Hello, everyone, and welcome to another top ten list for the Halloween season. Today, we will be looking at another set of spooky structures, except, instead of the haunted house, will be looking at a large castle. Castles are large structures made long ago, which housed rich and royal people. While they are an amazing piece of history, there is no doubt that there is something creepy about walking into an old castle in the middle of the night. So, today, we’ll be looking at the abundance of castles from a multitude of things. First, some rules. FIRST, only castles from what I have seen. Secondly, only one per franchise. And lastly, to make it a very special one, I will only be looking at castles from video games. Why? Heck if I know. With that said, let us start this list.
#10: Mad Castle from Madworld
Wait, what? Mad Castle? You mean that annoyingly broken level where the controls stop working where you are attacked by Death Blade, a grim reaper wannabe who kills you in one hit, a werewolf with cheap killing moves, and a Frankenstein's monster who always heals himself, making the fight cheap as all hell…. Yeah, Mad Castle. While I do agree that this is easily the worst level in the game, due to how much bullcrap you go through, there is one part that I think a lot of people will agree is the best part. The Sanctuary. Here, you run across a bridge to get to it with collapsing pillars. Once you do reach the sanctuary, you will then fight the vampire, Elise, who can transform into a bat, hide inside coffins to trick you, and tries to kill you by distracting Jack with her….. “awesome rack”, as the game describes it. The reason I put this place on the list is mostly the design. This place just looks so nice in a black and white setting from the graveyard, to the dungeon. Looks like one of those old black and white horror movies. Yes, the level is broken and filled to the brim with cheap deaths, but I still love the design of this place, no matter how much hate I get for it.
#9: Fortuna Castle from Devil May Cry 4
Okay, enough broken levels. Now we will just talk about good castles. Castle Fortuna was once a normally castle like any other (As normal as a castle could get, anyway), but after the hellgate was opened in the castle courtyard, a hoard of demons came and began taking over the castle. It didn’t help much though that underneath the castle, the alchemist, Agnus, was performing experiments to create large armored demons. The castle is also surrounded by a large blizzard, which is the result of a toad-like demon named Bael. What I really like about this castle is how the outer design of the place really fits well with the snow. It looks very amazing and I just love looking at this place whenever I play through the game. While some people really find it old to backtrack through the place (And the rest of the game), and I can agree with them, I still love going to this castle every chance I get, no matter how tedious the rest of the backtracking is.
#8: Castle Fairfax from Fable 2
Here is the first castle that has nothing to do with evil monsters….. kinda. The castle was once owned by Lord Lucien, the main antagonist of the game. After the death of his wife and daughter, he begun studying the Old Kingdom in hopes of finding something that would bring them back to life. After hearing that the Hero and his sister, Rose, bought an artifact from the Old Kingdom, he asked to see them. However, he soon found out that one of them would grow to stop him from building the Spire, a structure that would bring his wife and daughter back, but would use it to kill everyone else in the world to bring order, and shot the Hero and Rose, killing Rose and injuring the Hero. After he left to go and build the Spire, leaving his castle unoccupied. This would be okay, HOWEVER, there is a sidequest where you can actually BUY the castle. If you make one million gold pieces, you can buy the place and live in it. The castle has a cellar, a dining room, a library with a secret underground chamber that leads to the graveyard, a study, a bedroom, and a throne room. Everytime you look through the dressers, you will always find the most valuable gems to sell for lots of gold, the best spells, and the a lot of gold. BUT, don’t take your family here right away once you buy it, because bandits will come the first time you buy it and kill them. I learned that the hard way.
