Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

"The castle's big as a town, hence the name"

A while back, around the time this game came out, a co-worker was telling me all about it. The game play, how great it was, some of the secrets, the second track on the CD, almost everything. I just there and nodded, but I wasn't really interested at that time. I only have the Sega Saturn game system and not the first Sony Playstation console, back then. It did came out for the Saturn sometime later, but only as an import. Since it didn't have the English translation, I didn't pursue it. Years later, I purchased a PS2 and began looking for PSONE games for it. I saw CASTLEVANIA: SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT in a Blockbuster store close to where I live. It had the GREATEST HITS logo, but it cost $60. Wait a minute. Greatest Hits version for $60? nope, no way. Outrageous. I didn't buy it. Days later, I went to a different Blockbuster that was also nearby and they had it new for only $9.99. Sweet. Why they do that, with the price difference, I don't know. Same store name, but different in the way they do business. Anyway, I bought it and I am happy with it. Just as happy as my co-worker, if not less. Well, on with the review.

You play as Richter Belmont on his way to face Dracula in the final battle. Before you asked why I'm giving away the ending, I'm telling you that I'm not. That's how the game starts. You have Richter walking to the throne room where Dracula dwells, smashing candelabras along the way to gather up heart points and weapons. How you defeat Dracula affects the rest of the game somewhat. You do defeat him, though. Even if Dracula strikes him down, Drac's wife, Lisa, enters revives Richter and gives him immortal-like strength to finally destroy Dracula. Afterwards, you get a text mini-story explaining that years past Ricther disappears and Maria Renard enters Castlevania, that just materialized from out of the mist. Then Alucard enters into the picture. Awaken from eternal slumber in order to submerged his vampire powers and end his cursed blood line, he boldly enters into the extremely large castle to engage into the ancient battle of good versus evil. Playing as Alucard, you must search the extremely large castle and destroy many demons within.

The graphics are amazing. Although the characters are small, they're very much in detail. The back grounds are very breath-taking. It's a 2D game, but certain areas have 3D background effects. The animation is rather simple, though. Not as complex like the fighting moves in STREET FIGHTER II. The minions Alucard faces only have 2 or 3 moves within themselves. They walk, attack, and react when they die. That's all. The sub-bosses have a bit more and the major bosses have around the same, but sometimes have an extra move or two to surprise the player. Overall, it's smooth and flawless. Just as good as the early Capcom fighting games, if not better. If you follow the enemies movement patterns, you can defeat them more easily.

The music is fantastic, almost like a classical symphony. There are times, though, you can detect that it came from a synthesizer. There is a second separate track on the CD. It has Alucard's announcement follow by an extra song. The sound effects could use a little work. The vocal discussions between characters like Alucard and Maria Renard, however, almost sound like they came from a cheap, hollow booth. They don't sound fuzzy nor indistinct, though, and even if u can barely hear them, there are text sometimes to read on what they are saying. Some of the script has a few flaws, like Maria asking Alucard, "What are you do?". The rest are simple, but sound great, with the yelling, the slashing and sounds of magic being activated.

I played a previous Castlevania game on a old Game Boy a while back. Don't know which version, but I can say that this installment has more to offer. As Alucard, you do more than hack, slash and advance left or right like other 2D side-scrollers. You have special moves and weapons to keep your foes at bay. This is an action RPG, really, with health points (HP) and Magic Points (MP). As you venture into castle, you can pick up weapons, money, hearts (to power up the special weapons), relics and other items. There are rooms and devices that you can't reach into unless you obtain certain items to help you. You need the orbs that can change Alucard into a bat, a wolf, or mist. You'll need other relics in order to survive going under water or a terrible onslaught from a major boss. There are allies who can aid you such as the Master Librarian who can give you anything you want....for a price. The Ferry Man, who you should not pay until after he safely crosses you through on his boat. Most of the foes are easy to beat, and just there to slow you down, but some, like Flea Man, Medusa Head and the Sword Knight are a PAIN to get rid of. Mostly because they are either small and fast or big and take a lot of hits. Sometimes a combination of both. The controls are quick and responsive, but you need time to practice on those special moves. When doing unique spells, one must execute the moves on the controller in one continuous motion, rather than tap out each direction individually.

Did I mention the castle is HUGE!? It's a labyrinth of large rooms, ghastly corridors and tunnels with twist and turns leading every which way. You'll spend many hours exploring every chamber, hoping to get the right weapons and store enough points, when you encounter a powerful boss you must battle. The game is not truly linear, where you just go one path. There are many areas you can choose to enter first. The Outer Wall, The Long Library and the Underground Caverns are some of the places to explore. The decisions are usually depend on if Alucard has what it take to survive through it. It's quite a challenge in some areas when you first play it, but once you anticipate and prepare on where you are going, it's a breeze. After you complete the game, you can play it again, and get a different experience, whether using a code to play as Richter Belmont or to get one of four or five different endings.

In Japan, this game is called DRACULA X, because there are 9 Castlevania games before this one. Only one, Castlevania Chronicles, and this one are for the Playstation console. The rest, I believe, are for the Nintendo game systems or not even release in America. Two 3D games came out after this one, one for N64 and the other for PS2. No matter. If you love games that made Mega Man and Metroid famous, then go after this one. Whether you only have the Sony system or own every game system ever made, get Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, because I believe it's the best one in the series. You should get it cheap in some major stores that still have them (the Blockbuster stores where I live doesn't have them in stock, even the one priced $60) or purchase it online.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/09/05