There’s loads of sly (or more obvious) references to Castlevania games of the past. Let’s check out the ones we know of…

• At the end of the Enchanted Forest stage is a scroll that describes the background for the stump, referring to it as the great Dekub Tree. This is a reference to the Deku Tree in the classic Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
• Another knight scroll mentions starving and hoping to find food. At the end of the note it reads “The ‘Cake’ is not a lie”. This is a none too subtle nod to the Valve game Portal, in which it is later revealed that the cake is indeed a lie. We can only presume the knight came to a similar end.
• The original Lords of the Vampires castle was the Bernhard family. This is a nod to Walter Bernhard of Lament of Innocence .
• It is rumored that Gabriel Belmont is the son of one of the nobles of the Cronqvist family. This is a nod to a character in Lament of Innocence , Mathias Cronqvist.
• Rinaldo Gandolfi is the creator of the Combat Cross. This is a nod to the character of the same name in Lament of Innocence who had much the same role of weapon smith.
• The Combat Cross is later referred to as the ‘Vampire Killer’, this is a clear nod to the franchises classic armament of the same name that was first given to Leon Belmont in Lament of Innocence.
• The Lord of the Lycans is named Cornell, this is a nod to the character from Legacy of Darkness & Judgment, the beastman Cornell (Blue Crescent Moon).
• The name of one of the dead knights’ girlfriend is Iris. The name of one of the characters in Rondo of Blood .
• The name of one of the villages is called Wygol, which is the main village from Order of Ecclesia .
• The name of the Abbot is Vincent Dorin, which is the seller/monk’s name of Portrait of Ruin .
• The name of one of the vampire commanders is Brauner. This is the name of the vampire lord in Portrait of Ruin .
• The name of the other vampire commander is Olrox. This is the name of a boss in Symphony of the Night , whose character is based on Count Orlok.
• Carmilla and Laura are common boss characters or enemies seen throughout the original series.
• The Evil Butcher was originally an enemy in Aria of Sorrow .
• Malphas is a new take on a classic Castlevania boss/enemy that has been a staple of the series since Symphony of the Knight.
• Veros Woods in chapter 5 is also the name of a location in Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest .
• Numerous parts of the Vampire castle are direct references to previous Castlevania locations. Frankenstein’s Laboratory, The Clocktower, and the staircase leading to Carmilla’s final room are all nods to recurring locations.
• The Headless burrower’s Head is a 3D rendition of the flying head opponents featured in many ‘vania games, even if the addition of a buried body may try to hide this fact.
• The Music box in chapter 9 plays the theme Vampire Killer from the original Castlevania .
• A deceased Slogra from Super Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night can be seen in the background during the post-credits scene.
• A fallen knight scroll mentions a legend that the Bernhard family made a pact with a demon to construct their castle, and because of its chaotic nature, it’s constantly changing. This is similiar to what Alucard said about Dracula’s Castle in Symphony of the Night.