#7: N’s Castle from Pokemon Black and White
Okay, this is the last of the non-haunted castles. After you beat the Elite Four, this castle will come out from under the ground. It is said that this castle was built underground by stolen and overworked Pokemon. Once you make it to the caste, members of the Elite Four will come to help you fight off the goons inside so that you can make it to the top of the castle. However, on the next floors, things are a bit different. When you see a large group of goons, your first thought is “Oh great, I got to fight all of these guys”. However, no. They don’t fight back. Instead, all they do is talk about being victorious, which is a bit odd. You’d expect them to fight back, but no. They just talk and let you go on ahead. And not only that, but you will also meet the legendary Pokemon, Reshiram and Zekrom, depending on whether you own Black or White. This is just a huge castle, and a HUGE step up from Pokemon games in the past, changing things that you were used to before. And that’s why Pokemon Black and White is the best.
#6: Magus’s Castle from Chrono Trigger
Yeah, I am sure you all knew that the castle from my favorite RPG would make it on the list. The castle is found in 600 AD, and OH BOY, is it creepy at first sight. For being such a short castle, it has a lot to show. First off, there is a save point, but the problem is that it tricks you, and is nothing more than an enemy that tries to kill you. After which, you will have a choice of two hallways to go down. The one on the left is a hallway filled with enemies that attack the party with physical attacks, which ends up leading to the swordsman, Slash. The hall on the right is filled with enemies that attack with magic and leads to the gender confused mage, Flea. After that, a third hall will open, where you will have to fight the monster general, Ozzie…. He’s very easy, trust me. And after you have managed to get past them all, you will then be met with Magus himself, and let me tell you, this guy is VERY challenging. It’s all about using magic at the right moment. You gotta use the same magic he is using to hurt him, otherwise you will do little damage, no damage, or freaking heal him. It’s a very challenging fight and I love it. Magus’s Castle is a very creepy place, but no matter, it is always a place I look forward to in each playthrough.
#5: Castle Wolfenstein from Return to Castle Wolfenstein
What’s scarier than zombies, demons, and evil wizards? Nazis….. Is that a bad joke- Anyway, Castle Wolfenstein is a large castle hidden in the mountains of Germany during World War II. At first, it seems like a typical Nazi infested castle, you have your small Nazi’s, your big Nazi’s, your fat Nazi’s, your paranoid Nazi’s, your drunken Nazi’s, etcetera. However, this castle has a dark secret. A long time ago, back in 943 AD, a wizard defeated the evil warlord, Henrich. a thousand years later, the Nazi’s used blackmagic to try and revive him in order to use him to turn the world in a Nazi-controlled world. And this isn’t the only thing they did, trust me. That would be bad enough, but it got worse. Not only is built above the burial ground of a dead warlord, but also his millions of undead soldiers. The castle also had horrifying experiments, which involved creating lard Super Soldiers and X-Monsters, all of which are deadly foes. And you thought the Nazi’s were the worst thing in this place….. Well, they are, but those Super Soldiers are a close second.
#4: Salazar Castle from Resident Evil 4
You want to know what’s worse than a village with murderous farmers. A castle with murderous cultists. The castle was owned by the Salazar family, who had disbanded the cult, Los Illuminados. However, the 8th owner of the castle, Ramon Salazar, saw that his ancestors “mistake” and brought back the Los Illuminados as a sign to redeem himself. Underneath the castle were the fossilized Las Plagas, a parasite that would turn the infected organism into a deranged killer. After reviving the Las Plagas, the Los Illuminados infected the nearby village with it, turning them into loyal servants of the cult. Of course, the castle is still a place that makes this whole thing messed up. A few key placed to note about the castle is the entrance, where crazed cultists fire at you with catapults, the prison that contains a blind monster with large claws, the sliding puzzle room with evil knights, the hedge maze filled with bloodthirsty dogs, the underground room used for impaling people, the giant nest of large bugs that spit acid, the large statue that chases you, and the unforgivable train cart ride with the constant attacks from chainsaw guys. Still, I always love this part of the game. Maybe I really like castles, I don’t know. But, I REALLY love Salazar Castle.
#3: Bowser’s Castle from Super Mario Bros.
