5 years ago, Richter Belmont, the latest in the Belmont lineage and the one destined to be a Vampire Hunter, defeated Dracula in a brutal battle which nearly cost him the love of his life, Annette, and her sister, Maria. Now, Richter has suddenly vanished, CastleVania has mysteriously reappeared, and Maria, now a young woman, sets off to find Richter. Alucard, the son of Dracula, is awakened from his eternal slumber after this large shift in power, and enters into Castlevania to find some answers and perhaps destroy the castle once again.

Considered by many to be the best Castlevania, SOTN is a direct sequel to Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (released only on the PC Engine Duo in Japan; the SNES version is NOT the same game), and now incorperates an action/RPG style gameplay into the series, making for one hell of an experience.