LTTP: Castlevania Symphony of The Night - What a masterpiece

asmith906 · Nov 26, 2020

I've had this game for years but for one reason or another I've put off playing it.
Since I've gotten my PS5 I've been digging into my backlog and decided to finally play through this game.

All I gotta say is WOW why have I waited so long.

First off the Music is incredible

I really enjoyed all the exploration. Also I recommend people learning how to shield dash.
After looking up some hidden item locations I found out how to do it from YouTube.
It makes traversing the castle so much faster.

The game started off pretty challenging but I noticed once I got some really good equipment the bosses became trivial.
Holy Water is straight up busted. You can kill bosses in seconds.

Once I got the bat form I decided to go to places I wasn't able to reach before. That's when I accidentally ran into Richter.
I had been using the Icebrand sword and didn't realize that you could freeze him with it.
Made fighting him a breeze and gave me the ending to the game. I assume this is the bad ending.

It feels like I've barely scratched the surface of the game. This is one of the only game that makes me want to 100% it.
I'm already itching to get back to it and find all the secrets I missed. This time I think I won't use powerful armor armor so the game is more of a challenge.

What's everyone's thoughts on this game.

kubev · Nov 26, 2020

SotN is still my all-time favorite game, and I'm always happy to see a new thread about it. Castlevania Requiem isn't exactly the best way to experience it, but I've come to appreciate some of the changes made in the mobile versions that give me hope for future re-releases. By the way, if you have the means, then try out SotN Randomizer at sotn.io once you've become more familiar with the game. You can randomize the locations of items in the game, and it's really interesting how much it can change the way the game plays. You need a copy of the original release of SotN on PlayStation, though.

Gots · Nov 26, 2020

Recently got the plat for the Requim collection. One of the GOATs for sure, can't think of anything negative to say about the game. Perfection

Xeonidus · Nov 26, 2020

Yep one of my all time favorites for sure.

Mobius 1 · Nov 26, 2020

One of the few times where I started playing a game at night and before I realized, it was sunrise. What a revelatory experience was playing SOTN for the first time in '98, unspoiled.

picorin81 · Nov 26, 2020

I say the same thing everytime that I replayed it

asmith906 · Nov 26, 2020

I read there's a second castle. I need to figure out how to get to it.

kubev · Nov 26, 2020

asmith906 said:
I read there's a second castle. I need to figure out how to get to it.

Just work toward getting as close to 100.0% map completion as possible and pay close attention to the item descriptions in the menu. You'll find that some items sort of "play together" in a sense, whether they're weapons, sword/shield combos or accessories.

RowdyReverb · Nov 26, 2020

I was LTTP for this one also, beat it 4-5 years ago. It's funny because I've played a lot of games since then, including many metroidvanias, but still SotN sticks with me strongly. The soundtrack is a huge part of it, but also the Baroque atmosphere just hasn't been so captured by any other game I've played

HeartlessNobody2134 · Nov 26, 2020

Outside of the demo for LOS, Rondo and Symphony were my 1st Castlevania games.

Rondo was definitely challenging, especially with Ritcher but I really liked it.

Symphony is amazing though and I had a lot of fun with it. Yeah you get overpowered but who cares, game is still top tier.

asmith906 · Nov 26, 2020

kubev said:
SotN is still my all-time favorite game, and I'm always happy to see a new thread about it. Castlevania Requiem isn't exactly the best way to experience it, but I've come to appreciate some of the changes made in the mobile versions that give me hope for future re-releases. By the way, if you have the means, then try out SotN Randomizer at sotn.io once you've become more familiar with the game. You can randomize the locations of items in the game, and it's really interesting how much it can change the way the game plays. You need a copy of the original release of SotN on PlayStation, though.

how different is Requiem to the PS1 version. I actually have the PS1 version so I might try it out in the future.

Slick Butter · Nov 26, 2020

I played this early this year for the first time and fucking loved it. First Castlevania I have played and first Metroidvania game I really sunk my teeth into. Definitely one of the all time greats. However the "second castle" was pretty annoying and I stopped partway into it.

