Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | Still Amazing 25 Years Later

[@BoulderPunch]

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[@MaitreMechant]

this game is what happens when all the planets align. Gameplay, level design, soundtrack, art style... everything is just perfect

[@landismithCOJ]

What is a man, but a miserable pile of secrets??? What is a game, but a glorious pile of fun? That game is Symphony of The Night.

[@markurbanowicz6619]

But enough talk Let's play!

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

Fun Fact: my grandmother of all people introduced me to this game back when it first came out.

[@snakeplissken6321]

I got SOTN from a Sears department store the day it came out. Then I raced home and fired up the ps1 and was absolutely blown away. The graphics are just gorgeous. The soundtrack has a ton of variety and is filled with one amazing track after another. Combat is simple but still fun and rewarding with so many weapons to chose from. The castle is laid out perfectly and is an absolute joy to explore and to soak in the atmosphere. SOTN is definitely one of my all time favorites and is still a fantastic gaming experience all these years later. This was a great review Boulder! Thanks for putting out all the awesome content man.

[@itsRecreational]

Damn dude your output is unmatched. I didn’t play this game till requiem and got depressed thinking about how many years I went without knowing how awesome it is.

[@Jose-se9pu]

Fun fact: 25 years ago, most critics complained about the graphics of the game being "outdated", it had average scores, and it didnt sold very well.

[@uptown710]

Yea, initially Sony was very much against 2D games on the platform. SOTN had a limited initial release. Funny. I don’t see Toshinden having been re-released on multiple platforms over the past 25 years…

[@isaiahburns7538]

"Outdated". I believe the word they were looking for is PERFECTION.

[@stacetheface47]

Idk about that, if you look back on reviews they were very complementary. In fact this game was just as well received as FF7.

[@customsongmaker]

@@stacetheface47 LOL! FFVII was probably the #1 reason the Playstation was a success. It sold consoles. Sotn was loved and cherished by those who played it, but they already had a Playstation. I don't remember anyone buying a Playstation just for Sotn, but millions of people who used to play Final Fantasy on NES got a PS1. They would have bought a different console instead if FFVII had been on a different console.

[@stacetheface47]

@@customsongmaker It didn't sell well initially however it was as well received as FF7. It was through word of mouth and critic reviews that Castlevania SOTN became a sleeper hit. My comment wasn't on that it was the reason PS1 sold well was because of SOTN (no argument about FF7 being the killer app). I was correcting a comment saying that the game wasn't well received initially due to graphics which simply isn't true.

[@majimamike4097]

This game is the definition of the word masterpiece.

[@Braven-j7m]

This game was the perfect storm for me, the gothic theme, ambiance, masterful sprites and environments, the music. I still wonder if we will ever see the likes of this kind of game in the future again.

[@monkeybone1080]

I make a habit of replaying this pretty much every Halloween. One of the all time greats. Also speaking of music and merchants I've got to give a shout out to the merchant song in Dissonance, quite possibly the most catchy shop song in any game.

[@Nigel222]

Fantastic game. I loved the dramatic theatre esque voice acting

[@BoulderPunch]

Unmatched.

[@lindblumpickles3407]

Played this for the first time a few years ago, and it’s now in my Top 10 games of all time. Such a fantastic game. Was also my first MetroidVania, which has opened up a whole treasure trove of amazing games for me to enjoy now that I can appreciate what they’re trying to do.

[@abstractdaddy1384]

What metroidvanias have you played since then? Have any of them made as much of a mark on you as this one?

[@lindblumpickles3407]

@@abstractdaddy1384 I would say Hollow Knight has made the biggest impression on me since then. The atmosphere is insane. I also played Super Metroid for the first time and loved it. Aria of Sorrow was great as well.

[@A-1-Sawce]

It's been 25 years? Holy crap. I still remember my friend and I borrowing this from a friend of his. We stayed up into the next day and finished it on our first run. Still play it at least once every other year, still one of my absolute favorites ever. Outstanding game.

