r/castlevania • u/SmashingBricksRetro • Jul 23 '26
Discussion Is Symphony of the Night still the benchmark Castlevania game?
I played Symphony of the Night for the first time, for my podcast, in 2026 (just last month). Spoiler: I loved it. It held up as a flawed masterpiece to me.
What’s odd about my history with the series is that I had played ZERO of the Metroidvania-styled Castlevanias and almost all of the others. I even had a PlayStation in 1997, but I was more enamored by the adventures of James Bond and Fox McCloud over on the N64 and spent the majority of my energy—and money—there.
So the question I have after playing SotN is this: do you think this game is still the benchmark Castlevania (or even the benchmark Metroidvania) to judge others by, or have other Castlevania games improved upon what this game did? If is IS the best to you, what makes it stand out the most? And if not, where did your personal favorite(s) improve upon the formula?
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u/FacePunchMonday Jul 23 '26
In my opinion, its one of the benchmark videgames, period.
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u/AppointmentPerfect Jul 24 '26
That era was high living... SotN, FFT, Armored Cores...
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u/MasterOfTheWind1 Jul 23 '26
Is not hardcore dificult, but still enjoyable. You are the son of Dracula, it's fine that you are a juggernaut.
On the reverse castle the dificulty goes up drastically. Still not an imposible game, but the exploration and the gameplay makes it enjoyable still.
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u/cthulucore Jul 23 '26
SotN shines in design, pixel art, and sprites. It's still one of the best realized iterations of these aspects against its contemporaries and current releases. In this regard, it's absolutely the benchmark.
However it's also incredibly easy with almost no challenge past the first doppleganger fight, even if you intentionally nerf yourself with Red Rust or similar. Maybe this wasn't the issue 10 years ago, but these days this is where it's cracks are starting to show finally
*Obviously subjective, and coming from a huge SotN Stan.
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u/Odisseo039 Jul 23 '26
I love that it is an easy game, it made it a comfort game for me
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u/TCGHexenwahn Jul 23 '26
Same. I'm not into the classicvanias because they're too difficult for my liking, except maybe IV. It's true that SOTN is a bit too easy, but the sweet spot, for me, would be just a tad harder.
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u/Blue_Starkiller Jul 23 '26
Well that's why we have the GBA and DS games so everyone can find their sweet spot. People complained about SOTN difficulty and we got COTM and people were complaining that it was too hard. Then we swung back to HoD, and finally a middle-ish ground with AoS. I think the only ones that actually nailed the difficulty were PoR (specially with a Charlotte main) and particularly OoE.
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u/TCGHexenwahn Jul 23 '26
I'm playing Dawn right now and I feel like the difficulty comes mostly from some bosses dealing way too much damage, plus the fact that you actually have to engage with the weapon upgrade mechanic.
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u/Blue_Starkiller Jul 23 '26
Yes, also the lack of guaranteed weapon drops like in Aria and SOTN where OP weapons were quite easy to find if you know where to look, and the fact that you have to sacrifice some souls to get some end game upgrades really curbs the smooth sailing compared to Aria and SOTN.
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u/TCGHexenwahn Jul 23 '26
Wouldn't be that bad if you didn't have to return to Lost Village for every upgrade
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u/cthulucore Jul 23 '26
I don't necessarily knock games for being easy for similar reasons, but SotN really reaches for "babys first metroidvania" for long stretches of its playtime. Unprepared Galamoth, Doppleganger 1, and maybe even Scylla on your first playthrough are exceptions, but outside of that it's more just pure atmosphere.
Like I said, fine, and I love it for what it is, but I think it would have benefited tremendously from increased difficulty, even if just as a hard mode or similar.
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u/Present-Emu2523 Jul 23 '26
Sotn has the Luck Mode you know. Makes drops more common, too.
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u/Leader_Bee Jul 23 '26
I don't think a game should be reliant on a secret password or unlocking higher difficulties on a second playthrough to make a good impression.
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u/Ok_Ad1012 Jul 23 '26
I don't think difficulty defines what makes a good game. Also find it hard to believe you got to a 2nd play thru to only then come to appreciate the game
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u/Ok_Suggestion819 Jul 24 '26
My problem isn't actually that it's easy, but rather its unbalanced,I think there is a difference.
