Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Encyclopedia
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game
developed and published by Konami
in 1997. It is the 14th installment of the Castlevania
series, the first installment released for the PlayStation, and a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
.
Symphony of the Night was an important milestone of the Castlevania series. It steered the series away from the standard level-by-level platforming formula of older titles and introduced a new style of open-ended gameplay mixed with RPG-like elements that would be emulated by most of its successors. A similar, earlier form of this type of gameplay existed in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
. The development of these features can be attributed to Koji Igarashi
, the game's writer and one of the team's newest members. Igarashi, a noted fan of 2D games, was instrumental in refining the game's control scheme. His primary motivation for the abrupt design change was seeing dozens of Castlevania games in the "used" bargain bin in Japanese video game stores, as linear Castlevania games offered limited replay value after completion. He also established an official Castlevania canon
, in an attempt to tie up several loose ends in the series' time line during Symphony of the Night. Other notable staff include character designer Ayami Kojima
and composer Michiru Yamane
.
Like many installments of the Castlevania series, Symphony of the Night uses a 2D side-scrolling
style of gameplay. The objective of the game is to guide primary player character
Alucard through the undead-filled castle, as he sets out to defeat the vampire Dracula. Symphony of the Night follows a nonlinear style of gameplay; at the game's beginning, Alucard can only access certain areas of the castle, but by obtaining the three forms (a wolf, bat, and mist) that he can shapeshift into, he gradually explores the castle. A map carried by Alucard automatically updates to reflect the player's progress through the castle. While previous protagonists of the series have traditionally used whips as their main weapon, Alucard can find and use weapons ranging from edged weapons
—typically sword
s and knives
—to knuckles
and expendable items, such as neutron bomb
s or javelin
s. He can also obtain health restoratives
, various equipment and items to boost his attributes; all located on an inventory
. Relic
s found throughout the castle will provide him with different abilities, such as being able to double jump. A bestiary
kept by the castle's librarian, who also functions as a shopkeeper, shows the different monsters encounted by the player, and the items they dropped when defeated.
Additionally, Symphony of the Night incorporates elements found in role-playing game
s. His hit points determine the maximum amount of damage he can withstand before dying, while his magic point
s decide how often a magical attack may be cast. Additionally, he possesses four other attributes
: strength, the power of his physical attack; defense, his resilience to damage inflicted by the monsters; intelligence, the recovery speed of magic points; and luck, the frequency of items dropped by enemies. Defeating monsters provides him with experience point
s, and he will level up after reaching a predetermined amount, increasing his attributes in the process. Alucard may cast eight different spells, which requires the player to input directional combinations and will use up varying amounts of his magic points. Over the course of the game, Alucard can acquire the ability to summon familiars: they function as complementary entities, aiding him in battle and exploration. The North American version of the game includes the Fairy
, Demon
, Ghost
, Bat
, and Sword
familiars. The original Japanese version of the game included the Nose Devil (functionally identical to the Demon, but with a Tengu
mask) and Pixie
(functionally identical to the Fairy; the kanji literally translates to Half Fairy) familiars as well.
Alternative modes of gameplay can be unlocked after the completion of the game. By inputing Richter Belmont's name as the user name, the player can choose to play as him; Richter uses a whip as his primary weapon and various subweapons. Two other alternative modes see Alucard as the player character, but with certain items, and increased or decreased attributes.
, the Castlevania series revolves around the eternal battle between the vampire hunter
s of the Belmont clan and the vampire Dracula
. The direct sequel to the Japan-only release Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
, Symphony of the Night takes place five years after its events; after defeating Dracula and the evil priest Shaft in 1792, Richter vanishes four years later, which triggers a series of responses from the characters. Castlevania, Dracula's castle, which, according to the lore of the series, only appears once every century, is revealed to be an entity of Chaos that continually shifts and changes to confuse trespassers with each different incarnation.
Symphony of the Night departs from the general practice of the series of having a member of the Belmont clan as the protagonist
, and instead features Dracula's dhampir
son, Alucard, in the role. After Richter's disappearance, Alucard awakes from his self-induced slumber and sets out to defeat Dracula. Supporting characters include the seventeen-year-old vampire hunter Maria Renard, who had been held captive in the castle during the events of Rondo of Blood, and in her search for Richter, stumbles upon the re-emerged castle; and Richter Belmont, the protagonist of Rondo of Blood. Residents of the castle include the castle's librarian
, who quickly changes his resolve not to aid an enemy of Dracula, and sells items to Alucard; and the ferryman, who brings Alucard across a river in the castle. Death, Dracula's servant who opposes Alucard's plan to destroy the castle; Shaft, a priest who plans to resurrect Dracula; and Dracula serve as the game's primary antagonists.
of the castle, Alucard confronts him, and learns that he plans to resurrect Dracula so that he may battle the vampire for eternity. Alucard breaks the spell controlling him, and Dracula's servant Shaft appears; he reveals that despite ending his spell on Richter, Dracula will be resurrected soon, and summons an inverted version of castle.
