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Ayen
10-01-2014, 10:37 PM
http://i60.:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/2qa1utl.jpg

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is an action, role-playing, Platform-adventure, sidescroller developed and published by Konami, released for the Sony PlayStation in 1997. Since then it has been ported to the Sega Saturn, Tiger Handheld (Tiger Handheld? Who the hell would play this on Tiger Handheld?), PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade. Despite little commercial advertising, the game became a critical success and is considered by many fans to be the best in the series. So, let's start Halloween Month off right with Castlevania!


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I love how bored he looks sitting in his chair.

The game opens up with Richter Belmont during the ending of the previous game, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, where you go one on one with Count Dracula. You have the trademark whip and items like Holy Water to use in battle. As soon as you take control of Richter and Prologue (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJjVTrfb3jA) plays in the background it immediately gets you pumped up for the action. The opening dialog between Richter and Dracula is – there's nothing I can do or say that could do it justice. You just have to watch it for yourself (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gEGIT9anJ0&t=2m22s).

There's no way to die during this stage, but if you're able to defeat Dracula without any sub weapons or taking damage you'll start out with better stats for Alucard. A game that rewards you for skill? What is this madness?! Additionally, you can find a bunch of different items by destroying candles, rocks, walls, and uncovering hidden passages throughout the castle, so the game rewards you for exploration and basically hitting random things.


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Death: Stealing all your stuff since 1997.

Once you take control of Alucard the game becomes an RPG. You have your usual hit and magic points, strength, constitution, intelligence, and luck. You can equip different weapons and items to increase your stats accordingly and grind to increase your level. Alucard is able to hold a weapon in both hands unless it requires two hands, allowing you to equip a sword and a shield to attack and defend. The stats page also takes inspiration from another popular Japanese RPG.


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In the beginning you start off with a bunch of cool equipment and killing monsters left and right like they're nothing but fodder, then Death takes everything away from you and you have to start from scratch. Like Metroid, the game provides a feeling of isolation as you're cut off from the outside world and just have Dracula's castle filled with all kinds of monsters to contend with. The occasional person you do meet just leaves on their own because nobody ever thinks to team up in these kinds of games. Another thing it has in common with Metroid is that the castle is just one big area with several rooms that connects with each other and save rooms you can find throughout. That empty, quiet room with the crystal hanging above is a save point, by the way. Don't just walk out of it like I did going “what the smurf?” I ended up having to start over from the beginning again.


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Different enemies have different strategies needed to take them down. Some can be taken out in a couple of hits or just one. Enemies like the Cthulhu in this picture needs to be killed quickly before it has the chance of finishing you off. Some times it's in your best interest just to dodge and make a break for it, because if you ever need to revisit that room the enemies are just going to respawn anyway.

Something else that may catch you off guard (especially if this is your first Castlevania) is the hearts not being used to restore health. They're used to restore your Magic Power instead. In order to restore health you need to find a pork chop or potions, which when you think about it actually makes sense to use in place of traditional hearts. But then the hearts for magic makes no sense.

There are also Relics like “Cube of Zoe,” and “Spirit Orb” which allows you to do different things like get items from candles, and see how much damage you're inflicting on an enemy. Spells can be cast from pushing the right buttons like a combo and later in the game you can summon familiars to aid you in battle.

Sub weapons come in the form of knives, axes, holy water, clocks, crosses, and several more things you'll find if you keep an eye out. They're especially handy in dealing with bosses early on in the game and that damn Cthulhu. The thing to remember is that you can only have one sub weapon at a time, so if you pick up another one the previous sub weapon will drop and vanish before too long. You'll want to think long and hard about which sub weapon you want to have equipped.


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That's an interesting place to put a chair.

Back on the RPG side of thing, there's money you can collect throughout the castle that can be put into buying and selling items and equipment at the shop. Here you can also buy a map of the area to use to help you navigate the castle. The map also works just like the one in Metroid, letting you know where you have been and where you haven't.

Alucard is a poor, tortured soul who allied with humans to eliminate his own kin. Something that was kind of a trend back in the nineties and hasn't really gone away. A man of few words who has a serious and somewhat elegant tone about him whenever he does speak. To top it all off, he's the son of Dracula. Talk about the apple falling far from the tree. He's even willing to go to such extremes as entering an eternal sleep just so his bloodline doesn't continue. That's about as self-sacrificial as it gets.

Conclusion: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a fun, challenging that's sure to give you plenty to do. If you like vampires, monsters, good music, and being isolated, then it may be just what the doctor subscribed.