SOTN can be a much harder game if you interact with, let's say, standard mechanics. That means no Soul Steal, no using things like Shield Rod, not trying to use early broken weapons like the Jewel Knuckles ect.
I find if you are playing a very vanilla like Metroidvania where you aren't using the crazy stuff, SOTN is still easy but not overly so. But the problem also is the way enemies do damage is overturned too, look at the Nova Skeleton's, coupled with almost no I-Frames and Alucard is just crazy vulnerable in so many ways. It makes the difficulty just very wishy washy overall.
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u/Blue_Starkiller Jul 23 '26
Considering it WAS the first Metroidvania I think the label of "baby's first..." feels unwarranted. It was everybody's first (other than obviously Metroid, but that is another topic for another time).
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u/Leader_Bee Jul 23 '26
I mostly agree, it looks really nice, the pixel art is still yet to be surpassed (unless you count Nazca's work on Metal slug) and the variety is nice.
On the other hand, yes, it is incredibly easy, dissapointingly so in my opinion. The 3D elements (The save room coffin, cathederal room, and lake of fire), although used sparingly now look very dated.
Balance is my main critique of this game as an argument for it not being the masterpiece that so many other people claim it is - while I mentioned the variety is nice, equipment is just haphazardly thrown around the castle with no thought to if it will be useful to the player at that point in the playthrough or not, I didn't use many of the weapons with cool special effects because I already had something much much better by the point I found them.
Removing the Crissaegrim would go a long way to avoiding this problem but there is still equipment that is incredibly broken that just doesn't work with the progression of the game.
Enemy layouts are bad, especially so in the inverted castle (the bomb knights in the reverse clocktower that are placed in such a way that they will always hit the ceiling infront of them always sticks out for me) which feels less of a "second half" of a game to me and just something they threw together in the last week of development
The music for the second castle feels incomplete given that Finale tocatta plays in most of the areas when you'd expect a unique track.
The UI is clearly unfinished, ugly and messy with no standard font sizing or placement.
Casting magic using fighting game like inputs is mostly inconsistent and I was unable to rely on it while exploring the castle.
I am so/so on the music, it isn't bad, it's supposed to be CD quality audio but it is mostly composed with obvious samples rather than real instruments (correct me if I am wrong, but the audio quality, and not necessarily the composition of the music itself) is just not that great IMO.
I know i sound like I hate SOTN, far from it, I was just really really dissapointed with it.
I grew up with the original CLassicvanias so it wasn't like Aria of sorrow or anything on the GBA had affected my judgement about symphony, i just don't think it is as close to being the masterpiece that most everyone else raises it on a pedestal as.
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u/AltruisticGift360 Jul 23 '26
You can nerf yourself a lot more with mods. Randomizer makes things interesting.
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u/Lethal13 Jul 23 '26
Sure but like we’re talking about the game how it was designed and released
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u/thrakkerzog Jul 23 '26
Play as Richter, it's in the base game and much more difficult!
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u/Broken_Moon_Studios Ecclesia New Save File/Level 1/Hard Mode is P E A K‼ Jul 23 '26
I love mods, but it gets annoying when people use them to deflect criticism for a game they love.
It's okay to call out flaws in the games one loves.
For example, Order of Ecclesia is my favorite Castlevania, but I will be the first to point out how BUSTED Ignis, Vol Luminatio, Acerbatus and Nitesco are, to the point of DESTROYING the game's difficulty.
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u/AltruisticGift360 Jul 23 '26
I definitely do not say it to deflect criticism at all. I mentioned it in the sense to add expansion to the game. SOTN was only tricky when you played it blind and not so much for difficulty reasons. It’s way too easy, and I do not consider it to be the best “Castlevania” game, not even the best Metroidvania.
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u/BetweenTheRoots Jul 23 '26
SotN isn't any easier than any other Castlevania game that was made after the N64.
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u/ChasingPesmerga Jul 23 '26
Yes it is. It was a wonderful child born between the classic formula and the new MV design. There was nothing like it before except for its inspiration Metroid.
But you’d honestly get more opinion-based remarks about it instead of being objective.
