Castlevania symphony of the night game review
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightTest: Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Attention, masterpiece! Can we really start a test with such a formula without delivering concrete and detailed prior arguments? If you think not, you've probably never played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, released in 2007 on PSP. May you then repair this error and make it a nice place warm in your toy library! Because 13 years after its release, the software does not have to fade against the next-gen generation, far from it ...
It all began in 1797, five years after the death of the terrible Count Dracula, killed by the hand of Richter Belmont in the dark heights of his evil castle: Castlevania. This is the end of Rondo of Blood released on PC Engine. An end that allows you to replay SOTN since the adventure opens with a playable flashback narrating the final fight between the young vampire hunter and the count himself. But the real hero of the story is none other than the son of a mortal and Dracula himself: Alucard. The disappearance of his father having to last a century before his resurrection, the young vampire of mixed blood had deemed it necessary to indulge in a deep sleep so as to flee his appalling nature. But there it is: Castlevania suddenly emerges from nothingness, again raising its terrible dark towers above the woods. Too early, far too early ... And Alucard then finds himself forced to leave his grave in order to survey the meanders of this mysterious castle and put an end to the threat that is brewing there, even if he , to do this, face his own father.
Exit therefore the "Vampire Killer", the famous whip of Belmont. Exit also the status of hunter of deadly vampires, descended from a long line of fighters. Castlevania Symphony of the Night takes a real turning point in the series and immediately signals it by a redistribution of roles and a more subtle scenario than that of its predecessors. The construction of the game itself changes since it is no longer a question, in the progression, of a succession of levels but of a single gigantic and open world. The castle opens to you from the outset, in all its splendor. And the term is not simply ameliorative: the vast rooms of the house are truly splendid. The aesthetic care brought to the graphics is completely stunning, alternating decorations that are both gothic and baroque with surprising finesse, to dark oozing and oppressive dungeons. You will thus be offered to evolve through a whole range of different environments, without ever setting foot outside the confines of Castlevania, each of these environments having its own musical theme, another real point strong game. The soundtrack of the software is no exception to the rule of the series and is indeed of excellent quality. Made up of various instruments and different musical styles, it will accompany you throughout the adventure, allowing you to browse vast reception rooms against a backdrop of delicious classical music; high trapped towers on a slightly more edgy rock background or even distressing catacombs with a more posed, almost jazzy atmosphere. Only here: some of its parts will only be accessible to you later in the adventure, once you have acquired the necessary equipment or skills in order to reach various passages, more or less secret.
Here is one of the real strengths of the game: very clearly role-playing gameplay. New big break with the previous opus but new big success too. This orientation will also remain present in the next Castlevania following the example of Symphony of the Night. Your character evolves throughout the game, gradually gaining power and speed. A particularly important point since it will quickly become exhilarating to acquire new skills, each opening up a thousand and one new perspectives and always renewing the desire to play and to go even further. We quickly start to survey the smallest piece from top to bottom, terrified at the idea of missing the new item which can significantly improve our skills. Basically, you will have over the hours, a real arsenal that you can freely assign to the left or right hand of your hero, pieces of armor ranging from boots to hats, through various rings or pendants , each with its own specific features, such as insensitivity to lightning or the conversion of damage points to the heart. A complete equipment therefore, to which will inevitably be added the secondary weapons essential to the series such as simple throwing knives, axes or holy water. Again, the list is intended to be relatively long, offering a range of really substantial possibilities.
As far as the arsenal is concerned, Alucard is therefore perfectly equipped. But the magic will also be part of it and via a more or less easy manipulation with the joystick, you will be able to unleash your half-vampire, literally sucking the HP of your enemies or spraying them with fireballs . It is also significant to note that some of the weapons or shields themselves have their own spells, also triggered using fast combos chained on the controller, like a Street Fighter or other Mortal Kombat. Finally, the relics scattered throughout the castle will also cause a number of changes in your hero. These fall into three categories. The first will allow you to transform yourself (into a bat for example) and thereby access places previously inaccessible. The second will give you the opportunity to learn new skills such as double jumping. Finally, the third will offer you the possibility of invoking the "familiars" - creatures following you in your wanderings in order to give you their support, like the fairy automatically granting you a potion in case of danger, or the little demon fighting alongside you. In short, things were not done in half and the customization of the hero remains the cornerstone of the game.