Leaving Richter to Maria's care, Alucard enters the inverted castle to find and destroy Shaft. Along the way, he defeats Death, and eventually finds Shaft. Shaft admits that he planned to end the threat of the Belomont clan by controlling one as the master of the castle and forcing them to fight each other. As Alucard defeats him, Shaft reveals that Dracula's resurrection is complete. Alucard then faces his father, who vows to destroy humankind because Alucard's mother, Lisa, was executed as a witch. Alucard refuses to join him in his revenge, and the two battle. Alucard defeats him, and suggests that he lost the battle because he lost his ability to love after Lisa's death; Dracula then quotes the biblical verse Matthew 16:26, and learns that Lisa's final words were of eternal love for him and a plea not to hate, or at least harm, humanity. As Dracula vanishes, he asks for Lisa's forgiveness and bids his son farewell. Escaping the crumbling castle, Alucard rejoins Maria and Richter outside. Maria expresses relief that he escaped, while Richter blames himself as the reason for Alucard's fight with his father. Alucard reminds him that "the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing," and resolves to disappear from the world because of his "cursed" bloodline. Depending on how much of the castle the player has explored, Maria will either resign herself to his fate and leave with Richter, or chase after him with Richter's blessing in the hope of changing his mind.
as a viable development platform, the team was tasked with developing a new game, so what was usable from The Bloodletting was absorbed into the Symphony of the Night project.
Symphony of the Night marks the first appearance of artist Ayami Kojima
in the video game industry. Kojima's role in the game's production was that of character designer, specifically tasked with conceptualizing the game's main and supporting cast in a unique way. Her designs for Symphony of the Night borrow heavily from bishōnen
-style art. These illustrations proved popular amongst the Castlevania fan base, which prompted similar designs to be done by Kojima for later titles.
Symphony of the Night is presented via 2D visuals, mainly sprites
animated over scrolling backgrounds, with effects such as rotation and scaling being used liberally. Sprites range in size, from quite small to filling an entire screen (primarily bosses such as Galamoth). For backgrounds, parallax
effects attempt to simulate depth, and can be observed in many areas throughout the game.
Occasionally, the 3D capabilities of the PlayStation attempt to embellish the largely 2D world. For example, cloudy skies in the Holy Chapel area are rendered as 3D textures moving towards the player's perspective, and a polygonal clock tower visible from the Castle Keep rotates as the player moves. Enemies and spells also sometimes render 3D elements as part of their special animations. As was popular at the time (1997), the game contains some short full motion video
(FMV) sequences that mostly showcase the castle from different angles. These FMVs do not appear in the Xbox Live Arcade
version of the game.
According to Koji Igarashi, Symphony of the Night started out as "...something of a side story for the series, we were able to break of Castlevania conventions and introduce a lot of new elements that we still use today."
based on the game), and a soundtrack compiled of most of the Castlevania games released before Symphony of the Night. It contained two more familiars than the subsequent English-language release. The English release mistakingly titled the prologue sequence with Richter as "Bloodlines", in reference to the wrong Castlevania game
. Symphony of the Night was released in Japan on March 20, 1997, in North America on October 2, 1997, and in Europe in November 1997. It was re-released in Japan under the "PlayStation the Best" label on March 19, 1998, and in North America under "Greatest Hits" in 1998.
for a Japan-only release. It includes various new features: Maria Renard becomes a fully playable character, and along with Richter, is available to play as for the start of the game.
When playing as Alucard, a "third hand" is available to store food or medicine. Alucard can also use exclusive items in the port, such as the "Alucard Boots". An exclusive new boss, the Skeleton King, and two new areas were added to the castle: the Cursed Prison and the Underground Garden. The game also contains remix
es of previous Castlevania songs.
Unfortunately, due to poor coding, there are more and longer load times in the Saturn version. However, in most cases, slowdowns were noticed after the player has occupied more than three save slots; so, these issues can be avoided by careful walk through and save progress planning. Since the Saturn has limited hardware transparency support, transparency effects, such as the mists and the waterfall, were replaced with dithering effects. Also, rather than take advantage of the Saturn's increased resolution, the graphics are stretched to fill the screen, which causes some sprites to be distorted. The overall quality is said to be lower than the PlayStation version due to it being a simple port handled by another team, and not being recoded to take advantage of the Saturn's technically superior 2D capabilities. Igarashi has expressed his disdain for the Sega Saturn version.
port of the PlayStation version of the game to be distributed via Xbox Live Arcade
. The port was handled by Backbone Entertainment
. It was the first Xbox Live Arcade title to exceed the 50 MB restriction placed upon Xbox Live Arcade games (The limit has since been increased to 2 GB). The exception was made for Symphony of the Night to "ensure that the gameplay experience is the best it can be". Symphony of the Night for Xbox Live Arcade was released on Wednesday, March 21, 2007. With most Xbox Arcade games, it features Leader boards that track players progress throughout the castle and features 12 achievements worth 200 points.