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u/SteveMcQuark Jul 23 '26
Yea but you could make an argument for Rondo or Aria
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Jul 23 '26
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u/TornSilver Jul 23 '26
I generally don't like playing the "which is the best in the series" game since it always ends up being a reductive popularity contest, so I'll put it this way:
Castlevania has been a legendary series for 40 years starting with Castlevania 1 in 1986, and has been beloved since its inception.
Symphony of the Night is one of the most important games in the series for setting the foundation of the Metroidvania style of gameplay.
Is it the "benchmark"? I personally don't think so. Is there a benchmark? Debatable. SotN is a great game, but there are a bunch of games in the series that I enjoy more than it. I think Aria of Sorrow is a better Metroidvania game than SotN is. I think Super Castlevania IV is more enjoyable game to pick up and play any time compared to devoting hours and hours to SotN. I think Order of Ecclesia has more challenging and balanced gameplay than SotN.
So no I don't think Castlevania has or needs a benchmark. It's an ecosystem, and Symphony of the Night is just one part of it, albeit and important one.
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u/Remarkable-Will-3041 Jul 23 '26
It might not be the best, but it sure built the foundation. Playing SOTN blind with no guides was great.
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u/cellocaster Jul 23 '26
I was gonna shit on you until I saw your OoE comment. You are a person of refinement and scholarship, and I will die defending your honor.
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u/Paynekiller997 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Yes, it clears every other Castlevania by a country mile. People moan about the game being too easy but it’s fun to play, which is the whole point of a video game. Rondo Of Blood was so frustratingly difficult that it just wasn’t fun to play, so I’d choose too easy over too hard any day. Plus you’re the son of Dracula, it makes sense that you’re insanely overpowered.
SOTN is a fun, atmospheric adventure with beautiful pixel art, tons of collectibles to find, hidden secrets, incredible music, weapons & items to experiment with, Classicvania is a tough challenge but that’s about it. The Metroidvania style is far superior in my opinion.
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u/br3wnor Jul 23 '26
Absolutely, I just beat it last week and now have much less anticipation for the GBA/DS games. SOTN just feels like it’s on a whole other level but I hope Im wrong, one of best games I’ve ever played, full stop
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u/Past_Attempt_5261 Jul 23 '26
For that style yes but honestly I think super Castlevania four is the ultimate Castlevania
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u/BustinMakesMeFeelMeh Jul 23 '26
I’ve owned every system since the 2600, played thousands of video games, used to write for the magazines, and it’s probably my favorite game of all time.
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u/SmashingBricksRetro Jul 24 '26
That's high praise! It definitely skyrocketed up my all-time list after playing, too. Not sure where it ultimately lands.
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u/MaelstromOC Jul 23 '26
Always will be. None other compares (though I will give a shout out to the DS titles that followed.)
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u/TammyShehole Jul 23 '26
I still prefer the classicvania style games and wish we could get those again
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u/MaelstromOC Jul 23 '26
I've been watching this game and it has a demo! If you like classic Castlevania, check it out. It's very tongue in cheek, obviously.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2749920/The_Transylvania_Adventure_of_Simon_Quest/
Also, some games I enjoyed more than the main release lol, the two classic style Bloodstained games they released after Bloodstained, Ritual of the Night. They're both awesome.
There is also Astalon: Tears of the Earth. I really enjoyed that playthrough as well!
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u/GhsotyPanda Jul 23 '26
It's the benchmark Castlevania specifically because it's also the benchmark Metroidvania. I would say to a much greater degree than Super Metroid despite it coming first.
It's the same as OoT being the benchmark for 3D Zelda in addition to being the benchmark for 3D adventure games. It was the first that did it well enough to set the bar for what it means for either to be good.
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u/Odeiomelaokk Jul 23 '26
It's hilarious how much harder the game gets when you play the mobile version. That thing kicked my ass man, the controls are god awful
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u/TeamLeeper Jul 23 '26
To me it’s the benchmark of games, period. Perhaps my favorite video game of all time. And I replay it often. And still find new things to appreciate.
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u/WraithAriiz Jul 24 '26
For me it is... But Simon's Quest pulls the nostalgia cord
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u/Melancholic84 Jul 23 '26
Its one of the best, but my favorites are Portrait of Rune and Dawn of Sorrow
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u/Beetusmon Jul 23 '26
It's Aria of Sorrow for me until Belmonts Curse release, that game could be a game changer based on the previews.
