Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

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1. Balrog May 13, 2008

   Just to note- the word “Alucard” means “demon”.
2. Phazon May 13, 2008

   Might I mention that this game is also available for Xbox Live Arcade, PSP on the Rondo of Blood remake and the PlayStation Network for PS3 and PSP.
3. sauerfreak May 13, 2008

   Just to note: The world Alucard is also “dracula” spelled backwards. ( : Btw, great review theophilus! I’m a fan of the Castlevania series and liked how you did te game justice! My personal favorite in the series would be Aria of Sorrow, though.
4. boyward May 14, 2008

   Good review, theophilus. I’ve played through Symphony twice on Playstation and once on Xbox Arcade, and I think you nailed it. I have one suggestion. In a future revision you might want add something to the “Adult Content” section, such as the fact that some of the sex appeal of some of the topless female monsters (harpies, succubus, and the one that has a green monster for a body).
5. Theophilus May 15, 2008

   Will do. Thanks for the feedback.
6. Jix August 22, 2008

   Best… Game… Ever…

   http://www.GameObserver.com named Symphony of the Night the best Scroller of all time. In a Top 20 it beat out classics that included Metroid and various other titles.
7. Anonymous August 27, 2008

   You should add to your spiritual section that Dracula quotes scripture before his demise.
8. Theophilus September 2, 2008

   While I noted the game has multiple endings, that’s still a good point. It does reflect a transformation in Dracula’s character towards goodness, not to mention the fact that he has actually read Scripture, for good or for ill. I’ll see if I can get the passage he cites.
9. JimWatson October 2, 2008

   If I remember correctly, he slightly misquotes (just some replaced words, the meaning is still the same, to me anyway) Mathew 16:26. You’ve downplayed the massive amounts of blood that come out of certain enemies and a dying Alucard/Richter, though, and the Granfalloon and Beelzebub boss enemies are rather horrific, if not just in a visual nature, but of the implications behind them.
10. Theophilus October 5, 2008

    @JimWatson:

    I don’t see how I downplayed it. I have a whole section with details about the violence in the game. Yes some of the boss fights can be disturbing; I mentioned the fact that you fight some are demons, monsters, occult, etc. They (like the devil) try to distort good images and symbols and use them for evil. You destroy these distortions not because your sadistic but because you are out to destroy all the evil forces that Dracula and his dark followers have let lose. Your character (whether you play as Alucard or Richter) is deeply Christian so it would be contradictory to his nature to do any sort of irreverence. The game producers I think got some of their ideas for the bosses from Dante Alighieri and included them in the game. That could explain why some of the bosses (like the Granfalloon) are disturbingly hellish.

    I left mention of these specifics out of the review, true, but everything else you said I left out I believe is actually there in the violence and “Other Offensive/Commendable Material” section.

    Check this website for details on the details behind the monsters in the Castlevania series; it includes the Granfalloon and Beelzebub:

    http://castlevania.classicgaming.gamespy.com/history/monstermyth.html
11. B March 10, 2009

    I used to love this game. I would like to play it again, but I am not sure. There is a ton of evil/occult content, but you are fighting against it. Any thoughts?
12. SeriousGamer March 11, 2009

    @B:

    Yeah, pray about it. Myself, I would say leave it alone, but I also play games like Zelda and Fire Emblem that involve some magic use, but it’s not really occultic in origin.

    This on the other hand sounds more like Hellboy to me, and that crosses a line. You can’t have a demon fighting other demons or even shown to be capable of change. This is just about the same thing. There can’t be a Christian vampire. So, to me that’s too far out there. Plus, even though you’re fighting against evil, you’re using evil to do it. Doesn’t work.

    But I would pray about it.
13. Theophilus April 8, 2009

    @B:

    Yeah above all pray about it and follow your conscience.
14. B May 31, 2009

    There is too much occult symbolism. We get it: Dracula is evil. We don’t need the all seeing eye symbols and satanic stars to get the point accross. Why do the monsters have to have stories (in the library they have short bios.)? We do not need to study evil beings. It’s a shame, there is a good game covered in occult material.
15. B May 31, 2009

    Thanks for your replies.
16. SeriousGamer May 31, 2009

    @B:

    I have to ask, how is this a good game? The fact that it deals with vampries and such raises an eyebrow for me. Yes, he is evil, and yes you are trying to defeat him, but doesn’t just having Dracula in a game draw the line? To say nothing that the main character is a vampire himself, one who tries to be good; that really goes too far I’d say.

    Now, I’m not trying to say that those who play Castlevania are unsaved or weak, but still I’m surprised there’s not more of a conflict over this. If you see nothing wrong with it, then so be it.