To save on space, all FMV
sequences were removed from the North American version of the game. They have been added back to the Japanese version, which is approximately 25 megabytes larger. When the unpatched version still features "I Am The Wind" as a ending music, a later patch replaced it with "Admiration Towards the Clan," the ending song from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
.
In 2009, Konami released Symphony of the Night alongside Super Contra and Frogger on the Konami Classics Vol. 1 for Xbox 360.
. The game was released on October 23, 2007 in North America. The English translations outside of the Japanese release features a redone (not quite re-translated) script and new voice acting.
The PlayStation Portable version of the game, as an unlockable part of The Dracula X Chronicles, is generally a port of the PlayStation version, but contains some additions and changes. As in the Sega Saturn version, Maria Renard is also a playable character and a boss in the PSP version. In contrast from her Sega Saturn appearance, her gameplay style is closer to her Rondo of Blood counterpart. She uses owls as her primary means of attack and her four animal friends as subweapons. Her sprites are also redrawn, though her original sprites are still used during cutscenes. She was even given some new moves such as the ability to dash (can also be done in mid-air), drop-kick and superjump with one of her owls.
The Nose Devil and Sprite familiars from the Japanese versions return, titled "N Demon" and "Fairy" respectively. The first Fairy familiar is renamed "Faerie." Like the Xbox 360 version, "I Am The Wind" is not played over the credits. A new song, "Serenade of Sympathy", is used instead. Some sound effects have also been altered.
The game's English script has been reworked: not quite re-translated, as the basis is very much the first English translation, instead of the original Japanese script. The dialogue has also been re-recorded with new voice acting. The prologue text is slightly altered and is narrated by a voice over. The game has the option of using the original Japanese voices. Some enemy voices, such as Axe Lord and Medusa, were not redubbed and retain their original Japanese voices on both language settings. There are also some subtle changes to item and enemy descriptions, and the Librarian's bestiary has been reorganized.
A version for the Game.com
was cancelled.
The PlayStation Network version, which is identical to the PS1 version and is compatible with the Sony PlayStation 3
and the Sony PSP
, was released on July 19, 2007.
, who had previously composed the soundtrack for Castlevania: Bloodlines
. The soundtrack contains elements from multiple music genres including techno
, gothic rock
, new age music
, classical
, jazz
and many variations of metal
. "I Am the Wind", a vocal ending theme performed by Cynthia Harrell, is played during the credits.
The soundtrack contains a few tracks that are remixes
of pieces from Akumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondo
, particularly "Dance of Illusions", the music that plays during Chi no Rondo' s last boss
. There is also "Blood Relations", a variation of the piece heard in the first stage in Rondo of Blood, "Bloodlines".
The original PlayStation version of Symphony of the Night includes an audio track featuring an arranged version of the tune "Dracula's Castle" called Alucard's Vengeance, which can be played on an Audio CD player after listening to Alucard's warning. Also, the PlayStation Version has an alternative ending originally coded for the game, but it was unused.
, and copies of the original PlayStation version are considered collector's items. It is most notable for demonstrating the continued popularity of 2D
games during the fifth generation
of video game consoles (the 32-bit era, which saw rapid advancements in 3D
gaming).
During the game's release in 1997, the overwhelming trend in console video gaming was towards 3D graphics. Thanks to the powerful new hardware found in fifth generation consoles, well-established gaming franchises such as Mario
and The Legend of Zelda received highly successful 3D face lifts, while 2D games began to fall out of favor with publishers as it was speculated that they would no longer sell.
Although it received limited funding for its North American production, and was initially not a major success from a financial perspective, Symphony of the Night eventually proved to be a massive critical and public success, and the game later went on to join other popular PlayStation titles as part of the "Greatest Hits" line of re-released best-selling PlayStation games.
The gaming press often draws comparisons between the gameplay of Symphony of the Night (and its 2-D successors) with the popular Super Metroid
, which led to the coinage of the terms "Castleroid" and "Metroidvania" (portmanteaux of Castlevania and Metroid).
In 1998, Symphony of the Night was awarded PlayStation Game of the Year by Electronic Gaming Monthly
. It was also ranked 4th place on EGM's 100 greatest games of all time, and the highest PS1 game on the list. It was also named Game of the Year by PSM in its list of the top ten games of 1997. It has made a number of "greatest game" lists, notably GameSpot
's "The Greatest Games of All Time" list, being one of the first inductees. It also placed 16th on IGN
's "Top 100 Games of All Time" and 24th in Game Informer
' s "Top 200 Video Games Ever". GamePro
listed the discovery of the inverted castle as the twenty-sixth greatest moment in gaming. WeDoLists ranked Symphony of the Night as the second greatest soundtrack of all time for the video game genre.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
developed and published by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
in 1997. It is the 14th installment of the Castlevania
Castlevania
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
series, the first installment released for the PlayStation, and a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, known in Japan as is a platform video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine. The tenth installment of the Castlevania video game series and a 2D side-scroller, it acts as a middleground between the earlier, typically linear Castlevania games and the later...