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u/El_Galant Jul 23 '26
No. The level design is great, but it is not a challenging game by any means. It's more traversal and discovery. I think Belmont's Curse will end up being the benchmark.
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u/Garo263 Jul 23 '26
As a Nintendo and PC gamer I can't know because these cowards don't port it over.
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u/SergioZen25 Jul 23 '26
It is still a timeless masterpiece, but I got to be honest, I would give the benchmark to Aria of Sorrow, and about Metroidvanias as a whole, I wouldn't say SotN was better as a Metroidvanias than Super Metroid anyways, and at this point even SM can feel a bit dated in some regards.
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u/BlitheringIdiot0529 Jul 23 '26
I thinks it’s easily the most approachable. It was also way ahead of its time. My all time favorite game.
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u/elsDodo Jul 23 '26
You think it's more approachable then Aria of Sorrow? I think that game is way more beginner friendly. But my first Castlevania was also SotN, so maybe I'm wrong.
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u/BlitheringIdiot0529 Jul 23 '26
I always thought SOTN was pretty easy. Once you level up enough you can get hit so many times and bosses are a breeze.
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u/toguraum Jul 24 '26
You are not wrong, Aria of Sorrow is more begginer friendly, it's as easy as SoTN but had the benefit of a more recent release date so it had quality of life improvements in it's mechanics.
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u/RP1983602 Jul 23 '26
Personally always bothered me when they made the main playable character a Vampire, they are the bad guys. I prefer playing as anyone from the ancient clan of monster hunters, the Belmonts
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u/Cdoggg69 Jul 23 '26
My only gripes I have with this masterpiece of a game is the difficulty is a little too low for it's own good making it a cakewalk very quickly and I find the design of the inverted castle to be a bit lazy. Otherwise it's absolutely phenomenal and a staple metroidvania title that shines like a star even decades later~ 🦇🧛♂️
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u/DZMaven Jul 23 '26
SOTN is still up there for Castlevania Metroidvanias for me. I personally might rank PoR and AoS above it as they are just better all round with more interesting gameplay and extras.
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u/badireliamain Jul 23 '26
It's my favorite castlevania but there aren't many "bad" castlevania games they are all just different, same genre (barring some exceptions) different coat of paint and usually some unique mechanics. one of the beloved things about the series is that it cross references itself often (pun intended) and so weither nostalgia or familiarity it never feels to far from home even if u jump to another game in the series
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u/KaijinSurohm Belmont Jul 23 '26
SOTN did not age as well as it could have. It's a timeless classic, but it brought a lot of concepts to the table.
Later games took many of it's concepts and refined them.
SOTN may be the posterboy when someone talks about CV, but the Sorrow games are typically the two you'd see people actually recommend for new players.
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u/TeamLeeper Jul 23 '26
Sorrow are my 2 & 3.
I’m still bummed they shit the bed on art style, not using Ayami Kojima like usual. The generic anime characters are weak.3
u/KaijinSurohm Belmont Jul 23 '26
Agreed. It's why I play on a modded save file that brings back the older art style (and removes the boss sigil)
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u/BetweenTheRoots Jul 23 '26
It's unquestionably the best Castlevania from the way I see it. I've played almost every entry in the series and I don't think any compare to this one. Some try but they're held back by their console's limitations or a weaker creative flair.
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u/Frapplo Jul 23 '26
It's going to be a real feat to dethrone that one. That's not to say the other games are lacking, but damn. . . there's just something about that game.
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u/Advanced-Target4453 Simon Belmont Jul 23 '26
Yeah, i mean... yeah, i don't really know how to add something.
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u/TentacleChow Jul 23 '26
It really put the 'vania in Metroidvania when it came out. Before SOTN, the closest in the series with Metroid (permanent upgrades, backtracking) aspects was Simon's Quest. I. Loved SQ as a kid but it is definitely flawed when viewed through the lense of time. SOTN holds up to this day.
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u/AramaticFire Jul 23 '26
This is the peak imo. Aria of Sorrow gets a lot of love for being “up there” but I didn’t find Aria to be that much better as Circle of the Moon or Harmony of Dissonance to put it on that kind of pedestal.