[@OuroborosChoked]

Boulderpunch: **covers Resident Evil games** Also Boulderpunch: **ignores Chris Redfield's voice actor as Richter in SotN** (The Librarian was also the Narrator for RE 2 and 3)

[@LeeEverett1]

This game is a masterpiece. I only have a few complaints: -Playable Maria, some additional levels and content were Saturn exclusive and didn't make it to console. -The lack of inverted castle music, they kept reusing the same 2 tracks on every level. I heard they ran out of space, couldn't they have used a second disc like other games? -Richter's health is ridiculously low, basic enemies can kill him in like 2-3 hits. Also some bosses weren't balanced for him such as Galamoth where you basically have to cheat to beat him. -You can't unequip sub weapons as Richter, meaning that once you pick one up, you can't ever use his fire whip throughout the entire game.

[@alexello1189]

1) time 2) money 3) that’s the challenge mode ofc it’s gonna be hard 4) again challenge mode, meant to be like the older titles, so no menu It’s all intentional, if you want a “complete” version I’d recommend the rondo of the night romhack

[@MrNobody47710]

Back in the late 90's or early 2000's, I'd heard of SotN, but I had not played it. It wasn't until 2008 or so that I actually played SotN for the first time, and it was on the PSP. At first, I played the version of SotN that was unlocked in "Dracula X Chronicles," then I just downloaded the PS1 classic from the PSN store. SotN was one of the games that made my PSP worth owning.

[@Dr_Ki11enger]

This is easily a Top 5 of all time game for me. I think back quite a lot to my 6th birthday as a kid when I was given a PS1 with FF7, SotN, RE2, and MGS1 and how drastically each of those games changed my life and my perspective and had a part in who I am today. I replay RE2 and SotN like once every 2 years or so and they never get old. If you wanna talk about "modern" Metroidvanias the biggest example I think you can possibly point to is the original Dark Souls. Its a giant, open, interconnected map that gives you the freedom to explore and go anywhere but gates your real progress through the acquisition of items from other locations (the crest of artorias, the lord vessel, etc) to proceed, but also lets clever players sequence break the hell out of things if they want to. Its also a "action" game with RPG elements that prioritizes skill and forethought over "big number" similar to SotN, using levelups to even the playing field rather than make you blatantly OP. Its also significantly worse in the second half, just like the Inverted Castle 😂

[@NormanReaddis]

Till this day, i still remember the full script on the intro and deaths first appearance where he took Alucard items, that's how iconic the dub was.

[@OmegaEnvych]

Symphony of the Night shows that good design and perfected 2d artwork can live through decades. Most of 3d titles of the time nowadays look dated and clunky, while Symphony of the Night is mostly smooth and plays well. Mostly. Menu is still from that era - it's basic, slow and not really intuitive, however, it's still well made - all info is there, access to all abilities and information is there. My only gripe with Igarashi would be that after making Symphony of the Night he basically just kept making more Symphony of the Night. Then again, it reminds me old joke with Quentin Tarantino: "Mr. Tarantino, what can you say to people who think that you never filmed anything better than Pulp Fiction?" "What? Has someone else done it?" What I mean - if you're looking for good Metroidvania - you're still pretty much limited with Igarashi's works aside of couple strong contenders, but most have shortcomings that make them less desirable. Also, I cannot say that I will forever remember other takes on Metroid formulas, at least in 2D form (3D, gladly, has many great contenders - System Shock, Powerslave, Metroid Prime, 2017 Prey etc. but those are different). What is interesting that Symphony of the Night remains this important almost 2 decades later - you still can pick it up and play without many issues. And it is remains on being great game.

[@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476]

The soundtrack of this game brings me right back to when this dropped and blew my mind

[@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Itto]

The demon familiar voice acting is the gold standard

[@TheVioletBunny]

One of the best games ever made

[@danielgeronimo5538]

The only Metroidvania that topped this for me was Hollow Knight. I don't know why, but this game is so addictive with a balanced difficulty, enemy variety and phenomenal soundtrack. Oh and that spritework, so beautiful even after two decades and a half later.

[@KishinZephrite]

The backdash is a pretty good way to get around early game, but once you get the bat transformation and learn how to do wing smash, you can get around much faster like that.

[@therush757]

Had to get the vinyl soundtrack, so good.