Of course a castle from Super Mario was going to make the list. The only problem was which one would I choose. Peach’s Castle or Bowser’s Castle? Of course, I went with Bowser’s Castle, since it is more Halloween-y. In every game, Bowser’s Castle has one thing…. A giant statue head of Bowser, showing how arrogant he is…. oh, and lava… Lots and lots of lava. With each castle you go to, there are hundreds of traps. From falling platforms, spinning fire, rolling floors, spikes, falling ceilings, and of course, the enemies like the Hammer Bros. and Thwomps. But every time you get past that, you will always be faced to fight Bowser. You will have to either fight him off with fireballs, or just run past him as fast as you can to send him into the lava (Which, if I were Bowser, I would have all that lava removed). But, if you really want a challenge, try the Special Worlds. You will either deal with more platforms and enemies, be chased by a poisonous Mario clone, or have a limited amount of time and have to constantly collect clocks. These things are a real challenge, especially if you are me and want 100% completion of the game, which is exactly what I got. Suck it, Bowser.
#2: Hyrule Castle from Legend of Zelda
Okay, so now, THIS is the last non-spooky castle. But damnit, I couldn’t help it. As a Zelda fan, I couldn’t help but put the castle this high. I’m sorry, but I just had to do it. So, anyway, Hyrule Castle is a large castle that is home for the royal family (AKA, Zelda), where they usually try to solve problems off screen, which, you know, they never do. That’s Link’s job. But, damn, the Zelda games have ton of variety with the castles. In A Link to the Past, you have to walk in and save Zelda from the corrupted guards, who try to kill Link and blame him for kidnapping the princess, even if she was going to be used for the benefits of the antagonist. Then there is the Ocarina of Time Hyrule Castle, and even though you can’t go inside, you can sneak into the royal garden to meet Zelda, going from Zelda to Metal Gear Solid. Though I think my favorite would be from Wind Waker…. Wow, my favorite depiction of Hyrule Castle is from Wind Waker. What a surprise. But seriously though, the collapsed castle overrun with monsters is just so much different from how the other Hyrule Castle’s looked, and I love it. Sure, it’s not that scary. Hell, it’s the most unscary castle on the list, but a castles a castle, and I freaking love this castle.
#1: Dracula’s Castle from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Come on. It had to be a Castle from the Castlevania series. The name of the series is CASTLEvania. Castle’s are kind of expected. But Symphony of the Night has the best castle. The castle has a HUGE variety of rooms. The alchemy lab, which is a large lab of spells and magic, the library, where books come to life to kill you, the Outer Wall, which is always changing the weather to clear, rainy, or foggy, the royal chapel, with the LONGEST stairs since Mario 64, Olrox’s Quarters, which has this guy that looks a bit too much ly Mysterio from Spiderman 64, the Colosseum, which makes me question how they got a colosseum into a castle (But what do I know about architecture), and so much more places. The monsters here vary from killer fish, giant wolves, cursed tables, giant knights with boomerang axes, giant knights with wrecking balls, giant knights with giant swords, not-so-giant knights that sidle up the stairs, puppets, floating sharp weapons, a ice ghost, fish heads that shoot fire, Cthulhu, and so much more. And then there are the incredible bosses in this place, like a doppelganger Alucard, Death himself, which the game describes as “Dracula’s close friend” (Uuuuuuuh), Galamoth, a VERY big armored monster that makes me feel like I’m fight Titans, Granfalloon, a large floating ball with dead bodies, Beelzebub, a large rotting corpse hung by hooks, and, once again, so much more. And trust me, if you thought that was crazy, you actually go through the game AGAIN in the upside down castle. It is just so awesome. This game is just one big exploration of a castle, unlike every other castle in the game where you just go through it once or twice, but no. The entire game is the castle, and that is why I love Dracula’s Castle.
Well, there you have it. Did you enjoy the list? Tell me what you thought of it. With that said, I will see you all next time.
