Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Bloodlines — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Castlevania: Bloodlines on?
- Castlevania: Bloodlines was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
- When did Castlevania: Bloodlines release?
- Castlevania: Bloodlines was first released on March 17, 1994.
About Castlevania: Bloodlines
Time refuses to forget the Belmont family's horrifying, bloody destiny. And in 1917 two of its descendants are summoned by fate into epic battle. Their enemy? The most evil incarnation of Castlevania legacy to ever rise from the grave, the vampiress Countess Bartley. This spine-tingling, 6-stage fear-fest overflows with graphic sights and sounds from your worst nightmares. As John Morris, the whip wielding vampire hunter, or Eric Lecarde, master lanceman, you'll pursue the demonic Countess all across Europe before she resurrects Dracula for a final reign of global terror. Alas, her trail of doom is laden with zombies, hideous mutants, grotesque giants, ghouls and ghastly creatures. Taste the sweat dripping into your mouth as you try rescuing yourself from diabolical traps. Feel the torturous strain on every muscle as you wield again and again sacred weapon power-ups such as Holy Water, the Battle Axe, the Crystal Blade Boomerang and the Mirror of Truth. But in the end, make sure you've saved enough strength to scream!
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Konami
- Publisher
- Konami
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Action
- Series
- Castlevania
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1994 | $70 | $198 | $310 | 23 reviews | Medium |
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardboard box release | $82 | $137 | — |
| European (PAL) release | $73 | $314 | $434 |
| Japanese release (Vampire Killer) | $333 | $944 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a day
- Complete: about once a day
- Sealed: about once a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $9.86 in Oct 2007, $88 five years ago, and $70 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2008 | $14.99 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $19.95 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $14.77 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $19.94 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $20 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $27 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $30 | $50 |
| Jan 2015 | $40 | $75 |
| Jan 2016 | $46 | $80 |
| Jan 2017 | $43 | $95 |
| Jan 2018 | $39 | $100 |
| Jan 2019 | $52 | $145 |
| Jan 2020 | $52 | $137 |
| Jan 2021 | $65 | $201 |
| Jan 2022 | $73 | $185 |
| Jan 2023 | $67 | $167 |
| Jan 2024 | $60 | $183 |
| Jan 2025 | $64 | $161 |
| Jan 2026 | $70 | $170 |
| Oct 2026 | $70 | $198 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 17 March 1994 | T-95076 | 083717160052 | 353536 |
| Europe / PAL | 20 March 1994 | T-95076-50 | — | 353490 |
| Japan | 18 March 1994 | T-95043 | — | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1994
- Authenticity
- Med
A moody Genesis Castlevania that is among the pricier US carts and a known repro target.
Castlevania: Bloodlines (Castlevania: The New Generation in Europe, Vampire Killer in Japan) was developed and published by Konami. It reached North America on 17 March 1994, Japan on 18 March 1994 and Europe on 20 March 1994. A vampire named Elizabeth Bartley is using the start of World War I to resurrect her uncle, Dracula, and you play John Morris, son of Quincey Morris, or his friend Eric Lecarde.
The team set out to make an experience tailor-made for the Genesis, working within its color palette and an 8-megabit cart. GamePro's 1997 Castlevania retrospective said its graphics and sound were not as impressive as Super Castlevania IV but called it a strong game.
What the press said at the time
| MegaTech Issue 27 | March 1994 | 83% |
| MegaTech Issue 30 | June 1994 | 83% |
| MegaTech Issue 33 | September 1994 | 90% |
| Sega Pro Issue 36 | September 1994 | 37% |
| MegaTech Issue 34 | October 1994 | 90% |
| GameRankings (aggregate) | 81.88% | |
| Beep! MegaDrive | 6.25/10 | |
| Computer and Video Games | 83/100 | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9/10, 8/10, 8/10, 8/10 | |
| Famitsu | 28/40 | |
| Game Informer | 8/10, 7.5/10, 8.5/10 | |
| Game Players | 88% | |
| GameFan | 98%, 95%, 94%, 96% | |
| GamesMaster | 70/100 | |
| Hyper | 79% | |
| Mean Machines Sega | 90/100 | |
| Electronic Games | A− | |
| Max Overload! | 72% | |
| Mega Machines | 70/100 | |
| Sega Magazine | 86/100 | |
| Sega Power | 70% | |
| Sega Zone | 85% | |
| VideoGames | 8/10 |
“One of the most playable actions games on the Megadrive, and sitting a good head ond shoulders above recent platform releases. Blood curdlingly good fun!”
“The music and sound effects in BLoodLlnes ane the best I haue euen heand on the Genesis.”
“The New Generation is a remarkable Megadrive release, heightening Konami's reputation as producers of excellent games. Take a look at the following pages to sample some of the wonder... and indeed, the blood-chilling "terror" that”
“There's more gore in Bloodlines than other Castleva-nias, but nothing really disgusting (sigh). The animation is very good throughout, and the bosses are very cool, but the main character sprite is painfully small.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
Before you buy
This is among the pricier US carts and a known repro target, so look closely. A Western cart has no notch in its shell, so a flat shell with a notch is a repro sign, and for a copy at this price ask for a photo of the board and compare it with the board listed on this page. A cardboard-box edition is priced separately from the plastic-case copy. The European cart usually costs about the same as the US one when loose and more when complete, and the Japanese Vampire Killer cart usually costs far more and has a different cartridge shape.
Castlevania: Bloodlines screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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