at all and is created as more of a foil to the cool and calculating Carmilla.
2 The War on Humans
The Netflix series depicts Dracula as mostly keeping to himself until he was visited by Lisa and later betrayed by the church. This is also why he's a more sympathetic character in the series. It seems he was minding his own business, other than being a vampire. He only started a war to completely eradicate humans after being provoked by the Church.
The story is the video games is much less complicated. Dracula is simply a vampire, and when the church fails to defeat him, they call upon the Belmonts to help. This follows the long-term timeline of the video games, which features several generations of the same family fighting the same Dracula.
1 The Forgemaster Story
Other characters that are close to Dracula have similar roles as in the games, with the saga of Hector and Isaac being one example. However, in the games, Hector has more agency. He turned away from Dracula early on and established a life away from the castle. Isaac caught up to him and killed his wife in retribution for leaving Dracula's side, and Hector is usually pursuing his rival forge master Isaac out of a personal sense of revenge. In the series, Isaac is still closer to Dracula, but the two have a deeper friendship, lending some sympathy to both characters.