by Jin Lovelace, HSM team writer & filmmaker

So here’s the deal: I wasn’t going to work on this project. At all. In fact, I more or less washed my hands of it because I couldn’t remember how many times I took so much damage from the bats, the skeletons, or even Dracula himself in the opening scene of this game. Taking damage from the grunt enemies – the scrubs of the rogue gallery — is just shameful.

But then again, I was compelled to continue on because I made a promise to myself that I would at least review one of my favorite Castlevania games of all time for the world: Symphony of the Night.

For those that aren’t in the know about this highly lauded entry into classic Castlevania lore: SotN is a franchise entry that revolutionized the series with a lot of charm, gameplay mechanics, and replay value that’ll have you up for hours on end searching for a bevy of secrets and weapons . Before there were trophies, you had your completion percentage in this game; the more you completed the Castle and unlocked all of the hidden rooms and goodies, the more you felt that you’ve won the game.

The game casts you as Dracula’s son, Adrian Farenheit Tepes — Alucard — as you roam Castlevania to thwart your father’s plans of destruction. Along the way, you’re facing against the living castle’s minions that dwell inside, obeying Dracula’s orders to put a stop to your mission. And you’re collecting  weapons, armor, and leveling up to fight off the demons that spawn and try to get in your way.

This isn’t the whip-based platformer that you once knew. Symphony of the Night’s renown is due to its incredible take on infusing RPG elements with a Metroid-esque gameplay style to deliver hours of fun.

You won’t find a “pro” run here. I play my games naturally at first and allow my skill to progress. If I’m familiar with the system direction, then you see a bit of a personality to my upcoming runs. For this session, however, you’ll see a bit of rustiness due to not having touched this game for years, so expect some deaths or heavy damage intake from enemies. This is a great learning process for me to familiarize myself on how I defeated these enemies and bash them again later on.

Overall, this is a mere way to showcase to you some of my fondest games growing up, as this is definitely one of them. Based on feedback, I may turn this into a “Natural Playthrough” and produce more later on. If you’re itching to try this game out, it’s available right now in the Playstation Store for just $5.99. Hope you enjoy.

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