Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a platform-adventure action role-playing game developed and published by Konami in 1997 for the PlayStation. It was directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, with Koji Igarashi acting as assistant director. It is the direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood taking place four years later. It features Draculas dhampir son Alucard as the protagonist rising from his slumber to explore the Draculas castle which has re-appeared after Richter Belmont has vanished. It marks a break from previous games in the series, introducing exploration, non-linear level design and role-playing elements. Initially, the game was unsuccessful particularly in the United States where it was meagerly publicized but thanks to praise by critics, it gained sales through word-of-mouth and became a hit. It has been re-released on several consoles and is considered a sleeper hit, a cult classic, and one of the best video games ever made.

Developers: Sony Interactive Entertainment, Konami Digital Entertainment, Digital Eclipse

Publisher: Konami

Catalog rating: 8.7 (551 ratings)