Deleted member 76797 · Nov 26, 2020

in my top 5 of all time

sadly none of the other metroidvanias really nailed the execution like this did for me

kubev · Nov 26, 2020

asmith906 said:
how different is Requiem to the PS1 version. I actually have the PS1 version so I might try it out in the future.

The version of SotN in Requiem is based on the poorly-emulated version of SotN from The Dracula X Chronicles (DXC) on PSP. Keep in mind that the DXC version of SotN was basically the PlayStation version of SotN running through a PlayStation emulator on PSP. Requiem's version of SotN is the PlayStation version of SotN running through a PlayStation emulator intended for PSP running through a PSP emulator intended for PlayStation 4. Any version of SotN that's based on the DXC version - this currently includes the DXC version, the Requiem version and the mobile ports - is basically going to be among the most broken version of the game you can play. I don't know exactly which version of SotN the DXC version was based on, as it uses the sound effects from the Japanese version of the PlayStation original as far as I can tell, but it's assumed that the English version of the PlayStation original had to have been used as some sort of base, as that's the version that would've had the extra familiars removed, and the DXC version "added" the familiars back in, leading to serious stability problems in some areas of the game. The DXC version of SotN also allows you to play as Maria, which was previously only possible in the Saturn version, but DXC Maria plays much differently, and her play-through of the game is really irritating due to strange collisions bugs that cause you to get hit by absolutely nothing in certain areas of the game, depending on how you're moving.

To me, it's best to play the PlayStation original, though it lacks some of the content of the Requiem version. Some people dislike the voice acting in the English version, but I think some of it is quite solid, and the "bad" voice acting in some cases just adds to the game's charm. You can also play this version as a PlayStation Classic if you own a PlayStation 3, PlayStation TV or PSP. After that, I'd suggest maybe the Xbox 360 version. Unfortunately, this version lacks the prerendered video sequences of the original, as it was an Xbox LIVE Arcade release and was required to be smaller in file size as a result. (Impressively, the file size limit was even smaller prior to its release, and it should serve as proof of how important a game SotN is that Microsoft raised the file size limit of Xbox LIVE Arcade games permanently to allow it onto the service.) If you really love the game and want to see another version of it, then I'd even suggest seeking out the Saturn version at some point. It has serious performance issues, but it has added content and some really interesting game play tweaks that make it play a little better than other versions in certain ways.

Saikyo · Nov 26, 2020

kubev said:
but it has added content and some really interesting game play tweaks that make it play a little better than other versions in certain ways.

Oh yeah like longer loadings, stretched sprites, have to open two menus to see the map, dithering transparency...the remixes are nice but only maria as an extra boss is neat lol.

SantosStrife · Nov 26, 2020

This game is a masterpiece. Still really impressive how aged so well.

Really glad you like! Please consider playing the other Igavanias and Bloodstained later. I still think SotN is the better game, but the others have their qualities as well.

Castlevania is one of my favorite franchise, still hurts to know Konami don't appreciate and give the respect the franchise deserves.

Edit:

Maria Saturn Boss fight >>>>>>>>>>> Maria PSP Boss fight

jett · Nov 26, 2020

A legendary game. The combination of music, art, atmosphere and gameplay were never surpassed by another Igavania game.

kungfuian · Nov 26, 2020

Dear Sony, Konami, and Bluepoint...

Iceberg · Nov 26, 2020

0.50 euro on Google Play, if you want to try it on your tablet with external gamepad:

Castlevania: SotN - Apps on Google Play

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

play.google.com

moblin · Nov 26, 2020

Iceberg said:
0.50 euro on Google Play, if you want to try it on your tablet with external gamepad:

Castlevania: SotN - Apps on Google Play

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

play.google.com

Yep this port is great. Sync a bluetooth controller and it plays fine (with slight input lag). Great, cheap way to experience the game for people who haven't yet.

BadHumans · Nov 26, 2020

really hard to discuss thoughts on the game without spoiling anything. Still, it's a great game that plays very well to this day.
I prefer Rondo nowadays. More focussed.

EggmaniMN · Nov 26, 2020

It was a masterpiece at release and it still is. It's also really fun to learn speedrun tricks in it but shield dashing gets really tiring. It's just one of those games I can pop in and enjoy pretty much any day.

kubev · Nov 26, 2020

Saikyo said:
Oh yeah like longer loadings, stretched sprites, have to open two menus to see the map, dithering transparency...the remixes are nice but only maria as an extra boss is neat lol.

