Product reviewsCastlevania: Symphony of the Night (Sony PlayStation 1, 1997)

The title of the game is perfect "Symphony of the night" is a clear reference that the musical forms are present throughout the game.

It is one of the best games "to my liking" of the KONAMI series in 2D format. The history and gameplay are impressive, especially for the multiple ways to end the game and the alternative endings that can have, an important aspect to be a game of 1997. When you take out the inverted castle, new enemies and stronger enemies are presented. The music is beautiful and lives up to its name. In each zone of the normal castle and the inverted castle there is a specific music, this allows to give an impressive realism. Sincerely, the title honors the name of the game and is a clear example of the Japanese musical construction in 1997. A collection game for a lifetime.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: ballentine2015

Disappointed

I was very excited to play this game, and at first, it looked fine. However, once I got to one of the "loading hallways" with the little CD icon, the game froze and I had to restart it. Every time I play it, it freezes in a different place and I have to start all over. I can never get far enough to save. Not sure if there's a way around this. I've tried cleaning the disc and the PlayStation itself. Great game, just wish I could actually play it.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: retrocontrol

A Good, But All Too Easy Symphony

The first of its kind. Symphony of the Night combines the action of previous side-scroller Castlevanias with the exploratory aspects offered in games like Metroid. Consequently, this type of game is often referred to as a Castleroid. This is a knockout combination that works well and expands upon the winning formula of the older games. You play as Alucard, the son of Dracula, on a quest to put a stop to his resurrection. The story of this game is pretty good, especially for this series. The graphics are very pretty, offering 3-D backgrounds against well animated 2-D action. Add in arguably the best score of the series, and this game presents a strong, demonic atmosphere. It has good control and a wide variety of moves to be learned. Although some of the magic must be learned by accident, which is strange. Another problem is that once you reach maybe a few hours into the game, it becomes far too easy. Most bosses are weak, and some random monsters will give you a level-up in a few kills, making it even easier. The only challenge in the game becomes figuring out where to go next. However, this does not make the game unenjoyable, but it does detract from replay value. Overall, a very good game.Read full review...

Favorite Game

Hands down one of the best Playstation titles, highly recommend if you haven't tried it. The gameplay is fast and the controls just flow- the castle maze is intricate, a fun challenge. Lots of places to explore and enemies to slay.

A green or black label is a must have in a collection. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) It's better to have both.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: daggerlion

Symphony of repetition

After so many years of it being out and missing out on its greatest hits release I thought that I'd see what all of the fuss was about. When I first put it in I was instantly addicted. Soon many of its aspects became monotinous and boring however. One such example of this is the battle system and the constant unending swarms of enemies. It especially annoys me when I clear a room and leave to only come back and do it all over risking the loss of my progress. So if you're looking for a decent side scrolling platformer this could satisfy your need, but the unnessecary
hoops that you must jump through at times can make it not hard but a chore.
Worth for 20.00 or under.Read full review...

Best Castlevania game all time

What a wonderful game just so well done, Graphics game play music it's one of the best PS1 games of all time and the best Castlevania game ever if you've never played it you should pick up one and play this game and check out the Castlevania Chronicles if you like the original it's also a great game redone remasteredRead full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: ure531

Looking to buy?

Being in a pal region, I took the gamble and decided to purchase a North American disc, having both an action replay and a modded ps1 I was able to run the disc with no problems, couldn’t remember just how good this game was
Have been on a Castlevania nostalgia trip for a while on the old consoles and finished rondo of blood directly before this and this just topped it off

Just get it.....Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: greenverse88

A classic

I've been missing out on this one! This game should be part of every PlayStation owner's collection. The gameplay is great, challenging at the right moments, with an amazing soundtrack to boot. Definitely recommend.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: jetstream007

Symphony of the Night... Awesome.

This is probably one of the greatest games of all time. It is certainly up there with the other titans of video games such as Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VII, and Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Though this game is unique in itself, it actually carries traits of all three of the aforementioned games. As in Super metroid, it is a side-scrolling platformer where you have a certain amount of hit points which increase over time and you also fight bosses that are just as unique as the game. As with Final Fantasy VII, you run around and fight monsters (and again, bosses) and gain experience which is used to level up and become stronger in order to deal with the more difficult areas of the castle. And, of course, just like in Zelda, your character is equipped with various swords and shields used to hack and slash his way through the unforgiving wave of monsters as well as deflect any projectiles sent towards Alucard.

