Castlevania

Castlevania created a franchise by defining a genre. Simon Belmont traversed Dracula's castle with whip and sub-weapons (cross, holy water, axe) in a gothic and brutally difficult action platformer. The deliberate pace — no mid-air direction change — made every jump a commitment. Kinuyo Yamashita's soundtrack (Vampire Killer, Wicked Child) is among the NES's most iconic. The final Dracula fight is unforgettable.