#10: Mad Castle from Madworld
Wait, what? Mad Castle? You mean that annoyingly broken level where the controls stop working where you are attacked by Death Blade, a grim reaper wannabe who kills you in one hit, a werewolf with cheap killing moves, and a Frankenstein's monster who always heals himself, making the fight cheap as all hell…. Yeah, Mad Castle. While I do agree that this is easily the worst level in the game, due to how much bullcrap you go through, there is one part that I think a lot of people will agree is the best part. The Sanctuary. Here, you run across a bridge to get to it with collapsing pillars. Once you do reach the sanctuary, you will then fight the vampire, Elise, who can transform into a bat, hide inside coffins to trick you, and tries to kill you by distracting Jack with her….. “awesome rack”, as the game describes it. The reason I put this place on the list is mostly the design. This place just looks so nice in a black and white setting from the graveyard, to the dungeon. Looks like one of those old black and white horror movies. Yes, the level is broken and filled to the brim with cheap deaths, but I still love the design of this place, no matter how much hate I get for it.
#9: Fortuna Castle from Devil May Cry 4
Okay, enough broken levels. Now we will just talk about good castles. Castle Fortuna was once a normally castle like any other (As normal as a castle could get, anyway), but after the hellgate was opened in the castle courtyard, a hoard of demons came and began taking over the castle. It didn’t help much though that underneath the castle, the alchemist, Agnus, was performing experiments to create large armored demons. The castle is also surrounded by a large blizzard, which is the result of a toad-like demon named Bael. What I really like about this castle is how the outer design of the place really fits well with the snow. It looks very amazing and I just love looking at this place whenever I play through the game. While some people really find it old to backtrack through the place (And the rest of the game), and I can agree with them, I still love going to this castle every chance I get, no matter how tedious the rest of the backtracking is.
#8: Castle Fairfax from Fable 2
Here is the first castle that has nothing to do with evil monsters….. kinda. The castle was once owned by Lord Lucien, the main antagonist of the game. After the death of his wife and daughter, he begun studying the Old Kingdom in hopes of finding something that would bring them back to life. After hearing that the Hero and his sister, Rose, bought an artifact from the Old Kingdom, he asked to see them. However, he soon found out that one of them would grow to stop him from building the Spire, a structure that would bring his wife and daughter back, but would use it to kill everyone else in the world to bring order, and shot the Hero and Rose, killing Rose and injuring the Hero. After he left to go and build the Spire, leaving his castle unoccupied. This would be okay, HOWEVER, there is a sidequest where you can actually BUY the castle. If you make one million gold pieces, you can buy the place and live in it. The castle has a cellar, a dining room, a library with a secret underground chamber that leads to the graveyard, a study, a bedroom, and a throne room. Everytime you look through the dressers, you will always find the most valuable gems to sell for lots of gold, the best spells, and the a lot of gold. BUT, don’t take your family here right away once you buy it, because bandits will come the first time you buy it and kill them. I learned that the hard way.
#7: N’s Castle from Pokemon Black and White
Okay, this is the last of the non-haunted castles. After you beat the Elite Four, this castle will come out from under the ground. It is said that this castle was built underground by stolen and overworked Pokemon. Once you make it to the caste, members of the Elite Four will come to help you fight off the goons inside so that you can make it to the top of the castle. However, on the next floors, things are a bit different. When you see a large group of goons, your first thought is “Oh great, I got to fight all of these guys”. However, no. They don’t fight back. Instead, all they do is talk about being victorious, which is a bit odd. You’d expect them to fight back, but no. They just talk and let you go on ahead. And not only that, but you will also meet the legendary Pokemon, Reshiram and Zekrom, depending on whether you own Black or White. This is just a huge castle, and a HUGE step up from Pokemon games in the past, changing things that you were used to before. And that’s why Pokemon Black and White is the best.
