My 1st impressions after beating SotN. The game that started metroidvania lives up to the name sake it started
User Rating: 8 | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night X360
Aw Yeah! THE game that started Metroidvania. I certainly have to say this is a great game, although it's rather tedious from time to time. While it certainly doesn't have the amazing game design of the original Castlevania, it certainly brings its own method to good use. The fact there are so many places to explore, items to power you up, and secrets to be found it just makes going through this game feel so fun. Every time you find a new place or a new item to help you along the way it just makes you want to keep playing. The bosses are well design too, while you can grind and level up you can still use items or certain strategies to go through the game faster than you can level. As well, there was a lot of thought with nearly the whole game; from simple creature names referencing horror elements to the inverted castle pretty much being exactly like the original, but upside down. I don't know what it is about the inverted castle alone that makes it so awesome, but maybe the fact there is like a second game to be found within a game is just amazing in my book. The music is pretty great too, while it isn't always heard due to the loud sound effects, its present and sets a great tone for the game.
Aside from the tedious start, bad voice acting, and horrible game over lag, it's still an amazing game. Hell, you even get to play as Richter which is just badass. I just plain love this game, and frankly I'm glad more Castlevania games came from this formula. There really is just something about exploring a castle of evil that could make anyone just chill with excitement. Just such a lovely game. I'll admit that I pretty much just fangasm'd
Conclusion: Castlevania Symphony of the Night really set a new and wonderful tone that was well worth doing over and over again for the series. Exploration, leveling up, and cool power ups just make SotN a bundle of joy. With plenty of secrets and being able to play as Richter, everything, save for a few small things, feels great in this game.
