4/5 ★ – josipher's review of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

I think a case of overhype hurt my expectations for Symphony of the Night. A pioneer that put the vania in Metroidvania, but a lot like its counterpart in Super Metroid, I think it has some growing pains that will be fixed in later installments. It’s still very good, but there’s random difficulty spikes throughout and a lot of juggling that can be done to poor Alucard. The inverted castle is a slog, and you’re kind of aimless just filling it in. I did enjoy my time, and can easily see a repeat playthrough in my future.