.
Symphony of the Night was an important milestone of the Castlevania series. It steered the series away from the standard level-by-level platforming formula of older titles and introduced a new style of open-ended gameplay mixed with RPG-like elements that would be emulated by most of its successors. A similar, earlier form of this type of gameplay existed in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure role-playing platform game produced by Konami. It was originally released for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan 1987 and for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1988. It is the second Castlevania...
. The development of these features can be attributed to Koji Igarashi
Koji Igarashi
, also known simply by the nickname IGA, is a Konami employee and one of the producers of the Castlevania video game series. He is best known as the assistant director of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, his first major involvement in the Castlevania series , also known simply by the nickname...
, the game's writer and one of the team's newest members. Igarashi, a noted fan of 2D games, was instrumental in refining the game's control scheme. His primary motivation for the abrupt design change was seeing dozens of Castlevania games in the "used" bargain bin in Japanese video game stores, as linear Castlevania games offered limited replay value after completion. He also established an official Castlevania canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
, in an attempt to tie up several loose ends in the series' time line during Symphony of the Night. Other notable staff include character designer Ayami Kojima
Ayami Kojima
is a Japanese game and concept artist who is best known for her work on the Castlevania series of video games with Konami. She is self-taught and enjoys reading shōnen manga...
and composer Michiru Yamane
Michiru Yamane
is a Japanese video game composer and musician. She is known primarily for her work on the Castlevania series and other Konami games, including Suikoden. Her debut composition was Twinbee...
.
Gameplay
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
style of gameplay. The objective of the game is to guide primary player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
Alucard through the undead-filled castle, as he sets out to defeat the vampire Dracula. Symphony of the Night follows a nonlinear style of gameplay; at the game's beginning, Alucard can only access certain areas of the castle, but by obtaining the three forms (a wolf, bat, and mist) that he can shapeshift into, he gradually explores the castle. A map carried by Alucard automatically updates to reflect the player's progress through the castle. While previous protagonists of the series have traditionally used whips as their main weapon, Alucard can find and use weapons ranging from edged weapons
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
—typically sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s and knives
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
—to knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
and expendable items, such as neutron bomb
Neutron bomb
A neutron bomb or enhanced radiation weapon or weapon of reinforced radiation is a type of thermonuclear weapon designed specifically to release a large portion of its energy as energetic neutron radiation rather than explosive energy...
s or javelin
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
s. He can also obtain health restoratives
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
, various equipment and items to boost his attributes; all located on an inventory
Inventory
Inventory means a list compiled for some formal purpose, such as the details of an estate going to probate, or the contents of a house let furnished. This remains the prime meaning in British English...
. Relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s found throughout the castle will provide him with different abilities, such as being able to double jump. A bestiary
Bestiary
A bestiary, or Bestiarum vocabulum is a compendium of beasts. Bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals, birds and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a moral lesson...
kept by the castle's librarian, who also functions as a shopkeeper, shows the different monsters encounted by the player, and the items they dropped when defeated.
Additionally, Symphony of the Night incorporates elements found in role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s. His hit points determine the maximum amount of damage he can withstand before dying, while his magic point
Magic point
Magic points are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games as an expendable resource that is needed to pay for magic spells and other abilities, such as special attacks...
s decide how often a magical attack may be cast. Additionally, he possesses four other attributes
Attribute (role-playing games)
An attribute is a piece of data that describes to what extent a fictional character in a role-playing game possesses a specific natural, in-born characteristic common to all characters in the game. That piece of data is usually an abstract number or, in some cases, a set of dice...
: strength, the power of his physical attack; defense, his resilience to damage inflicted by the monsters; intelligence, the recovery speed of magic points; and luck, the frequency of items dropped by enemies. Defeating monsters provides him with experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s, and he will level up after reaching a predetermined amount, increasing his attributes in the process. Alucard may cast eight different spells, which requires the player to input directional combinations and will use up varying amounts of his magic points. Over the course of the game, Alucard can acquire the ability to summon familiars: they function as complementary entities, aiding him in battle and exploration. The North American version of the game includes the Fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, Demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
, Ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
, Bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
, and Sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
familiars. The original Japanese version of the game included the Nose Devil (functionally identical to the Demon, but with a Tengu
Tengu
are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami...
mask) and Pixie
Pixie
Pixies are mythical creatures of folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name.They are usually depicted with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed...
(functionally identical to the Fairy; the kanji literally translates to Half Fairy) familiars as well.
