Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - How Dracula’s Castle Gets Away With Toying with the Player Like Prey
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night creates a sense of wonder and discovery by trusting the player’s intelligence and thematically pitting the castle against the player like a bored vampire toys with its prey. This is achieved through non-obvious secrets, lack of hand-holding, and an emphasis on ongoing exploration and experimentation.
This blog post is part of an ongoing series where I analyze the top 100 best video games of all time as part of the David Perry Challenge. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is ranked #14 out of 100.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has proven itself as an enduring classic. From a design perspective, I believe some reasons behind its enduring popularity is the trust it places in the player’s intelligence, which fosters a sense of long-term awe and wonder that lasts far beyond the short time scales created by most video games. This trust is reflected in the game’s design, which is characterized by non-obvious secrets, a lack of hand-holding, and an emphasis on trust that the player will care to explore and experiment.
The game’s focus on exploration is evident from the moment you enter the castle. The castle is not just a setting, but a character in its own right, actively working against the player. Its very layout is designed to disorient and confuse the player, with hidden paths and secret rooms waiting to be discovered. Players must explore every nook and cranny of the castle to uncover its many secrets, and even then, there is always more to discover.
This is where the lack of hand-holding comes into play. While there is some (very) subtle early game navigational directing, the game doesn’t explain its mechanics or systems, forcing players to learn through experimentation and exploration of the map, the menus and controls. This can be frustrating at times, but it ultimately leads to a much more satisfying experience when players finally begin to master the game’s mechanics.
The game’s emphasis on exploration and experimentation also encourages ongoing replayability. There are multiple paths through the castle, and players are free to experiment with different combinations of weapons, spells, and abilities to uncover new strategies and techniques. The game’s non-linear structure means that there is always something new to discover, even after multiple playthroughs and multiple endings.
Perhaps the most impressive example of this is the inverted castle. After completing the game, players are rewarded with the opportunity to explore the castle once again, but this time upside down. Effectively making the “end” the midpoint of the playthrough. This isn’t just a simple palette swap, but a complete redesign of the castle, with new enemies, secrets, and challenges. It’s a testament to the developer’s trust in the players that this was hidden so well. That even after completing the game, players were quietly rewarded with an entirely new experience that is just as engaging and satisfying as the first time around.
In conclusion, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a game that trusts the intelligence of the player, creating a sense of wonder and discovery that lasts far beyond the short time scales created by most video games. Its focus on exploration and experimentation, combined with its lack of hand-holding and emphasis on non-obvious secrets, creates a game that demands and rewards player investment. And the thematically devious way the game pits the castle against the player only adds to its lasting appeal. It’s a testament to the skill of its developers that even over 20 years after its release, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is still regarded as one of the greatest games ever made.