[@LM77va]

Everything about this game shows how much care the developers had for Symphony of the Night. From the visuals to the controls, it's very satisfying even if this isn't your type of game.

[@daver7178]

It doesn't matter who or what the subject is. I see Castlevania video review on YT and I'm watching!

[@AlastorChannel]

I played this game many times on PS1 when i was a teen and it blew my mind. GBA, DS titles and Bloodstained ROTN are really cool too :)

[@samueljallen.x]

This was a superb, mature review - worthy of such an epic title. Well done.

[@FidgetTheRat]

Fun fact about the confession room that I didnt know until my second full playthrough! If a blue priest shows up when you sit down, he actually leaves behind a juice item for you to use! Its random which one shows up, by the way.

[@zachtaylor5312]

Played this in the 90s when it came out and was obsessed with it.

[@Deader87]

"This switch hasn't been pressed yet!"

[@JMPovoa]

Bought this game for the PS1 on a casual buy at the local store, out of boredom. Man what a game! One of my favorites ever.

[@uptown710]

I must’ve purchased this game at least 7 times

[@lordseph]

I find myself saying the dialogue along with Richter and Dracula at the start. Can't ever forget those lines!

[@tayray88]

I still have this game from the year 1997 it came out (which was my aunt’s at first), and glad I never sold or traded it 🧛‍♂️

[@SpectralSound.]

Wow.so cool man! A true castlevania og fan ! 🦇

[@tayray88]

@@SpectralSound. Thank you 😊

[@SpectralSound.]

@@tayray88 np man and btw if your aunt had the game first,cool aunt man 🦇! Im a huge castevania fan and hope for a revival sometime in the future.till then...cant wait for castlevania nocturne on netflix. 🦇🔥

[@tayray88]

@@SpectralSound. I was 9 years old in 1997 and my aunt use to play a lot of PS1 games.

[@SpectralSound.]

25 years later and while there are other great metroidvania games out there,none of them can beat this one.🦇

[@hekate824]

The soundtrack is just badass in every way.

[@DannyCaine-k6p]

Yes! I’m 48 freaking years old and I’m playing through it for the third time. This game is a real gem.

[@adrianparsin9548]

this game is embeded in the deapest recesses of my brain especially 'the lost painting" such nostalgia

[@bzking24]

I'm playing the mobile version and it's awesome! I can play it anywhere and I still gotta beat the game as Richter and Maria

[@kylko2000]

Got me a PS3, and a 500 GB hard drive the other day, installed hen. Got retroarch and rompacks for all old-school systems. And about 100 PS1 games so far, this is the first game I decided to play again. Blast from the last man 💯

[@WIld-cHILd-1273]

Oh man the room with the 3 note melody scared the living ghost outta me XD

[@JaimeBarata]

I've played this game this year and can EASILY say that it instantly turned into my favorite metroidvania

[@wes788411]

Of course Super Metroid was a huge inspiration. It’s such an obvious inspiration. I think the reason he must deny that it had such a major influence on the design of SOTN is that he believes people will think less of him as a creator.

[@GorditoCrunch343]

You hit the nail on the head. It's also the same reason that he dismissed Circle of the Moon for so many years all down to the fact he didn't have anything to do with it's success.

[@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Itto]

Best game on Sony PlayStation hands down. No PS game has the replayability that SotN has. Fun to pick up anytime.

[@slowmercy69]

I played this game and beat it 2 or 3 years ago for the first time. That made me go back and play Castlevania 1, 2, and 3 (on my psp and those games were BRUTAL) The mainline games after Symphony of the Night ended up on handheld platforms, a decision well made This brings me to my argument: SotN is like RE 4 in many ways: it revolutionized the series and became the model for the later games... and was not as fun as the later GBA and DS games I think what hurt Symphony of the Night the most in terms of aging was the unfinished feel of the inverted castle If you guys haven't played the rest of the Castlevania games (and Lords of Shadow is NOT Castlevania after you go back to the series's roots) because NINTENDO, give them a shot smile smile

[@D-Nova]

This is still one of my all-time favorite games. It's up there with iconic games like OoT, MM and SM64. It's simply such an amazing game. Sure, there is fair criticism (like most weapons being kinda useless, but in the most important aspects (exploration, enemy variety, platforming, controls, music and graphics) the game really shines. It's also one of those games where you will always discover something new. No matter how many times you've played this game, there is always a small little detail that you did not know about, waiting to be discovered. I've played through this game countless times but I did not know that Alucard could actually eat the peanuts until I saw it in a video in 2020. This is also one of those rare games where everything comes together. The game even looks great, 27 years later. Aside from the cgi cutscenes, this game can still rival modern pixel art games. Just look at Alucard's animation. Such an amazing game.

