5/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

System: PlayStation Started: October 1, 2016 Ended: October 28, 2016 Flashback Review Super Castlevania IV left a huge impact after finishing the game on Halloween morning. That moment really did that for me to play Castlevania games every October since then. For 2016, I decided to play another fan-favorite Castlevania game, and I chose Symphony of the Night. I mentioned before that I was a Nintendo kid back in the late '90s to early 2000s. I know a few relatives who have a PlayStation 1 console, but they never had this game in their library, which is a shame because after playing Symphony of the Night, they really missed out on this. Symphony of the Night changed Castlevania from what it used to be known for. With this new gameplay style, similar to Super Metroid, which features an open world with a grid-like map and unlocking new weapons, gear, and abilities by defeating bosses and using them to access new areas in that world. It helped develop a genre called “Metroidvania.” Ever since this game was released, Castlevania has largely followed the Metroidvania trend throughout the 2000s, starting with Circle of the Moon in 2001 and so on with Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia, Portrait of Ruin, and others. In Symphony of the Night, your main character is not a Belmont but a supporting character from the classic NES trilogy. You play as Alucard, the son of Dracula, who for some reason now has white hair and looks a lot more like D from Vampire Hunter D for some reason and now has to sort out his daddy issues by infiltrating the castle. With this new style of gameplay, there is an incredible variety of weapons and power-ups for Alucard to use. He can summon swords, shields, and monsters. Alucard can even transform into a wolf or even mist (yes) to go through walls. With all these special abilities at hand and wandering around Dracula’s castle filled with monsters and demons, you can easily experiment and level up while uncovering secrets that boost your stats and pick up crazy weapons. Castlevania is also known for its excellent soundtrack. Symphony of the Night is considered one of the best in the series. That intro prologue theme, Bloodline, still gives me that energetic vibe that really hooks you in. There are many other memorable soundtracks in the game, such as The Tragic Prince, Dance of Pales, and Wandering Ghosts. I still remember going to a retro gaming store and they would play most of the Castlevania tunes, mostly from Symphony of the Night. One thing that did catch me off guard was the gothic horror illustrative art by Ayami Kojima. This was her debut work for the series. The Japanese front cover, which features Alucard front and center, is way better than the North American release, which only showed a picture of Dracula’s Castle. It still bothers me why they couldn’t have added the Japanese cover. Ever since this game’s release, Kojima has been a mainstay in the Castlevania franchise from that point on, and her art style has remained consistently impressive. For a Castlevania game without a Belmont or the Vampire Killer whip, it actually is present but as a secret. Once you finish the game and start a new save file titled “Richter,” the New Game Plus mode allows you to play as Richter Belmont from Rondo of Blood/Dracula X. Playing as Richter is one of the best reasons to replay Symphony of the Night, as he can perform cool moves like his dive kick, use special item moves like Holy Water Rain, and wield the whip just like in the classic Castlevania games. Plus, you don’t need to level up like Alucard. To put the good things aside, veteran Castlevania fans love this game, but some would not put this game as their most favorite Castlevania game. Symphony of the Night was arguably the most complex in the franchise at the time since it incorporated RPG elements, requiring you to monitor your stats, equip weapons and armor for survival, and be aware of which parts of the castle that are too difficult, where you could be killed in 2-5 hits. Before this game, Castlevania was a very straightforward action/platformer where you didn’t have to worry much about stats. It was all about quick thinking of jumping between gaps and fighting your way to the end of levels. Some people (including myself) still prefer the traditional Castlevania titles like Super Castlevania IV and Rondo of Blood. However, I am okay with this Metroidvania change-up. The secrets in Symphony of the Night can be cryptic. There were moments late in the game when I couldn’t find certain secrets, and I really wanted to 100% the entire castle. Discovering these secrets often requires a guidebook. Speaking of Pile of Secrets, the voice acting can be outdated and cheesy; but that’s what makes it so memorable. This gameplay change was a bold move, but Symphony of the Night is an absolute classic for the PlayStation library. It is also one of the most popular and acclaimed Castlevania games. If I had to pick one Castlevania game with Metroidvania gameplay alongside Aria of Sorrow or Order of Ecclesia, Symphony of the Night would be my top pick. It’s definitely in my top five Castlevania games, and it’s not going anywhere. You can even play as Maria Renard—originally exclusive to the Japanese Sega Saturn or the later PSP version of the game. I still recommend playing the classic Castlevania titles, but if you want a game with RPG elements and a lengthy gameplay experience, Symphony of the Night is your best choice.