Castlevania successfully ditches its traditional formula in this great PS1 classic.
You will play as Alucard, and progress through Castlevania. This very concept is what makes SoTN unique from other Castlevania games. The series has taken exploration routes before, but this time around you'll spend the whole game in the castle. The castle is rather large, and there are many different areas. The game feels reminiscent to the 2D Metroid games, and I've even heard it been dubbed "Metroidvania." Even the early acquired in-game map looks like Metroid's map system. In short, SoTN's progression consists of traversing un-explored areas of the castle, and, in the process, obtaining new items and abilities to access areas that require the use of the respective item.
A game of this sort needs sharp control, and SoTN has it. Unlike many other 2D Castlevanias in which your character walks at a slow pace, Alucard moves at a smooth, swift speed. X is used to jump, and mid-air control feels responsive and natural.
Combat in this game in relatively un-changed, but there are some very interesting add-ons. Apparently, Alucard is too cool to use a whip (maybe his vampire half is afraid of them). His weapons of choice are swords and maces; swords being more plentiful. Upon gaining a weapon (dropped by enemies or found in containers), you can go to the equip screen and assign it to Alucard's left or right hand (square or circle). In-game, you can hit the button corresponding to the hand you put the weapon in to use it. You can assign items to hands as well. The "hands" system works nicely. You can gain shields in the game, and it's fun and effective to alternate between using your weapon and your shield when fighting. Items also work well with your weapon. When fighting a boss, for example, you can have some food to restore HP in one of your hands, ready to use when your health is getting low. Another means of combat comes from secondary items. Secondary items can be found by killing enemies and breaking candles, and you can only hold one at a time. "Hearts" can also be found by the same means, and theses hearts power your secondary item. For example, the throwing knives cost one heart to throw a knife. More powerful items cost more hearts per use, and so on.
The word "equip" might have conjured up a thought or two about RPGs. Actually, SoTN, while not an RPG, borrows the equipping system, as well as the EXP system. You can equip Alucard with weapons (as stated before) and armor as you gain them. There's always a certain sense of satisfaction about getting a new weapon or piece of armor that sports higher stats than your current setup. As for EXP, upon killing an enemy, you will receive EXP points. And as usual, getting certain amounts of EXP will cause you to level up, increasing stats. This system gives an incentive to tough enemies that you could just attempt to pass by.
The visuals in the game are pretty good looking. They don't take advantage of the PS1's 3D capabilities, but you'll find that this suits the game well anyway. Sporting a slightly-better-than-16bit look, SoTN's sprites and animations are all sharp. Alucard is well animated, as well as most of the enemies. Even though this is a castle, the environments still range to places like an outdoor area, underground catacombs, and a bell tower. The backgrounds look sharp, and the changes of environment keep things from becoming stale.
The sound and music are probably the two areas where SoTN lacks. The sounds are okay in general, but many of them sound out of place. There are a few common sound effects that just don't sound like they belong, and almost jar the setting a bit. Also, this game contains voice acting. As we all know, voice acting is risky, and SoTN's doesn't fair to terribly well. The voices fit the character well enough, but the work is just corny, and at times brings a humorous smile in a serious moment. The music of SoTN is very lacking, which is a shame, seeing that the Castlevania tracks are famous for some great tracks, like Kenichi Matsubara's "Bloody Tears." The newer Castlevania games, though, star Michiru Yamane as their composer, and, at least in this game, Ms. Yamane fails to deliver. I don't think I found one truly good song in the whole game. The first area in the game had a semi-catchy tune, and that was about it. Also, this game has probably the worst end-credits track ever. Fortunately, Ms. Yamane is not to blame. The track is "I Am the Wind," performed by Cynthia Harrell, and not only does it not fit the game, but it's a bad song as-is.
Despite the lacking audio, SoTN does well most everywhere else. The game isn't that long by today's standards, and should only take the average gamer ten to eleven hours to get through. The game sports a fair challenge, which doesn't actually come from combat. I died quite a few times during the first hour of the game, but after some health and weapon upgrades, it becomes quite difficult to perish. Even boss battles become fairly easy. The real challenge of the game comes from navigating the castle, and slowly getting the upgrades needed to progress from area to area. Despite the combat being a tad easy, it's still very enjoyable.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a great game. It's audio and music may not be the best, but when it all comes down to it, you have a fun platformer/RPG hybrid. And with the PSN's ten dollar price tag, you really have no reason not to purchase it.