Castlevania Nocturne: what’s it about, when does it stream and what game from the series is it based on?

Anime fans must feel spoilt for choice with the wave of television series and films appearing on Netflix over the last 12 months. Not only have we had a successful adaptation of ‘One Piece,’ and another season of the ever-intriguing ‘Kengan Ashura,’ but a popular video game franchise once again arrives on the platform.

After a successful four seasons following the original Belmont vampire slayer, Trevor, and his uneasy truce with the son of Dracula, Alucard, ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ is set to act as a follow-up to the popular animated series, but this time focusing on another member of the Belmont clan - Richter.

Gamers quite possibly will already be familiar with Richter Belmont’s exploits through the video game series, but it will be interesting to see how faithful the anime is to the original two video games ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ is based on. Will it follow the exact storyline of the video games, or will it draw influence from the later games rather than a word-for-word adaptation?

Though it may not pack the large cast (at the moment) compared to the last four seasons of ‘Castlevania,’ which included the voice acting skills of Bill Nighy, Peter Stormare and Jason Isaacs, it still manages to capture an impressive array of talent - that Netflix has kindly published anyway.

But we’re not here for the voice acting right? We’re here for the vampire slaying in all its rich, beautiful anime glory - so what do you need to know about ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ ahead of its streaming on Netflix?

What is the plot of ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’?

“France, 1792 - the height of the French Revolution. In a remote part of western France, the counter-revolutionary aristocracy has forged an alliance with a terrifying Vampire Messiah, who promises to ‘eat the sun’ and unleash an army of vampires and night-creatures to crush the revolution and enslave humanity. Annette, a sorceress from the Caribbean, seeks out Richter Belmont, the last descendant of the long-fabled family of vampire hunters, to lead the resistance.”

Who is the voice cast involved in ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’?

There’s actually a couple of familiar names involved in the voice cast for ‘Castlevania: Nocturne,’ including Edward Bluemel, who was seen on the BBC series ‘Killing Eve’ and Golden Globe winner Natassja Kinski, daughter of the infamous actor Klaus Kinski - who interestingly enough played a vampire in Werner Herzog’s ‘Nosferatu: The Vampyr’ in 1979.

• Edward Bluemel as Richter Belmont, a descendant of the Belmont vampire hunting clan.
• Pixie Davies as Maria Renard, a young revolutionary during the French Revolution.
• Thuso Mbedu as Annette, a young sorceress and ex-slave from the Caribbean.
• Nastassja Kinski as Tera
• Sydney James Harcourt as Edouard
• Zahn McClarnon as Olrox
• Franka Potente as Erzsebet Báthory, a vampire queen.

What game from the ‘Castlevania’ series is the anime based on?

‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ is based on two games from the ‘Castlevania’ video game franchise: ‘Rondo of Blood,’ which was released by Konami in 1996 for the Turbo-Grafx 16 console, and its sequel ‘Castlevania: Symphony of the Night,’ released in 1997 originally on the Sony Playstation and the Sega Saturn.

Both games have since been reissued on modern-generation gaming consoles as either part of a ‘Castlevania’ collection or have had HD remakes created. In the case of ‘Symphony of the Night,’ there is even an Android port available.

When does ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ arrive on Netflix?

‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ arrives on Netflix in the United Kingdom on September 28 2023 at 8am BST.