Castlevania Symphony of the Night did for 2D platformers  what God of War did for 3D. It literally re-invented the game and pushed the limits of one’s experience beyond the norm. Everyone who owned this game would talk about it for hours, from the cheesy dialogue between Dracula and Alucard to the butter smooth game-play and special moves. Before Castlevania SotN there were no special moves based on fighting games being used to cast spells. Before Castlevania SotN platformers did not feel like a rhythmic dance with you as lead and the enemy as your partner. The game had all the elements of Castlevania, as in whipping candles, dodging bone slinging skeletons and upgrading the fabled whip to morning star status. Yet it was different from other Castlevanias because it held an intuitive rpg element to it that did not slow the game down at all.

When you play Castlevania SotN, the graphics, music and movement were so well done you felt special playing it and when you destroyed a boss by pulling off a successful half circle back and button combination combo, it felt like an accomplishment. Add to this the difficulty curve and you have what at the time was considered to be a perfect platformer. Not a dull moment to be had as you jump, whip, hack and slash your way through Dracula’s castle only pausing to purchase a familiar here and there or a new potion to try out on an unlucky undead. This was one of those games that made you feel lucky to have experienced and it makes me want to play just writing about it.