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LTTP: Castelvania - Symphony of the Night

C

CHC

Member
So I picked this up and have been playing it for the first time on Vita while out of town for the week. What a treat! For some reason, I expected this to be an incredibly punishing and obtuse romp, but much to my surprise the game is extremely playable and logical. I've only referred to a map once or twice and that was when I knew a secret was nearby but I didn't quite know how to get to it. I enjoy difficult games, but it's quite refreshing that a game from as far back as this can give you precisely the amount of information you need to figure things out for yourself. Playing this game makes it even more clear what influenced Dark Souls, and a return to this semi-open, unlock-based hub formula was long overdue. I know many are hesistant to call Dark Souls a "Metroidvania" but having played it well before SOTN and its ilk, the influence is undeniable.

What has impressed me the most, of course, are the levels and their intricate design - the way things cleverly interlock. As expected, the pacing of unlocks and upgrades is quite perfect, always shedding some new meaning on a part of the castle you didn't quite "get" before. All of this makes the game very hard to put down - there's always an upgrade or power nearby that will allow further progressing or access to that once area that has been tormenting you forever. Getting bat form was such a "fuck yeah" kind of moment, revisiting all of the unreachable corners of Dracula's crib for every little upgrade - super fun.

I have a weird relationship with the music. I guess because of Castlevania's "classical music" themed titles (Rondo, Aria, Symphony, etc) I expected the music to be much more, well... classical. So at first I was kind of bummed there was typical 90s "video game" sound going on. HOWEVER, after a couple days of playing, every time I leave the apartment and hit the grocery store or whatever, this shit just cannot stop looping in my mind, so I've come to love it. Coupled with the voice acting and sound effects its a nice campy packege of sound... "Miserable pile of secrets" definitely lived up to the hype, the VA is some of the shittiest I've heard in my life and I love it.

If you're still with me I guess I only have one major gripe with the game and that is the sort of "way too old school" manner in which enemies damage you - specifically that you take damage AND get knocked back when you're hit. The damage I can live with I guess but holy fuck some of the stun locks are so annoying. Getting gang-banged by medusa heads in the clock tower, all of which hit me for ONE damage each was completely infuriating, just felt like a luck based bunch of shit. Maybe it's heresy but I would much prefer if knockbacks only occured from "big" attacks that warrant it. Getting stunlocked by trivial enemies is just a massive annoying waste of time in my book.

So far it's been quite fun, I have a bit more to go (yes I know about inverted castle etc etc), and it's great to play a classic that for some reason I never touched.
 
V

Vertti

Member
I played it first time last year and had to finish it in one day because it was so good.

But while the main game is almost clear ten
the inverted castle feels a bit filler and slightly lowers my rating. But only a very slightly.
 
C

CHC

Member
Vertti said:
But while the main game is almost clear ten
the inverted castle feels a bit filler and slightly lowers my rating. But only a very slightly.
Click to expand...

Would agree with this, the level design certainly works better right side up, inverted is a bit of a slog (still good of course).
 
C

cancerdancer

Member
Look how to get the Osfune Katana in the inverted castle if you just want to obliterate everything. Even better, get two and assign one to each hand. You are a Vampire Cuisinart.
 
X

xevis

Banned
I've also been playing though this recently with my brother. My only other Igavania experience is Portrait of Ruin. I will say that while I like this game the later titles have definitely much improved the formula to the point where I think PoR is a better game.

For one thing, Alucard moves rather slowly (compared to say PoR's Richter). It's not a bad thing as the game requires very deliberate movement but I would have preferred a speedier protagonist. I would also have preferred more weapon upgrades. After several hours of gameplay we're still using the same shitty sword dropped by the very first skeleton.

Another annoying aspect is subweapon switching. It's better here than say NES Castlevania, where you need to treat certain subweapons like hazards, but it's still way too easy to accidentally lose that kickass diamond thing or the cross in favour of a shitty throwing knife.

Anyway, not too many gripes. The game is generally terrific. Looking forward to facing Death at some stage!
 
J

jb1234

Member
It's definitely a fun game with some of the best music in the series. Only real disappointment is the
inverted castle, which feels like padding and the game becomes a pushover, especially the bosses.
 
H

HoosTrax

Member
CHC said:
Would agree with this, the level design certainly works better right side up, inverted is a bit of a slog (still good of course).
Click to expand...
The atmosphere and especially the music in the inverted castle basement helped with the tedium.

That said, I felt like SoTN was one of the easier metroidvania CV games. Probably too much Crissaegrim farming.

Also, I was late to the SoTN bandwagon and had already played the GBA games before. Alucard felt a little odd to play at first. (He was unable to slide, like most CV protagonists, right?)
 
Werewolf Jones

Werewolf Jones

Member
First time I played it I was very overwhelmed, didn't expect it to blow up into a full exploration game. It was a game I heard was extremely well praised and got it on XBLA back in 2008 or so. Good game with an even better OST.
 
J

Jotamide

Unconfirmed Member
Everytime I see a lttp thread for any Castlevania game I go :)
 
D

Death Metalist

Member
tumblr_ncdpbnZFjH1rheorao10_400.gif


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Click to expand...