Another unique facet of the game is that you do not even play as Richtor Belmont. An evil priest has taken control of Richtor and you, Alucard, a half-human, half-vampire (probably the coolest hero I've seen in a long time), must stop the priest and Dracula, your father, from wreaking havoc in the world again. There are two endings for the game. One ending, which I consider the "alternate ending," may be accomplished at about 100% of the way through the game. I say 100% of the way through because after continuing the story line of the primary ending, you get a neat little suprise which I have never seen in any other game--you get to play back through the entire castle up to 200% completion, however this time it is flipped upside down and all the monsters are new and definately improved. By this point you should already have some decent gear as well as a useful relic. The relics never really change after the 100% mark, but you'll quickly learn which ones are useful to keep and which ones you will never use. The relics are sort of like "special attacks" when used, however some of the weapons you will get have their own unique attacks such as a teleportation move, an elemental strike or an impressive and powerful sword thrust. There are other unique attacks, there are even rare and unique item drops, some offensive, some defensive, and you will know which ones will really hammer your opponents and which ones can be discarded.

Now if obliterating all who stand in your way with swords and relics isn't enough for you, it gets better. You will eventually be capable of shape-shifting into other animals at any time you desire in order to gain certain objectives or to explore out of reach areas. On top of that, you even get a Mist Form which can be used for avoiding danger and accessing areas only reachable by this form. Not even done yet. Just to put the icing on the cake, Alucard also has his own personal supply of special moves which he may employ at any time given the correct button combinations to help him fight and survive.

The originality of this game is really stunning, and the replay factor is through the roof. Despite everything I reviewed, there is yet another feature: Once you beat the game with Alucard you can start over at 0% and play through as our legendary hero Richtor Belmont. All his special moves are available to you at the start and you can even use them multiple times at once in order to kick butt or just explore high areas.

To put it bluntly, this is a must-buy, and I'm out of characters.Read full review...

Quite possibly the greatest 2D platformer ever created.

During the past two decades, i've played plenty of 2D platformers. But after the release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, i've been hard-pressed to find another worthy of its stature. And it's been nearly 10 years since it's release. The game starts off with a bit of deja vu, although i won't go into it in case someone, somewhere, somehow, hasn't played this game yet. After that, the actual game itself kicks off. The character this time isn't your typical vampire slayer. In fact, he's only half-human - his other half being vampire, of all things. And unlike prior Castlevanias (or at least to my knowledge), SotN is a very well-designed & extensive Action/RPG. The character, Alucard, gains experience from showing enemies who's boss, has a massive variety of items, weapons & armor to collect throughout the game, as well as Relics which each provide a specific power-up, attribute or Familiar, which is a whole different aspect altogether. The environment & graphics themselves belong in a museum, they're so gorgeously done. Enemies are as high in detail as the main character and the backgrounds can make you forget that this game is two-dimensional. Case in point is one of the Chapel rooms, with the background being a long cathedral hall lined with a dozen tall stained-glass windows. Not only is it breath-taking, but the perspective changes with the character's position on-screen.

Difficulty level is actually quite low but still challenging, since one missed slash or hesitant attack can equal some major scars for Alucard. But play the game for 30 minutes and you'll understand that you've got to be quick and precise, as a half-man/half-vampire warrior should be. Of course, there are several tactics (and items) for each enemy and boss to help you get by, as well as simply spending time leveling yourself up to make it all that much easier. There is also a plethora of save points that also restore your hp/mp levels, which are all quite convenient - every boss has a save point nearby.

There are as wide a variety of enemies as there are weapons & items avalaible to defeat them. The music sets the mood very well and the game seems to have an extensive soundtrack of its own. You may even find some of the music stuck in your head for days on end. And just in case any of that could possibly bore you, the game has a HANDFUL of different endings depending on the completion percentage - good luck seeing all of them.Read full review...

A Castlevania Game Well Worth Owning

I'd heard nothing but good things about Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. One consistent sentiment was that it's the best Castlevania game ever. But I remained a skeptic until I played it for myself. I can say now that this game is absolutely amazing. And even though it broke the classic mold and set the standard for all 2d Castlevania games that followed, the transition from non-linear side scroller to Metroid style open exploration actually made for a surprisingly great game. And not only is it non-linear, but it also has RPG elements in it that did nothing less than make the game even more interesting and fun to play.

As if the Metroid style exploration and RPG style gameplay wasn't enough, the story it's self is a great one and immerses the player into the game like never before. It also has more than one ending, depending on various factors pertaining to discovery and completion of the game. And with actual voice conversations taking place between several of the characters, this game is not to be missed. If you're a Castlevania fan who's never played this great game before, I would suggest you try it.

Unfortunately, with the good must come the bad. The voice acting is a bit campy, but not to a wholly distracting extent. It is noticeable though. And if you're a fan of the older Castlevania games who enjoyed the changes of scenery that each new level provided (the graveyards, forests, etc.) then you may be a bit disappointed to find that the whole game takes place in Dracula's castle. Fortunately it's large and has a diversity of architecture and variety of areas to explore and still feeds the senses plenty when it comes to visuals. And lastly, we have the price. The average price may seem a bit steep for an older used game (You could just about buy a new game for a new age console or several used retro games for the price this game generally goes for.), but if you've got the money and you're willing to shell it out, I promise, you'll probably be very glad you did.Read full review...