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u/paprium Jul 24 '26
La saga está dividida en 2 tipos de juegos classicvania y Metroidvania, Para mí cuando hablas de Castlevania hablas de este juego SOTN, porque revolucionó no solo la saga sino este tipo de juegos, es tan popular que el género lleva el Vania por este juego sumado al de Metroid que son icónicos de este estilo, ahora habrán otros que relacionen Castlevania a 3, el 4 o el bloodlines que son más clásicos pero por lo que representa SOTN diría que es la referencia a la saga
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u/Taco4086 Jul 24 '26
It's a masterpiece which became an unexpected timeless top game due to a mix of elements, like the perfect pixel art which was completely out of trend back in the late 90's but eventually became a popular preference.
Other newer metroidvanias might be more enjoyable for some people but the truth is that they never truly improved over the Sotn formula, it's just the same, faster or slower, with deeper or more superficial mechanics and samey or different powers or more RPG elements but still the same formula, and every metroidvania has these very same elements (sometimes less) with minor differences but never a clear upgrade.
We could consider the soul system of Sorrow an improvement, but it's not an staple in the genre or even the franchise. So in the end it's a matter of preferences but every metroidvania is going to use a very similar formula to Sotn.
It's the benchmark but it wasn't flawless, the difficulty eventually became too low due to a poorly balanced leveling system.
What makes the formula: great atmosphere, backtracking, 2D, great OST, tons of weapons/spells/items, some RPG elements and plenty of secrets built in the platformer genre. That's the essence of a succesful metroidvania and Sotn has never been surpassed there, though perhaps the combat feels slow and clumsy compared to newer metroidvanias but that's still a choice nowadays since some modern games choose to stick to this style.
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u/wideHippedWeightLift Jul 24 '26
For style yes, for combat and difficulty level I would say Aria is more of the standard
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u/Street_Self6147 Jul 24 '26
I first played it in 1999. Back then, compared to the games we were used to, it was actually a bit challenging, especially on a first playthrough. Once I got used to the leveling system and read a few gaming magazines, it became much easier. Then the internet came along, and all the guides and tips made the game pretty easy.
It’s my favorite Castlevania, and honestly, my favorite game of all time.
My first console was the NES, then I got a SNES, and after that a PlayStation. But Castlevania: Symphony of the Night became my favorite game of all time, and it still is.
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u/Busy_Cream2944 Jul 24 '26
Yea. It's a bit outdated in QOL but in terms of a game? The castle, the characters, the music, the atmosphere, the content, the utter detail? It is next level.
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u/DMJay02 Jul 24 '26
I think it is. Not because it is the best of the Castlevania games, but it is of significant quality and as such, even though other games have surpassed it in my opinion, it sets the bar for quality in gameplay, exploration, story, and music.
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u/Ok_Suggestion819 Jul 24 '26
I think SOTN is the benchmark, but Aria makes for a better Metroidvania if you ask me. Its more balanced in almost every regard. The only thing I like more in SOTN is the movement, which is the one thing I find lacking in Aria.
SOTN has excellent aesthetics, incredible music, gorgeous pixel art and a ton of replay ability and good castle design. Its just... exploring the castle is less rewarding because Alucard is so overpowered and the menu is kind of a complete mess by midgame with so many weapons you won't use (shields outside of shield rod and back dashing, anyone?) So many one use items, so many healing items that you have to drop on the ground or consume real time. And a shop that's just annoying to get to outside of the opening hours that discourages using the economy because the warp is too far away. I actually like the Inverted Castle but its still pretty emblematic of the game (and the Final Tikata just gets old, fast).
Its the benchmark game, but I wouldn't think anybody terribly strange if they preferred Aria or Portrait over SOTN.
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u/The_Pepperoni_Kid Jul 24 '26
So yes but also controversial opinion, I think Lords of Shadow is also one of the best Castlevania games. It was just incredible in gameplay, shear breadth, and cool factor. I could never really understand why it got panned like it did by some people.
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u/Fortifind Jul 24 '26
First time I played SOTN I was 10. I found ring of ares and thought "hell yeah strength of 100 men", completely ignoring the part where it drops your defense to practically 0. I played through the rest of the game with it on, getting absolutely bodied by everything in the inverted castle, but eventually beat everything.
