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Castlevania: Symphony off the Night - Japanese original title: Akumajô Dracula X Gekka No Yasôkyoku - is a Video game of action - ventures developed and published by Konami in 1997 left on PlayStation. The play was conceived by Koji Igarashi and Ayami Kojima. This episode is often mentioned to be one of best of the series Castlevania, with the episode Akumajō Dracula X: Chi No Rondo, of which it constitutes the direct continuation.

The play was adapted in 1998 on Saturn (left in Japan only) and was republished in 2007 on Xbox 360, via the Xbox Live Arcade, and on PlayStation 3 and PSP, via the PlayStation Network.

Synopsis

In this episode, the adventure is not carried out any more by one of the descendants of the family Belmont as it is of habit in the other episodes, but by Alucard, son of Dracula and human, a LISA, died on one to rough-hew to have liked the vampire. There wishes to remain plunged in a long sleep which would enable him to escape its vampiric nature. However, when the evil reappears and that Belmont are not there to protect the world from Dracula, Alucard awakes to defy his/her father.

Description

Gameplay

The play makes take a turning with the series by developing a RPG side, whose outline had already appeared in Castlevania II: Simon' S Quest , with a system of rise to power based on the experiment, of levels, fates and many objects and weapons to be collected. The castle to be explored is based on an architecture with the Metroid where certain zones are accessible only after the destruction from shieldings generally characterized by Boss what on several occasions requires to reconsider its steps after having obtained particular techniques, as that of the double jump which makes it possible to jump second once while being in the air. Moreover, each weapon offers has Alucard a style of particular combat. It is still a material change in comparison with the precedents opus: the player is not any more limited to only one and even arms principal with the beginning in the end (before the whip) and Alucard can thus from now on handle swords short, long, doors with two hands, katanas, knives, bludgeons, weapons of jet and sticks which modify and vary consequently the jouability. Competences and techniques are obtained gradually according to a progressive rise of the difficulty. One finds in this Castlevania of the handling usually reserved for the sets of engagements. Indeed, the magics are not used using a simple short cut. It is necessary to carry out a combination of keys containing half-circles on the lever to launch a fate. It is thus not necessary to pass by a menu, which would have slowed down the action of the play. Symphony off the Night was a precursor: a majority of the following episodes will take again indeed a RPG side and management of inventory ( Castlevania: Circle off the Moon , Castlevania: Harmony off Dissonance and Castlevania: Aria off Sorrow , on GBA, Castlevania: Dawn off Sorrow on Nintendo DS, and in a less obvious way in Castlevania: Curse off Darkness ).

Contrary in the majority of the preceding episodes, the control of the character became flexible: just like in Super Mario Bros or Shadow Warriors many front years, one can proportion his jumps and modify his trajectory in flight and not follow strictly parabolic trajectories which prohibit the reactivity in the event of enemy displacement. Moreover, the use of the weapons and magics are very fast and reactive, contrary to the traditional whip. These two points (criticized but in the middle of the gameplay of origin) made it possible this episode to attract a larger audience. Lastly, some additional movements complete this transformation: dodging towards the back and the kick in full jump which one will find in all Castlevania in 2D thereafter.

Graphics and design of the protagonists

The Gothic style côtoie a Roman style (such as for example the level of the Colisée) on about fifteen levels different and traditional spot from the series is visible. Certain zones profit from many light effects. However, principal qualities of the graphic part lie in animation and the characters. Alucard moves with great pace and freely in all the screen, the adversaries met have a whole a posture, a step and a style which is clean for them. The special magics and blows are fluid, all that being supported by a character design of very good invoice. Moreover, this play will see the entry for some episodes of Ayami Kojima as a character designer. There exists a mini-data base (drawn by Kojima) putting in scene the alarm clock of Alucard. The artworks which appear at the time of the rare conversations are fine and very well realize, and the bestiary is very diversified because it takes again the majority of the enemies met in the preceding episodes while adding to it his.

Musics

The original soundtrack of the play, composed by Michiru Yamane, consists of quantity of instruments and different musical styles. Most notable of the track 11 Wood Carving Partita are the harpsichord, the low one and the choruses of the track 16 Crystal Teardrop Underground , the organ (and choruses still) of the 15 Requiem for the Gods or the trumpet and the guitar of the track 24 Wandering Ghosts .

Adaptation

Symphony off the Night was adapted on Saturn by Konami THIS Nagoya. The version Xbox 360, distributed in remote loading via the Xbox Live Arcade, was carried out by the Canadian studio of Backbone Charlottetown (under the label DIGITAL Eclipse). Finally version PSP and PS3 are available via the PlayStation Network American since July 2007.

See too

Devil May Cry , developed by Capcom and partially inspired of Castlevania

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