[@Ji99i3]

I poured myself into bloodstained and loved it. It's for now my only metroidvania as I usually do not like these types of games at all. Backtracking and long games usually aren't my cup but I'm interested in seeing where it all came from.

[@fartbox_liquor3932]

i love this game so much i got a full back tattoo!

[@sharker102s]

that's soo cool and def love this game too

[@peterfairchild258]

I always thought it would be strange for a vampire to go to confession.

[@MyBrothersKeeper101]

The standard for gaming 🤘🤘 I remember being upset that it wasn't linear and then was soon pleasantly surprised beyond my hopes

[@bravobird9435]

Ah good to know I bought the anniversary collection yesterday

[@alexshinra8406]

My Favorite metroidvania game

[@ayafujimiya3220]

ORIGINAL VOICES ARE STILL THE BEST FOR ME

[@Astoratatouille]

I love this game so much i bought Castlevania requiem collector for 190$, damn

[@SefniAsheforr]

One of the ultimate lightning in a bottle games like Chrono Trigger, Devil May Cry 3, Metal Gear Solid 3, No More Heroes, Yakuza 0, and Resident Evil 4.

[@stalkera90]

this IS THE BEST Castlevania game of all time and the music....oh boy

[@dvsmaverick]

One of my favourite games for sure. Played it on the PS1, PSP, PS3, mobile, PS4. As much as I hate Konami, I hope they remake this.

[@sunflow57]

I played the PSP version first so that's the one I grew up with.

[@peacemen6460]

This game need to be remastered!

[@papabird4425]

I got the itch so i downloaded it from the PS store. Did a non-glitched playthrough for a 200.6 ending with 2 rings of varda in a single saturday. Felt good!

[@JeremyPeeples]

This is only $5 on PSN for PS4/PS5 - tremendous value for the dollar!

[@slappytheclown4]

Was born the year this came out so didn't play it until much later (think I first beat it around 2012) but man do I fucking love this game. I honestly think to this day it's STILL in the Top 3 of metroidvanias with the only thing holding it back for me personally being that it's too easy. Other than that though this game has it all for me: great movement, great weapons, incredible boss design, etc. Sometimes when I play older games like this I like to sit and wonder what it would've been like to play it when it was brand new at the time of release and just be awe struck by it. This game and Silent Hill 2 are the two main games that make me feel this way, can't imagine how much people must've loved this game when it came out.

[@SpouTSmemS]

Castlevania 64 is HORRIBLY UNDERRATED !

[@ischmidt]

I got my PS1 mod chipped specifically to be able to import and play this 6 months before the US release, and it was totally worth it. It's surprisingly playable even without being able to read or speak Japanese (pretty much just scroll through the items and see what gives you the best stat boosts), but I did need some online assistance on how to avoid the bad ending and get to the inverted castle.

[@cherokeefit4248]

I was playing Mirror of Fate and Bloodstained Ritual of The Night not too long ago but the charm has already discovered long time with SOTN.

[@dcfromthev]

My all time favorite video game. Best of the best!

[@Bumfighterification]

Play The Messenger. Amazing levels, soundtrack, dialogue. Definitely my favorite metroidvania game in recent years.

[@sinacide11]

Marble gallery theme sounds a lot like aeon flux music.

[@melvingenao550]

Best ps1 game for me

[@nunyabusiness9013]

Castlevania 2 was actually my favorite of the original NES trilogy. It was the roots of the metroidvania genre.

[@balmain2496]

One of the greatest ever made. Nothing comes close.