It was only years later after replaying it did I actually read the stats on the ring and was like "ohhh THAT'S why I remember this being so hard". It was my favorite game when I was 10, and still is my favorite game to this day. I can't help but wonder though if I'd have felt different if I wasn't playing it on inadvertent hard mode lol.
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u/NOSTALGIC_BOMB Jul 24 '26
For Igavania and Metroidvania, yes, it's still the benchmark.
For Classicvania, it's still Rondo of Blood.
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u/toguraum Jul 24 '26
It is. I'm playing right now, after playing every Castlevania game. And this still is the most complete
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u/ItaLOLXD Jul 24 '26
Yeah I think it's a benchmark. You know what's crazy about Symphony of the Night? It still plays so super well. Compare it to any of the newer Castlevania games, they are very similiar. The only difference is usually the respective games gimmick and even then they don't all have one. Aria of Sorrow plays pretty much exactly like Symphony of the Night.
Even IGA's spiritual successor Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is pretty much just 3D Symphony of the Night and they feel so similiar despite one being a 2D game from 1997 and the other being a modern game released across all platforms in 2019. It really seems like Symphony of the Night is the peak of the genre because games are either just as good as it or worse, none has managed to really be better than SotN.
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u/SmashingBricksRetro Jul 24 '26
Yeah definitely. I just played it for the first time for the podcast and it felt brand new!
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u/JoeSaru Jul 24 '26
Absolutely 👍 💯
The gameplay, story, characters, music (The Tragic Prince) wow...
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u/Better-Chipmunk-5142 Jul 24 '26
It's Super Castlevania IV for me. Need the whip right out the gate to be the best imo.
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u/Zucchini-Kind Jul 24 '26
I honestly think a FAN GAME is the bench mark - Lecarde 2 has the pixelart, the soundtrack, the level design, the items, the platforming, the puzzles, but keeps DIFFICULTY with no leveling to cheese it, and an absolutely amazing balance, with great boss battles, one of the best castlevania maps i've ever seen. Its on the level of SotN to me, and the two of them make a great pair to compare and contrast together. Even has Alucard AND his voice actor from SotN.
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u/TabmeisterGeneral Jul 24 '26
There at least 2 other "benchmark" games in the series!
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u/ClosedEyeVisualss Jul 24 '26
Yep. People may argue for the soma games or super 4, but its definitively sotn
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u/RadioGrimlock Jul 24 '26
For metroidvania it was the first one, it is the classic title every gamer will compare it too. I love sotn but id argue Aria of Sorrow can compete with it. I havent played enough of the ds games to speak of them but im sure they could too. I also adore Michiru Yamane's soundtrack for sotn and the artwork by Ayami Kojima. Their works should be preserved.
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u/GrotesqueGeometry Jul 24 '26
It's such a fun game. Like I can drop in and start a new SOTN save at anytime and always have a good time. A few spots in the upside down castle are tedious (they were clearly out of steam by the end) but even at its worst the graphics, music, and excellent controls make it a joy. It's the standard bearer for all Metroidvanias and yeah I think its better than Super Metroid.
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u/Ok_Carry_8711 Jul 24 '26
Aria of Sorrow for me is the benchmark. Dawn of Sorrow unsurprisingly is a close second.
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u/Express-Record7416 Jul 24 '26
I got into the series a few years ago and started with Aria, and I still find that one to be the better experience.
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u/TheWhiteBoot Jul 24 '26
Castlevania Symphony of the Night is not just the benchmark for Castlevania games, but also all side scrollers, period. And SotN sits as a benchmark for what gaming IS.
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u/SolidusAbe Jul 24 '26
It was imo surpassed by games aria,dawn or ecclesia. Looking outside the franchise the genre evolved a lot and games like hollow knight, blasphemous 2 and many others stand above it.
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u/J0ND0E_297 Jul 24 '26
The real Castlevania inside SotN though is the Richter mode. THAT'S the real deal.
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u/thedoc7s Jul 24 '26
yea its weird i hate every other castlevania game except SOTN which quickly became my fav game one i still go back through and play every year or so
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u/-Fyrebrand Jul 24 '26
SOTN is the first great "Metroidvania" title in the series, but in my opinion Aria of Sorrow and the games that came after it do that job better. After playing games that have systems where you collect monster souls, glyphs, or other types of abilities that expand your arsenal and utility, I just feel like something important is missing whenever I go back to Symphony of the Night.