A cornerstone which we can however criticize for making the adventure a bit easy. Indeed, there again the change with the old episodes is radical: there will be no question of sweating blood and water to complete the adventure, the difficulty having been considerably reduced compared to the old episodes. A bias of the developers which will nevertheless be easily circumvented since it will be enough for those looking for challenges to refrain from using the last acquired magic or the superb two-handed sword discovered at the top of this dark tower. Playing the game with your bare hands, without armor or overpowered spells will undoubtedly bring a considerable increase to the difficulty and it is not said that some will not end up cracking and, faced with this gigantic boss, let go of this damn fate! Because if the bosses and other lambdas opponents do not actually show any resistance to any test against your fabulous powers, they are nonetheless excessively numerous and will not let go. Zombies, werewolves, skeletons, rag dolls, possessed armor, devils, titans, chimeras and many others, will all get in your way so much that it will still be possible, with a little too much confidence, to be restarted at the last save point. They are also numerous and scattered throughout the castle, like the teleportation doors allowing you to go from one end to the other of the house without necessarily spending the night.
If the difficulty is therefore honest, almost too much for the trouble, the lifespan is not thereby compromised since once the adventure is 100% complete (which will already earn you around ten hours for the first time), an unexpected twist will allow you to relaunch yourself in pursuit of the count through the same castle but ... completely reversed! The ceiling of the previously visited rooms will now be the floor and new bosses will have appeared, the enemies showing, meanwhile, a little more resistant. Thus, it will be appropriate for Alucard to lead the adventure up to 200% to know the real end of the story through a second end.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night therefore wants to be a rich and complete game, particularly well done and truly addictive. So yes, perfection is not of this world, some negative points can be found, to begin with, despite the objections raised above, by its relative simplicity. Then come some small details that we will notice if we are the type of nitpicking, such as the relative slowness of the hero (at least at the beginning of the adventure) which does not run ... Yes, it is a little annoying at first, but we can however easily overcome this problem by moving backwards, thanks to a dodging technique of a very practical fluidity. We can also note the fact that it is imperative to go through the menus of the inventory in order to equip the object that we want to use (like a potion) before we can do it. Process which can seem boring at the beginning since that implies to equip the weapon or the shield which held this hand, to use the object in question and to re-equip the weapon or the initial shield. But the fluidity of the menus being exemplary and the loading times almost nonexistent, the whole operation takes no more than a few unfortunate seconds and we end up bending to it quite mechanically.
Thus, even the rare faults that one would be tempted to highlight quickly become bland and futile in the face of the quality of the whole, so much so that it ultimately seems indeed possible, objectively, to designate Castlevania Symphony of the Night as a masterpiece. Whether or not one is receptive to the series, this episode still seems to be the most successful of a magnificent saga that has long proven itself.
The notes
Graphics 19/20
A fine and worked Gothic aesthetic marvelously merging the baroque and classical genres, sublimated by light effects and impressive staging given the age of the game. The care given to the graphics tutoie artistic creation: we almost impression that evolving in these magnificent settings could break them, as they are fine and neat. A jewel.
Gameplay 17/20
The gameplay is rich and flawless: Alucard is fluid and very responsive. Only the combinations necessary for the realization of certain spells can seem relatively complex but it is quickly overcome. We only regret not being able to run ... Frustrating despite everything!
Lifespan 15/20
Almost two games in one with the possibility of exploring the inverted castle and rubbing shoulders with new bosses and other enemies whose resistance has increased. If you take the trouble to conscientiously search every corner of the two versions of the house, you have to oscillate between the fortnight and the little twenty hours for the first time. Not transcendent but honorable for the genre.
Soundtrack 18/20
Sumptuous. The melodies are intended to be perfectly suited to the general atmosphere of the game, each responsible for offering a high-quality theme to each zone crossed. The whole gives a freezing dreamlike and poetic atmosphere, like what can awaken the novel by Bram Stocker on the famous vampire in the collective spirit (even if the game does not retrace the scenario in any way!)
Scenario 14/20
Nothing transcendent on the side of the script but some interesting twists and the undeniable effort to somewhat complicate the relatively basic fabric of the previous episodes can only be welcomed. However, we do not reach an abysmal depth in the complexity of the plot, but the latter clearly has the merit of being less linear than usual.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night is one of those games with a soul - a shame for an adventure from which the central character is exempt - and as such, can only seduce and charm the player. All the assets are on his side to bewitch the one who will try the adventure and the observation is clear: it works devilishly. If you feel like, one night of insomnia, to slip your UMD in your PSP, there is a good chance that you will return there. Good luck !
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