5/5 ★ – TylerTurner7's review of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

A genre defining game that earned its praise a hundredfold, Castlevania: SotN was as addictive and atmospheric as it is legendary. While not really my aesthetic, SotN’s gothic horror art direction was engrossing and interesting without being overly gory per the limitations of the 16-bit pixel era of gaming. The soundtrack was incredible and the organ-like tones hitting while exploring stained glass environments create the pinnacle and definitive gothic, vampire experience. The environments and tracks were as varied as they were stunning. I still have trouble believing this game existed during the PS1 era and it has graphically aged well. The entire premise of Alucard being the son of Dracula and a human mother is both conflicting and compelling. The story is sparse but what is there is truly moving as you see Alucard attempt to honor the memory of his late mother while feeling the weight of his “cursed blood.” Dracula, motivated by hate towards humanity for taking his wife, is a deeper antagonist than just a bloodsucking vampire. The game crescendos, as expected, with the battle between the Vampire Lord and his heir. This final battle feels like a climatic end to a heavy journey. There is definitely a theme of internal conflict that manifests in key points through the narrative and in the game's environments. At two points Alucard must face a doppelganger that mimics his form and move sets. Another sequence, known as Nightmare, shows Alucard’s temptation to give into his vampire roots but his love of his late mother brings him back to his senses. The setting symbolizes this as well with Inverted Castle being an inversion of Dracula’s Castle and the obvious inversion of Dracula’s name being Alucard. The internal conflict of his origin and purpose does not even resolve when the game ends as Alucard feels he must return to the shadows because of his aforementioned “cursed blood.” It feels deliberate that the ending while happy still came with a cost and not all protagonists get a “happily ever after.” I cannot brag enough about the map. Many modern games give clearly defined quest points on the map or the HUD. SotN allows the map to determine the player's exploration accordingly. Every time I got a new item or ability I would study my map to see what breaks in the room outlines need to be filled in and revisited. This form of traversal and progression is both time consuming and rewarding once you become familiar with parts of Dracula’s Castle and the rhythm of the game. The gameplay loop of exploration and fighting unique and interesting bosses made the masterpiece incredibly hard to put down. I was able to play the game in less than a week because I couldn’t get enough of finding more paths within the castle. SotN rewards exploration heavily by finding new weapons, magic and health upgrades, and even some monster loot drops. By sheer luck, I received the fabled Crissaegrim, a short sword that allows Alucard to strike while moving, 4 hits per swing, and with zero recovery time. Essentially, once I received this blade, the game made a drastic shift towards “easy mode.” I received the blade before entering the Inverted Castle and many of the bosses stood no chance. One critique I have is that some bosses seem insurmountable without the right equipment. The Galmoth battle in the Inverted Castle felt impossible even with the Crissaegrim but a quick Google search let me know that there was a circlet that would allow Alucard to absorb all the lightning based damage. I adore this game like many in its genre and look forward to playing other installments in the franchise