• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Let's talk about SOTN...

Mr. Bluntman

Mr. Bluntman

Supreme [H]ardness
2FA
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
7,266
For well over a decade, I've heard about this gem, but panned it because I was not so keen on Castlevania going Super Metroid on us. Boy, what a mistake I made.

After the initial "where in the fuck do I go now?!" passed, I have grown to really like this game. It's definitely more challenging than Metroid, where if you are careless and do not take your time and level up this game will stomp your guts out (unlike Castlevania Chronicles, where the difficulty is just plain merciless, this is more reasonably difficult).

Although the gameplay is fun, it's the level art, animation of the 2D sprites, and especially the music that has really won me over. Each area has a distinct theme and personality, and everything meshes well to a cohesive and very immersive whole. The animations are also excellent, with enough frames to give everything an arcade smooth feel, and some of the 3D backgrounds are a really nice touch. My only gripe so far is that it can be a little perplexing what to do and where to go next. Thank god for gamefaqs. :p

So far I'm about half way through, but I will definitely be working on finishing the game up this weekend. Well worth the $10 I paid for a digital copy on PSN, and will definitely be picking it up on the original CD-ROM off of eBay when finances allows me to.

What are your experiences/memories of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? Discuss.
 
One of my fave, if not favourite PS game. I was literally stuck for weeks trying to figure out how to get access to a certain part of the castle (hint: it involves a skeleton gorilla throwing a flaming barrel).

I wouldn't mind taking a crack at the Saturn version, apparently it performs worse but contains two (iirc) areas that weren't in the PS version. Also a playable Maria.

One nitpick about the game is the difficulty. It's great in the beginning, but as soon as you get certain endgame gear - well, the whole game becomes a cakewalk as you can just spam the weapon.
 
Classic.
That epic soundtrack. The screaming guitars, the chapel melody, the underground bass.
Will always be my number #1 Castlevania just for that recorded soundtrack. Order of Ecclesia is a better game, but you cant get CD audio out of a DS, so SOTN wins.

Plus, that awesome voice acting lol: "What is a man!? A miserable pile of secrets!" "Die monster! You don't belong in this world!"
Such memorable lines. I think it gives the game a certain charm that you'll never forget. lol
 
LeviathanZERO said:
Plus, that awesome voice acting lol: "What is a man!? A miserable pile of secrets!" "Die monster! You don't belong in this world!"
Such memorable lines. I think it gives the game a certain charm that you'll never forget. lol
Click to expand...

LOL yup, that voice acting will clog your arteries. About 2 years ago I got back into drawing and painting and "re-imagined" that scene to get my chops back up to speed since I went about a decade without drawing:
http://tomhet.deviantart.com/art/Castlevania-Symphony-of-the-Night-What-is-a-man-376352898

I love the "Prayer" song. Reminds me of the "Requiem" from Rondo of Blood.

I really want a 1080p remake...
 
Amazing game I still pick up and replay time to time.

I don’t want to spoil it but I remember first time I thought I “beat” the game only to learn I was just getting started.
 
SotN is definitely my all time favorite Castlevania for sure. I've been a big fan of Michiru Yamane's music as well (though she's no longer working with Konami :().

I'd be all for a 1080p remake if they'd go multi-platform (including PC).

Mr. Bluntman, are you only half way through the normal castle or actually at 100% of 200% of it?
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
Mr. Bluntman, are you only half way through the normal castle or actually at 100% of 200% of it?
Click to expand...

49%, so half way through first game. I also know there's a couple different endings and, at least in the NA version you can play as a second character, whereas in the JP Saturn version IIRC you have a third option. No Export For Us, apparently. I have a ways to go yet. :p Going to dig in after I get home from running some errands today.
 
Last edited:
You've only played through 1/4 of the entire game for your first playthrough. It doesn't stop at 100%. :D
 
You can't spoil your first playthrough of a classic with GameFAQs... This is back in the golden age of gaming where your hand wasn't constantly held. You should take advantage of it! I would love to go back and have that same feeling of playing through this game for the first time again.

But it is great to hear your feelings on the game. Now you know why a lot of people consider SotN one of the all-time greats.
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
You've only played through 1/4 of the entire game for your first playthrough. It doesn't stop at 100%. :D
Click to expand...

201% is the actual 100%, right? :p

Armenius said:
You can't spoil your first playthrough of a classic with GameFAQs... This is back in the golden age of gaming where your hand wasn't constantly held. You should take advantage of it! I would love to go back and have that same feeling of playing through this game for the first time again.