Get it.

Elpizo
10-02-2014, 11:08 PM
Bought this game on PSN as soon as it became available, because it's just great. The music is great, the gameplay is great, the visuals are great (for Playstation). It is fun and I really enjoy this metroid-style of gaming. I know it's called Metroid-style because that's apparently where Castlevania got it from, but it was Castlevania (specifically Circle of the Moon) that introduced me to it, and I love it. I was very sad that after Order of Ecclesia, no more games in the style were made. Surely the 3DS could be used to make games with Symphony of the Night level of visuals, and better. Mirror of Fates just wasn't my thing at all. Got to keep my fingers crossed!

About the only thing I can critisize in this game is that it feels very awkward and convoluted using healing items. In later games using this style, you use them from the item menu. In Symphony of the Night, I had to equip the porkchop, throw it on the floor, walk over it and eat it, then go back and re-equip my weapon. Wut? O.o

I know the voice-acting is also ofted critisized and ridiculed, but personally, it never really bothered me.

Del Murder
10-03-2014, 12:05 AM
One of the best games ever made.

Colonel Angus
10-03-2014, 12:07 AM
Yeah, the healing thing is the worst. So convoluted.

Ayen
10-03-2014, 12:21 AM
I know the voice-acting is also ofted critisized and ridiculed, but personally, it never really bothered me.

You steal men's souls and turn them into your slaves!

I honestly thought that was the guy who voiced Chris in Resident Evil until I looked it up. Valid point about the healing, I never really gave it much thought myself. I kept having to remind myself that hearts didn't recover my HP.

Scotty_ffgamer
10-03-2014, 05:07 AM
The healing is annoying at first, but I get used to it and kind of don't think about it.

While the voice acting is pretty bad, that's part of the charm of the game for me. I'm glad the voice acting is the way it is.

chionos
10-03-2014, 05:44 AM
Yep, a near-perfect game. I full-completed this less than a year ago, and just seeing it reviewed here makes me want to play it already again. So good.

VeloZer0
10-03-2014, 06:45 AM
Food for healing? That's what Soul Steal magic is for. ;)

But yeah, this is one of my favorite games of all time. There have been several other excellent Castlevania games in this style, but this is my favorite. Thou oddly enough I love this style of game, and I love Mega Man, but somehow I don't like Metroid. :confused:

I Took the Red Pill
10-04-2014, 06:16 AM
Did you complete the upside-down castle as well? If not you've got essentially a whole 'nother half of the game waiting for you, along with the true final boss.

Ayen
10-04-2014, 07:08 AM
Did you complete the upside-down castle as well? If not you've got essentially a whole 'nother half of the game waiting for you, along with the true final boss.

No. I was on my way to the Underground Caverns when I ran out of time. Game handed me my ass on a silver platter and I had to restart twice. The first time because I forgot to save as listed in the review, and the second time because I ran pass all the sub weapons and the shield and ended up at the first boss with just my sword and couldn't get back the way I came. Forgot to grind, too.

I'm pretty good at making games harder for myself.

I Took the Red Pill
10-04-2014, 07:17 AM
Did you complete the upside-down castle as well? If not you've got essentially a whole 'nother half of the game waiting for you, along with the true final boss.

No. I was on my way to the Underground Caverns when I ran out of time. Game handed me my ass on a silver platter and I had to restart twice. The first time because I forgot to save as listed in the review, and the second time because I ran pass all the sub weapons and the shield and ended up at the first boss with just my sword and couldn't get back the way I came. Forgot to grind, too.

I'm pretty good at making games harder for myself.Sorry, it's been awhile since I've played the game so my memory is pretty hazy on all of this, but what does "running out of time" have to do with accessing the Inverted Castle?

Ayen
10-04-2014, 07:23 AM
Did you complete the upside-down castle as well? If not you've got essentially a whole 'nother half of the game waiting for you, along with the true final boss.

No. I was on my way to the Underground Caverns when I ran out of time. Game handed me my ass on a silver platter and I had to restart twice. The first time because I forgot to save as listed in the review, and the second time because I ran pass all the sub weapons and the shield and ended up at the first boss with just my sword and couldn't get back the way I came. Forgot to grind, too.

I'm pretty good at making games harder for myself.Sorry, it's been awhile since I've played the game so my memory is pretty hazy on all of this, but what does "running out of time" have to do with accessing the Inverted Castle?

