JBoc924It’s been more than a decade since Castlevania: Symphony of the Night graced the original Playstation. And since then it’s gone on to spawn multiple portable entries in the franchise that were designed using the same fundamentals and overall framework that debuted with this PSOne classic. Due to its non-linear nature and style of exploration and progression, Symphony of the Night and subsequent ‘vania titles of the same mold ended up being referred to as ‘metroidvania’, suggesting its inspiration (gameplay-wise) from Nintendo’s iconic Metroid franchise, specifically citing inspiration from Super Metroid. Basically, a new sub-genre was established and we’ve seen a good amount of titles since then utilize a similar gameplay style, with recent notable examples being Housemarque’s Outland and Chair’s Shadow Complex.
Symphony of the Night shines above the competition, though, and actually rivals the likes of that which it drew inspiration from in the first place. But this isn’t an editorial pitting Symphony of the Night against Super Metroid, I’ll save that for a later time, it’s just worth noting the importance and overall excellence of Alucard’s second exploit in the franchise. The game’s perception among gamers and critics alike is made pretty evident due to the glowing reviews and overall critical acclaim it received upon launch and to this day. It’s one of the best games of all time for a reason and I’m here to openly state that it’s time for this timeless classic to get a sequel.
Symphony of the Night came out at a time when developers/publishers and gamers alike were all experiencing the shift from pixels to full-blown polygons in their games. What was significant upon the release of this classic was that it decided to take a step back in terms of its visual delivery. Konami decided to use the power of the Playstation not to create a game with the highest polygon count possible at the time (though the game does have some nice 3D effects) but, instead, to make a powerhouse of a 2D game.
The 2D gothic art style used in the game was nothing short of beautiful and it still holds up even today in its current verisons: the PSP version via the Dracula X Chronicles, Xbox 360 version via XBLA (complete with achievements) or the PS3’s PS classics version. Ayami Kojima’s art style implemented into Symphony of the Night(and other ‘vania titles) is still being demanded by fans today who have been wanting it to return to grace the 2D entries in the series for a while now(a true testament to her artistic prowess), especially for the portable entries which for a time used a heavy anime style. I’m looking at you Dawn of Sorrow (but hey, the game was still amazing). But really, just imagine a hand-drawn set of visuals for a Symphony of the Night sequel in the mold of Kojima’s art. Yeah, truly breathtaking.
Now, with the power of this current generation’s consoles, a Symphony of the Night sequel would look absolutely amazing in 2D. All the current-gen horsepower could go towards making the sequel a much meatier experience filled to the brim with content and, of course, boasting an aurally magnificent orchestrated score. But, I’m not oblivious to the fact that making such a move, on Konami’s part, could be quite a gamble. Today’s market, in terms of video games on home consoles, isn’t truly all open-arms about games whose visuals pay tribute to classic 2D gaming. It’s either 3D or its destined to possibly flop at retailers. A sad, but unfortunate truth.
But one can wish, right? And we may end up seeing the day when we’ll be graced with a full-blown 2D Castlevania game released via retailers for home consoles, whether it be a sequel to Symphony of the Night or not. And yes, I’m aware of Harmony of Despair and The Adventure Rebirth, but as aforementioned, a stand-alone retail release would be quite magnificient. And really, while Harmony of Despair was a very excellent package (hell, I gave it a 10) it still consisted of re-used assets from previous entries in the franchise resulting in the “zooming-out” feature being the only aspect of the XBLA title that was benefitted from an HD display. That ability to zoom out and get a whole view of the map really goes a long way to help ease the hardships of traversal that could come about in the many non-linear ‘vanias, so there’s one thing we would like to see in a 2D Symphony of the Night sequel.
Perhaps Konami should pull off an Ubisoft in this case, seeing as how they’re releasing Rayman Origins (a full 2D side-scroller) via retailers later this year. But what if Konami decided to bring Alucard back to the system he was born on?
People seem to forget, but while Symphony of the Night may be Alucard’s most remarkable exploit, in terms of popularity and reception, it was Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (for the NES) which actually introduced us to the son of Dracula in 1989. Dracula’s Curse is a game that many ‘vania fans, including yours truly, would tell you rivals the much-acclaimed aforementioned Playstation title. But I’ll save that discussion for another date.
