Ten years ago this month, Konami released Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (CSOTN), the first (and last) Castlevania for the original PlayStation. It was most probably the most successful among the Castlevanias. So successful, in fact, that the Game Boy Advance Castlevanias trace their roots to CSOTN.
How I wish I could write more about this game. This is probably the game that made me like the PlayStation. It managed to impress a lot of people despite being a 2-D game in a 3-D console.
One of the things I like about this game is the soundtrack – the best that I have heard in any game. My current ringtone is the music from the Castle Library level, Wood Carving Partita. I love that track, very classical.
I like the character designs, though the voice acting is pathetic.
I like the exploration part. The castle levels are cool, horrifying. Take the Catacombs level, for example.
I like defeating the bosses. There are at least 3 huge bosses in this game, all of them requiring platforms so that you can hit the weak/vulnerable spots. And isn’t Grandfaloon visually sickening? And the pathetic Galamoth damn “hard” to beat?
This game made me realize that action-based RPG can be so amusing.
Too bad the franchise seems to be floundering. This game is considered to be the pinnacle of the franchise, and it’s like capturing the lightning in a bottle.
The only Castlevania games I haven’t played so far are those on the Nintendo DS. The PS2 Castlevanias tried to do a CSOTN in 3-D, but the attempts were at best lackluster. Maybe it was the corridor designs; maybe it was the game play; they were just not as successful as CSOTN.
I am currently re-playing Curse of Darkness, and as I remember CSOTN, I take stock in the future, that the lightning can be captured in a bottle.
On a side note: the music for PS2 Castlevanias are excellent, although the Lament of Innocent is weaker and can be boring at length.
(Castlevania the franchise celebrated its 20 years last year.)
Suggested Reading:
* Tales from the Crypt
* Castlevania and Friends
* The Castlevania Dungeon CSOTN section