Castlevania: Nocturne

Weirdly enough, I've never played a Castlevania game. Never touched one. Of course, I've known about the franchise for as long as I've been around, but until one dreary, rainy day when I decided to check out the Castlevania show on Netflix, I had no prior experience. Therefore, since Season 1 of the original show, where Dracula sends out untold numbers of hell beasts to destroy Wallachia, I've just been judging the series on its own.

Now, six years since the original premiere date, a sequel series has come out. We have a new Belmont, new side characters, a new historical era to dig into, and I have the same amount of knowledge about the video game franchise. Yet, as a show, I can't help but sink my teeth into Castlevania: Nocturne.

Like the original series, one of Castlevania: Nocturne's key selling points is the incredibly detailed and fluid animation. The animators flex their muscles most often during fight scenes, and I've been known to go on wild and mostly uninteresting rants about how the fights that Castlevania produces feel like some of the best in animation, and it's all down to one factor: the choreography. Sure, there are flashy effects flying around in most of the battles with magic, but there is also an incredible amount of detail to consider how the characters are fighting, how they'll move. You get a sense that they're constantly thinking while also in a fight for their lives, rather than just throwing endless punches or sword jabs faster than the eye can see.

And if you get me started on the whip I'll be here all day. It's a testament to the show that it can feel like a "bit of string" can stand out so much. The whip is always on the move, always wending its way around enemies in order to find the perfect spot of attack. If you've not watched the show, I'm not describing the whip as its own character here, it's always wielded by someone, usually a Belmont, but I'm more using it as an example of the details in these fight scenes. Everything just makes sense; the violence and grit combine to make a spectacle you'll never want to pull your eyes away from, especially in the later episodes, which pulls you even more into the fiction.

But, enough about the animation, it's gorgeous, basically, and always served Castlevania well, even when the original series found itself falling off a bit in other areas. Castlevania: Nocturne is no exception, but as I said, there's more to it than just pretty visuals. It also introduces us to a new and fresh cast of characters. Richter Belmont is our new protagonist, but he gets a bit of a slow start. A lot of focus in the first 10 minutes or so, then he has to wait a while before he's put into the limelight again. It doesn't feel as much like it's his show as it did feel like Trevor was the centrepiece in Castlevania Season 1, which is fine, but it also means we don't get to know Richter as well. I know the basics to understand him as a character, but apart from a bandana, it does feel like he's Trevor 2.0 for a little while, which isn't great.

Even so, I found our supporting cast much stronger this time around. Richter might take a backseat, but it allows us to get to know other vampire killers in the meantime. Edouard was a particularly interesting addition, as was Annette. Again, I believe Castlevania: Nocturne isn't following Richter in the same way it did Trevor, as this lone cowboy-type vampire killer, but someone who has support and isn't scared to lean on them. At least, that's how our two Belmonts feel from their introductions.

As was the case in the original series, the voice cast are often on their A-game here. There are a few awkward dialogue hits but otherwise I'd say that each feel like a perfect casting, with Edward Bluemel winning me over as Richter after a while, and Zahn McClarnon being a personal favourite as the snake vampire Olrox.

We quickly learn that Richter is going to need all the help he can get, as the Vampire Messiah is coming to town. In Revolutionary France, it's not just the people that wish to rise up, as vampires want to blot out the sun, for good this time and take over the world. The story in Castlevania: Nocturne manages to successfully ramp up from its predecessor. It's hard to beat Dracula, and I wasn't sure for a while whether they'd manage to, but our new villain is incredibly intimidating, and feels even if she might not surpass the presence of big dad Vlad, she certainly has the increased power scale to make her a great endgame boss. There are a few minor plot holes that I found, which did pull me out of the show and make me start thinking about it, and there are some pacing problems too but to discuss those it's best I dive into spoilers.

Be warned: there are spoilers from here on out.

Essentially, my major gripe comes with the fact that it can often feel like the characters just jump from home to the Abbey with maybe a stop at the Chateau in between. That's pretty much it for eight episodes. Now, this is somewhat of a moot point because I also love the smaller scale of Castlevania: Nocturne. It's less about a journey and more about protecting this small town, which is fine, but it does get a little repetitive with every plan revolving around the Abbey and shutting down the night creature operation going on inside (yep, the Church is evil again) when we're told and shown that the night creatures being made actually aren't that powerful or threatening. Also, it never really is answered how the local abbot got hold of a machine from hell that makes night creatures in the first place. There's a book that opens a portal to hell, yes, but did the machine just plop through the first time they opened it? Also, the abbot calls the book blasphemy when he sees it again, so did he even read it? These questions aren't answered, but they are minor flaws in an otherwise great show.

With tight, fluid animation, consistently solid storytelling, and great characters made greater by strong performances, Castlevania: Nocturne takes a confident and well-placed first step. In time, I'd love to see more of these characters, dive into who they are and see them change over time, but the fact I'm already theorising what can come in Season 2 shows how much I've enjoyed my time with the first season. Recency bias be damned, I may even like this opener as much as I did the original Castlevania's first season.