Castlevania:
Symphony Of The Night

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997) is a running, jumping and fighting game where you explore Dracula's castle. You explore the open-ended corridors and rooms, slowly gaining powers to reach new areas, find secrets, and defeat monsters. A seminal work in the long-running series, it stands out for the focus on exploration and discovery, and for its influence on the genre since.

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A sequel to 1993's Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, you play Dracula's son Alucard as you explore Dracula's castle and search for an evil force controlling its self-proclaimed lord. As you traverse, you fight off deadly monsters using your sword and magical abilities, gradually growing in strength and expanding your roster of powers until you're able to face the ultimate evil.

Play involves running, jumping, fighting, and exploring. Combat is fast-paced, and you must use your weapon and magical powers to avoid attacks and deal damage. You're free to explore the interlocking labyrinth of pathways, and by finding secrets and upgrading your abilities, you're able to reach new areas. One secret you uncover completely flips the game on its head right when things appear to be concluding, adding new enemies and changing the entire game map. You can also unlock additional characters who have different abilities and moves.

The result is a game that introduced the focus on exploration, unlocking abilities, and doubling back to reach new areas that have become staples of the genre (coining the widely used Metroidvania term alongside the Metroid series). It may not be as approachable as newer games, with more obscure secrets and challenging fights, but this just makes each new discovery all the more rewarding.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night 3 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Ben Kendall and updated 3 weeks ago.