If 2D gaming has a savior, its name is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Serving as a stunning summary of everything the gaming industry has learned from its first decade of platform and quest games, SotN combines the vast areas and non-linear exploration of Metroid with the character development and item collecting of The Legend of Zelda and, of course, the gothic extravagance of Castlevania's high production values.

SotN is a direct follow-up to the excellent Dracula X for the PC Engine (a terrible translation was made available in the US for the SNES).  As Alucard, the half-human, half-vampire son of Count Dracula we met in Castlevania III for the NES, you've awakened from your self-imposed eternal slumber to find that Castlevania has risen again— and its master is a Belmont, one of the clan sworn to destroy Dracula.  Some evil must be at work, and it's your destiny to find the root, as you explore the castle and find useful items and magics to raise your power from its weakened state.  Soon enough, you can transform into wolf, bat or mist and employ spells, armor, weapons, and enchanted jewelry to do battle.

This is the definitive Castlevania, finally pulling together all of the strongest aspects of the series.  The haunting, orchestra-quality score is easily one of the best ever created for a video game, and the level of detail and expanse of the castle is unmatched in side-scrolling action.  There's a very intriguing mystery at work, and uncovering it is extremely exciting, especially for fans of the series.  The voice acting is surprisingly strong compared to the shoddy work in recent imports like Resident Evil.  Finally, there are surprises galore— just when you think you've found the end, there's a new challenge, and replayability is surprisingly high for a game of this type.

SotN has some frustrating control quirks, like spells that require awkward gamepad maneuvers, and, beyond one or two tough points and puzzles, it's awfully easy.  Fear, not, however— this is one helluva ride, a battle cry for the future of 2D gaming and, most importantly, reassurance that the legacy of Castlevania will continue.
 

VISUALS	SOUND	CONTROL	GAMEPLAY	OVERALL EXPERIENCE
20 of 20	20 of 20	18 of 20	20 of 20	20 of 20
FINAL SCORE: 98 of 100

Copyright © 1997 Hugh Sterbakov

Back to the Critics' Choice Game Reviews Archive