Review Statistics

Times Read

325

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Plot Synopsis

No plot synopsis or other information available for Castlevania

Story & Playability

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has quite a simple and uninteresting storyplot (I'm not talking about the background information). The background information might be somewhat intriguing for players. Basically no twists about it, unless you consider the various ending twists. The game is done in such a way to keep things mysterious but towards the end of the game, you'll find that the story is just a real simple one. However, the producers did a real good job making it seem interesting. The various endings are all there for the replayability of the game and to perhaps keep the newbies without the walkthroughs around a little longer. Any-o-how although the story is not exactly the greatest but it does fit well with the game. The various ending also serve to keep people a little more interested in an otherwise bland storyplot.

Its already hard to expect a decent story from games of the same genre (take Rockman for example). So don't play the game if you're looking for some storyline that's good, the strength of this game is in its gameplay.

Rating

5 (moderate)

Graphics

Very good visuals for this game. That I must concede. The details are superb; each and every area has an extremely unique and good background. If my memory serves me right, some of the areas even have some mild 3D effects (the Chapel is one of them if I am not wrong). However there are also the not so good visuals. Not every part of the game is good, some effects such as the lightning near the Outer Walls aren't very convincing. Other than those few minor imperfections, the visuals of this game are generally excellent.

Rating

8 (good)

Sound

I have to say Konami did put alot of effort into the audios of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Each area has its own background music. Very suitable soundtracks for each area too, just like how the area with the giant clock has the creepy tick-tock sounds in it. There are however some pretty ridiculous sound effects. An example would be when you slash the vulnerable floating skulls, the sound effect just doesn't sound right, its almost as if you knocked the skull instead of having slashed it with a sword or dagger. The voices of the characters are also incredible. Dracula and Alucard both have the very cool and aloof tone in their speech which fits their "high and mighty" characters. Generally good audios here.

Rating

7 (above average)

Fun

Definitely an original game in itself. The storyline is already original although it is somewhat a weak plot. Nothing too interesting regarding the conversations of characters as they are brief and few and very uninformative. But that keeps the mysterious feel of the whole game and makes it a little interesting for the more serious gamers who take the storyline into consideration. Definitely an enjoyable game to play. The undeniably cool visual and audio effects are a real boost to an otherwise boring game genre (in this case a would be boring game genre with a lousy story). The visual and audible presentation more than makes up for the poor storyline and somewhat makes this game a notch above the other games of the same genre. The playability of the game is just nice. However it can be frustrating for the less knowledgeable players as there are several endings which the new player may not know how to get. Also, the many secret areas can be a pain. For that, the difficulty of the game is quite high for the first timer. On the whole, I give the game a 7 rating.

Rating

7 (above average)

Final Verdict

6.50 (above average)

Reviewed by Ddus, 3y 34wk ago