Bram Stoker’sDraculastands out as one of the greatest vampire novels of all time, and is often cited as the first vampire novel of all time despite being written afterCarmilla. Its popularity stems from the epistolary form of story-telling, and the titular vampire himself. The gothic tale of dread became a sensation, and has been adapted into multiple different formats of media.
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This has included the gaming industry, with many studios wanting to bury its fangs into the legend ofDracula, and bring it to life in a whole new way. While not every foray into a Dracula-ised game has been successful, there are many fantastic titlesDraculafans can whet their bloody appetite on.
10The Count
The earliest exampleof aDraculagame,The Countwas released back in 1979 for many of the different computer systems of the time. Limited by technology, there are barely any visuals to the game past the title menu, having players navigate through the world and the titular vampire Count purely through the medium of text. While this may alienate modern-day gamers, gamers of this era were accustomed to text-based adventures.
The Counthas players assume the role of an ordinary human that sets off on a dangerous task to defeat the dreaded vampire overlord of Transylvania. The player must make sure to explore the surrounding areas of Dracula’s to find items that would be of use to them in their battle. Though the premise is simple, it provided many hours of fun to players upon its release.
9Dracula the Undead
One of the few handheldDraculagames,Dracula the Undeadgraced the Atari Lynx system in 1991, bringing another point and click adventure game centering around the deadly and bloodthirsty Count, to a modicum of success. While praised for challenging and appealing gameplay, the inability to save was universally critiqued, but this gives it a rogue-like appeal that some gamers nowadays could appreciate.
InDracula the Undead, players one again play the role of Johnathan Harker and his struggle against the Count. Now a prisoner in his castle, he must use his wits and resourcefulness to escape the castle, encountering NPCs and items that might help him in his endeavors.
8Helsing’s Fire
No villain is complete without their heroic counterpart, and the same is true for Dracula with Van Helsing who is the star of this mobile game title, offering a refreshing take on Dracula. Players take on the mantle of the famed vampire hunter works alongside his assistant Raffton as they attempt to slap the Count and his legion of infernal minions.
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Combining the horror ofDracula’slegacy with a collection of puzzle levels is a novel idea, but one that pays off asHelsing’s Firewas lauded by critics and fans alike, and even won an award for best mobile game of the year in 2011. While it may not provide the most authentic retelling ofDracula, it does provide many hours of fun.
7Dracula (1986)
Based directly on Stoker’sgothic novel,Dracula 1986was released for a number of home computer systems, and was the first game to be rated by the BBFC, receiving a 15 certificate to the developers chagrin.
Thougha text-based adventure game,Dracula 1986did contain some static images throughout the course of the game, some which were gory enough to warrant the 15 rating. The game is split into three acts: First Night, which centers around the playable character arriving in Carpathia, The Arrival, in which the players reach Dracula’s castle and learn the truth regarding their host, and The Hunt, where a psychiatrist in England receives a letter warning the looming threat of an undead.
6Dracula: Resurrection
For those who want more from the legend and not the same story regurgitated,Dracula: Resurrectionis here to satisfy,acting as a sequel to the eventscovered in the novel. In this title, Mina finds herself drawn back to Transylvania seven years later, and so her husband, Johnathan Harker, follows after, hoping to rescue her. A letter from his missing wife suggests that Dracula has returned from death, suggesting his involvement in her vanishment.
Dracula: Resurrectionis a point and click adventure game with pre-rendered environments. Players take on the role of Johnathan Harker, and must interact with the environment, speak to NPCs and solve puzzles in order to progress through the game. With an expansion on the Dracula mythos,Resurrectionis certainly one of the more ambitious vampire titles.
5Dracula: Unleashed
Taking a bold new approach on the vampiric legend,Dracula: Unleasheddoes away with most of the canonical characters, placing the players in the shoes of Alexander Morris, who travels to London after the death of his brother Quincy, but soon discovers his brother was part of a much larger plot he was unaware of: a member of the group that were responsible for killing legendary vampire Dracula himself.
The game then centers around delving more into the mystery regarding Quincy’s death and how exactly the Hades Club achieved the feat of slaying the vampire, as it was no easy task.Dracula: Unleashedrelies heavily onfull-motion video to narrate the intricate and intriguing plot, making this one of the most expensive games to make, but also one of the most critically acclaimed.
4Master of Darkness
Taking inspiration fromCastlevania,Master of Darknessfeatures side-scrolling platform gameplayas a hopeful protagonist takes it upon themselves to slay the mighty vampire, Dracula. In this iteration, Dracula is dead, but is brought back by the blood and sacrificial offerings from Jack the Ripper, the infamous serial killer.
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Players must fight through various stages using side-scrolling platform mechanics that will eventually end in a challenging boss fight including Jack the Ripper himself, and Count Massen who was behind Dracula’s revival, with the final boss being against the legendary Dracula himself, as his resurrection succeeds.
3Nosferatu the Vampyre
Based on the movie that was inspired by the work of Bram Stoker, Nosferatu the Vampyre brings the player into the story surrounding the eerie Count, and the two humans that have found themselves entangled in the web of his story: Johnathan Harker and Mina Murray. Released in 1986, the gameplay is simple, as are the graphics, but with a compelling enough story and the reputation of a well-loved movie behind it,Nosferatu the Vampyreproved to be a success.
Split into three different stages, players will take on the role of different characters, starting with Johnathan, who is searching for important papers within the castle, then Van Helsing accompanied by Lucy and Johnathan, and finally Lucy, who is in pursuit of the vampire. Though it is limited by the technology of the time,Nosferatu the Vampyrehad great potential, and still captivated gamers of the time.
2Vampire Season Monster Defense
Thisapple-exclusive gameoffers a refreshing take on Dracula’s story, bringing it to the modern day, as well as offering a whole new style of gameplay compared to otherDraculainspired titles. Players need to shore up their defenses and engage in tower defense gameplay in order to protect their masters' hideout, as for once, the gamers are on the side of the Count.
Following technological advances of the 21st century, Dracula has nowhere left to hide, and his location is leaked to by Anthony Van Helsing, a descendant of the Van Helsing clan that have been attempting to hunt Count Dracula for centuries. And now that his hideout location is known, vampire hunters arrive in hordes. The player must ensure that the hunters don’t slip through their security, as too many will mean the death of their overlord.
1Castlevania
Though it is a loose interpretation of theDraculamythos that builds up a lot of original characters and lore,Castlevaniastill owes its roots to the original novel. Capcom brings in the legendary Count into their own world, mirroring Van Helsing’s struggle against the vampire with the Belmont clan and their ongoing fight with the vampire Lord that spans generations of new Belmont’s.
The firstCastlevaniagame introduces Simon Belmont, a vampire hunter seeking to destroy Dracula after he has risen 100 years after being vanquished by his ancestor. Simon will have to battle through his legions of minions in a side-scrolling platform gameplay the earlier entries in the series were known for, before they confront the legendary vampire himself.
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