Alternative modes of gameplay can be unlocked after the completion of the game. By inputing Richter Belmont's name as the user name, the player can choose to play as him; Richter uses a whip as his primary weapon and various subweapons. Two other alternative modes see Alucard as the player character, but with certain items, and increased or decreased attributes.
Setting and characters
Set in a fictional universeFictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
, the Castlevania series revolves around the eternal battle between the vampire hunter
Vampire hunter
A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a character in folklore and fiction who specializes in finding and destroying vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures....
s of the Belmont clan and the vampire Dracula
Dracula (Castlevania)
, whose real name is Mathias Cronqvist , is a fictional character from the multi-platform Castlevania video game series...
. The direct sequel to the Japan-only release Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, known in Japan as is a platform video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine. The tenth installment of the Castlevania video game series and a 2D side-scroller, it acts as a middleground between the earlier, typically linear Castlevania games and the later...
, Symphony of the Night takes place five years after its events; after defeating Dracula and the evil priest Shaft in 1792, Richter vanishes four years later, which triggers a series of responses from the characters. Castlevania, Dracula's castle, which, according to the lore of the series, only appears once every century, is revealed to be an entity of Chaos that continually shifts and changes to confuse trespassers with each different incarnation.
Symphony of the Night departs from the general practice of the series of having a member of the Belmont clan as the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, and instead features Dracula's dhampir
Dhampir
A Dhampir in Balkan folklore is the child of a vampire father and a human mother. The term is sometimes spelled dhampyre, dhamphir, or dhampyr. Dhampir powers are similar to those of vampires, but without the usual weaknesses...
son, Alucard, in the role. After Richter's disappearance, Alucard awakes from his self-induced slumber and sets out to defeat Dracula. Supporting characters include the seventeen-year-old vampire hunter Maria Renard, who had been held captive in the castle during the events of Rondo of Blood, and in her search for Richter, stumbles upon the re-emerged castle; and Richter Belmont, the protagonist of Rondo of Blood. Residents of the castle include the castle's librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
, who quickly changes his resolve not to aid an enemy of Dracula, and sells items to Alucard; and the ferryman, who brings Alucard across a river in the castle. Death, Dracula's servant who opposes Alucard's plan to destroy the castle; Shaft, a priest who plans to resurrect Dracula; and Dracula serve as the game's primary antagonists.
Story
Symphony of the Night opens with the final stage of Rondo of Blood in which Richter fights and defeats Dracula. Five years later, Alucard arrives at the castle. Inside, he meets Dracula's servant Death, who warns him to stop his quest to destroy the castle; Maria, a seventeen-year-old vampire hunter on a quest to find Richter; and the castle's librarian, who sells him various items and equipment. Periodically encountering Maria throughout the castle, he meets Richter, who claims to be the master of the castle and forces him to do battle with two monsters. Alucard defeats the monsters, and finding Maria again, tells her about Richter; upset, she leaves him to confirm it for herself. Convinced that Richter is under the control of another, she meets up with Alucard again, and urging him not hurt Richter, gives him a item which allows him to see past illusions. In the keepKeep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
of the castle, Alucard confronts him, and learns that he plans to resurrect Dracula so that he may battle the vampire for eternity. Alucard breaks the spell controlling him, and Dracula's servant Shaft appears; he reveals that despite ending his spell on Richter, Dracula will be resurrected soon, and summons an inverted version of castle.
Leaving Richter to Maria's care, Alucard enters the inverted castle to find and destroy Shaft. Along the way, he defeats Death, and eventually finds Shaft. Shaft admits that he planned to end the threat of the Belomont clan by controlling one as the master of the castle and forcing them to fight each other. As Alucard defeats him, Shaft reveals that Dracula's resurrection is complete. Alucard then faces his father, who vows to destroy humankind because Alucard's mother, Lisa, was executed as a witch. Alucard refuses to join him in his revenge, and the two battle. Alucard defeats him, and suggests that he lost the battle because he lost his ability to love after Lisa's death; Dracula then quotes the biblical verse Matthew 16:26, and learns that Lisa's final words were of eternal love for him and a plea not to hate, or at least harm, humanity. As Dracula vanishes, he asks for Lisa's forgiveness and bids his son farewell. Escaping the crumbling castle, Alucard rejoins Maria and Richter outside. Maria expresses relief that he escaped, while Richter blames himself as the reason for Alucard's fight with his father. Alucard reminds him that "the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing," and resolves to disappear from the world because of his "cursed" bloodline. Depending on how much of the castle the player has explored, Maria will either resign herself to his fate and leave with Richter, or chase after him with Richter's blessing in the hope of changing his mind.
