Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

I just finished Symphony of the Night for the first time, and it feels like I’ve completed a pilgrimage. Perhaps more than any other game, this one has been cloned and copied to a point where the original barely feels unique. While I knew, academically, that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and the entire –vania side of the Metroidvania genre borrow elements from SOTN, after playing it for myself I can finally appreciate how this game’s blood courses through an entire genre.

The funny thing about playing SOTN in 2023 is that there’s scarcely anything here that I haven’t seen before. Stat progression? Gradually expanding movement options? A map completion ticker that’s more than it seems? All of these features that would’ve been mind-blowing in 1997 are now commonplace.

Yet that’s not to say there’s nothing unique here. The aesthetics are still absolutely exquisite. Yamane Michiru’s soundtrack is one for the ages, full of killer organ-laden tracks that would make Bach blush. Visuals and animation are just as impressive, as evidenced by little details like the way Alucard changes directions by floating in reverse before committing to the turn.

Other aspects have not aged as well. The castle’s layout, while impeccable on a macro level, is full of overly long corridors and interminable towers. Fighting the same enemies over and over for minutes at a time as you scale a spire or run through a hallway isn’t much fun. I’m sure this design is partially the fault of limitations of the original PlayStation. Smaller areas with greater enemy variety would’ve lead to more intrusive load times. The game also suffers from major balance issues. The difficulty curve is all over the place, and certain combinations of equipment can completely break the game. To be honest, though, playing around with a certain defensive rod made me realize how much fun game-breaking weapons can be. It’s the kind of oversight that doesn’t exist in the era of post-launch patches.

The biggest surprise for me, however, was seeing the multitude of parallels between this game and another game that spawned its own genre. Yes, I’m talking about Dark Souls. Both games set you loose in gothic playgrounds with horizons that expand naturally as you progress. They also both offer myriad options for player expression, not just in terms of stats and equipment loadouts, but by tossing aside the guardrails and letting each player uncover secrets and overcome obstacles in a unique order. Though the areas remain the same, every playthrough is a new adventure with a new order of operations. I always knew that Dark Souls had connections to the Metroidvania genre; now I understand how deep those roots truly reach.