    And B, not to say anything, but I think most games have a bestery, I think that’s what it’s called, of all the enemies in the game. I’ve seen things like that and never thought anything of it.

    That’s my two cents worth.
17. B June 1, 2009

    So you don’t think the bad guys in video games should be bad? If you are not fighting evil then why fight anything at all? Yeah games have beasteries, but most of them are not demonic. By good game i meant fun. I used to enjoy it, but now I am unsure of it.
18. SeriousGamer June 1, 2009

    @B:

    You misunderstand me. The bad guys in games should be portrayed as bad, but Castlevania’s bad guy is a vampire. To the game’s credit, they don’t have you trying to become a vampire or join Dracula’s forces. Still, doesn’t the very fact they have vampires period raise an issue? I would think so.

    And, as I said, they have you playing a vampire, well half-vampire in this game. You can’t have a demon fighting other demons.

    I’ll admit, I’m somewhat curious about these games, but I’m trying to resist it. Curiousity got me into Zelda, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, and other games. I don’t regret those, but as the old saying goes, curiousity killed the cat.
19. Colonel Link June 1, 2009

    @SeriousGamer:
    Wait a second, why is having the bad guy (or even the good guy) be a vampire bad?
20. SeriousGamer June 1, 2009

    @Colonel Link:

    It just seems a little too far to take it. And with stuff like Twilight floating around, Castlevania seems not far off from it. Plus, in the case of Alucard, it almost seems like Hellboy. He’s a “good” demon; Alucard is a “good” vampire. There’s no such thing; there can’t be any such thing. That’s like the people that say there’s nothing wrong with Harry Potter. And I’ll admit, I lumped things like Zelda and Final Fantasy together, but they have one thing this doesn’t. They don’t take place in the real world. So, that helps a little at least in my book.

    I don’t want to start a big thing. If someone feels this game doesn’t affect them, then so be it. It’s not my place to dictate what’s right and wrong to other Christians.
21. Colonel Link June 1, 2009

    @SeriousGamer:
    Once again, I don’t see your point. How are vampires in any way “too far”? There mythological creatures, not anti-christian demons.
22. Theophilus June 1, 2009

    I have sent an updated review of this game to G2G. Hopefully it will provide some clarity on the issues people have with this game.

    SeriousGamer: I think part of the attraction to the game (at least to me) is that you’re playing as a fallen person (in this case, who’s a vampire) trying to redeem himself. These redemptive stories are attractive to many people, especially (I thought) Christians. You say that it is impossible that there is a good vampire; well technically (as Colonel Link was saying) vampires don’t exist so it is really irrelevant trying to prove whether they can be good or not. Alucard is not really the issue anyways I think; it’s the dark references in the game. I think they could have toned them down a bit. Also, the story in it deals with patricide, however (I would argue) it deals with it seriously.
23. SeriousGamer June 1, 2009

    @Theophilus:

    Point taken. Now, let me see if I can claify some of my points. My points make sense to me usually, but it’s this part that they get lost in translation.

    True, they are only folklore, but that doesn’t necessarily excuse it anymore than it excuses something like Twilight or Harry Potter. The point is, it takes something associated with evil and tries to portray it in a way that makes it good; something unredeemable and tries to redeem it.

    Now, from what I hear, this isn’t the case with the first games, but still, the same issue of having a vampire is there. Where does it lead from that? As you said, there are dark references and what can seeing them lead to? Probably a lot worse things. And is it any better simply because you’re fighting it?

    As to your point of patricide, I think it’s something to give credit to. A son knows what’s right and he’s willing to oppose even his father because it’s right. To be willing to break away and stand against your family if need be is a commitment I don’t think most people would have.

    I’ll admit I am curious about the series. But I find myself turned off by the whole vampire thing. If they’d done without it, I might even download the first game for the Virtual Console. But I don’t think this is one thing I could let slide, and I’ve let Zelda and Final Fantasy slide. To some, those are in the same boat.
24. Theophilus June 1, 2009

    @SeriousGamer:

    Maybe you want to try Casltevania 2: Simon’s Quest for NES; it’s on the Virtual Console. It’s a decent Castlevania game (the first one with rpg elements) and you don’t play as a vampire but instead as a whip-toting human vampire hunter (Simon Belmont). You rest in the local Church, talk to people, etc. as well as kill monsters. You even fight the grim reaper! It’s a lot less dark than SOTN. The only thing that I really didn’t like about it was its save feature (or lack there of); it used a long password system that didn’t always seem to work.
25. SeriousGamer June 1, 2009

    @Theophilus:

    If I can’t even get over the vampire elements in the first one (the fact it involves one even as a villian raises an eyebrow with me) how could I play the second one?