Development
It is rumored that the canceled Castlevania game, The Bloodletting, eventually became Symphony of the Night. With the cancellation of the Sega 32XSega 32X
The Sega 32X, codenamed Project Mars, is an add-on for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console by Sega. Its aim was to increase the lifespan of the aging Mega Drive/Genesis system, which was facing stiff competition from the SNES...
as a viable development platform, the team was tasked with developing a new game, so what was usable from The Bloodletting was absorbed into the Symphony of the Night project.
Symphony of the Night marks the first appearance of artist Ayami Kojima
Ayami Kojima
is a Japanese game and concept artist who is best known for her work on the Castlevania series of video games with Konami. She is self-taught and enjoys reading shōnen manga...
in the video game industry. Kojima's role in the game's production was that of character designer, specifically tasked with conceptualizing the game's main and supporting cast in a unique way. Her designs for Symphony of the Night borrow heavily from bishōnen
Bishonen
is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
-style art. These illustrations proved popular amongst the Castlevania fan base, which prompted similar designs to be done by Kojima for later titles.
Symphony of the Night is presented via 2D visuals, mainly sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
animated over scrolling backgrounds, with effects such as rotation and scaling being used liberally. Sprites range in size, from quite small to filling an entire screen (primarily bosses such as Galamoth). For backgrounds, parallax
Parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a special scrolling technique in computer graphics, popularized in the 1982 arcade game Moon Patrol. In this pseudo-3D technique, background images move by the camera slower than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D video game and adding to the immersion...
effects attempt to simulate depth, and can be observed in many areas throughout the game.
Occasionally, the 3D capabilities of the PlayStation attempt to embellish the largely 2D world. For example, cloudy skies in the Holy Chapel area are rendered as 3D textures moving towards the player's perspective, and a polygonal clock tower visible from the Castle Keep rotates as the player moves. Enemies and spells also sometimes render 3D elements as part of their special animations. As was popular at the time (1997), the game contains some short full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
(FMV) sequences that mostly showcase the castle from different angles. These FMVs do not appear in the Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
version of the game.
According to Koji Igarashi, Symphony of the Night started out as "...something of a side story for the series, we were able to break of Castlevania conventions and introduce a lot of new elements that we still use today."
PlayStation
Released first, the Japanese release of Symphony of the Night was packaged with an artbook (which also contains a small mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
based on the game), and a soundtrack compiled of most of the Castlevania games released before Symphony of the Night. It contained two more familiars than the subsequent English-language release. The English release mistakingly titled the prologue sequence with Richter as "Bloodlines", in reference to the wrong Castlevania game
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Bloodlines is the only Castlevania video game released on the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed and published by Konami, and was first released in North America, on March 17, 1994. Its Japanese title is . This version featured a considerable amount of violence, with the American...
. Symphony of the Night was released in Japan on March 20, 1997, in North America on October 2, 1997, and in Europe in November 1997. It was re-released in Japan under the "PlayStation the Best" label on March 19, 1998, and in North America under "Greatest Hits" in 1998.
Sega Saturn
In 1998, Symphony of the Night was ported to the Sega SaturnSega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
for a Japan-only release. It includes various new features: Maria Renard becomes a fully playable character, and along with Richter, is available to play as for the start of the game.
When playing as Alucard, a "third hand" is available to store food or medicine. Alucard can also use exclusive items in the port, such as the "Alucard Boots". An exclusive new boss, the Skeleton King, and two new areas were added to the castle: the Cursed Prison and the Underground Garden. The game also contains remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es of previous Castlevania songs.
Unfortunately, due to poor coding, there are more and longer load times in the Saturn version. However, in most cases, slowdowns were noticed after the player has occupied more than three save slots; so, these issues can be avoided by careful walk through and save progress planning. Since the Saturn has limited hardware transparency support, transparency effects, such as the mists and the waterfall, were replaced with dithering effects. Also, rather than take advantage of the Saturn's increased resolution, the graphics are stretched to fill the screen, which causes some sprites to be distorted. The overall quality is said to be lower than the PlayStation version due to it being a simple port handled by another team, and not being recoded to take advantage of the Saturn's technically superior 2D capabilities. Igarashi has expressed his disdain for the Sega Saturn version.
Xbox 360
In 2006, Konami announced an Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
port of the PlayStation version of the game to be distributed via Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
. The port was handled by Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment is an independent video game development company located in Emeryville, California.Backbone Entertainment is the result of a 2003 merger between Digital Eclipse Software and ImaginEngine...
. It was the first Xbox Live Arcade title to exceed the 50 MB restriction placed upon Xbox Live Arcade games (The limit has since been increased to 2 GB). The exception was made for Symphony of the Night to "ensure that the gameplay experience is the best it can be". Symphony of the Night for Xbox Live Arcade was released on Wednesday, March 21, 2007. With most Xbox Arcade games, it features Leader boards that track players progress throughout the castle and features 12 achievements worth 200 points.