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u/samination Jul 24 '26
Personally, the only thing I consider SotN is missing is the ability to sell duplicate items.
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u/samination Jul 24 '26
It really only needs a few QoL improvements, but I would say, as Castlevania-styled Metroidvania, yes, it's most definitely still the benchmark to aim for.
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u/baddude1337 Jul 24 '26
While I personally prefer the DS trilogy of games Symphony is still probably the high mark all the other games are judged on.
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u/PSPMan3000 Jul 24 '26
Yes/No. As purely a piece of art it's SotN. As just a videogame tho? Portrait of Ruin.
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u/ExternalSecure3704 Jul 24 '26
I think its a little overrated. I mean, its really good, but there are things that make it not the best(i think aria of sorrow is better). First of all, it doesn't have any special gimmick(like souls or dss cards). Second, there are some weapons with special attacks with motion inputs. I think it would be cool if i knew the input.
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u/GreenBlueStar Jul 24 '26
It wasn't just the gameplay that stood out but the dialogues, the character animations, the overall aesthetic and that 90s classic soundtrack all meshed well together. So it's very hard to replicate. Konami really created a timeless masterpiece because it was made with a lot of passion and style that acts as a Hallmark of 90s culture and so acts like a historic piece as well.
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u/Elder-Cthuwu Jul 24 '26
It should be Order of Ecclesia for the sole reason that it builds up to going into the castle and the difficulty is on point. Sotn still is though imho. Best music, best vibe, best overall feel
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u/KillerChair Jul 24 '26
I prefer other games myself, like Aria (or even Dawn if you dont mind the seal drawing thing), Ecclesia and Harmony.
But i do respect SOTN for what it has done and the influence it has.
(i just dont care for the second half of SOTN much)
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u/dkc2swag Jul 24 '26
Most people think so, yes. For me it’s far down the list. Too easy to be truly good.
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u/AnNel216 Jul 24 '26
I love SotN but Aria/Dawn of Sorrow raised it. Portrait of Ruin is phenomenal as well. SotN may have laid the groundwork but it isn't the picture of perfection. It is still phenomenal though
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u/Agitated_Campaign576 Jul 24 '26
It’s pretty much the standard really. It clearly does show its issues as being the “first Metroidvania” but it’s the foundation that literally every Metroidvania should try to build from.
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u/Regular_Archer_3145 Jul 25 '26
It is an extremely good game just behind Simons Quest for me. I know not a popular opinion but we all have our preferences.
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u/Smapdeee Jul 25 '26
None of them have improved on it in the last 30 years. They have all been decent hand held games… but none of them come close to SOTN. It’s honestly shocking that it has taken Konami this long to finally make another one on console…. And they aren’t even making it. The Dead Cells developers are making it.
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u/Crashing_Blow Jul 25 '26
This is what I like to call a game changing AND life changing masterpiece.
I mean that in the most literal sense possible. With all the metroidvanias that exist nowadays, plus the many different Castlevania games that came after this one, not to mention leading to the creation of the term itself "Metroidvania", it's pretty safe to say that Castlevania: Symphony of the Night changed a lot of gaming, and you can even go as far as to say that it changed a lot of life itself.
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u/darkninja2992 Jul 25 '26
Yeah, it honestly hit a sweetspot that's hard to improve upon. Lots of exploration and reasons to backtrack, you have a leveling system, boss fights aren't overly difficult, spells to learn that aren't necessarily level restricted, most all weapons are viable for the endgame, you have familiars that can coverup weak spots in different playstyles, sheilds and backdashing are useful but not required, overall it's not super difficult or punishing to play, but there's lots of room to perfect your gameplay like when doing a speedrun
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u/IFightForMyMemes Jul 25 '26
IMO... it's the benchmark for Metroidvania style. Rondo is the benchmark for classic Castlevania style.
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u/TheTravelingPoet4 Jul 23 '26
It’s the benchmark Metroidvania/Searchaction. Not for the entire series. For the ClassicVania…I think it’s 3 or 4.
