I've been playing the Castlevania franchise for the first time as part of a marathon of some kind, and I awaited the moment where I got to this game with impatience. I heard a lot of good about Symphony of the Night, and I can say that it still surprised me. It's an amazing first entry in the metroidvania genre for the franchise which lended part of its name to said genre... and for good reason.
Despite being more than 20 years old as of the time of writing, very little about the game feels like it, if not for the crusty, poorly translated English dialogue of the original PlayStation version. It is incredibly polished, executing the now-proven metroidvania formula better than so many other games it inspires. Combat is fun, with a good learning curve as you obtain new weapons, learn new spells and constantly find new tools to try out against more and more varied enemies.
A crucial part of metroidvania games is how fun the main gameplay loop is — that of exploring the play area, and obtaining new tools to traverse it and progress. Well, good news: exploring and traversing the castle is a joy all throughout. Controlling Alucard is intrinsically fun, thanks to how tight movement feels from the start. With all the options he gradually gets access to as you guide him towards his objective, movement becomes even more satisfying as you progress.
The aesthetics of the game are strong, with a great soundtrack (in classic Castlevania fashion), accompanied by sound effects that amplify every impact, every action Alucard and his foes take. The spritework and background art are sublime through and through, with the game having visuals that are still referenced and emulated decades later.
If this game falls short of perfect, it's only because of minute issues. There are the aforementioned dialogue issues, yes, but that is hard to hold against the game when they were changed in future ports. My main gripes are with some few, yet really obtuse secrets that the game hints you towards in no capacity. It can get frustrating when trying to reach full completion like many metroidvania fans(read: me...) are wont to do, You may find yourself relying on a guide if you're looking to achieve that.
That said, those issues are tiny details in a pool of greatness. Don't let that detract you from playing Symphony of the Night! It's a superb game that provides hours of fun and is, for sure, a highlight of the series so far. I'm sure I'll find myself replaying it soon enough!
Despite being more than 20 years old as of the time of writing, very little about the game feels like it, if not for the crusty, poorly translated English dialogue of the original PlayStation version. It is incredibly polished, executing the now-proven metroidvania formula better than so many other games it inspires. Combat is fun, with a good learning curve as you obtain new weapons, learn new spells and constantly find new tools to try out against more and more varied enemies.
A crucial part of metroidvania games is how fun the main gameplay loop is — that of exploring the play area, and obtaining new tools to traverse it and progress. Well, good news: exploring and traversing the castle is a joy all throughout. Controlling Alucard is intrinsically fun, thanks to how tight movement feels from the start. With all the options he gradually gets access to as you guide him towards his objective, movement becomes even more satisfying as you progress.
The aesthetics of the game are strong, with a great soundtrack (in classic Castlevania fashion), accompanied by sound effects that amplify every impact, every action Alucard and his foes take. The spritework and background art are sublime through and through, with the game having visuals that are still referenced and emulated decades later.
If this game falls short of perfect, it's only because of minute issues. There are the aforementioned dialogue issues, yes, but that is hard to hold against the game when they were changed in future ports. My main gripes are with some few, yet really obtuse secrets that the game hints you towards in no capacity. It can get frustrating when trying to reach full completion like many metroidvania fans
That said, those issues are tiny details in a pool of greatness. Don't let that detract you from playing Symphony of the Night! It's a superb game that provides hours of fun and is, for sure, a highlight of the series so far. I'm sure I'll find myself replaying it soon enough!