So fucking good. DAT SOUNDTRACK TOO.
 
R

Rei_Toei

Fclvat sbe Pnanqn, ru?
Though the inverted castle can feel like a cheap add-on, I liked it when I first played the game, because you rush to all those familiar settings to see what boss is holing up there. They could've worked on it a bit more though. Definitely my favourite Castlevania. Waiting for something to scratch that itch.
 
M

Magicpaint

Member
Though not my fave Castlevania (gameplay has aged quite a bit), the atmosphere, mood and the scale of the castle has yet to be matched. Incredible OST, too.
 
B

Bogeypop

Member
Paratek said:
I wish more people knew about this weapon. It's the best in the game, but it totally gimps everything.
Click to expand...

If I didn't feel like being cheap, I'd just grind the Dark Octopuses to power up the Muramasa, so I'd still have a very powerful weapon without the cheese.
 
P

Peace Tea

Member
Great hearing you're enjoying the game. The more people hearing the organ kick in in Crystal Teardrops, the better.
 
I'm new be nice

I'm new be nice

Member
I think it's neat how some of the staircases are designed to go both ways so they look correct either way. It's one of those little "aha!" moments when you see it upside down and realize the architecture was designed to accommodate both castles, and that the next part of the game was staring you in the face the entire time.
 
N

Noisepurge

Member
CHC said:
So I picked this up and have been playing it for the first time on Vita

Coupled with the voice acting and sound effects its a nice campy packege of sound... "Miserable pile of secrets" definitely lived up to the hype, the VA is some of the shittiest I've heard in my life and I love it.

specifically that you take damage AND get knocked back when you're hit. The damage I can live with I guess but holy fuck some of the stun locks are so annoying.
Click to expand...

Always fun to see people discover SotN :) And when you're done, buy Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles for the Vita and play through the game again with the superior new voice acting and bonuses.

Pro-Tip: Crouch when you're about to get hit.
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
xsive said:
I've also been playing though this recently with my brother. My only other Igavania experience is Portrait of Ruin. I will say that while I like this game the later titles have definitely much improved the formula to the point where I think PoR is a better game.

For one thing, Alucard moves rather slowly (compared to say PoR's Richter). It's not a bad thing as the game requires very deliberate movement but I would have preferred a speedier protagonist. I would also have preferred more weapon upgrades. After several hours of gameplay we're still using the same shitty sword dropped by the very first skeleton.

Another annoying aspect is subweapon switching. It's better here than say NES Castlevania, where you need to treat certain subweapons like hazards, but it's still way too easy to accidentally lose that kickass diamond thing or the cross in favour of a shitty throwing knife.

Anyway, not too many gripes. The game is generally terrific. Looking forward to facing Death at some stage!
Click to expand...

What? (in Alucards voice)

The knife is the best weapon in the game. You can spam knives like crazy and kill off anything.

If you're using the same weapon, you must have missed a ton of secrets. Combat Knife is a little tricky to get to but well worth it since it's so fast. And as soon as you get to the outer tower you can find the Jewel Knuckles (needs a guide though).
 
M

magicalsoundshower

Member
During my latest run, I actually got two Crissaegrims fairly quickly and am now dual-wielding them. Fun times! I actually don't think I'm cheating as some rooms in the inverted castle can be quite annoying, I'm just fighting back!
 
D

DontBeThatGuy

Member
I played the 360 version last year and I ended up doing pretty much everything there was to do in it, which surprisingly didn't take all that long.

Great game.
 
C

Chopper

Member
I love this game, but the one thing that continually annoys me about it is how
obscure the unlocking of the inverted castle is.

The game is constantly praised, and lots of people will claim it was a real "holy shit" moment, but how would you actually discover that without looking up the solution? Does the game actually tell you, and I missed it?
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
I think the fact that you can kill Richter with only about 50% of the castle explored, including some pretty big areas, should tell you that there's more to it.
 
W

Wolf Akela

Member
Chopper said:
I love this game, but the one thing that continually annoys me about it is how
obscure the unlocking of the inverted castle is.

The game is constantly praised, and lots of people will claim it was a real "holy shit" moment, but how would you actually discover that without looking up the solution? Does the game actually tell you, and I missed it?
Click to expand...

Not hard considering there are areas that are visibly locked away.

Stuff like Knuckle Duster in the Outer Tower and Jewel Sword though? Totally impossible to figure out without someone telling you.
 
V

vato_loco

Member
Chopper said:
I love this game, but the one thing that continually annoys me about it is how
obscure the unlocking of the inverted castle is.

The game is constantly praised, and lots of people will claim it was a real "holy shit" moment, but how would you actually discover that without looking up the solution? Does the game actually tell you, and I missed it?
Click to expand...
I discovered it. Alone. In the Japanese Version. And I didn't even know Japanese back then.

Then again, it was pure, unfiltered luck, so I guess your point still stands.

Still one of the very best games of all times, let alone all Castlevanias. I love it, I still play it, I never got to 200.8% and I don't think I ever will, but this game is just pure, unfiltered, hands-to-the-sky fun.
 