But it is great to hear your feelings on the game. Now you know why a lot of people consider SotN one of the all-time greats.
Click to expand...

The only reason why I looked it up was because I was stuck for a very long while. I think I shelved it for months because I was literally stuck. Just recently I have came back to it. For the record, I am going for an authentic experience with no walkthrough where possible (e.g. hitting a wall and not making progress for hours). I promise I won't look again though. :p

And yup, it's the whole reason why I started this thread. I have seen the light! And it burns!!!
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
I've read that 209.2% is the max. Probably only happens w/ glitches & such.
Click to expand...

I think you're correct. According to the walkthrough I was consulting, I read that 201% is the most you can get without glitching/cheesing the game, so I went with that.
 
Mr. Bluntman said:
I think you're correct. According to the walkthrough I was consulting, I read that 201% is the most you can get without glitching/cheesing the game, so I went with that.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's a glitch like you're thinking. Just a few oddities like the final boss room has two directions to meet him count towards %.
 
Kinsaras said:
I don't think it's a glitch like you're thinking. Just a few oddities like the final boss room has two directions to meet him count towards %.
Click to expand...

Thank your for the correction, I shall investigate that.
 
A definitely classic. Fans of that game should pick up the 3 Castlevania games on the DS. They're essentially spiritual sequels to the game. Guacamelee is another game you'd probably enjoy.
 
Mr. Bluntman said:
Thank your for the correction, I shall investigate that.
Click to expand...

I’ve done it but can’t remember now what I did. Been too long. I just remember thinking “Oh that’s it?!” when I read about it. It wasn’t anything like glitching through walls or something odd like that.

FYI…after you beat the game you can play as Richter. Just put RICHTER as your name. It’s pretty challenging though.

Also there are some hidden special moves Alucard has, like Street Fighter kind of stuff. Some of those can be very helpful like Soul Suck or whatever it was called.

Even certain weapons might have a fireball (hadouken!) type attack. I was well into the game the first time before discovering that. Not that most of them are useful really but some can be.
 
This game came out first on the PS2? I never had the PS2 and played it on the 360 maybe 7 years ago.

These days, I mostly use the 360 to stream tv shows like Diego and Dora for the kids. When logging on yesterday, I saw that a Castlevania game was for sale. I don't think it was SOTN. What other titles are available on xbox live for the 360? And are they actually worth playing?
 
Tzzird said:
This game came out first on the PS2? I never had the PS2 and played it on the 360 maybe 7 years ago.

These days, I mostly use the 360 to stream tv shows like Diego and Dora for the kids. When logging on yesterday, I saw that a Castlevania game was for sale. I don't think it was SOTN. What other titles are available on xbox live for the 360? And are they actually worth playing?
Click to expand...

Older, SotN was on PS1.

Only one I can't picture on XBL is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. This game is more God of War than Castlevania though.
 
I played through Castlevania: SOTN on the Xbox 360 (they released it for the Xbox Arcade platform). Very good version, and one of the only games that I got every single Achievement for (and actually enjoyed getting them).
 
I used to do a pretty much annual playthrough of this game....should probably give it a go again, it's been at least 4 years since I touched it.

I originally imported the Japanese version (sure was a bitch using the inventory....), when I finally picked up the English version.....good god, the VA is so very bad....
 
SeymourGore said:
I played through Castlevania: SOTN on the Xbox 360 (they released it for the Xbox Arcade platform). Very good version, and one of the only games that I got every single Achievement for (and actually enjoyed getting them).
Click to expand...

I got all achievements also... don't think that would have happened without gamefaq's!
 
SeymourGore said:
I played through Castlevania: SOTN on the Xbox 360 (they released it for the Xbox Arcade platform). Very good version, and one of the only games that I got every single Achievement for (and actually enjoyed getting them).
Click to expand...
I miss the cheap FMVs in the 360 version. But yes, I got all the achievements in this one fairly quickly. It was one of the first games where I did so. My roommate at the time was kind of amazed watching me play through this and Super Metroid while collecting everything (he had never played either of these games before :eek:).

CrimsonKnight13 said:
I've read that 209.2% is the max. Probably only happens w/ glitches & such.
Click to expand...
With the extreme OOB glitches discovered in recent history you can actually get close to 240% nowadays.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen Cosmo's sub-9 minute Any% run yet? It uses arbitrary code execution :eek:.
 
Armenius said:
With the extreme OOB glitches discovered in recent history you can actually get close to 240% nowadays.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen Cosmo's sub-9 minute Any% run yet? It uses arbitrary code execution :eek:.
Click to expand...

