Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
|
|
| Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | |
| Missing image Castlevania_sotn_logo1.png Official game logo | |
| Developer(s) | Konami/KCET |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Release date(s) | March 20, 1997 (JP) October 2, 1997 (NA) November, 1997 (EU) |
| Genre | Action adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Platform(s) | Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn |
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (commonly abbreviated SotN) is an action-adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the PlayStation in 1997. It was rereleased the following year for the Sega Saturn exclusively in Japan. Its Japanese title is Demon Castle Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight (悪魔城ドラキュラＸ月下の夜想曲 Akumajō Dracula X: Gekka no Yasōkyoku). It is part of the Castlevania series, and is a direct sequel to Dracula X: Rondo of Blood for the NEC PC Engine.
This game is widely considered to be one of the best in the series, and a major part of the series' history. Almost all of the game's successors, aside from the Nintendo 64 3D games, have emulated its exploration-based action-RPG style
Storyline
This causes Alucard to awaken from his self-induced sleep. He awakens to find Richter Belmont missing and so begins searching for clues. The trail leads to his father Dracula's castle, Castlevania, which reappears after only five years of banishment instead of the traditional century. Alucard encounters Maria Renard (Richter's sister-in-law) at the gates of the castle, who states she is also questing for details of Richter's fate. This is the point where the game truly starts, with Alucard deciding to brave his father's cursed realm and find Richter and determine what happened to him.
Under your control, Alucard ventures through and explores his father's castle to find out what exactly has happened to Richter. As he begins his quest, the spectre of Death (an ally of Dracula) appears. After some icy banter and an unsuccessful attempt to sway Alucard back to his father's cause, Death takes away Alucard's family heirloom gear. During his quest, Alucard finds various other weapons, shields, armor, capes, and rings to use; several of these are named after characters from Tolkien's The Silmarillion (e.g., the Ring of Varda, the Fist of Tulkas).
There are, to date, four known separate endings for the game (five in Saturn version), depending on your level of exploration of Castlevania itself. If a certain sequence of events is followed Richter is revealed to be under the influence of Shaft's will, and after the former is defeated another, inverted version of Castlevania appears from the heavens which contains another entire series of adventures crowned by the ultimate face-off between Alucard and his revived father, Dracula himself.
Characters
Alucard3.gif
Alucard, drawn by Ayami Kojima
All three characters are playable from the beginning only in the Sega Saturn version.
- Alucard (Real name: Adrian Farenheights Tepes)
- Richter Belmont (Playable only at the beginning, until he is unlocked)
- Maria Renard (Playable only in the Sega Saturn version)