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

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.

This game may be a bit of a throwback in terms of technology, but it trumphs all other titles that ever shared the classic side-scrolling genre. Combining aspects of RPGs and fast-paced action, you play as Alucard, the son of Dracula, exploring a vast and deadly castle with the ultimate goal of sending the king of vampires back to the grave, this time for good! A host of unique (and often massive) monsters block your path, but you have a bag full of tricks to clear the way to your bloody destiny!

This game is a MUST-PLAY title for fans of the Castlevania series, as well as fans of games such as Mega Man, Metroid, and Super Mario Brothers.

An excellent game produced by an excellent company. Clearly, this game is Konami's finest Castlevania title to date (including all the PS2 titles). Caslevania SOTN is a side-scrolling action/adventure/RPG about the son of Dracula returning to his father's castle to kill the prince of darkness himself. The game will leave you entertained for hours on end with many side-quests and perks that konami threw in. Truly a must have for any Playstaion/PS2 owner.

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.

This game is easily the best in the series, even with it's primative graphics. It is like a metroid type side scroller(SNES)with a gothic look and light RPG elements, but even that is boiling down an indescribable game. It has a pretty high replay value and is time devouring and engrossing. Worth every penny of it's higher than usual price(for an older playstation game) and although it is in a different vein than the more recent 3-D Castlevania's, it dominates it's category and does the most within the confines of it's 2-D sidescrolling enviroment. A definate must own for fans of the series, and I cannot see anyone not liking this game, unless you are all about modern graphics and 3-D control and not as concerned with a great story and well thought out original gameplay. Bottom-Line Buy it at almost any price!