50 Fun Facts About Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

In Symphony of the Night, which servant of Dracula steals all of Alucard's equipment soon after he enters the castle?

Death scatters the stolen gear around the castle, and the game's own enemy list describes the reaper simply as Dracula's close friend.

Which classic story supplies three enemies of Symphony of the Night: the Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man?

The Wizard of Oz joke runs into the enemy list too, where the Scarecrow is described as an impaled man looking for a brain.

In Symphony of the Night, the skeleton Yorick, forever chasing his own skull, is named after a jester in which play?

Hamlet has its prince hold up the skull of the dead court jester Yorick, so the game's skeleton attacks by kicking his own skull around.

After Alucard frees Richter Belmont in Symphony of the Night, a second castle appears that is what version of the first?

Upside-down and stocked with new enemies and bosses, the second castle was such a shock that GamePro ranked its discovery among gaming's greatest moments.

Symphony of the Night is widely seen as a pioneer of which genre of exploration-based action games?

Metroidvania blends the names Metroid and Castlevania, and many later games in the series copied this one's open, backtracking design.

Besides a bat and a wolf, which third form can Alucard shapeshift into in Symphony of the Night?

Mist form lets Alucard slip through metal grates that block his solid body, though at first he can hold it only for a very short while.

The Symphony of the Night boss called The Creature, built from warriors' body parts, is modelled on which horror icon?

Frankenstein's monster has haunted the series since the original Castlevania, and here the patchwork giant curls into a ball to roll around the walls and ceiling.

Which flying Clock Tower enemy in Symphony of the Night drifts in a wave pattern and can petrify Alucard on contact?

Medusa Head enemies come in two colours here, and only the gold ones can do it, a real danger above spikes; a Mirror Cuirass blocks the effect.

Which boss of Symphony of the Night takes Alucard's own form and is fought twice, at levels 10 and 40?

Doppleganger is how the game misspells the word, and the second copy has more than six times the hit points of the first.

Which shopkeeper in Symphony of the Night sells Alucard items and keeps the enemy list that serves as a bestiary?

Master Librarian serves in Dracula's castle yet trades with his rebellious son all the same, and he will buy jewels from Alucard but no other items.

Which boss of the Catacombs in Symphony of the Night is a floating sphere covered in a shell of human bodies?

Granfaloon takes its English name from a word in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle; in Japan the boss is called Legion, after the many-in-one demon of the Bible.

Which sea beast of Greek myth is a boss of the Underground Caverns in Symphony of the Night, fought after her Wyrm?

Scylla is drawn as a woman's torso with dogs sprouting from her waist, and Alucard must first beat one of her eel-like Wyrms while trapped in a sealed room.

Which boss of Symphony of the Night, described in its enemy list as the watchdog of Hell, breathes streams of fireballs?

Cerberus guards the abandoned mine on the way to the Catacombs, and for all his fire the three-headed hound takes extra damage from ice.

Which winged boss of the Royal Chapel in Symphony of the Night is part eagle and part horse?

Hippogryph attacks with jets of flame, and it is often mistaken for the griffin, which has the body of a lion rather than a horse.

Which vampire boss of Symphony of the Night, based on the count in the film Nosferatu, rules the castle's upper part?

Olrox is named Orlok in Japan, like the film's count, and mid-fight he sheds his noble look to become a giant reptile-like creature that spews fireballs.

Which boss of Symphony of the Night appears in a nightmare disguised as Alucard's mother?

Succubus recreates the execution of Alucard's mother to break his will, and the fight only happens if he rests in one particular coffin.

Which spear-carrying demon joins the flying Gaibon in Alucard's first boss fight in Symphony of the Night?

Slogra and his partner first appeared as late bosses of Super Castlevania IV, and once his spear breaks Gaibon can carry him aloft and drop him on Alucard.

Which giant optional boss of Symphony of the Night, armed with a lightning sceptre, has more hit points than Dracula?

Galamoth began as the main villain of the Famicom game Kid Dracula, and the enemy list credits him with a plan to rule the netherworld.

Which boss of Symphony of the Night is a giant rotting corpse whose body parts drop away as Alucard attacks?

Beelzebub leaves most of the fighting to the giant flies swarming around him, which suits a demon known as the Lord of the Flies.

In which area of Symphony of the Night's castle do the Minotaur and the Werewolf fight Alucard as a team?

Colosseum is where the pair trade combination attacks: the bull-headed boss catches his spinning partner in mid-air and hurls him at the ceiling.

Which dark priest of Dracula secretly controls Richter Belmont in Symphony of the Night, hoping to resurrect his lord?

Shaft planned to end the Belmont threat by turning one of the clan against the rest, and Alucard must beat him before he can face Dracula.

Which item must Alucard wear in his duel with Richter Belmont to unlock Symphony of the Night's second castle?

Holy Glasses see through illusions, and smashing the orb they reveal frees Richter; if Alucard simply defeats Richter instead, the game ends early.

Which young vampire hunter, an ally of Richter Belmont, searches Dracula's castle for him in Symphony of the Night?

Maria Renard fought beside Richter as a child in the previous game and returns five years older, searching because he has been missing for a year.

What is the name of Alucard's human mother in Symphony of the Night, whose execution turned Dracula against humankind?

Lisa was executed as a witch after making medicines for the sick, and her final words were a plea to her son not to hate humanity.

As the son of a vampire and a human woman, Alucard of Symphony of the Night is which kind of being?

Dhampir Alucard put himself into a long sleep after helping Trevor Belmont defeat his father, and wakes three centuries later when the castle reappears.