#6: Magus’s Castle from Chrono Trigger
Yeah, I am sure you all knew that the castle from my favorite RPG would make it on the list. The castle is found in 600 AD, and OH BOY, is it creepy at first sight. For being such a short castle, it has a lot to show. First off, there is a save point, but the problem is that it tricks you, and is nothing more than an enemy that tries to kill you. After which, you will have a choice of two hallways to go down. The one on the left is a hallway filled with enemies that attack the party with physical attacks, which ends up leading to the swordsman, Slash. The hall on the right is filled with enemies that attack with magic and leads to the gender confused mage, Flea. After that, a third hall will open, where you will have to fight the monster general, Ozzie…. He’s very easy, trust me. And after you have managed to get past them all, you will then be met with Magus himself, and let me tell you, this guy is VERY challenging. It’s all about using magic at the right moment. You gotta use the same magic he is using to hurt him, otherwise you will do little damage, no damage, or freaking heal him. It’s a very challenging fight and I love it. Magus’s Castle is a very creepy place, but no matter, it is always a place I look forward to in each playthrough.
#5: Castle Wolfenstein from Return to Castle Wolfenstein
What’s scarier than zombies, demons, and evil wizards? Nazis….. Is that a bad joke- Anyway, Castle Wolfenstein is a large castle hidden in the mountains of Germany during World War II. At first, it seems like a typical Nazi infested castle, you have your small Nazi’s, your big Nazi’s, your fat Nazi’s, your paranoid Nazi’s, your drunken Nazi’s, etcetera. However, this castle has a dark secret. A long time ago, back in 943 AD, a wizard defeated the evil warlord, Henrich. a thousand years later, the Nazi’s used blackmagic to try and revive him in order to use him to turn the world in a Nazi-controlled world. And this isn’t the only thing they did, trust me. That would be bad enough, but it got worse. Not only is built above the burial ground of a dead warlord, but also his millions of undead soldiers. The castle also had horrifying experiments, which involved creating lard Super Soldiers and X-Monsters, all of which are deadly foes. And you thought the Nazi’s were the worst thing in this place….. Well, they are, but those Super Soldiers are a close second.
#4: Salazar Castle from Resident Evil 4
You want to know what’s worse than a village with murderous farmers. A castle with murderous cultists. The castle was owned by the Salazar family, who had disbanded the cult, Los Illuminados. However, the 8th owner of the castle, Ramon Salazar, saw that his ancestors “mistake” and brought back the Los Illuminados as a sign to redeem himself. Underneath the castle were the fossilized Las Plagas, a parasite that would turn the infected organism into a deranged killer. After reviving the Las Plagas, the Los Illuminados infected the nearby village with it, turning them into loyal servants of the cult. Of course, the castle is still a place that makes this whole thing messed up. A few key placed to note about the castle is the entrance, where crazed cultists fire at you with catapults, the prison that contains a blind monster with large claws, the sliding puzzle room with evil knights, the hedge maze filled with bloodthirsty dogs, the underground room used for impaling people, the giant nest of large bugs that spit acid, the large statue that chases you, and the unforgivable train cart ride with the constant attacks from chainsaw guys. Still, I always love this part of the game. Maybe I really like castles, I don’t know. But, I REALLY love Salazar Castle.
#3: Bowser’s Castle from Super Mario Bros.
Of course a castle from Super Mario was going to make the list. The only problem was which one would I choose. Peach’s Castle or Bowser’s Castle? Of course, I went with Bowser’s Castle, since it is more Halloween-y. In every game, Bowser’s Castle has one thing…. A giant statue head of Bowser, showing how arrogant he is…. oh, and lava… Lots and lots of lava. With each castle you go to, there are hundreds of traps. From falling platforms, spinning fire, rolling floors, spikes, falling ceilings, and of course, the enemies like the Hammer Bros. and Thwomps. But every time you get past that, you will always be faced to fight Bowser. You will have to either fight him off with fireballs, or just run past him as fast as you can to send him into the lava (Which, if I were Bowser, I would have all that lava removed). But, if you really want a challenge, try the Special Worlds. You will either deal with more platforms and enemies, be chased by a poisonous Mario clone, or have a limited amount of time and have to constantly collect clocks. These things are a real challenge, especially if you are me and want 100% completion of the game, which is exactly what I got. Suck it, Bowser.