I know you're trying your hand as sarcasm, but I was referring to legitimate improvements that people who jump on the bandwagon of hating on the Saturn version without acknowledging some of its positive aspects would probably actually come to appreciate. Specifically, the Saturn version gives you boots to increase Alucard's running speed, an extended Wing Smash and a "third hand" that makes using items a little less awkward. Even Iga, for as much as he likes to pretend that the Saturn version of SotN doesn't exist, at least saw fit to steal the concepts of Maria as a playable character and as a boss character, since they were clearly good ideas. Maybe they lacked the cleaner execution of the original release, but it's worth noting that the team working on the Saturn version at least tried to complete the clearly INCOMPLETE area below the castle entrance, rather than attempting to hide it by "fixing" bugs that made it accessible as Iga did (while failing miserably at it and creating newer, easier ways to access said content, for the record).

kungfuian said:
Dear Sony, Konami, and Bluepoint...

I have three reasons AGAINST those three companies having a significant role in a re-release of SotN...

Sony was probably responsible for Requiem relying on a PSP emulator to get SotN on PlayStation 4.
Konami apparently cared so little about a SotN re-release that it allowed the aforementioned treatment from Sony.
Bluepoint managed to completely miss Wander's facial expressions in the remake of Shadow of the Colossus. A minor point, you may say, but the thing that makes SotN continue to stand above later, more refined games in the Castlevania series is its attention to detail and all of the little things that a company like Bluepoint would simply miss and that Sony and Konami wouldn't care enough to implement.

Sure, Konami would have to be involved in some sense, but I wouldn't want a remake of SotN unless a team that actually cared about it was working on it.

Saikyo · Nov 26, 2020

A third hand was nice...but they could use that button for the map lol (or force you have a third hand or map button), IMO the new areas and enemies arent that great and look out of place sometimes.

Maybe they needed more time or something but the end result is kind of a mess, its not a terrible port but then you criticize the psp port that much...

Nocturnowl · Nov 26, 2020

It's still so good, when I went back to it this year with many more metroidvania titles from the indie scene having nailed it in the time since my last playthrough, as well as my ever-increasing love for Order of Ecclesia, I expected SotN to feel a bit weak after all that but there's something about it that's just still so magical
And I didn't even play it until 2010!

And the soundtrack is still killer, even if Yamane is now certified insane

antitrop · Nov 26, 2020

kubev · Nov 26, 2020

Saikyo said:
A third hand was nice...but they could use that button for the map lol (or force you have a third hand or map button), IMO the new areas and enemies arent that great and look out of place sometimes.

Maybe they needed more time or something but the end result is kind of a mess, its not a terrible port but then you criticize the psp port that much...

I agree that it would've been nice to have the choice of a dedicated map button, but the third hand at least saves you the trouble of having to unequip a weapon or shield each time you needed to use a potion or something. Honestly, while I'd almost prefer a Use menu as you'd see in newer games in the series, I kind of wouldn't want to ruin the peanut gag.

As for the new areas, the bottom line is that the Saturn version has something below the castle entrance, and no other version of the game does. Iga had an opportunity to remedy that, but he instead chose to make an attempt at making the incomplete passage under the castle entrance impossible to access (and ended up making it easier in the process). He wasted time and resources by completely redoing the voice acting in the game, something most people considered unnecessary, and pretty much any content Iga had added to the game compromised the quality and stability of the game. People may not like the content added in the Saturn version, but all of that content was arguably executed better than the content Iga added. The "extra" familiars in the DXC version caused the game to freeze at various points. Maria randomly gets hit by absolutely nothing in certain areas of her game. She's also really poorly balanced. Boss Maria's hit detection isn't disabled before you fight her, making it hilariously simple to defeat her before the battle even begins. Even worse, though, if you're careless enough to knock her out of the boss area while using the exploit, then you're unable to progress.

