What's
good, Neighborhood? I'm pretty sure my opinion on this game by itself
is evident from my reactions as I've played through it for the first
time in years. However, it's not simply my opinion on this game
that'll be the focus here. So, for those of you that have joined me
for the week-long LP and those that are just coming in for the review
I would like to formally welcome you to The Backlog. To celebrate the
release of the anime on Netflix, our inaugural review will focus on
one of the franchise stalwarts.
Castlevania:
Symphony of the Night.
Symphony
of the Night is widely regarded as one of the purest forms of gaming
excellence. From its soundtrack to the dynamic sprite-work and
animation, the subtle use of 3D rendering for the sprawling and lush
environments, very few times (before or since) has Castle Dracula and
it's adjacent environment been realized so fully and to such
universal acclaim. Symphony of the Night is a game with so much
impact that it has defined a specific genre and style of video game
that has lasted for 2 decades.
The
question remains: In this new era of gaming and game development,
even within the sub-genre that SotN has helped usher into the
industry, does this game stack up to what modern technology and
techniques have been able to produce? While that answer may be
obvious to you, Neighborhood, it's best that we explore the “how”
and the “why.” You picking up what I'm putting down? Yeah? Good.
Let's get started.
Sights
and Sounds
When
you first boot up the game, the Konami logo card that greets you
after the nostalgic boot screen for the PS1/PSX is bombastic and
creative in a way that is emblematic of the 90s. Afterward you go to
the title card and are prompted to jump right into the game. The next
menu is definite foreshadowing for the game itself, showcasing a
haunting vocal melody as you go about the business of loading your
game. If it's your first time starting a new game file, things take a
decidedly interesting turn as the peal of a guitar riff signals the
immediate start of the action.
The
prologue section of this game was designed to not only serve as a
little backstory for the events of the narrative proper, but also as
a nod to fans of classic Castlevania as you get to replay Richter
Belmont's final battle against the big daddy vampire himself,
Dracula. It's a great blend of old and new (for the time) and the
quality of CD audio definitely lent an extra clarity to sounds of the
coming clash. It's in this prologue that we get some of the most
iconic lines in gaming, such as the age old question-and-answer.
“What
is a man? A miserable pile of secrets!”
After
Richter's victory and the appropriately melodramatic text scroll
plays detailing the story in between games, you're returned to the
action as you see a decidedly more detailed character racing through
the forest at top speed. As Alucard, you battle through the
initially-darkened halls of the castle, but before long the lights
come on and not only are you greeted with the opulent castle
interior, your ears are also introduced to the hybrid rock-opera
soundtrack.
While
the game takes place only within the castle itself, the different
areas of this place are unique and replete with their own individual
visual theme, musical theme and a roster of enemies as menacing as
they are detailed. From the castle library with its floating
phantasms and skeleton duelists to the underground catacombs complete
with frogs, fish monsters and whatever that rose-woman is... Every
area looks and sounds like a whole world unto itself.
Boots
on the Ground
To
those that are old ranch hands when it comes to action-platforming
titles, playing SotN is like riding a bike. Once you learn it, you
never truly forget. The controls are simple on the surface. The D-pad
controls movement, the face buttons are for your basic actions like
attacking, jumping and a special action; Square, X and Triangle,
respectively. Up plus your attack button uses your staple Castlevania
sub-items. However, when you switch from Richter to Alucard, things
get a bit more intricate.
As
Alucard, your moveset opens up considerably as you can equip both
hands with various weapons, shields and items to help you through the
game. Your left and right hands correspond to the Square and Circle
buttons and keeping track of which hand is which will definitely come
in handy later in the game. The Triangle button action for Alucard is
a backward dash that is great for evasion and re-positioning. Outside
of your basic actions, you will eventually obtain transformation
abilities that are mapped to the shoulder buttons (R1 for the Bat, R2
for the Wolf and L1 for Mist).
As
an interesting nod to fighting game players, Alucard also comes with
his own unique spells that are activated by inputting different D-pad
combinations ending with either Square or Circle. In short, there are
a lot of options for how you want to control Alucard.
The
other parts of this game's “Holy Gameplay Trinity” are the
platforming and the exploration. The platforming, by and large, is
tight and precise. Moving from one area to the next using your jumps,
dashes and transformations is intuitive and rewarding. However, there
are some holdovers from classic Castlevania games that rear their
heads. In particular, getting hit-stun locked into a ricochet loop
that will most definitely kill you if you happen to get really
unlucky. There's also the annoyance of floating enemies being at just
the right angle to stymie any forward progress you may want to make
when dealing with a particular platforming segment... Medusa Heads in
the Castle Tower, I'M LOOKING AT YOU!
The exploration in
this game and the emphasis on uncovering new areas via backtracking
with newly acquired skills or items is one of the shining areas of
this game. It's also part of why the “Metroidvania” sub-genre was
even coined in the first place. There's also the Castlevania classic:
breaking walls to find hidden passages that are off the beaten path
in addition to hidden items. Wall turkey, anyone? What's more, is
that in a clever reuse of assets, the game was basically DOUBLED in
size with the inclusion of the Inverted Castle. The entire map is
flipped on its head along with the player's expectations of this
already phenomenal game. Along with the topsy-turvy map is a new
cadre of bad guys to cut down in each area and bosses to conquer
before battling a revitalized Dracula for the true finale.
Taking all this into
account, you can build a pretty convincing case for why SotN is
considered a timeless classic in gaming.
Compare
and Contrast
Now
comes the point where we ask the main question of The Backlog itself.
Does this game stand the test of time? How does it stack up to its
modern-day contemporaries? To answer that question, we can compare
and contrast SotN to more recent titles like Shadow Complex, the new
Strider and even such titles as Darksiders and the God of War series.
Of course, we can also use more closely related titles like the other
half of the “Metroidvania” duo: the Metroid franchise. It's safe
to say that SotN and, in particular, Super Metroid/Metroid 3 have
been influential in game design for quite a while.
The influence on
exploration mechanics is readily apparent in Darksiders and God of
War. The sprawling set pieces that require tight controls and a deft
hand to fully explore are, indeed, holdovers from the age of SotN.
The stylized lore surrounding classic supernatural creatures like
vampires, succubi, demons and demigods permeates gothic fantasy
storytelling to this day. Even though the gaming landscape has
shifted from two dimensions to three and characters are now realized
through high-polygon-count models instead of hand-drawn animated
sprites a lot of what makes the adventures of Kratos, War and many
others so great can be decisively traced back to Samus Aran and
especially Alucard.
Long
Story Short
Castlevania:
Symphony of the Night is a game that is the technical and mechanical
embodiment of rock-opera. The gameplay is simple on it's face, but
meaty enough that complete mastery changes the game entirely. The
subject matter hits hard as this tale of legacy and revenge pits
father against son. The moments of respite and downtime are
plentiful, but brief enough that they don't grow stale and always
keep the action fresh. Between the sprites, the music and the
controls, there's a fusion of past and present. A “symphony,” if
you will, of old-school game design with modern tech and technique.
The phrase “Often
imitated, never duplicated” certainly applies here. To complete the
purpose of The Backlog and answer the question of whether
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night can withstand the tests of time
and competition, the answer is most assuredly yes.
If you're a gamer
looking for a nice nostalgia trip, a fan of Lords of Shadow or even
an aspiring game developer looking for reference material, give this
game a shot. From the moment you climb those steps as Richter to the
last note of “I am the Wind,” Symphony of the Night is time well
spent and worth revisiting.
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