PlayStation
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
8.68 8.77 8.72 8.64 |
| Votes: | 53 |
| Reviews: | 5 |
Rate this game
Review this game
| Reviewer: backshots | Date: Apr 12, 2024 |
| I strongly believe this is one of the greatest games ever made...
Graphics: 10 At the time of this game's release SOTN was avoided and criticized for not having fully 3d graphics as that was the next big thing at the time, however the decision to make the game 2d while using the ps1's 32 bit hardware makes for a game that has aged beautifully graphically. The sprites and backgrounds in this game are so clean and vibrant. The added depth of some 3d parts like the bookshelf stand out and make the graphic style so visually appealing to me. Each part of Dracula's castle feels distinct and different. Everything is so clear and full of detail. Sound: 10 This game has the best video game ost ever. Simply put the music in this game is second to none. One of the few osts I listen to on my own time. A different track plays with every room in Dracula's castle with genre's going from symphonic rock to jazz. Every track is memorable and helps make the game distinct. The sound design overall is fantastic my favorite sound effect is Alucard's "WHAT" Gameplay: 10 This game has some of the most rewarding game play out there. I love the tease at the beginning of the game with Alucard being overpowered and then getting nerfed by death. Having to work your way up to that power and the beginning is so fun along with a much fairer but still rewarding difficulty making it much more manageable than the NES games. However while the reward system and combat with just plain cool stuff like the back dash weapons like the Crissegrim can just straight up break the flow of the game, and the second half with the upside down castle is kind of just a way to extend the game although still being great. While the game is focused on exploration and getting Alucard strong by the end of the game you can one shot most bosses which just sort of takes the edge off and the final boss becomes very anticlimactic... but the premise of the gameplay and it's execution is just too fun for me to harp on it too much so it doesn't really effect my score. Overall: 10 I love this game so much an all time masterpiece please play it if you haven't. Everything makes this game so timeless I struggle to have criticism for this game as there is hard to find ways to. |
|
| Reviewer: swagbuck | Date: Mar 7, 2019 |
| What can I say? I love this game, even to this day. While I would only get to complete the game via emulation on a Playstation emulator, I still loved the game, making this the GREATEST PLAYSTATION GAME OF ALL TIME.
Graphics: 10 Blending 3D models with traditional 2D sprites, the game looks beautiful even to this day. Alucard's sprite movement is extremely fluid and crisp, showing the power of spritework on the PS1 that was known for 3D games that look bad today, such as Tomb Raider or Final Fantasy VII. Sound: 9 Sound effects make the game feel satisfying when you pull off an attack makes the games world feel alive, with each enemy having it's own unique death sound to make it feel satisfying when you kill an enemy. The soundtrack also helps, as it is the best soundtrack I have ever had the pleasure to listen to, While you will get sick of songs sometimes like "Marble Gallery" or "Finale Toccata", I cant help but admit that this is an excellent soundtrack that will get stuck in your head. Give a listen to songs like "Dracula's Castle" or "Lost Painting" sometimes. The only negative of the sound is the notoriously bad voice acting that is admittedly a guilty pleasure, but it was common at the time for the time like with games such as Resident Evil, but somehow in my opinion, Resident Evil has WORSE voice acting. Gameplay: 10 Unlike, say Super Castlevania 4, you are not going in a sidescroller fashion, it is now turned into gameplay very similar to Super Metroid, thus this game being called a pioneer of "MetroidVania" type games. RPG elements allow you to consider your loadout, such as the type of sword you wield, or the defensive options you are using. Fluid controls make you feel like you are in a dark desolate castle, as you fight to conquer darkness, making you feel like Alucard during gameplay. You can also use spells using commands like a traditional fighting game, and transform into various forms in order to get around faster. While the game may get too easy at times, the other gameplay features make up for the complaints on difficulty. Overall: 10 This game is one of the best, if not THE best games on the Playstation 1, for simply, everything. My only complaint is the lack of true difficulty, but the game allows you to adjust it by various means such as limiting your self in items, or the high luck mode. This game will be a great time if you either emulate it, buy it on PS3 via PS1 classics, or even a physical copy. I give it a really good score that makes you want to play this game even more. This game is truly amazing. If you like Final Fantasy VII or Tomb Raider, go ahead. I would call them overrated, but that is my personal opinion. If you need any Playstation 1 game you MUST play, it is this game. |
|
| Reviewer: Atcero | Date: May 10, 2014 |
| This was the only game I still play from when I was a kid. I grew up with it and me and my brothers used to find out everything about it. We used to play it so much it was banned from being played if my parents were in the room, but it was worth all those hours spent on it.
