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About to start symphony of the night for the first time

amigastar

amigastar

Member
If i remember correctly i've played through the game with no weapon, only used my fist. I've saw that in a speedrun on SotN.
Anyways game is great.
 
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StreetsofBeige

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
JokerMM said:
metroidvania genre was never my thing, but a friend of mine somehow convinced me to try out super metroid. And I fell in love

What should I expect
Click to expand...
The best metroidvania game I played. There's only been a handful of times I've rebought a game and this is one of them. Played it on PS1, then rebought it on XBLA.

Do yourself a favour and dont cheat, cheese the game or look at guidebooks before playing. Beat the game and then if you want, check the net for stuff you missed.
 
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Setsuna Mudou

Setsuna Mudou

Member
You Cant Imagine Channel 5 GIF by All Creatures Great And Small


Nothing like that first time...
 
GymWolf

GymWolf

Member
You are about to play the best game in the genre, best castlevania game and one of the best 10 games ever made with arguably the best ost ever made in a videogame.
(only flaws is that it can be easy for experienced players)

So it's pretty good.

Do yourself a favour and explore every inch of the castle, very minor spoiler
let's just say that you don't want to fight the final boss without some objects in your inventory equipped
 
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AV

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Very, very good stuff even with zero nostalgic attachment.

Expect a reverse difficulty curve. The game's the hardest at the start when you're weak and rapidly gets easier and easier as you level up and get gear.
 
D

dave_d

Member
I always like to point our NextGeneration mag had no taste and I think gave this 4 stars. (But they were 3d whores and most of the 3d games from the 90s are god awful looking now.) Anyway

If the game isn't as short as it may first seem
 
Holammer

Holammer

Member
Enjoy, because after SotN it's all downhill, and I'm only half joking.
Modern entries in the genre try too hard to make the dark souls of metroidvania or cake them in too much exposition and worldbuilding.

SotN was made in a more civilized age.
 
S

Skeptical

Neo Member
JokerMM said:
What should I expect
Click to expand...
A wonderful little pile of secrets. But enough talk, have at it!

On a more serious note, to compare it to Super Metroid (since it sounds like your familiarity with the genre is fairly limited):

  • It is way more action oriented and with better combat than Metroid. There are more tools available to you, some of which you may never know about. Don't worry about missing out, even the obvious tools are enough to get enjoyment out of it. Your character is more fluid and more fun to control than Samus.
  • It has RPG-styl experience, level ups, and equipment, which is meant to mesh with the more action-oriented moment-to-moment gameplay. Since the game wants you to engage with enemies, it gives you more of a reason to do so.
  • Level design also is based around this preference for combat. There are areas which are clearly meant to be focused on action rather than exploration, something that honestly doesn't show up in Super Metroid. Similarly, expect more bosses. The game isn't hard, but you can end up dying if you don't take it seriously, as enemies often pack a punch.
  • Unlike almost every other Metroidvania out there, this game isn't afraid to make you wander for long stretches of time without finding new gate-opening powerups. Again, the RPG-style is meant to complement this, as you'll still be leveling up and finding new equipment even if it seems like there is no progress being made. There's more simple exploring than just getting to your next goal.
  • Music and atmosphere, like Super Metroid, is excellent. Don't play muted.
And finally, one element that is highly important but is inevitably spoileriffic, stated in as limited a spoiler way as possible (it's the same as another hidden spoiler mentioned above. Also, feel free to ignore it until after you play through the game. Even if you miss it, you only "wasted" 10 minutes or so. But it is something you absolutely do not want to miss before you place the game back on your shelf):

Like many games, there are multiple endings here. Unlike many games, you are doing yourself a disservice if you miss the best ending. Explore the castle thoroughly, and don't ignore seemingly pointless equipment without reading their descriptions for hints...

BigDeadFreak said:
I had it on the Saturn back in the day but could never get into it.

What do people like about it so much?
Click to expand...

I can't speak for everyone else, but it's easily my favorite Metroidvania and one of my favorite games of all time. As I implied above, I think the action/combat here is among the best for side-scrolling stabby games (as opposed to shooty games) of its time, and even hold up well to this day. Same for the artistic direction. It took the absolute best elements of Super Metroid and married them to some of the design considerations of Legend of Zelda, two of my favorite games. And it does stuff with its level design that no other Metroidvanias bother to do. Many of them can end up feeling formulaic. You can basically tell when the next powerup/boss will be, and how many branched paths there will be beforehand. Iga's castles are designed differently and is frankly refreshing after so many B-tier Metroidvanias. I have a hard time looking for something that it DOESN'T do right.
 
N

Nonehxc

Member
Mr Hyde said:
You're in for a ride. It's one of the best games ever made, and easily the best Metroidvania bar none. Huge influence on the genre, on 2D games, and Castlevania as a franchise. A true masterpiece.
Click to expand...
And the whole game design in general since then. Much like other monuments in the history of gaming, SotN introduced some pretty great mechanics and design paradigms that carry over to this day in 2D and 3D.
 
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SecretAgentHam

SecretAgentHam

Member
I haven’t replayed SOTN since the PS2 era. I should find out how to play the Saturn translation and give this another go. Luckily I have the means to play it on original hardware.
 
StreetsofBeige

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
By the way OP, to get you in the mood there was Castlevania metal remix album released 30 years ago. It wasnt meant for SOTN since that game came later, but it fits the game.

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rofif

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
yeah I just realized this thing exists on a psn and I've bought it too.
well I do also have japanese version on miyoo mini
 
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PanzerCute

PanzerCute

Member
Exceptional game. I play it almost every year.

My advice is to grind a tiny bit at the beginning, it makes the game more fluid in terms of difficulty.
 
Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
PanzerCute said:
Exceptional game. I play it almost every year.

My advice is to grind a tiny bit at the beginning, it makes the game more fluid in terms of difficulty.
Click to expand...

Yup I always get myself to level 8 at the very beginning in that lower section of the castle with the fish people that constantly jump out. Doesnt take long either.

Been a staple of playing it since 1997. You do that, you have no issues unless you get careless.
 
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