    As I said, I’m curious about the games, but there was a little saying about curiousity and a cat.
26. Theophilus June 1, 2009

    @SeriousGamer:

    Whoa… ok SeriousGamer. I just thought you were opposed to playing as a vampire. My fault; I must have misread.
27. B June 2, 2009

    @SeriousGamer: I get what you are saying SeriousGamer. It can also be viewed that the main character has a new good nature inside of him and he is trying to embrace that good instead of following his weak natural nature. Again I see what you are saying and you make a valid point. I am unsure of the game, therefore it is best that I don’t play it.
28. SeriousGamer June 2, 2009

    @Theophilus:

    Don’t sweat it. If they did something else, I probably would download it. I’d probably even get this game because its story is somewhat intriguing to me.

    @B:

    I have to take in this moment. It’s not often my points are valid, so this is a special moment for me…Ok I’m done.

    If you’re in doubt, I would agree. But let me ask you, would you apply that to one game or the entire series? I’m not sure what I would do. I once considered getting rid of my Mario games because of Thousand-Year Door. Extreme, yes, but I’ve been a person of extremes. People see things gray; I tend to see more black and white.
29. Colonel Link June 2, 2009

    @SeriousGamer:
    “True, they are only folklore, but that doesn’t necessarily excuse it anymore than it excuses something like Twilight or Harry Potter. The point is, it takes something associated with evil and tries to portray it in a way that makes it good; something unredeemable and tries to redeem it.”
    Dragons are also associated with evil, because people feared them. That doesn’t mean they are evil. You’re basing your entire argument about vampires on myths and stories. There isn’t a single biblical passage that backs up your argument, and the Bible is the final authority on all spiritual matters.
30. SeriousGamer June 2, 2009

    @Colonel Link:

    Touche. But then again a lot of questionable stuff isn’t explicitly dealt with in the Bible.
31. B June 2, 2009

    @SeriousGamer: I am not sure. Truthfully it is better to leave the whole series alone. People try to justify things that are evil so they can enjoy them without guilt. It’s the evil symbolism that gets me. To me Castlevania is like Batman the Dark Knight (which I should have left alone). We get it, the Joker is evil and crazy. We don’t need a dark example to prove the point every two minutes. The same with this series. Dracula is evil, we don’t need it to be spelled out. The symbols just suggest to me that the developers are into the occult. But, as I said I see your point too, Dracula is a character based on wickedness. Is it ok to play these games? I am unsure, so I will stay away. Like you said everyone needs to pray and not just do what they want to.
32. B June 2, 2009

    @Colonel Link: I also see what you are saying. People are sinners by nature, but we have Saved by The Grace of GOD. We have a new nature we try to live by, even if our flesh is still weak at times. In this way the character being a vampire is similar. I think every Chrsitian has an internal struggle of good and bad inside of them.
33. Theophilus June 2, 2009

    @B:

    Part of why people can enjoy games like these is because they don’t feel there’s any issue being given them by their conscience. When I played it through for the first time I had no problem with it; it wasn’t that I was trying to justify the evil in it so I could enjoy it without any moral objections. I honestly did not feel my conscience telling me that there was a problem with it. However, after considering some of the objections other people have had to it I have become more aware of the dark aspects of the game that I wasn’t aware of before. I still think that the game can be enjoyed alright and that at its core its still a good game it’s just that the game gets caught up in its gothic trappings enough so that I can’t recommend it now to every Christian gamer out there.

    Also, at least part of why there is occult symbolism in the game is because some occult serve Dracula and are responsible for him being raised from the dead (according to the game’s story). So that explains (at least in part) why there are some occult references sprinkled throughout the game. I do agree though that they could have toned down some of the dark references a bit. But yeah I don’t think that the occult references are in the game just to serve as some sort of form of “decoration” or anything like that but are in there because of the details given by the game’s story.
34. Theophilus June 13, 2009

    It should also be noted that Richter Belmont is an unlockable (playable) character, however this requires that you first play the game through (200% or so) as Alucard (and even then you have to type in a code in the player-naming menu to get Richter). Playing as Richter is a lot more difficult then playing as Alucard.
35. Rekkusu August 16, 2009

    @Balrog:

    Just a note: Alucard is just Dracula backwards.
36. Dave April 2, 2010

    P.S. Even though it's labeled as a Pentagram, it's actually a "Star of David," since it has 6 points, so either the Japanese accidentally put a Star of David as a Pentagram or they called it the wrong thing, which would be considered Engrish, a common thing in Japanese video games in the U.S.

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