known in Japan as Vampire Killer^[a] and in Europe and Australia as Castlevania: The New Generation, is a platform game developed and published by Konami in 1994 for the Sega Genesis, part of the Castlevania series. A vampire named Elizabeth Bartley is orchestrating the beginning of World War I as a sacrificial war to bring her uncle, Dracula, back to life. Players take on the role of Quincey Morris‘ son, John, and his friend Eric Lecarde to take up the fight against evil.

The development team approached Bloodlines as a unique Castlevania experience tailor-made for the Genesis. In this sense, the gameplay was made more fast and action-oriented. Writer Toshiki Yamamura also took creative liberties to craft what he viewed was a new chapter in the Castlevania saga. The game was the first Castlevania title for which Michiru Yamane composed music. She used her Bach influences to compose a renowned soundtrack, leading to her becoming a recurring series composer.

Bloodlines was released to positive reviews. It was re-released as part of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection on May 16, 2019, as well as the Sega Genesis Mini on September 19, 2019 and Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack through the Sega Genesis App launch on October 25, 2021.

Gameplay

Each player-character has special controls and abilities. Using the d-pad, the player can attack enemies diagonally up as John Morris.

As with most early Castlevania games, players proceed through each level, defeating enemies and collecting gems to power special weapons: the axe, boomerang, and holy water.^[1] Each stage is sectioned, and has a sub-boss battle in the middle, with a main boss battle at the end.^[2] Some items increase the power of the characters’ weapons. Some portions of the game split into different paths, depending on which character is chosen. John is able to swing past gaps with his whip, whereas Eric must use a different route by performing high jumps by using his spear.^[3]