Originally Developed by Konami
Port Developed by Digital Eclipse
Published by Konami
Released for XBLA (3/2007)
Also on PlayStation/Saturn
Backwards Compatible on Xbox One
Originally released for the Sony PlayStation back in 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night stood out for delivering some of the best 2D visuals in a time when the emphasis was on 3D graphics. The game looked amazing back then and due to the detailed sprites the graphics have held up much better over time than most games of the era. Symphony of the Night was quite different than the Castlevania games that preceded it. The game no longer consisted of linear stages but featured a massive map that allowed the player to explore on their own. There are of course areas you will not be able to access initially, but once certain items, relics or powers have been obtained you'll be able to discover areas you couldn't get to at first.
At the time of its release, Symphony of the Night was a top-tier game in presentation, featuring detailed sprite graphics with an incredible Castlevania soundtrack. The enemy diversity is impressive, featuring many favorites from previous titles and tons of new entries. While the game technically takes place in one giant castle, there is excellent variety between the sections of the castle that will keep you wondering what you'll come across next. There is a small amount of 3D mixed in with the 2D sprites at several points within the game but it is well executed and they fit together wonderfully. This was one of the first instances I recall seeing 2D & 3D graphics used together like this and was quite impressive back in the day. The voice acting is almost as cheesy as the original Resident Evil, but it's definitely part of the game's charm.
Symphony of the Night features some tight controls, making it easy to navigate the environment with minimal frustration. The game still features the knockback when you get hit and flying medusa heads knocking you around is just as frustrating as it ever was, but the controls are improved from the previous games and your character is very well equipped to take on danger. There are eight different spells that can be discovered, which can be executed by inputting Street Fighter style joystick + button combinations. In addition to your weapon and special attacks, there are also sub-weapons at your disposal. Several of these are old classics, like the dagger, holy water, axe and stop-watch, but there are also several new additions to the series including the cross, holy book and the arguen. There's a good variety between the sub-weapons, though some of them are certainly more useful than others. Using your sub-weapon consumes your hearts, which can be replenished from whipping candles found all over the castle in traditional Castlevania fashion.
There is a ton of stuff to collect throughout Symphony of the Night, including weapons, shields, armor, cloaks and relics. Certain relics will allow you activate a familiar which will follow you around and assist in different ways. There are five in total: fairy, devil, sword, ghost and bat. Other relics you collect will grant buffs to certain stats, giving the player a good incentive to search every nook and cranny to find some of the more powerful items. As you progress further into the game, Alucard will gain the ability to turn into a bat, wolf and mist. The mist will grant you access through certain blocked walls and the bat will help reach high areas, but to be honest I never found much reason to use the wolf form outside of accessing a secret area. The fact that the game offers so much in the way of customization makes it fun to replay while experimenting with different loadouts.
If you complete the normal castle while meeting certain conditions, you'll gain access to the second half of the game where you run back through the castle upside-down. The enemy layouts have changed completely and there are all-new bosses to encounter in order to keep things interesting. Complete that mode and you'll be able to start a new game as Richter Belmont. Playing as Richter is a bit more like the old Castlevania games as you no longer level-up, nor can you equip weapons and items. Richter is also armed with a whip just like all of the previous Belmonts, and other than the whip the only other weapon you'll be able to use are the sub-weapons. Being able to play as Richter is an awesome bonus and makes the game feel fresh on a replay.
While Symphony of the Night is a great game and a definite classic, there are a few things worth griping about, both with the original title and with this port. It's arguable how useful some of the sub-weapons are as some of them are definitely more effective than others. Alucard will become over-powered rather quick as you find and equip new weapons & armor. Certain weapons pretty much break the game, such as the shield rod and Alucard shield combo, but there are many other options to equip if you'd like a bit more of a challenge. The inverted castle could be looked at as a somewhat lazy way to pad out the game, but the developers did at least take the time to introduce new enemies and boss fights rather than just recycling from the normal castle.
The annoying process of dying, having to view the game over screen, return to the title, select your hard drive and to reload your save has carried over, though you can at least access the pause menu to exit quickly and speed things up a bit. The screen starts out small, and though the game does offer the option to resize the screen, for some reason it doesn't save this setting and requires you to re-adjust the screen every time you play. The only other option for the visuals is an "enhanced" setting which basically just smooths the pixels out a little bit. I've read complaints from other players having issues with the game freezing, but I never ran into any issues in my time spent with the game.
There were several new features added in for the Japan-only Sega Saturn port, including new areas to explore, some bonus weapons/equipment and you could unlock Maria as a playable character. Sadly, none of the Sega Saturn exclusive features were included in this port which would have been awesome considering how expensive it can be procuring anything Saturn-related these days.
It feels a tad lazy that Digital Eclipse just ported over an emulation of the original PlayStation game without giving us much in the way of extras. That's not to say that this is a bad version or anything, as the actual game is emulated well and plays just as we all remembered it. A little extra in the way of content would have been nice, if not the Saturn content mentioned earlier than at least like some unlockable concept art or something. While Symphony of the Night was never my favorite Castlevania game (I prefer the old linear games personally) it is still a fantastic game that has held up remarkably well over all these years. This is a solid port of an old classic, whether you're re-visiting the game or playing it for the first time it's a much more financially-friendly way to play the game than purchasing the original on PlayStation.
It's also worth noting that this was released for the Xbox 360 on a physical disc and can be found in the retail release Konami Classics Vol. 1. Inserting this disc into your Xbox One will allow you to download the game onto your hard drive.
Final Verdict: While the XBLA version is a bare-bones port, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night still stands as a fantastic title that kicked off the "Metroidvania" genre. A 2D classic and a steal for $4.99!
Purchase Links:
Buy Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Microsoft Store
Search Konami Classics Vol. 1 - eBay
Related Links:
Some Handy Maps For Both Normal Inverted Castles
Symphony of the Night Achievement Guide - XboxAchievements.com
Symphony of the Night - True Achievements
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