Damn... what's to find in that extra 30.8%?
 
Just got to the upside down castle, and holy fucking difficulty spike...
 
I remember getting the insane sword (IIRC in the Colosseum area) that lets you attack as fast as you can press the button... once I had that sword (this was back in the PS1 version so I don't know if it's changed) difficulty went way down, lol.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
I remember getting the insane sword (IIRC in the Colosseum area) that lets you attack as fast as you can press the button... once I had that sword (this was back in the PS1 version so I don't know if it's changed) difficulty went way down, lol.
Click to expand...

It was probably 'Crissaegrim". It slashed multiple times with one press. I'm pretty sure it dropped from an enemy in the library area of the second castle, not positive, though.

There was also another sword that when you used it, would shoot across the screen like a projectile. I'd equip that sword and Crissaegrim and pretty much lay siege to Dracula's castle.
 
With all the HD remakes these days, I don't know why they haven't cashed in on this title. I would buy it in a heartbeat.
 
I consider SOTN the best 2D game ever created. Difficulty is about right; never really had to grind anywhere much. Only real broken mechanic is Holy Water being OP. But great game all and all.
 
Demon10000 said:
With all the HD remakes these days, I don't know why they haven't cashed in on this title. I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

I agree. SOTN or even Super Metroid would make great HD titles, and the latter would actually make me want to buy a Wii U...

I'm finally starting to make some headway in the reverse castle, albeit slowly. It feels like my weapons and armor are still somewhat underpowered, but I'm just taking my time and being as cautious as I can. With the reverse architecture, it feels more weird and alien, ala SM. And with "Finale Toccata" playing in some of the areas, it gives the correct impression that the stakes are much higher, with an impending sense of "oh fuck I'm screwed." Brilliance. :)
 
Mr. Bluntman said:
I'm finally starting to make some headway in the reverse castle, albeit slowly. It feels like my weapons and armor are still somewhat underpowered, but I'm just taking my time and being as cautious as I can. With the reverse architecture, it feels more weird and alien, ala SM. And with "Finale Toccata" playing in some of the areas, it gives the correct impression that the stakes are much higher, with an impending sense of "oh fuck I'm screwed." Brilliance. :)
Click to expand...

Try to master the Soul Steal move. It takes 50% of your MP but the life gain is worth it. Some familiars are better than others and even gain bonuses as they level up. I liked the Sword or Imp myself.
 
SeymourGore said:
It was probably 'Crissaegrim". It slashed multiple times with one press. I'm pretty sure it dropped from an enemy in the library area of the second castle, not positive, though.

There was also another sword that when you used it, would shoot across the screen like a projectile. I'd equip that sword and Crissaegrim and pretty much lay siege to Dracula's castle.
Click to expand...
The Crissaegrim does indeed drop from an enemy in the library of the inverse castle. It drops from a masked flying head enemy called Schmoo.

Colonel Sanders said:
I remember getting the insane sword (IIRC in the Colosseum area) that lets you attack as fast as you can press the button... once I had that sword (this was back in the PS1 version so I don't know if it's changed) difficulty went way down, lol.
Click to expand...
The item to farm in the Colosseum was the Ring of Varda. It drops from the big skeleton that swings a huge bone at you, located on the bottom level (can't remember its name...). This ring increases all your stats by 25 (LUCK by 10), and yes, you can wear 2 of them :D. If you wear 2 of these it just becomes unfair to the enemies. Equip the Crissaegrim while wearing these and you have just completely broken the game :cool:.

I wouldn't try farming it before you beat the game once, though. The drop rate significantly increases in a new game if there is a "Replay" save on your memory card/hard drive. Contrary to popular belief, these can drop in a new game without a Replay save. The question is do you want to spend 20 hours farming it :p. With the Replay save it will probably take on average about 30 minutes to farm for 2. I've gotten my first Ring of Varda to drop on the first kill before, though, so it's all up to RNGeesus ;).
 
Armenius said:
I wouldn't try farming it before you beat the game once, though. The drop rate significantly increases in a new game if there is a "Replay" save on your memory card/hard drive. Contrary to popular belief, these can drop in a new game without a Replay save. The question is do you want to spend 20 hours farming it :p. With the Replay save it will probably take on average about 30 minutes to farm for 2. I've gotten my first Ring of Varda to drop on the first kill before, though, so it's all up to RNGeesus ;).
Click to expand...

After you beat the game you can try "Luck Mode". Put your name as X-X!V"Q and you'll get 99 luck with Lapis Lazuli item. But your strength and HP will be reduced.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top