To save on space, all FMV
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
sequences were removed from the North American version of the game. They have been added back to the Japanese version, which is approximately 25 megabytes larger. When the unpatched version still features "I Am The Wind" as a ending music, a later patch replaced it with "Admiration Towards the Clan," the ending song from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, released as in Japan, Europe, and Australia, is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PlayStation 2 console. Belonging to Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the first installment of the series on the PlayStation 2 and the third to...
.
In 2009, Konami released Symphony of the Night alongside Super Contra and Frogger on the Konami Classics Vol. 1 for Xbox 360.
PlayStation Portable
In 2007, Konami announced a port of Symphony of the Night would be included in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for the Sony PlayStation PortablePlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. The game was released on October 23, 2007 in North America. The English translations outside of the Japanese release features a redone (not quite re-translated) script and new voice acting.
The PlayStation Portable version of the game, as an unlockable part of The Dracula X Chronicles, is generally a port of the PlayStation version, but contains some additions and changes. As in the Sega Saturn version, Maria Renard is also a playable character and a boss in the PSP version. In contrast from her Sega Saturn appearance, her gameplay style is closer to her Rondo of Blood counterpart. She uses owls as her primary means of attack and her four animal friends as subweapons. Her sprites are also redrawn, though her original sprites are still used during cutscenes. She was even given some new moves such as the ability to dash (can also be done in mid-air), drop-kick and superjump with one of her owls.
The Nose Devil and Sprite familiars from the Japanese versions return, titled "N Demon" and "Fairy" respectively. The first Fairy familiar is renamed "Faerie." Like the Xbox 360 version, "I Am The Wind" is not played over the credits. A new song, "Serenade of Sympathy", is used instead. Some sound effects have also been altered.
The game's English script has been reworked: not quite re-translated, as the basis is very much the first English translation, instead of the original Japanese script. The dialogue has also been re-recorded with new voice acting. The prologue text is slightly altered and is narrated by a voice over. The game has the option of using the original Japanese voices. Some enemy voices, such as Axe Lord and Medusa, were not redubbed and retain their original Japanese voices on both language settings. There are also some subtle changes to item and enemy descriptions, and the Librarian's bestiary has been reorganized.
A version for the Game.com
Game.com
The Game.com is a handheld game console released by Tiger Electronics in September 1997. It featured many new ideas for handheld consoles and was aimed at an older target audience, sporting PDA-style features and functions such as a touch screen and stylus...
was cancelled.
The PlayStation Network version, which is identical to the PS1 version and is compatible with the Sony PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and the Sony PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, was released on July 19, 2007.
Voice Talent
| Character | Japanese Original (All releases) | English Dubbing (Original) | English Dubbing (PSP re-recording) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alucard | Ryōtarō Okiayu Ryotaro Okiayu is a Japanese voice actor, who was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, and raised in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture. He has been active since 1989, and is currently affiliated with Aoni Production.... |
Robert Belgrade | Yuri Lowenthal Yuri Lowenthal Yuri Lowenthal is a voice actor that has voiced several anime and video game characters. He also voiced Kamal for the alternate reality game I Love Bees.... |
| Richter Belmont | Kiyoyuki Yanada Kiyoyuki Yanada Kiyoyuki Yanada is a seiyū who was born in Tokyo. He was a member of 81 Produce.-Notable voice roles:*After School in the Teacher's Lounge *Baten Kaitos... |
Michael G. Michael Gough (voice actor) Michael Gough is an American voice actor and singer.-Television roles:*Dog from WordWorld* Don Diego de la Vega and The lead role in The New Adventures of Zorro* "Goof Troop" - Fester Swollen... |
David Earnest |
| Maria Renard | Chisa Yokoyama Chisa Yokoyama is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She is founder and head of her own voice company called Banbina after leaving Arts Vision. When she was a high school student, she was an assistant of Jump Broadcasting Station of Weekly Shōnen Jump... |
Kimberly Forsythe | Michelle Ruff Michelle Ruff Michelle Suzanne Ruff is an American voice actress known for her work in anime and video games.-Anime roles:* Angel Tales - Akane the fox* Ai Yori Aoshi - Aoi Sakuraba* Arc the Lad - Meril... |
| Lisa | Rica Fukami | Barbara Whitlow | Wendee Lee Wendee Lee Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any... |
| Succubus Succubus In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus... |
Allison Lester | ||
| Master Librarian | Masaharu Satō Masaharu Sato is a Japanese voice actor currently working for Aoni Production.Along with the late Kōji Totani, he is considered the No. 1 supporting actor of the Japanese voice acting world.... |
Unknown | Unknown |
| Ferryman | |||
| Death Death Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury.... |
Dennis Falt | Travis Willingham Travis Willingham Travis Hampton Willingham is an American actor and voice actor who works with anime films, television series, as well as video games.... |
|
| Shaft | Kiyoyuki Yanada Kiyoyuki Yanada Kiyoyuki Yanada is a seiyū who was born in Tokyo. He was a member of 81 Produce.-Notable voice roles:*After School in the Teacher's Lounge *Baten Kaitos... |
Jeff Manning Jeff Manning Jeff Manning, sometimes credited as Jeffrey Manning, is an English-language voice actor who is known primarily for his work on the North American English dub of Iron Chef, as well as roles in several video games, and voice-overs on numerous television commercials. He previously worked for Mickey's... |
Kyle Hebert Kyle Hebert Kyle Henry Hebert is an American voice actor and podcaster who works with anime films, television series, as well as video games... |
| Dracula Dracula (Castlevania) , whose real name is Mathias Cronqvist , is a fictional character from the multi-platform Castlevania video game series... |
Norio Wakamoto Norio Wakamoto is a veteran male seiyū and budō expert affiliated with Sigma Seven. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University... |
Scott McCulloch | Patrick Seitz Patrick Seitz Patrick Seitz is an American voice actor, ADR Director, and Script Writer primarily known for his work for Geneon Entertainment, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, Media Blasters, NYAV Post, New Generation Pictures, Funimation Entertainment, and Viz Media... |
Audio
The music in Symphony of the Night was met with broad praise by Castlevania fans. It was composed by Michiru YamaneMichiru Yamane
is a Japanese video game composer and musician. She is known primarily for her work on the Castlevania series and other Konami games, including Suikoden. Her debut composition was Twinbee...
