Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

"Great 2D exploration game that's well worth the MS points"

This is my First review here, and first Castlevania game I ever played. Being a fan of the metroid series (specifically Super Metroid), I was tempted to check out the demo and see what this was all about. The demo doesn't give much except for the beginning where you fight as Richter Belmont temporarily.

This game was based upon the PSX version and not the Saturn which included extras (new areas, enemies etc.)

This game is largely based on exploration and expanding your abilities ot reach other areas, much like super metroid. Think of it as a Super Metroid, without all the super sci-fi and guns.

Story
All castlevania games are based around the battles against Dracula and generally the Belmonts were the ones to destroy Dracula. The game doesn't go too far into story. You play the game as Dracula's Half-Human Half-Vampire son Alucard (previously seen in Castlevania 3). The game starts you off as Richter Belmont on his way to defeat Dracula (this is a recreation of the final area in a Castlevania released for Japan only and redone for PSP). After defeating Dracula you begin the game as Alucard out to end Dracula's life before he is completely resurrected and sever your ties with him. The game has various endings but the story isn't where it shines though, it's the gameplay. The game does give you some brief segments with dialogue where you speak to NPCs to fill you in just enough.

Gameplay
The game itself is a 1 player side scrolling 2D action game that uses some RPG elements. The gameplay like I said is largely based on exploration. As you progress you will eventually come to areas which you cannot go to and you are left wondering what WAS there when you get the powerup to get there. Defeating enemies gains you level ups and most items you find can be equipped/used to make you stronger. As well as that you can find items that increase your stats (HP and Heart Points)

For controls, A button is to Jump, X and B are your weapons (or shield/items if you have something equipped instead), Y is a backdash, LT is a minimap that you can bring up, and the RB/RT/LB buttons are for transformations that you can find in course of the game. The back button opens the status screen, and the start button opens the XBLA menu to exit and check achievements etc. These controls work very well but in the event that you don't like them, you can always change most of them in the menus.

The basic controls are above but you can also use special moves using button combinations that use MP, or getting items that allow you to use a special weapon at the cost of Heart Points such as the Stopwatch or Throwing Daggers.

On top of the already oversized and long castle, you can also unlock the inverted castle meaning this game is DOUBLE the size. The game feels long as it is but this is just a lot. There's a lot to do.

You can also play as Richter Belmont like the older castlevania games through the use of a code if you fancy the old style of play with a whip.

Graphics
The graphics are the same as the original PSX version. 2D characters that look detailed. Added is the "Enchanced" option in the menu which will smooth all the pixels to make it look a lot better but you can also turn that off if you want to. The graphical effects look somewhat basic but they do the job very very well for this style. Some of the equipment you wear or will be visible on your character (such as the Blood cloak being blood red). The backgrounds add a nice touch but in most cases you won't be seeing much. Places like the chapel look very nice though.

Sound
The Voices are so-so, but at least the fit the characters!... sort of. The music fits the mood of the castle areas very well. There are lots of tracks in here. Some of them can be just downright creepy like in the abandoned mines.

Extras and achievements?
There's nothing extra except the graphical smoothing. The achievements require a bit of patience but they can done easily. On top of that is the leaderboards that show scores of people throughout Xbox Live.

This game is LARGE and LONG. A great game to play if you like exploration games, and can take some single player action over multiplayer. My only complaint is that they took out the animated FMVs which I would have liked to see but at least the loading is virtually non-existant. Depending on how fast you work you can finish the whole game somewhere around 15 hours. Add to the fact that there's still the gameplay as Richter as well which extends the play even further.

A large castle, and a second castle with extra goodies, two different characters to play as with a different gameplay style, great music, and LOADS of customization. You can't go wrong if you like these types of games. Well worth the points if you enjoy these kinds of action/exploration games.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/08

Game Release: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (US, 03/21/07)