So, yes, I criticize the DXC version a lot more than I criticize the Saturn version. The Saturn version was at least an attempt to "complete" the game and make improvements to how it played. Sure, it performed poorly, but you didn't have to worry about it freezing because of any of the extra content, you didn't have to worry about an extra boss breaking the game's progression, you didn't have to worry about dying when absolutely nothing hits you, and it wasn't the version that Konami would for some reason choose to base all future re-releases of the game on. In that respect, it's a relatively harmless addition to the game's history. Also, if you emulate it, then it runs really well (and I think you can even fix the transparency issues via emulation). It's not quite as pretty, given the stretching and whatnot, but it's still a hell of a game.

Arukado · Nov 26, 2020

My favorite metroidvania and pretty much this:

jett said:
A legendary game. The combination of music, art, atmosphere and gameplay were never surpassed by another Igavania game.

Vex · Nov 26, 2020

asmith906 said:
This is one of the only game that makes me want to 100% it.

It is a VERY GOOD IDEA to attempt this. And yes, this is one of the few games where 100% it isnt too tedious and is encouraged.

My top 3 games of all time.

Deleted member 50374 · Nov 26, 2020

I finished it 100% twice in my life, didn't regret it. Some of the best bosses come for last.

Plax · Nov 26, 2020

One of the best games of all time. A perfect combination of music and art.

Time for another play through I guess.

Kaguya · Nov 26, 2020

Still the best metroidvania ever made.

Saikyo · Nov 26, 2020

kubev said:
He wasted time and resources by completely redoing the voice acting in the game, something most people considered unnecessary

Most but not everyone, it is not "bad" and I think they saw all the trouble (legally) they had to reuse the original dub for the Sillent Hill 2+3 "HD", it was cheaper and faster to just redub it again, also the PSP version you finally could play it undubbed without modding the game or translating "Nocturne in moonlight"

kubev said:
and pretty much any content Iga had added to the game compromised the quality and stability of the game.

Oh yeah, like original sotn was a pinnacle of game programming lol.

kubev said:
The "extra" familiars in the DXC version caused the game to freeze at various points.

Never had this problem playing the game.

kubev said:
She's also really poorly balanced.

Its very easy to break or be overpowered in vanilla sotn, so you are telling me you wanted a more in depth rebalance of the game on the psp version?

kubev said:
The Saturn version was at least an attempt to "complete" the game and make improvements to how it played.

But in the end if psp is so bad then...its better to play the original sotn than play the saturn version lol, its easier to emulate even on psp but lets agree to disagree so we arent just running in circles.

DrFunk · Nov 26, 2020

Beelzebub is still an epic boss

spman2099 · Nov 26, 2020

Great game. I have probably beaten it a dozen times over the course of my life. However, every time I play it I am reminded of how the balance falls apart as the game progresses. It seems like it is nearly impossible to not break the game in your favor at some point. The game just gets kind of loose and sloppy as it goes on. Still, it is a total classic. Richter mode is a total blast, too.

stephbm6 · Nov 26, 2020

I replayed it in October on my PS4 and it's still amazing today!

Laxoon · Nov 26, 2020

Best game eva made.

antitrop said:

Thank you for posting this I always lose it.

Res-bot · Nov 26, 2020

I missed out on playing this game in the psone era.

What's the best version to play this game on?

And on a related point, what's the best version assessable to a person with the following console set-up:

PS4, Xbox One

Ta.

Diogo Arez · Nov 26, 2020

Yeah it's incredible, after a long time only playing a bit of it on PS3 I bought it on PS4 and did the 200.6%

The Lord of Cereal · Nov 26, 2020

Res-bot said:
I missed out on playing this game in the psone era.

What's the best version to play this game on?

And on a related point, what's the best version assessable to a person with the following console set-up:

PS4, Xbox One

Ta.

I think the PS4 version is the best, the version available on Xbox One/360 isn't bad but the PS4 version is better.

Unless you already got it when it was a game with gold like a year ago, in which case play that version

NoWayOut · Nov 26, 2020

How's the 360 version with BC on One X or XSX? What about on PS 4/5? What's the best option to play this on modern consoles?

kubev · Nov 26, 2020

Saikyo said:
Oh yeah, like original sotn was a pinnacle of game programming lol.

