Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

A 1997 action-adventure game in Konami’s Castlevania series, starring Alucard as he explores Dracula’s castle. Its interconnected map, ability-gated exploration, and role-playing systems shaped the metroidvania genre.

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Metroidvania: An action-adventure genre built around interconnected areas, exploration, and abilities that unlock previously inaccessible routes. The game became a defining model for this genre through its castle-wide, ability-gated exploration.
Castlevania: A Konami video game franchise centered on battles against Dracula and other supernatural threats. Symphony of the Night reworks the series' castle setting and combat into a more exploratory format.
PlayStation: A home video game console released by Sony in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in other regions. The game debuted on this console in 1997 and used its CD-ROM format for music and presentation.
Inverted Castle: A vertically flipped version of Dracula's Castle that appears in the second half of Symphony of the Night. It reuses the castle's layout as a late-game challenge with altered routes and stronger enemies.
Metroidvania#History: The development of exploration-focused action-adventure games associated with Metroid and Castlevania. Symphony of the Night helped establish the term's Castlevania side and its later design conventions.
Dracula's Castle: The recurring Gothic setting of the Castlevania series, where Dracula's stronghold is explored and confronted. Its connected rooms form the game's central world and map.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood: A 1993 Castlevania action game starring Richter Belmont, originally released for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM². Its ending directly sets up the castle's return and Richter's disappearance in the later game.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles: A 2007 PSP compilation that includes a remake of Rondo of Blood and unlockable versions of earlier games. Its unlockable version brought Symphony of the Night to a later PlayStation handheld.
Relics of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: Collectible objects in Symphony of the Night that grant Alucard new abilities or summon familiars. Relics supply the movement powers and transformations that open new parts of the map.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow: A 2003 Game Boy Advance Castlevania game in which Soma Cruz absorbs enemy abilities. It adapts the castle-exploration formula with a new setting and a distinctive soul-collecting system.