Akumajo Dracula X: Gekka no Yasokyoku

Satisfying.

Growing up as a youth I wasn't much of a Castlevania fan but after downloading Castlevania: Sotn on X.B.L.A (Xbox Live Arcade) out of curiosity, I want to dress up as Alucard next Halloween.

The game begins in 1792, Except you play as Richter Belmont first. It comes off the end of Castlevania; Rondo of Blood (which was misinterpreted as Castlevania: Bloodlines) where Richter Slays Count Vlad Tepes Dracula. 5 years pass. Dracula's Son, Alucard (which if you haven't guessed, is Dracula's Name reversed) Enters his fathers castle with the initial plan of Destroying it, but what follows is an in-depth story, accompanied by Challenging gameplay, that most Castlevania fans like to play again and again.

This game has a lot of good things going for it, like it's gameplay, which is very addicting. I think this is the most rewarding game i've ever played. You are hungry for everything you can get your hands on, cutscenes, weapons, items, XP and map coverage. But the biggest thing is the music. the Legendary Michiru Yamane Composed the tunes that go through your eardrums, and each tune is worth listening to 1000 times over.

In our modern times, Vampires have become the subject of romance and youth drama in stories like twilight. Sadly it's soiled the blood-thirsty image of vampires. With heroes like Alucard, it's great we have a hero to root for.

Folks, go buy this title for the PS1 on Ebay or amazon, or download it through the PSN store or XBLA.

Even after six years, I went back and replayed SotN to gladly find not an ounce of its charms has been lost with time. With growing emphasis and interest in RPGs and the entire evolution of the gaming industry as is, I think I've grown to like this simple little game even more.

CastleVania: SotN is not without its faults. I will admit, the plot is a lame excuse to bring back Dracula for yet another round of CastleVania (if you can consider it having a plot at all), and the voice-acted dialogue screams cheesy b-film. In the end, that's made me like SotN all the more now then I did in 1997 when it first debuted. My only -real- complaint against SotN is its difficulty setting – it's too easy to beat.

Symphony of the Night's success comes from the fact that it acknowledges it is a game to be played, not a movie to be watched or a novel to be read. You -play- CastleVania, and all the game elements are as rock-solid as they come. It plays as a fantastic exploration game in the same vein as Super Metroid, which was a step away from previous CastleVania straight-action-side-scroller formula it had used since the original NES game.

Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes, aka Alucard, is the most intriguing CastleVania character the gamer has ever taken control of (and he's way badder than he was in CastleVania3). No more the Belmont Vampire Hunter, now we play as the son of Dracula to take on the father, and as we explore the Demon Castle we really get to tap into Alucard's growing vampiric powers . . . and to this date, I've never seen a game character to top Alucard's ability to become a cloud of mist on command.

Not just one, but two beautifully drawn castles to explore, some of the best boss/enemy designs and a well thought out castle-design. I'd of liked to have seen some instant-death pitfalls/spikes/lava/whatever (and a way of knowing that it is instant death and not another route to explore); most gamers hate 'em, but with SotN's wonderful controls it wouldn't have been much of a problem avoiding them unless you just get careless. Towards the end of the game, Alucard's abilities would make falling into them virtually impossible.

CastleVania also sports my favorite video-game artwork and musical score by the talented Ayame Kojima and Michuru Yamane respectively. Though the premise of the exploration and level ups are borrowed from other games, SotN stands out as its own. By the music, artwork, setting, characters, and gameplay, it is distinctly CastleVania. Nowhere else have I seen game so distinctly its own.

There is are many words to describe this title: classic, masterpiece, flawless. But it is only done justice in the phrase above. Castlevania is everything a great video game should be. It has amazing graphics, incredible sound, an easy to use control system, a multitude of secrets, a highly involving storyline, high replay value, and, most important of all, an addictive quality that keeps you coming back for more.

Many people ignored this title because it was in 2D. While the huge game area would have been amazing to see in 3D, it also might have created camera and control problems that would have only hampered the game play quality. Using a 2D interface makes for a much cleaner and "user-friendly" game, especially at the time when this game was released, a time when 3D gaming was an aspect that had yet to be perfected.

I could go on and on about this game. It was one of the few games I've played that actually lures me back after I've beaten it. While Metal Gear Solid and Goldeneye have done this too, it has only been for a little while, to relive some of my favourite moments. Castlevania, however, still has unexplored elements to it. I have had the game for two years and have yet to see EVERYTHING, to defeat EVERY enemy and obtain EVERY item.

It's a shame this game is a rare find. It is a definite collector's item, and if you see it pick it up. Did I forget to mention that it also merges RPG and action-adventure gaming elements seamlessly, giving fans of both genres something to love? I would like to end my review with a challenge to all video game developers out there: Make a better game than this. Trust me, you'll DIE trying.

The Castlevania series is a long and respected one, and this one may be the best out of them all. With the massive choice of weapons and armor, a kickass storyline, very good voice acting, and a moving soundtrack, this game is a must play for Castlevania fans.

It took me 4 days to pass this game because I couldn't put it down. However, I'm still not tempted to say it's the best Castlevania game out there. It's among the best, but not thee best. I would honestly have to give the crown to Castlevania 3: "Dracula's Curse", starring the less known Belmont, Trevor (whom Casper Van Dien can portray in a movie).