English
Unlike most Castlevania games, Bloodlines is one of the first games in the series that does not take place exclusively in Dracula's castle or even Romania. In addition to the first level – Dracula's castle in Romania – there are another five levels set in other European countries -- Athens, Greece; Pisa, in Italy; a weapon factory in Germany; Versailles, France; and the fictional Castle Proserpina in England. Despite the change in setting, however, the game still features the now-archetypal designs of Castlevania games. The player starts in the ruins of Castlevania (the first half of which is taken from the first NES game), which is a recurring theme in later titles.
This game attempts to bridge the Castlevania games with the Dracula novel written by Bram Stoker, which the series had only been loosely connected to previously, having arguably more in common with the 1931 Bela Lugosi film than the actual novel. The game even refers to one of the stars of the novel, Quincy Morris. In doing this, some plot points invented by the American localization staff of the game are openly contradicted.
According to the North American manual, John Morris (and his friend Eric Lecarde) were supposed to have witnessed his father's death moments after he had stabbed Dracula. This contradicts Stoker's novel, which most scholars agree takes place between 1885 and 1893, and John was born in 1895. Also, John and Eric were not mentioned in the novel. The original Japanese and European instruction manuals makes no mention of John and Eric being witness to his father's death. The novel describes the travelers who chase Dracula, but there is never a mention to any kids traveling with them. Nothing in the game contradicts the possibility of John witnessing his father's death, regardless of whether his age at the time prevented him from remembering the event.
The manual claims Quincy stabbed Dracula with a wooden stake. However, in the novel Quincy uses a Bowie Knife. Additionally, the manual claims it was Quincy Morris alone that killed Dracula, with no mention of the combined efforts of other characters in the novel. However, in the novel Dracula is killed when Jonathan Harker sliced through Dracula's throat (implying beheading), while Quincy simultaneously stabbed him through the heart.
Quincy attempts to court Lucy early in the novel, but it is not mentioned that Quincy has a two year old child (meaning, he either is in a relationship, or just got done with one). Though in Bram Stoker's version Quincy was intended to be a bachelor with no children.
Additionally, the Countess Bartley is loosely based on the actual historical figure Erzsébet Báthory. The witch who resurrects her in the game's backstory is Dorottya Szentes, who in reality had connections to Báthory. (Just as the name "Bartley" in the English versions of the game is a mistransliteration of Báthory, the name "Drolta Tzuentes" is a corruption of Dorottya's name.)
The game's backstory also references the real-life death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, suggesting that the assassination had been ordered by the Countess.
Bloodlines' story weighs heavily on Portrait of Ruin, which stars John Morris' son Jonathan as the main character. John Morris dies sometime between 1917 and 1944 as a result of his reliance on the Vampire Killer whip and the fact that it saps the energy of its non-full-blood Belmont users (John had been injured in the fight with Dracula in 1917 and his reliance on the whip never allowed him to fully recover from his wounds).