C

CHC

Member
Noisepurge said:

Pro-Tip: Crouch when you're about to get hit.
Click to expand...

Cool, I'll give it a try.

Another small annoyance is the Vita being EXTREMELY tempermental for using magic / d-pad combos. Either I'm super shitty or there is something going on that makes this harder than it should be.
 
C

Cheerilee

Member
Chopper said:
I love this game, but the one thing that continually annoys me about it is how
obscure the unlocking of the inverted castle is.

The game is constantly praised, and lots of people will claim it was a real "holy shit" moment, but how would you actually discover that without looking up the solution? Does the game actually tell you, and I missed it?
Click to expand...

If you just randomly stumble upon and kill the boss, game over, bad end.

If you explore the entire castle before approaching the boss, you will find two strange items (not just one, but two of them, and they're not insignificant drops, they're major prizes). They have no effect beyond their intended use, so it's not like you can be tricked into thinking you've discovered their purpose. They present a mystery. If you don't give a damn about the items in the game and don't care what these mystery items do, the bad end is still thataway (point towards the exit). If you're even slightly curious about what they do, the clue they present (
Wear Clock in Tower
) is simple enough that it's easy to solve.
Wearing the rings
is pretty obvious, and
the Clock
is in a hard-to-miss location (
the center of the map, the one place where you are most likely to pass by if you go anywhere
). Although I will say that when I first saw the clue, my first stop was a visit to
the Clock Tower
, which I searched to no avail while
wearing both rings and using the timestop subweapon, for good measure
. That didn't work, so yeah, it's possible to not figure it out immediately. You can't make puzzles too easy, otherwise they're not puzzles.

Once you successfully connect the rather simple what and where of the two obviously-secret items, you are given a new item and specific dialogue and put on a path where you'd have to be an idiot to get the bad end again.

It's a puzzle that can easily be solved by anyone who wants to enjoy everything the game has to offer, and isn't simply rushing towards the end. And the prize is more of what you love. It's really quite brilliant.
 
M

Moon_frogger

Member
Creaking said:
Two biggest reasons why I prefer Castlevania games to Metroid titles. Lovely, lovely aesthetics and background details. Mmmm mmm guuud.
Click to expand...

really? for atmosphere, soundtrack and minute detail Super metroid is leagues better in my mind. even Metroid prime to me has a better atmosphere/soundtrack than anything from castlevania. Of course I feel the metroid sountracks are severely underrated.
 
D

Dunan

Member
I'm new be nice said:
I think it's neat how some of the staircases are designed to go both ways so they look correct either way. It's one of those little "aha!" moments when you see it upside down and realize the architecture was designed to accommodate both castles, and that the next part of the game was staring you in the face the entire time.
Click to expand...

I felt the same way. Those faces engraved into the walls in the big open area below (above) the broken ramp leading to Dracula... when I saw it, I smiled.
 
C

CHC

Member
Moon_frogger said:
really? for atmosphere, soundtrack and minute detail Super metroid is leagues better in my mind. even Metroid prime to me has a better atmosphere/soundtrack than anything from castlevania. Of course I feel the metroid sountracks are severely underrated.
Click to expand...

I'll agree with this. Just the title Castlevania for me is very spooky and evocative, but I was surprised how pulpy and goofy the atmosphere is. I found Super Metroid to be very dark and genuinely creepy, which was a surprise considering I expected it to be much more, I don't know... Contra-like or something.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
One of the greatest games of all time, with the greatest game soundtrack of all time. Jealous of you OP, I wish I could rediscover it for the first time.
 
S

SheHateMe

Member
Cheerilee said:
If you just randomly stumble upon and kill the boss, game over, bad end.

If you explore the entire castle before approaching the boss, you will find two strange items (not just one, but two of them, and they're not insignificant drops, they're major prizes). They have no effect beyond their intended use, so it's not like you can be tricked into thinking you've discovered their purpose. They present a mystery. If you don't give a damn about the items in the game and don't care what these mystery items do, the bad end is still thataway (point towards the exit). If you're even slightly curious about what they do, the clue they present (
Wear Clock in Tower
) is simple enough that it's easy to solve.
Wearing the rings
is pretty obvious, and
the Clock
is in a hard-to-miss location (
the center of the map, the one place where you are most likely to pass by if you go anywhere
). Although I will say that when I first saw the clue, my first stop was a visit to
the Clock Tower
, which I searched to no avail while
wearing both rings and using the timestop subweapon, for good measure
. That didn't work, so yeah, it's possible to not figure it out immediately. You can't make puzzles too easy, otherwise they're not puzzles.

Once you successfully connect the rather simple what and where of the two obviously-secret items, you are given a new item and specific dialogue and put on a path where you'd have to be an idiot to get the bad end again.

It's a puzzle that can easily be solved by anyone who wants to enjoy everything the game has to offer, and isn't simply rushing towards the end. And the prize is more of what you love. It's really quite brilliant.
Click to expand...

I love you for breaking this down the way that you did.

I went through the same process; first time through, I got the bad ending. But I kept exploring and exploring.

Eventually... some glasses showed me the way.
 
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