Story:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-TPhBIuTJc"]YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.[/ame]
The year is 1797, 5 years (the video is wrong) after the events of Castlevania:
Dracula X, and legendary vampire hunter and current wielder of the vampire hunter
whip, Richter Belmont has gone missing into the Transylvanian countryside without
a trace. Maria Renard, sister of his fiancé Annette, heads out to find out his
whereabouts, Castlevania, Dracula's dark castle, materializes from the blue.
Adrian Farenheights Tepes, or Alucard, the son of Count Dracula, is awoken
from his 300 year sleep and enters Castlevania's doors to find some answers.
Gameplay:
Unlike previous Castlevania titles which focused on level-to-level gameplay,
Symphony of the Night introduced a new nonlinear style which is used in all 2D
Castlevania titles since.
Gameplay is almost exactly the same to Super Metroid before it: you collect
powerups in a nonlinear environment to advance to various areas to explore,
thus coining the "Metroidvania" style of play.
Another revolutionary feature for Symphony of the Night is the RPG elements
added to gameplay, Alucard can level up, change his equipment and weapons
and equip/unequip various relics for changes in stats. This adds a huge deal of
flexability to Symphony of the Night's gameplay, allowing players to take multiple
approaches to various bosses.
Alucard can also purchase new items, equipment, or spells from the Librarian to
further the flexability.
The final new feature to SotN is the various spells Alucard can use, all which have
to be purchased from the Librarian, which use various combos to execute and take
away from your MP meter.
But for vetrans, theres nothing to fear, sub-weapons do make a return and take ammunition from the hearts you collect from destroyed candles.
After completing the game, you unlock Richter mode in which you can play
through the whole game only as Richter Belmont. Also, if you're playing the
Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles version, Maria mode is also available.
Tip: For an easy two hits you can "Land Cancel", where right before you land you
attack, but landing cancels the animation allowing for an immediate second attack.
Graphics:
While Symphony of the Night does have some gorgeous 2D environments, almost all of the enemy sprites were recycled from Castlevania: Rondo no Blood.
On the plus side, Alucard's sprite has been labed as one of the most detailed
sprites in gaming history:
Another department that deserves praise is the character portraits, each
character was designed with a gothic style of artwork which were beautiful for their
time:
Sound:
Michiru Yamane really out did herself with one of, if not the greatest soundtrack in
all of gaming. The soundtrack is incredibly diverse ranging in multiple genres such
as Techno:
Gothic:
Orchestra:
Jazz:
and Rock:
Almost every song is a complete masterpiece and Video Game music reviewer
Chudah's Corner gave it an A+:
Chudah's Corner - Reviews
Overall:
This game is a cult classic for a reason, almost nothing to hate about it, and if you
own a PSP it's an unlockable for Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles.
4.8/5
Linear Mode
