What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk…Have at you!
For someone that enjoys Metroidvanias, I waited FAR too long to play Symphony of the Night. A game dissected so thoroughly not even the bones have been spared. However, there is still one thing that intrigues me about it. Despite the relatively low difficulty and being quite possibly the most overdesigned game ever with its encyclopedia of items, abilities, and enemies, I was never pulled out of the experience. But why? I had mixed experiences with its GBA successors, including Aria of Sorrow, but not Symphony.
The conclusion I have arrived to is the atmosphere. More often than not, Castlevania has been as scary as the kids saying Trick-or-Treat to you every Halloween. Superficial horror. I wasn’t around when Super Castlevania IV was released, but I feel it was the full realization of the original Castlevania’s journey. The desaturated colors and haunting soundtrack struck fear in the player’s heart, never letting them grow comfortable. Not even the improved whip could remove that feeling.
Symphony of the Night carries a similar tone. Despite how easy it was to become overpowered, the delicate concoction of color, sound, and music sucked me in. The chilling melodies of Dracula’s Castle, Dance of Gold, and Lost Paintings prove Michiru Yamane was born to compose this game.
Modern Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight have revealed cracks in Symphony’s design, like the bosses requiring little strategy and the horrible weapon balancing. Even not-so-great examples of the genre often avoid such shortcomings. However, as far as total packages go, you would be hard-pressed to find a better deal. An unmatched symphony of atmosphere and power fantasy.
For someone that enjoys Metroidvanias, I waited FAR too long to play Symphony of the Night. A game dissected so thoroughly not even the bones have been spared. However, there is still one thing that intrigues me about it. Despite the relatively low difficulty and being quite possibly the most overdesigned game ever with its encyclopedia of items, abilities, and enemies, I was never pulled out of the experience. But why? I had mixed experiences with its GBA successors, including Aria of Sorrow, but not Symphony.
The conclusion I have arrived to is the atmosphere. More often than not, Castlevania has been as scary as the kids saying Trick-or-Treat to you every Halloween. Superficial horror. I wasn’t around when Super Castlevania IV was released, but I feel it was the full realization of the original Castlevania’s journey. The desaturated colors and haunting soundtrack struck fear in the player’s heart, never letting them grow comfortable. Not even the improved whip could remove that feeling.
Symphony of the Night carries a similar tone. Despite how easy it was to become overpowered, the delicate concoction of color, sound, and music sucked me in. The chilling melodies of Dracula’s Castle, Dance of Gold, and Lost Paintings prove Michiru Yamane was born to compose this game.
Modern Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight have revealed cracks in Symphony’s design, like the bosses requiring little strategy and the horrible weapon balancing. Even not-so-great examples of the genre often avoid such shortcomings. However, as far as total packages go, you would be hard-pressed to find a better deal. An unmatched symphony of atmosphere and power fantasy.
Zark
3 months ago