Nothing. I review games on a weekly schedule, that's what I mean by running out of time.

fire_of_avalon
10-05-2014, 02:52 AM
How many of you, when you reached the upside down castle, went HOLY SHIT THERE'S LIKE A WHOLE EXTRA GAME HERE? I was so stupidly excited there was MORE. Of course I was like, 13 at the time and didn't see it coming.

I don't remember having to throw the food on the floor to eat it, but I do remember that after I found the croque monsieur I had to go look it up because I wanted to make one and then I realized it's basically a grilled cheese sandwich.

What was your favorite boss? Beelzebub was super scary and I think is the first boss in the upside down castle. Granfaloon gave me nightmares and probably would still.

Scotty_ffgamer
10-05-2014, 02:56 AM
I'll have to look up the bosses later so I can remember them all. I can say that I played this game and beat it for the first time... last summer? Something like that. I still had that reaction when I hit the upside down castle, foa.

Colonel Angus
10-05-2014, 03:27 AM
I've always liked Legion & the fake Trevor, Grant & Sypha.

Also, don't forget the ham when making a croque monsieur.

fire_of_avalon
10-05-2014, 05:09 PM
Oh don't you fret, there is always ham in the grilled cheeses in the foa household.

And good, Scotty! Glad to know I'm not the only easily excitable Elizabeth in these parts.

Ayen
10-05-2014, 05:13 PM
I don't remember having to throw the food on the floor to eat it, but I do remember that after I found the croque monsieur I had to go look it up because I wanted to make one and then I realized it's basically a grilled cheese sandwich.

I know you have to for the pot roast. Equip > press square/circle > pot roast fall out of Alucard onto the floor > walk over pot roast. The potion you just pressed the button, but still had to equip.

My mom also told me if there's one game she'd play it'd be this one. I knew my mom had good tastes. Though lol at her acting like she never played a game before.

I Took the Red Pill
10-05-2014, 06:19 PM
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That's an interesting place to put a chair.
This is no mistake. Once you get the Gravity Boots you can shoot yourself upwards from underneath and propel the Librarian upwards. Do it enough times and he starts to drop some pretty sweet gear for you.

So much thought put into this game. The only real criticism I have of it is that Alucard's magic attacks are like smurfing impossible to memorize and/or input correctly. I feel like nobody actually makes use of this mechanic because it's so obscure and difficult. I guess I would've also liked the game to be a bit more difficult. Once you get to the end of the game you're just a completely unstoppable tank. For those looking for a similarly-styled Castlevania game that is somewhat more challenging, go for Aria of Sorrow.

chionos
10-05-2014, 07:48 PM
[QUOTE=ToriJ;3471951]
So much thought put into this game. The only real criticism I have of it is that Alucard's magic attacks are like smurfing impossible to memorize and/or input correctly. I feel like nobody actually makes use of this mechanic because it's so obscure and difficult. I guess I would've also liked the game to be a bit more difficult. Once you get to the end of the game you're just a completely unstoppable tank. For those looking for a similarly-styled Castlevania game that is somewhat more challenging, go for Aria of Sorrow.

Yes, that'd be my main/only gripe as well. The input system for the magic is overly complicated and it just doesn't feel right for the game. The last time I played, I made it a point to get the magic down, but even once I did, I rarely ever wanted to use it.

Most games like this can be as difficult as you let it be. If you collect everything, get all powerups/etc, of course you're going to be a beast. KISS, and the game's underlying difficulty shows itself. I like games that allow me to be the arbiter of the challenge. Because sometimes I want to be really challenged, but sometimes I just want to enjoy being a badass and destroying everything in sight with ease.

VeloZer0
10-05-2014, 11:21 PM
A lot of the simple magic is weak, but Soul Steal is like game-breakingly good. Difficult input is the only possible knock against it, one you get good at it the game balance is significantly altered.

Ayen
10-05-2014, 11:29 PM
http://i60.:bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou::bou:/2ilh6s1.png
That's an interesting place to put a chair.

This is no mistake. Once you get the Gravity Boots you can shoot yourself upwards from underneath and propel the Librarian upwards. Do it enough times and he starts to drop some pretty sweet gear for you.

Didn't think it was. I was just making a joke about him more or less sitting on top of a hole.

fire_of_avalon
10-06-2014, 02:31 AM
I don't think I ever got to the point where I was knocking him over, I just assumed that was his garbage hole.

VeloZer0
10-06-2014, 03:09 AM
Looks like an outhouse to me.