#2: Hyrule Castle from Legend of Zelda
Okay, so now, THIS is the last non-spooky castle. But damnit, I couldn’t help it. As a Zelda fan, I couldn’t help but put the castle this high. I’m sorry, but I just had to do it. So, anyway, Hyrule Castle is a large castle that is home for the royal family (AKA, Zelda), where they usually try to solve problems off screen, which, you know, they never do. That’s Link’s job. But, damn, the Zelda games have ton of variety with the castles. In A Link to the Past, you have to walk in and save Zelda from the corrupted guards, who try to kill Link and blame him for kidnapping the princess, even if she was going to be used for the benefits of the antagonist. Then there is the Ocarina of Time Hyrule Castle, and even though you can’t go inside, you can sneak into the royal garden to meet Zelda, going from Zelda to Metal Gear Solid. Though I think my favorite would be from Wind Waker…. Wow, my favorite depiction of Hyrule Castle is from Wind Waker. What a surprise. But seriously though, the collapsed castle overrun with monsters is just so much different from how the other Hyrule Castle’s looked, and I love it. Sure, it’s not that scary. Hell, it’s the most unscary castle on the list, but a castles a castle, and I freaking love this castle.
#1: Dracula’s Castle from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Come on. It had to be a Castle from the Castlevania series. The name of the series is CASTLEvania. Castle’s are kind of expected. But Symphony of the Night has the best castle. The castle has a HUGE variety of rooms. The alchemy lab, which is a large lab of spells and magic, the library, where books come to life to kill you, the Outer Wall, which is always changing the weather to clear, rainy, or foggy, the royal chapel, with the LONGEST stairs since Mario 64, Olrox’s Quarters, which has this guy that looks a bit too much ly Mysterio from Spiderman 64, the Colosseum, which makes me question how they got a colosseum into a castle (But what do I know about architecture), and so much more places. The monsters here vary from killer fish, giant wolves, cursed tables, giant knights with boomerang axes, giant knights with wrecking balls, giant knights with giant swords, not-so-giant knights that sidle up the stairs, puppets, floating sharp weapons, a ice ghost, fish heads that shoot fire, Cthulhu, and so much more. And then there are the incredible bosses in this place, like a doppelganger Alucard, Death himself, which the game describes as “Dracula’s close friend” (Uuuuuuuh), Galamoth, a VERY big armored monster that makes me feel like I’m fight Titans, Granfalloon, a large floating ball with dead bodies, Beelzebub, a large rotting corpse hung by hooks, and, once again, so much more. And trust me, if you thought that was crazy, you actually go through the game AGAIN in the upside down castle. It is just so awesome. This game is just one big exploration of a castle, unlike every other castle in the game where you just go through it once or twice, but no. The entire game is the castle, and that is why I love Dracula’s Castle.
Well, there you have it. Did you enjoy the list? Tell me what you thought of it. With that said, I will see you all next time.
Bowser: bwahaha!
Zalgo: what is he laughing about?
Mewtwo: about something stupid i'm sure...
Bowser: our villain meeting is now in session!
Robotnik: woo!
All: ...
Robotnik: awkward...
Bowser: moving on...
Zalgo: please do!
Bowser: first order of business, we must gather all the villains to over power the heros!
Mewtwo: but wouldn't they team up also?
All: ._.
Bowser: fuc*
Me: yep... they are lemons
All: shut-up!
Me: :D
*SpongeBob reference FTW*
Zalgo: what is he laughing about?
Mewtwo: about something stupid i'm sure...
Bowser: our villain meeting is now in session!
Robotnik: woo!
All: ...
Robotnik: awkward...
Bowser: moving on...
Zalgo: please do!
Bowser: first order of business, we must gather all the villains to over power the heros!
Mewtwo: but wouldn't they team up also?
All: ._.
Bowser: fuc*
Me: yep... they are lemons
All: shut-up!
Me: :D
*SpongeBob reference FTW*