mZuzek

User Score
8.7

Presentation - 8.5
Gameplay - 9.0
Value - 8.5

Such is the nature of Symphony of the Night: a genre-defining and revolutionary entry in the classic Castlevania franchise, but one that was ultimately too caught up in its own ambition.

This game was a massive departure from its predecessors, opting to forego the traditional linear level-based gameplay of the series in favor of a large interconnected world not unlike those commonly seen in Metroid, as well as incorporating many new ideas such as special powers and transformations, and bringing over RPG elements like level-based progression, different weapons and equipment, and shops. The new approach was highly successful, as it's since become the norm for Castlevania games and of course, helped define what is now commonly referred to as the 'Metroidvania' genre.

Moreso, Symphony of the Night also stays just true enough to its roots to really get any oldschool fan's blood pumping. The presentation is very reminiscent of the original entries, with stunning environments and level design, gorgeous sprite animations, and a fantastic soundtrack that hits the perfect balance between catchy and atmospheric. The game's prologue alone is a perfect example of all this, blending the perfect amount of old vs. new to create one of the most engaging and exhilariating openings in the history of the medium.

From there on, it hardly ever puts a foot wrong. As any good Metroidvania game, it seems to just get more and more interesting the further you venture into the world, and it's all smooth sailing all the way to the end, and for the most part it's clear why Symphony of the Night is held in such high regard. Unfortunately, this enticing adventure would eventually overstay its welcome. Dramatically.

* MILD SPOILERS AHEAD *

You see, Symphony of the Night has two different endings. The "fake" ending is rather simple to unlock through playing the game normally, but it's slightly underwhelming as it seems to simply ignore some of key characters found throughout the experience: thus, the game encourages you to try harder and get the true ending, which obviously requires more effort - but this is where things go badly off rails. The quest for the true ending is very, very lengthy and over the course of it you'll see this game becoming a mere shadow of itself, as it slowly burns through every inch of its soul and identity in a desperate attempt to have loads of content. By the end, it makes you just want to be done with it, and it's truly a sad sight to behold. It's ultimately not really worth it, as the true ending itself is barely an improvement over the fake one, and just makes you wonder why the hell you spent all that time trying to unlock it.

It is hard to recommend someone to ignore the true ending, however - it is sadly a key part of the experience, and ignoring it means ignoring a lot of what this game has to offer. So, as much as I wanted to love Symphony of the Night, and I did, by the end it felt like a depressing experience with someone you used to adore.

Is it a brilliant game? Despite all I've said, yes, yeah it is. To some extent I actually feel like replaying it, and now that I know I should just ignore the whole true ending crap, it might even be a better ride the second time. It's sad that it had to have such a huge flaw, because otherwise it might have been a near-perfect masterpiece, but it was still a memorable experience and I wouldn't have traded it for anything else.

(converted to 8.7 out of 10)

More Heptagon Reviews >>