Play Castlevania - The New Generation (Europe) Online

Pick your hunter—whip or spear—then crack and stab your way through gothic nightmares, from warped towers to screen-filling bosses. That crunchy Genesis soundtrack makes every blood splatter feel weighty.

Developer: Konami

Genre: Action, Platform

Released: 1994

File size: 690 bytes

Game Overview

Castlevania: Bloodlines (or The New Generation if you're in Europe) is one of those Genesis gems that doesn’t get talked about enough. It’s classic Castlevania—whip cracks, gothic castles, and monsters that explode into meat chunks—but with a slick 16-bit makeover. You pick between two hunters: John Morris, who’s got the traditional Belmont-style whip, or Eric Lecarde, who fights with a spear that feels way more agile. I went with Eric first because stabbing Dracula’s minions from a safe distance just felt right.

The levels stretch across Europe, from crumbling cathedrals to war-torn battlefields, and the bosses are these grotesque, screen-filling nightmares. That first time you see the spinning tower in Stage 2? Pure Genesis magic. The music’s got that crunchy FM synth sound too—haunting but with a weirdly funky bassline in places. It’s shorter than Symphony of the Night, but sometimes you just want to crack skulls for an afternoon without backtracking for 20 hours.

If you’ve ever wondered what Castlevania would feel like on Sega’s hardware, this is your answer.