Castlevania - A joyous little mountain of references

Although seminal series is unlikely to be ever resurrected, its legacy is more immortal than Dracula himself.

Ignoring cameos, crossovers and parodies, let's begin.

Ganbare Goemon 2 - Super Famicom
Stage only becomes available after game is completed.

Lords of Shadow 2 - PC, PS3 and 360
Die monster, you don't belong in this world.

Judgment - Wii
Shanoa can say "I am the morning sun, come to vanquish this horrible night."

Pre-fight dialogue paraphrases infamous text box in Simon's Quest.

"The morning sun has vanquished the horrible night."

Great.

Shame the same thing can't be said about Power Stone wannabe.

Metal Gear Solid - PS1
Providing SOTN is saved on memory card, when Psycho Mantis reads Snake's mind, he states "You like Castlevania, don't you?"

Snatcher - various
Gillian remembers how he was so pissed because he couldn't jump off the stairs.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters - SNES
Wingnut mentions Castlevania 2095.

Why that year?

(Shrugs shoulders).

Evolution Skateboarding - PS2 and Gamecube
In one of several areas taken from universe, we fight a generic Vampire in the castle.

Cutest of all.

Haunted Castle - Arcade
In Stage 3, Simon walks by a female portrait weeping a stream of Bloody Tears.

Guess which theme is playing?

Yeah.

Another example exists. 

Akumajō Dracula - X68000
A giant statue of the Goddess Athena endlessly sheds tears of blood, with each drop transforming into an indestructible red skeleton.

Miscellany

Gods & Heroes (original title of Blood of Zeus) vs original flyer

The 'influence' of a certain Frank Frazetta painting is there for all to see.

The Norseman

Ahem.

From Dusk till Dawn
Sex Machine's trusty whip pays homage.

Game of Thrones

HBO's mega successful series hired linguist David J. Peterson to create the High Valryian language that some characters speak on the show.

One such word is belmon, which means chain.  This is a clear shout-out to Simon's Quest, when hero quickly upgrades from leather whip to the steel variety.

Music

What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse is the second track on The Black Dahlia Murder album Nocturnal.

Song title originates from 2001 demo album of same name.

Finally, Army of the Pharaohs album Ritual of Battle features the song Bloody Tears.

Band gives credit to Kenichi Matsubara.

Video games

Bunny Must Die! Chelsea and the 7 Devils - PC
Baron Vladmu is Platine Dispositif's version of Dracula.

Van Helsing - PS2/Xbox
These books chronicle the histories of many of the old families of Transylvania.
One well-worn book entitled, "The Belmonts" catches your eye.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening - PS2
3 freakish looking faces are etched in the statue.
2 of the faces weep bloody tears.

Maybe I'm giving Capcom too much credit, but if intentional - bravo.

Cube Gothic - PC

Death

Legion 52

Symphony of the Night - PS1 and Saturn

Journey back to 1792.

The Transylvanian countryside of Romania.

Final stage:

"Bloodlines"

EU/NA

Richter: Die monster. You don't belong in this world!

Dracula: It was not by my hand that I am once again given flesh. I was called here by humans who wish to pay me tribute.

Richter: Tribute!?! You steal men's souls and make them your slaves!

Dracula: Perhaps the same could be said of all religions...

Richter: Your words are as empty as your soul! Mankind ill needs a saviour such as you!

Dracula: ¹What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. ²But enough talk... Have at you!

¹Stolen from the preface of André Malraux's 1967 work Antimémoires.

²Written for game.

Conversation was subtlety reworked for the Rondo of Blood remake in The Dracula X Chronicles.

Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!! - DS/3DS

Prior to Finn and Jake fighting Marceline the Vampire Queen, the Ice King says:

But enough talk... Have at you!

Jake: What a miserable little pile of trash...

And.

Sea of Thieves - Xbox One
Drink too much from the Crimson Crypt Tankard and you'll be asking yourself - what is a pirate? A miserable little pile of sea quests!

HA HA HA!

Japanese dialogue, (recycled from the cut scene after Dracula's defeat in Rondo of Blood) is completely different.

Voice acting, particularly from Norio Wakamoto as Dracula, is brilliant.

Richter: Begone! This world is not yours to live in!

Dracula: It is not by my power that I am revived. It is by the greedy humans that I live once more. Might is the one and only justice that exists, after all.

Richter: That's nothing but your self-centred interpretation! Guided by common beliefs, people seek each other out, gather together and move forward.

Dracula: However, is it not true that greed has driven the humans' development and that faith has led them?

Richter: Power alone cannot lead people. Respect and a loving heart are what truly lead humanity!

Dracula: Foolish drivel. I will prove to you which of us is right... with death!

Not as famous, but serious debate is much better, yes?