As the player uncovers more of the castle, a map is updated to show progress. The game is non-linear, but most of the castle is inaccessible until various items and abilities are collected, including shapeshifting into a bat, wolf, or mist. Once it is defeated, the second portion of the game is revealed, eventually leading to the final battle with a newly awakened Dracula.

The entity can only be seen with a particular item obtained during gameplay. The objective is exploring Dracula's castle to defeat an entity who is controlling Richter Belmont, the self-proclaimed lord of the castle and hero of the events which took place in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.

Symphony of the Night uses 2-dimensional side-scrolling gameplay. The player, as Alucard, explores Dracula's castle – a large, interconnected area – and fights enemies on his way. Symphony of the Night would have a lasting impact on the Castlevania series, with numerous subsequent mainline entries adopting its gameplay model.

It is also considered a pioneer of the Metroidvania genre inspiring numerous exploration-based action-adventure games. The game garnered widespread acclaim, often cited by critics as one of the best video games of all time, praising its gameplay innovations, atmosphere, visuals and soundtrack. However, it gradually gained sales through word-of-mouth and became a sleeper hit, developing a cult following and selling over 700,000 units in the United States and Japan. Symphony of the Night initially sold poorly. Its design marks a break from previous entries in the series, re-introducing the exploration, nonlinear level design, and role-playing elements first experimented with in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. It features Dracula's dhampir son Alucard as the protagonist, rising from his slumber to explore Dracula's castle which resurfaced after Richter Belmont vanished. It is a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, taking place four years later. It was directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, with Koji Igarashi acting as assistant director. Action role-playing, platform-adventure ( Metroidvania)Ĭastlevania: Symphony of the Night is an action role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation.

Rondo of blood prisoners