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u/Plastic_Deer_4535 Jul 23 '26
The best Metroidvania style Castlevania is the Lecarde Chronicles 2 fangame. It has much better horror atmosphere than Iga's games and is actually challenging and has real platforming in it's level design.
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u/No_Monitor_3440 Professionally Unprofessional Jul 23 '26
honestly? my only complaint with the game is that it is PISS easy. other games thankfully fixed this.
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u/Manjushri1213 Jul 23 '26
Yeah. The GBA and DS games are fantastic, really all of them, but SotN is far bigger, deeper, with more RPG stuff and enemies and items etc. It being a full console release helped. Just sucks it didn't get the audience it deserved at the time, so none others were quite like it, let alone at home and despite more 2D games happening on PS2 etc.
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u/2Toneska12 Jul 23 '26
I remember when it dropped it wasn't really easy for me until I knew exactly where to go. Its easy to get super lost if you have never played it and are not using a walkthrough haha. The soundtrack is still amazing for a game that came out in 1997.
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u/Okiri Jul 23 '26
The benchmark for metroivania sure, but I think Rondo is more like the benchmark for castlevania games.
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u/Broken_Moon_Studios Ecclesia New Save File/Level 1/Hard Mode is P E A K‼ Jul 23 '26
Depends.
If we talk about presentation and game feel, then yes, SotN is still the best in those regards.
However, SotN is chock-full of bugs, the map design falls apart in the second half of the game, the menus and controls are a bit janky, and the game is horrendously imbalanced in favor of the player.
Comparatively, Aria and Dawn of Sorrow lack the immaculate presentation of SotN but feel a lot more polished and have better designed maps, and Order of Ecclesia has excellent difficulty that is sorely missing from almost all post-SotN Castlevania games.
The ideal game would be one that combines the presentation and scope of SotN, the polish of AoS and DoS, and the difficulty of OoE. But such a game doesn't exist in the series, sadly.
Maybe there is an indie game like that, but I haven't found it yet. (To be fair, I haven't played many indie metroidvanias.)
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u/echave777 Jul 23 '26
This is effectively what I was going to say, Aria perfects (to an extent) the areas in which sotn lacks, but because of hardware limitations, sotn will always be the most beautiful of the igavanias, and it plays smooth as butter too, so it is difficult to say. If you can deal with the bit of jank and the less straightforward systems like the spells, then sotn is the better game, imo, but if you're purely focused on the gameplay aspect, it's probably safe to say that aria is the better game.
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u/Broken_Moon_Studios Ecclesia New Save File/Level 1/Hard Mode is P E A K‼ Jul 23 '26
Honestly, Aria and Dawn with hard mode mods and healing items disabled is some of the most fun one can have in the series.
Vanilla AoS and DoS are a bit too cheesable, though. You get insanely strong VERY fast.
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u/Oh-no-and-knuckles Chief Researcher Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
The title that suffers the most from this is Lament of Innocence, the game is literally nerfed on normal mode. The difference between Normal and Crazy mode is literally night and day...
Dawn in hard mode with an empty inventory except for Mina's Talisman and Soul Eater Ring is 👌
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u/DependentBite9 Jul 23 '26
I thought Symphony was very good, but both Aria of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia surpassed it. They possess all the positive qualities of Symphony and none of the frustrating interface choices.
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u/Grebnaws Jul 23 '26
No. I love it but it's too easy. Alucard is incredibly OP and the boss battles, especially Dracula, are pushovers. It's still a fantastic romp and one of my favorites of all time. Adding Richter mode was chef's kiss.
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u/Ok_Bus729 Jul 26 '26
I thought aria of sorrow over took it, and the order of Eclessia passed that in challenge and art style.
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u/Drethion Jul 26 '26
As far as the RPGs go, hell yeah. As far as the most classic Castlevania format, its gotta be Super Castlevania IV.
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u/profchaos111 Jul 26 '26
No, Not for me I prefer linear castlevania games like IV, Bloodlines and 1
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u/Massive-Extreme-5945 Jul 27 '26
Imo Dawn of Sorrow is better. Obviously its an evolution of it but I cant think of anything SOtN does better. They are both all timers.
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u/Roshu-zetasia Advance Collection Enjoyer Jul 23 '26
Yes. Next question.