Being Nintendo-born, though in no way exclusive, it would be quite nice to see Alucard make his glorious return to the house that Mario built. It’s worth noting that technically Alucard has already appeared on a Nintendo console after his conception, and that was due to games like the Wii fighter Castlevania Judgement and the handheld pair of Soma-centric futuristic titles. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and it sequel Dawn of Sorrow. But my point is that Alucard should return to a Nintendo platform taking on a lead role.
For a game that’s been available on multiple platforms, it’s surprising to swallow the fact that Symphony of the Night has yet to appear on a Nintendo console. This is made even more ironic because all of the post-Symphony of the Night portable entries, save for the PSP’s Dracula X Chronicles, have been made within the same “metroid-vania” mold. So, why hasn’t the actual game appeared on a Nintendo platform yet? Or better yet, should a potential sequel hit Nintendo system owners?
While the Wii still has a good amount of life left in it, I’m siding with Nintendo’s upcoming console on this one. Project Cafe, Stream, or whatever they end up calling could end up housing the return of Alucard. With such a move, Konami would still be able to offer an HD sequel to one of the greatest games of all time, which is something that wouldn’t be possible with Nintedo’s current console. And this could end up being either a side-scroller or a fully-realized 3D action adventure title the likes of MercurySteam’s Lords of Shadow.
We all know that Castlevania Judgement was Iga’s end result after a long period of experimenting with how the Wii-mote would be able to benefit a ‘vania title without causing the player immense ammounts of exhaustion. So, we ended up getting a ‘vania flavored fighter that still had ties to the series’ overall canon, but we know Iga & Co. could’ve done better. With Nintendo’s upcoming console we could get that Nintendo ‘vania we’ve always wanted, one that could stand up among the classic NES trilogy and the masterful SNES pseudo-remake, with Alucard right there front and center.
Or, Konami could opt to support the Nintendo 3DS which would continue their tradition of giving fans Symphony of the Night, or ‘metroidvania’, type experiences on the go, a tradition that gave fans two trilogies, one on the GBA and another on the Nintendo DS. What better way to kick off the Nintendo 3DS’s trio of ‘vania title than by releasing a sequel to Symphony of the Night, that perhaps could even include, taking into account the enhanced capabilities of a 3DS cartridge, said game. Regardless of what route they take–Wii, Project Cafe or 3DS– I think it’s about time Alucard returns to a Nintendo platform in all his vampiric glory.
And hell, he may even look a little something like this:
You can’t talk about a potential Symphony of the Night sequel without making a reference to this. At 2008’s Tokyo Game Show Koji Igarashi showed off a new, brief, trailer for a brand new Castlevania title. The trailer depicted the return of Alucard standing in front of the titular classic edifice with a huge full moon painted in the backdrop. This, of course, gave fans the unexpected but equally exciting revelation that a sequel to the much-revered Symphony of the Night may be forthcoming on current-gen consoles. Well, that was then, and this is now.
The game has been MIA for almost 3 years and while there was no official confirmation on the actual game, in terms of a title or intended launch window, we still have some knowledge to help explain why the game has gone the way of Alucard upon the end of Symphony of the Night. Basically, when Konami started to brainstorm potential ideas for a next-gen ‘vania title on the current consoles, it came down to a handful of developers and their respective takes on the franchise. And, of course, Iga and his team were present along with what may have been the game this prototype trailer teased at. Spain-based developer Mercury Steam was also a contender, though, and as we know, their prototype ended up getting the green light and thus became Lords of Shadow.
Iga wasn’t completely left out in the cold, though. He gave Xbox 360 owners his vision of how a 2D ‘vania could live and breathe on a current platform, which was, of course, Harmony of Despair. But did this new Alucard game really get canned? The teaser indicated that it would be hitting the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, but maybe this title has been thrown back to the drawing board to possibly see release on a Nintendo platform, presumably Project Cafe or the Nintendo 3DS. Wishful thinking, or a complete possibility? We already know that Iga has 3DS dev-kits in his possession, so perhaps he has revitalized this apparent Symphony of the Night follow-up for Nintendo’s glasses-free 3D handheld.
Regardless of what system a potential Symphony of the Night sequel ends up on, I think it’s about time Alucard wakes from his slumber to grace gaming once more.