In Symphony of the Night, what does Alucard collect from candles and enemies to power his sub-weapons?

Hearts work as ammunition rather than health, as in earlier games, and vessels hidden around the castle raise the number Alucard can carry.

What name does Symphony of the Night give the helpers, such as a faerie or a floating sword, that Alucard can summon?

Familiars are unlocked with card relics and level up as enemies fall; the sword can even talk, and from level 50 Alucard can wield it as a weapon.

Which relic in Symphony of the Night lets Alucard jump a second time in mid-air?

Leap Stone is the relic behind the double jump, and for a split second Alucard's cape takes the shape of two angelic wings as he uses it.

Symphony of the Night is a direct sequel to which earlier Castlevania game starring Richter Belmont?

Rondo of Blood ends with Richter beating Dracula, and the sequel opens by replaying that final fight before jumping ahead five years.

Which Japanese company developed and published Symphony of the Night for the PlayStation in 1997?

Konami gave the game little advertising in the United States, so it sold slowly at first and became a hit through word of mouth.

Enemies in Symphony of the Night such as the Warg, Azaghal and Lossoth take their names from which fantasy author?

J. R. R. Tolkien wrote of Azaghâl as a dwarf king and the Lossoth as snowmen who built houses of snow; the game's wolf-like Wargs guard the castle entrance.

The demon listed as Ctulhu in Symphony of the Night gets its misspelled name from a creation of which horror writer?

H. P. Lovecraft's tentacle-faced Cthulhu actually looks more like another enemy, Malachi, while the game's Ctulhu is a horned demon said to be reluctant to fight.

Which rare sword, dropped by the floating Schmoo in Symphony of the Night, slashes four times with every attack?

Crissaegrim is widely rated the best weapon in the game because Alucard can keep swinging it while he walks; in Japan the blade is called Valmanway.

Which extinct animal is a one-of-a-kind enemy in Symphony of the Night that runs away as soon as it sees Alucard?

Dodo appears only once in the whole game, with just 2 hit points, and anyone quick enough to catch it may win the powerful Rune Sword.

In Symphony of the Night, the Flea Rider is a Flea Man mounted on which specially trained bird?

Goose is the English version's word for the mount, a specially trained war-goose, while the Japanese original calls the very same birds eagles.

In Symphony of the Night, what does the Skeleton Ape throw to smash a wooden bridge and open a new area?

Barrels are the ape's only weapon, and after throwing one it simply wanders slowly forward; the bridge it wrecks opens the route to the abandoned mine.

In Symphony of the Night, which trained bird does a blue-armoured knight send at Alucard, then mourn if it is killed?

Owl Knights run to their fallen bird and kneel beside it, leaving themselves open to attack while they grieve, so striking the bird first is the usual tactic.

In Symphony of the Night, the Mudman only enters the enemy list if which boss summons one during its fight?

Lesser Demon is the one boss that calls up Mudmen, so the fight is the only chance to log them: the ones met later as ordinary enemies summon only their own kind.

Three zombie bosses in Symphony of the Night impersonate the heroes who fought beside Alucard in which earlier game?

Dracula's Curse teamed Alucard with Trevor Belmont, Grant Danasty and Sypha Belnades, so the zombie trio wears the faces of his old allies to confuse him.

Which Clock Tower boss in Symphony of the Night is described in the enemy list as the Demon Lord of Ravens?

Karasuman means crow man, the name the American version gave the demon Malphas, and he attacks by scattering razor-sharp feathers.

Which composer wrote the Symphony of the Night soundtrack, mixing classical, techno, gothic rock, jazz and metal?

Michiru Yamane returned a decade later to write a new closing theme, Mournful Serenade, for the game's re-release on PlayStation Portable.

Which artist made her video game debut designing the characters of Symphony of the Night in a bishōnen-influenced style?

Ayami Kojima conceived both the main and the supporting cast, and her painting of Alucard fronts the European box.

Which assistant director finished Symphony of the Night after director Toru Hagihara was promoted mid-production?

Koji Igarashi also worked on the story and the programming, and the team's change of direction was spurred by seeing older Castlevania games in bargain bins.

The team behind Symphony of the Night looked to which Nintendo series for its exploration and backtracking?

The Legend of Zelda inspired the idea of sealing off most of the castle until Alucard finds the items and abilities that open it up.

Which Sega console received a Japan-only port of Symphony of the Night in 1998, with two new areas added?

Saturn owners got the Cursed Prison and the Underground Garden, yet loading was slower and see-through effects such as the waterfall were swapped for dithering.

Symphony of the Night was the first game allowed past the 50 MB size limit on which download service?

Xbox Live Arcade's manager said the exception was made so the experience would be the best it could be, and the 2007 port added leaderboards and achievements.

Symphony of the Night was runner-up for Electronic Gaming Monthly's Game of the Year behind which Nintendo 64 shooter?

GoldenEye 007 took the top prize, but the magazine did name this game its PlayStation Game of the Year and its Side-Scrolling Game of the Year.

Famous lines added to Symphony of the Night's English script were taken from the works of which French novelist?

André Malraux's words were added by translator Jeremy Blaustein, who handled the English localisation but was not present for the voice recording.

At the end of Symphony of the Night, Alucard repeats a saying about good men and evil attributed to which statesman?

Edmund Burke is credited with the saying, which Alucard offers to a guilt-stricken Richter before resolving to vanish from the world because of his cursed bloodline.

Unlocked by entering his name after finishing Symphony of the Night, Richter Belmont fights with which main weapon?

A whip was the usual weapon of earlier Castlevania heroes, and the team dropped it for Alucard partly because its attack took up too much of the screen.