Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: The cult game will be 25 years old - retro
You certainly stumbled over this term: Metroidvania. This luggage word that eventually became hip and has not been able to be indispensable from the playing landscape. Whether Hollow Knight or Ori, Cave Story or even the celebrated Batman: Arkham Asylum \ - They all have their roots basically thanks to two games. Once the legendary Super Metroid, with the Nintendo 1994 set new standards. And of course Castlevania: Symphony of the Night of Konami, which appeared in 1997 for the Sony Playstation and is celebrated today as a cult game. At the beginning, Symphony of the Night was not a great success at first: the game appeared at a time when 2D platforms were already on the back march, new consoles were just mixed the gaming scene and 3D games were slow but certainly the new Default. But with the time Symphony of the Night spoke around the target group, the ratings were excellent and so it could eventually gather a stately fan base. Since then, it has been austerity guest in countless leaderboards and is considered as a distant game of the entire Castlevania series. For his 25th anniversary, we look at what Symphony of the Night looked so important - and why it is still a true weighting title for every metroidvania fan today.
With a whip it started
For a better understanding, we take a look at the late 1980s. Because even then Castlevania was a success story, especially on the NES and the Game Boy had sold the vampire hunters' saga properly. At the beginning of the 1990s series, the jump on the new 16-bit consoles, the popular Castlevania 4 was one of the most beautiful early premises for the Super Nintendo. Graphically, Castlevania went strongly, but playful the series already stepped on the spot.
22:42 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | Retro | The best Metroidvania of all time?
One of the last parts in this style was Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, which appeared for PC engine (Turbografx-16) in 1993, in the beginning only in Japan. In the SidesCroller, you play the vampire hunter Richter Belmont, who fights from left to right by linear levels to clain at the end of Count Dracula. That was really good, but just right Classical Castlevania. That also knew Konami, and so they were looking for ways to make the brand modern, accessible and durable. It was decided to continue a sequel to Rondo of Blood, again under the guidance of Toru Hagihara, who already sat on the wheel for its predecessor. Four years later, it was finally so far, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was released for the first PlayStation - and thoroughly put the series on her head.
Ingenious entry
In the first few minutes, however, there is still little noticed - a small gravity! The game begins exactly where Rondo of Blood ended: As a judge Belmont you have to put Count Dracula again, so you get a decent boss fight right in the first minute. 25 years ago, such an entry was still anything but ordinary! The players knew it immediately: this is not another Castlevania from the pole.
Fight against Dracula: Symphony of the Night begins where Rondo of Blood ended. Source: PC Games After victory over Dracula, the game makes a radical turnaround. There is a small time jump and the new hero alucard enters the stage. Although Castlevania veterans already known from Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (NES, 1989): Alucard is a mixed ling of man and vampire, immortal, powerful - and the physical son of Dracula. When the castle of his father manifests himself another time, the vampire prince is on the socks to prevent the Dracula's resurrection.
out of linear we open
The most important innovation, which Castlevania should change forever, falls into the eye after a few steps: Symphony of the Night throws the simple level structure of the predecessor games completely overboard. For the first time in the series, you should really explore the castle free and explore in all directions. The times, in which one is solved only from left to right, were over. As soon as you leave a room, the opponents also reserve immediately as you know the genre. Self-sharpening are also a lot of secrets hidden, sometimes behind inconspicuous walls that would tear you with a few hits. Exact search will be rewarded. And of course you have to find a lot of upgrades and skills that you can gradually enter new areas of the castle. Thus, the game suggests clearly close to Nintendos Metroid and Zelda series, where free exploring, persistent equipment and backtracking belonged to the basic equipment.
Learned by role-playing
However, Symphony of the Night continues one step further and now combines the metroid concept with slight role-playing elements. Although Konami had already been trying to expand the game with RPG influences in Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest, but only in Symphony of the Night, the concept is correct for development. Alucard gets experience points for each defeated opponent and rises in the level, thus improving his status values such as strength, intelligence, life points and so on. In short: you get more powerful. However, one does not have any influence: free point distribution, quests or even a class system does not exist, Symphony of the Night will never get a real role-playing game - it's only a few basics that provide motivation. The action still plays quite fluid today. Source: PC Games This also includes the new equipment system. In the previous games, the equipment of the heroes was largely given, fought was basically with a whip. Symphony of the Night leaves everything behind: On the way you can now find a lot of treasures, including a variety of armor, rings, amulets and above all: weapons. The swords, dagges, dispute piston and a lot more do not only differ in their values. Also their range, attack pace and special effects such as poison damage want to be observed. AluCard may optionally equip a weapon or a shield per hand, so do a lot of combinations can be tried. And of course, the secondary weapons - for example throatxt or holy water - return. At the dealer we cover ourselves with new items. Source: PC Games In addition to the festival-placed treasures, you can also use standard feasts valuable stuff, because the opponents droppen again and again consumables and rare items. And whom all this is not enough, it can also cover the dealer with new equipment. It is paid with gold, which you also collect on the road. Thus, Symphony of the Night is the first Castlevania at all, in which gold is used as a real currency, because gold was only responsible for the highscore.
Bosse in abundance
Since money and experience points can be easily farmed, symposy the night falls much easier than former Castlevanias, which were also known for their upscale difficulty. Anyone who has sufficiently resiled and found well equipment marches easily in most boss battles. The same the bosses, however, again with their skier variety: Symphony of the Night is packed with detailed loving staged monsters, undead, leggings and other scratched creatures. The developers sometimes deep into the disgust box. For example, a boss consists of soothed body parts, while huge insects grow around the rotten meat. Pretty Derb: This boss consists of a huge fabric ball. Source: PC Games Another, special thick brockets hides behind a coin-crashed ball of human bodies. With each hit, the undead body drops from it while countless skulls stacking in the background. With such scenes, it does not matter anymore if the fight at the end is hard or light - in memory, he will definitely remain.
Image gallery (Enlarge view for sources)
After some bosses, there's a new item or an important upgrade as a reward. Some of it is completely optional, but otherwise you need to explore the lock. In addition to the compulsory double jump or the possibility to dive into waters, Alucard also learns to transform into a bat. Only in this figure can you finally explore all the highly located areas of the game world and collect all the tempting treasures that could only be marched by before. This also makes the scan of previous areas for pleasure - just as it belongs to a good Metroidvania.
From Felix Schütz editor 27.03.2022 at 20:16
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