I never said it was. That doesn't change the fact that the DXC version is markedly worse, and I don't understand how you're unable to comprehend how the issues I mentioned with the DXC version aren't pre-existing problems with SotN in general. Those are new to those version, and those problems will exist within any other re-release of the game based on the DXC version.

Saikyo said:
Never had this problem playing the game.

That doesn't mean nobody had the problem. Google it.

Saikyo said:
Its very easy to break or be overpowered in vanilla sotn, so you are telling me you wanted a more in depth rebalance of the game on the psp version?

Alucard is supposed to be overpowered if you want him to be overpowered. The game was designed that way. It was designed to be like JRPGs that allowed you to level-grind to get past challenges you'd otherwise consider to be too difficult. Richter can't take as much punishment as Alucard, but he's designed to be much more powerful so you can overcome challenges as long as you're good at evading for a short period. Saturn Maria plays very similarly to Richter in that regard. DXC Maria is a complete joke, especially against a boss like Galamoth. Not to mention the fact that she can die by running into absolutely nothing because of the DXC version's trash-tier programming.

Saikyo said:
But in the end if psp is so bad then...its better to play the original sotn than play the saturn version lol, its easier to emulate even on psp but lets agree to disagree so we arent just running in circles.

Yeah, that's why I suggested checking out the Saturn version more as a curiosity, AFTER the two other versions that're better and as an alternative to the Requiem version that the thread is based around.

Res-bot said:
I missed out on playing this game in the psone era.

What's the best version to play this game on?

And on a related point, what's the best version assessable to a person with the following console set-up:

PS4, Xbox One

Ta.

On Xbox One, you can play the Xbox 360 version of Symphony of the Night via Back Compat. That's the best way to go with last-gen or current-gen consoles. You CAN get Castlevania Requiem on PlayStation 4 (which should be playable on PlayStation 5), which includes Symphony of the Night. I don't suggest that version, however, as it's based on the Dracula X Chronicles version, and it inherits some of the problems of that version and adds some of its own.

NoWayOut said:
How's the 360 version with BC on One X or XSX? What about on PS 4/5? What's the best option to play this on modern consoles?

The Xbox 360 version works just fine on Xbox One X and Xbox Series X. The main downside to it is that it's missing the prerendered video sequences from the original game that appeared when the castle was appearing/disappearing. As I mentioned above, I don't recommend the Requiem version on PlayStation 4, as it's based on the Dracula X Chronicles version, which already had a lot of issues and has more now due to it being shoddy emulation of an already shoddy emulation package.

Res-bot · Nov 26, 2020

Thanks kubev and CerealBro1 for your recommendations =)

-Tetsuo- · Nov 26, 2020

I cannot overstate how mind blown I was when I discovered the upside down castle over a full year after I thought I had beaten the game. That is absolutely up at the very top in gaming moments ever for me. Simply incredible. The entire team was truly on that shit when they made this game.

antitrop said:

im dead

EntelechyFuff · Nov 26, 2020

Probably my favorite game of all time, and it ages like wine.

Even little things I didn't like about seem better as time passes. For example, accessing the map is a pain, and I wanted a more convenient overlay that was easier to check. Now though, I appreciate how that inconvenience encourages me to play the damn game, learn the layout naturally, and not "play the map".

ThEoRy... · Nov 26, 2020

asmith906 said:
I read there's a second castle. I need to figure out how to get to it.

Heed Maria's words carefully.

Vito · Nov 26, 2020

Played it last year for the first time and it instantly became one of my favorite games of all time.

A complete masterpiece from beginning to end.

Governergrimm · Nov 26, 2020

It has been my GOAT since I played it on PlayStation all those years ago. It has never left that slot and is the only game I have replayed more than three times. The sound, mood, level design. It is and will probably be my GOAT forever... And I am ok with that.

Sagroth · Nov 26, 2020

I first managed to play this game about 2 years ago, and fell in love so hard I've grabbed all the other Igavanias I can get my hands on (and Bloodstained). It's an absolute masterpiece.

Noisepurge · Nov 26, 2020

It's definitely one of the legends that i can pop in at any given moment and have a great time. Timeless.

LTTP: Castlevania Symphony of The Night - What a masterpiece

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