Video games - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

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	Video games - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

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 Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood
for the NEC PC Engine.

Although not very successful during its release in North America, Symphony of the Night has become highly sought-after by video game players, and 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-role playing style.

Storyline

The game's story takes place during the year 1797 and after the events of Rondo of Blood and Castlevania: Dracula X
. The story unfolds as Richter Belmont defeats Count Dracula at the end of the former game. However, a curse cast by Shaft causes Richter to fall under his control and effectively become a demon. Richter claims lordship of Castlevania, which, in this installment, is explained as a malevolent entity under Chaos' sway that periodically (each incarnation) alters itself internally to confuse invaders.

This causes the son of Dracula, Alucard, to awaken from his self-induced sleep, to find Richter Belmont missing, and to begin searching for clues to his disappearance. The trail leads to his father Dracula's castle, Castlevania, which has reappeared after only five years of banishment instead of the traditional century. This is where the game's plot truly starts, with Alucard deciding to brave his father's cursed realm and find Richter and determine what happened to him.

Alucard ventures through and explores the very large and elaborate Castlevania to investigate Belmont's mysterious disappearance. 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 sword and garments. After travelling through part of the castle, Alucard encounters Maria Renard, Richter's sister-in-law, at the center of its interior, the Clock Room. She states she is also questing for details of Richter's fate. During his quest, Alucard finds various other weapons, shields, armor, capes, rings, and items to aid him.

There are four separate endings to the story (five in Saturn version), depending on Alucard's 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. After the latter is defeated, an inverted version of Castlevania, the Inverted Castle, appears from the heavens. This castle contains another entire series of adventures, crowned by the ultimate face-off between Alucard and his revived father, Dracula himself.

Characters

Alucard (Real name: Adrian Farenheits Tepes. Also Dracula spelled backwards)
Richter Belmont (Playable only at the beginning, until he is unlocked)
Maria Renard (Playable only in the Sega Saturn version)
Dracula
Death
Shaft
The Master Librarian (Sells helpful items to Alucard.)
Succubus
The Ferryman
Lisa

Gameplay

Naturally, in order for the game's character to express himself and be able to explore every crevice of the interconnected castle, Symphony of the Night's creators endowed Alucard with more abilities than any previous hero in the series. The game's controls are thought of many fans as being the smoothest in the franchise, even now. While some could argue that that it's not saying much, seeing as how most of the characters in the series are known for being relatively limited in their control, it's still quite the feat. The gameplay still holds today in most gamers' minds, and has been proclaimed to be one of the most pleasing aspects of the game.

From the very beginning, the player will be able to have Alucard quickly dash backward by using the triangle button, and the player will notice how briskly and swiftly Alucard swings his weapons. He is able to attack in downward-diagonal manner, eliminating the basic gameplay of having a weapon that attacks horizontally only. Later on, the player will be able to extend the powers of each weapon usually through a similar button combination, and can extend the reach of the weapon, or have them produce magical attacks.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ]

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