[@ZDY66666]

I remember playing this in my mother's womb back when it came out! Jk, while it came out when I was in the womb, I played it in a DVD player that I had which for whatever weird reason could emulate a series of NES and SNES games depending on which DVD disc I inserted. Don't ask why that works but there were a lot of cool random emulators back in the 00s and 2010s in Asia lol

[@xevious21]

25 years?!...shit I'm getting old.

[@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Itto]

I still prefer the Soundtracks of Super Castlevania 4, Castlevania Dracula X Rondo Of Blood, and Castlevania Chronicles on PS1 (a port of a Japanese Home Computer Sharp X6800) and selecting the 3rd soundtrack version from Roland CM-500 synthesizer.

[@philliplobue4647]

4 dollars on Play Store .

[@Dhampire1976]

2 bucks rn

[@diegomartinez9887]

Personal opinion, nothing compares to the experience sotn gave. Don’t get me wrontThe gba and ds castlevania games were great! But SOTN was just something else 👌🏼

[@Xiatter]

I forgive the stuff after the bad ending for not being quite as good as the first portion of the game, as the idea and the fact that the game didn't necessarily spell it out for you absolutely blew my mind.

[@MisterBolticus]

This is what S-tier game design looks like

[@D-Nova]

Death looks so cool in this game...

[@memelord2988]

I never properly experienced the dopleganger fight.I just froze the time and went full auto on him LMAO

[@perplexingperceptions8888]

Castlevania symphony of the night is one of my favorite Castlevania games like 140 BTW.

[@gaara_death88]

If you haven't already you should play bloodstained Koji did them games

[@gaara_death88]

Sorry didn't watch the whole video yet just heard that Symphony of the Night what's your first metroidvania

[@tarnetskygge]

replaying this again after Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth left me wanting more (a great metroidvania in its own right and as a homage to SOTN, but it's a bit short lol)

[@DinoDave150]

While I'm personally more of a fan of the classic style Castlevania games, there's no denying that Symphony of the Night is a great game that had a massive impact on the series. Also, I seem to have quite the relationship with Metroidvanias as I always make a decent amount of progress but then find myself wondering where to go next at a certain point. You also gotta love that 90s voice acting! 😂

[@lucidstudious750]

Fun fact: in the Japanese version of this game, the priest in the confession room has actual dialogue Never found the translation tho

[@TheDracioN]

I hope you play Castlevania Legacy of Darkness, which was a more improved 64 game. It might not have aged as well as the Zelda games, but it's still a lot of fun.

[@leonardolopes6360]

Jokes on you,I have finished replaying this gem just last month XD

[@finnish_hunter]

The doppelganger Alucard fight was great until I realized that you can just crouch and bait him to jump constantly and hit him with your sword.

[@ResidentNotEvil5]

Only thing you have to remember the map where to go and open all secrets doors

[@LoneWolf_Cub_Ogami_Itto]

Metroidvania is my favorite genre and Hollow Knight truly stole it as the GOAT though Metroid Dread is really good, surprised me. SotN is the best PS1 game. Me, my older sister and her boyfriend would spend a weekend playing SotN, Resident Evil 1-3, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Dino Crisis and Oddworld Abe's Oddysee and Exodus.

[@soulreaver1983]

Outstanding game Outstanding video!!!!!😎👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Alucard24601]

I'm interested in this

[@louisvictor3473]

Back in the day, I had played Castlevania X, and a few other earlier titles. Never finished them, I actually didn't like them too much (the more rigid movement wasnt young me's thing, being a Megamanaholic). I have no idea how I came to own a copy of Symphony of the night for hte original playstation, but I remember that I had approached it rather skeptically, expecting to be bored soon as I had been of earlier Castlevania titles.... it is hard to describe how glad I was to be proven wrong back then, this was one of those titles I just couldn't put down at all.

[@SickTruck]

I fucking love Tim Rogers! Action Button!

[@JozefLucifugeKorzeniowski]

"Do you know Hgckrichter Belmont?"

[@tarnetskygge]

correct german pronunciation of "Richter"

[@hekate824]

This game also makes a good handheld experience as well :)

[@xXSonTJXxx]

Best castlevania ever made

[@VonGroot]

Considering to buy this on PlayStation store and doing a twitch stream 😁