Graphics: 10 The graphics in this game were and still are amazing. I especially loved the ones that had two different backgrounds, like the Marble Gallery and Long Library. The graphics, at least to me, have stood up to the test of time. Sound: 9 If there is one thing I could find I disliked about this game was the songs in the Reverse Castle. I hated how a lot of them were in different areas. That being said though almost all of those songs still stick with me. That and pretty much every enemy has a different sound when they attack or die. Gameplay: 10 Everything flowed. The controls were amazing and it was a good paced game. I loved all the little secret places in the map along with all the different weapons you could equip. What I loved the most though was I could tell I was getting better, getting stronger with every enemy I destroyed, every relic I obtained and area I got through. Overall: 10 This game to me is still one of the best PlayStation games out there. I truthfully have not played FF7, so I can't say how that stacks up to this one and nor will I try. But I will say if you haven't played this, I recommend you do. So again, play this is if you haven't. Even if it's just a game that fills up time waiting for another game or the game that you want to play to get experience of playing it. |
|
| Reviewer: Locke Cole | Date: May 30, 2013 |
| I've been playing video games since the days of the Apple 2E.
Graphics: 7 The biggest flaw of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night were the graphics. When the game came out they were still just above average and they sadly haven't withstood the years all that well. Either way Konami needs to remake this game. Sound: 8 Haunting orchestrals and power rock are par for the course in this game. And those lucky enough to have a physical copy of this game are in for a treat as one of the greatest game soundtrack remixes is on the disc. Gameplay: 8 Loads of exploration and item gathering are what set Castlevania:Symphony of the Night apart from other side scrolling adventure games so much it created it's on genre the Metroidvania Overall: 9 This game stands out among other titles. While it doesn't have many drawbacks the dated graphics and inability sell collected items still don't hold this game back. If you have a working PS1/PS2 you should most definitely purchase a copy of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to experience this game the way it was meant to be played. While the XBLA and PSN versions are top notch they really don't add much other then achievements which I must confess slowly becoming the bane of my existence. |
|
| Reviewer: LB | Date: Jan 15, 2012 |
| I did not play SOTN for at least a decade after its release. There are very few classic games that I've enjoyed without having nostalgia as that primary spice. The game is a work of art. It's the only Castlevania I've ever enjoyed. If you haven't played it, you aren't fit to call yourself a gamer. Get over the cheesed out voice acting, it was some of the first there ever was. It's a game, play it as it was meant to be played, like a kid again.
Graphics: 10 It's a PlayStation 1 game made in 1997. It is a side scrolling piece of perfection. Three dimensional backgrounds. It doesn't try to step outside of the hardware it was made for as so many PS1 games did. Sound: 10 I don't really remember at the moment. The fact of the matter is this though. If you're looking for a game to play, this one is Still fun. I don't remember the sound means I don't remember it annoying me which is a good sign. Gameplay: 10 By the end of this game I felt like a demon killing ninja. Dual wielding weapons, morphing, kicking, ghosting, casting, blocking, sliding, and just plain being awesome as Dracula turned my world upside down one more time as Alucard. Overall: 10 The game isn't perfect. No game is. You think Final Fantasy 7 was the best of the best for the late 90's? Think again. Turn based games are for children. Give me a game that requires skill. Still haven't play it? Go download Final Fantasy again. When you watch Aeris die again I'll be enjoying Super Metroid's evil cousin on Crack. |
|