, who had previously composed the soundtrack for Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Bloodlines is the only Castlevania video game released on the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed and published by Konami, and was first released in North America, on March 17, 1994. Its Japanese title is . This version featured a considerable amount of violence, with the American...
. The soundtrack contains elements from multiple music genres including techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
, new age music
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
, classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and many variations of metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. "I Am the Wind", a vocal ending theme performed by Cynthia Harrell, is played during the credits.
The soundtrack contains a few tracks that are remixes
RemixeS
RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...
of pieces from Akumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondo
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, known in Japan as is a platform video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine. The tenth installment of the Castlevania video game series and a 2D side-scroller, it acts as a middleground between the earlier, typically linear Castlevania games and the later...
, particularly "Dance of Illusions", the music that plays during Chi no Rondo
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
. There is also "Blood Relations", a variation of the piece heard in the first stage in Rondo of Blood, "Bloodlines".
The original PlayStation version of Symphony of the Night includes an audio track featuring an arranged version of the tune "Dracula's Castle" called Alucard's Vengeance, which can be played on an Audio CD player after listening to Alucard's warning. Also, the PlayStation Version has an alternative ending originally coded for the game, but it was unused.
Reception
At the time of its release, Symphony of the Night received a great deal of critical acclaim, yet was inexplicably low-balled as a prospect for domestic release. In the time since, however, it has developed a large cult followingCult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
, and copies of the original PlayStation version are considered collector's items. It is most notable for demonstrating the continued popularity of 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
games during the fifth generation
History of video game consoles (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at stores...
of video game consoles (the 32-bit era, which saw rapid advancements in 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
gaming).
During the game's release in 1997, the overwhelming trend in console video gaming was towards 3D graphics. Thanks to the powerful new hardware found in fifth generation consoles, well-established gaming franchises such as Mario
Super Mario 64
is a platform game, published by Nintendo and developed by its EAD division, for the Nintendo 64. Along with Pilotwings 64, it was one of the launch titles for the console. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, and later in North America, Europe, and Australia. Super Mario 64 has sold over...
and The Legend of Zelda received highly successful 3D face lifts, while 2D games began to fall out of favor with publishers as it was speculated that they would no longer sell.
Although it received limited funding for its North American production, and was initially not a major success from a financial perspective, Symphony of the Night eventually proved to be a massive critical and public success, and the game later went on to join other popular PlayStation titles as part of the "Greatest Hits" line of re-released best-selling PlayStation games.
The gaming press often draws comparisons between the gameplay of Symphony of the Night (and its 2-D successors) with the popular Super Metroid
Super Metroid
, also known as Metroid 3, is an action-adventure video game and the third game in the Metroid series. It was designed by Nintendo Research & Development 1, programmed by Intelligent Systems, and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
, which led to the coinage of the terms "Castleroid" and "Metroidvania" (portmanteaux of Castlevania and Metroid).
In 1998, Symphony of the Night was awarded PlayStation Game of the Year by Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
. It was also ranked 4th place on EGM's 100 greatest games of all time, and the highest PS1 game on the list. It was also named Game of the Year by PSM in its list of the top ten games of 1997. It has made a number of "greatest game" lists, notably GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's "The Greatest Games of All Time" list, being one of the first inductees. It also placed 16th on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's "Top 100 Games of All Time" and 24th in Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
listed the discovery of the inverted castle as the twenty-sixth greatest moment in gaming. WeDoLists ranked Symphony of the Night as the second greatest soundtrack of all time for the video game genre.