Dracula's Castle (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
Dracula's Castle | |
---|---|
Symphony of the Night | |
First appearance | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997) |
In-universe information | |
Type | Castle |
Ruler | Dracula |
Dracula's Castle is the main setting of the
Dracula's Castle as it appears in Symphony of the Night was positively received by critics due to its detailed, memorable design, and was called one of the most iconic video game levels.
Summary
The Inverted Castle appears in
Concept and creation
The Inverted Castle was created for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which was directed by Koji Igarashi. According to Igarashi, it was created due to the designers wanting to add more content in a way that would be easier than creating new assets.[2] The map of Symphony of the Night is designed in such a way that it works in both orientations.[3] The open world and emphasis on exploration of Symphony of the Night takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda, as well as the exploration-focused Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.[4][5]
Reception
The Inverted Castle has received mixed reception; it is regarded as a significant video game secret.[6] Developer Jonathan Blow talked about how it was a "cool" secret that "everybody freaked out about" and discussed how the Inverted Castle stood in contrast to modern game design. He stated that modern game design tends towards trying to push players into a certain play experience.[6] GamePro staff listed the discovery of the Inverted Castle as one of the greatest gaming moments, while Edge staff ranked Symphony of the Night as one of the best games to play today, citing the Inverted Castle as a key reason for why it is "genius."[7][8] IGN writer Marty Sliva called it a "triumph of level design" and that it "melted [players'] mind[s]" when they experienced it, and IGN staff regarded it as the greatest secret levels in video games.[9][10] It was also included in IGN's list of the most memorable video game moments, with Sliva feeling that the Inverted Castle helped make Symphony of the Night one of the best video games.[11] The Escapist writer Daniel Pereira agreed with its significance to Symphony of the Night's popularity, calling it a "truly remarkable feature" and "just as beautiful" as the regular castle.[12] Writer Joseph Yaden, while noting that the regular castle was impressive, the Inverted Castle was a "testament" to how much planning and design went into the game's creation, talking about how players recognize this design detail upon replaying the regular castle. Being able to clear platforming challenges once thought impossible made the Inverted Castle feel triumphant, stating that Symphony of the Night is known for it.[13]
RPGFan writer Josh Curry identified it as one of the reasons he respected Symphony of the Night as much as he did.[14] Eurogamer writer Jeffrey Matulef called it "brilliant design," noting that while it sounds "lazy and repetitious," it was anything but, and helped designers add more content easily.[15] Game Informer writer Tim Turi described it as a "powerful feeling" to discover the Inverted Castle and how the castle was designed to be played upside down, expressing hope that Igarashi would explore this idea in the future.[16][17] Kotaku writer Peter Tieryas discussed how the Inverted Castle ties into the inversion of Dracula's name and Alucard's need to oppose his father and destroy his past, citing the fight against fake versions of Trevor, Sypha, and Grant.[18] Author Paul Martin discussed how the Inverted Castle, as well as players' and Alucard's strength and ease of movement, represents both of their ownership over the castle, and the risk of Alucard becoming more like his father.[19]
Legacy
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a game created by Igarashi, also features an homage to the Inverted Castle through the use of the Invert shard, which vertically flips the screen. There is also an area called the Den of Behemoths, which is a magnified version of a portion of the castle, which is in effect the 'Inverted Castle' in this game. Vampire Survivors, a game heavily inspired by Castlevania, features an "inverse mode" for each stage, in which the environment is flipped upside down, and both enemies and drops are boosted.[27]
References
- ^ Edge Staff (2015-10-28). "Why Dracula's castle is the real star of Castlevania". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
- ^ Mitchell, Richard (March 24, 2014). "'Metroidvania' should actually be 'Zeldavania'". Engadget. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was designed to work upside down". Official PlayStation Magazine. July 23, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Matulef, Jeffery (2014-03-21). "Koji Igarashi says Castlevania: SotN was inspired by Zelda, not Metroid". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
- USGamer. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-10-01. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- ^ a b "Bearing Witness: Jonathan Blow Interview". Indie Games. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ GamePro staff (2006-07-16). "The 55 Greatest Moments in Gaming (page 5 of 9)". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
- ^ Edge Staff (2009-03-09). "The 100 Best Games To Play Today". Edge Online. Archived from the original on 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
- ^ Sliva, Marty (May 23, 2018). "Best Side Quests in Games". IGN. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Top 10 Secret Levels in Video Games". IGN. June 7, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Sliva, Marty. "Unforgettable Video Game Moments". IGN. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Pereira, Daniel (July 14, 2019). "OnlySP's Favorite Games #17—Castlevania: Symphony of the Night". The Escapist. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Yaden, Joseph (March 20, 2022). "25 years ago, Castlevania changed gaming forever with one innovative twist". Inverse. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ Curry, Josh. "Episode 6: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night". RPGFan. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (March 21, 2017). "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night turns 20 today". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Turi, Tim (November 6, 2012). "Moments: Entering The Inverted Castle in Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night". Game Informer. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Turi, Tim (April 28, 2014). "What I Want In A Castlevania Spiritual Successor". Game Informer. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Tieryas, Peter (January 15, 2018). "The Castlevania Game That Changed Everything". Kotaku. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- CiteSeerX 10.1.1.426.5930.
- ^ Miller, Leon (October 15, 2018). "15 Hidden Video Game Locations That Are Worth Finding (And 15 That Are Worthless)". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- USgamer. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ USgamer. Archived from the originalon August 20, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
- USgamer. Archived from the originalon June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- USgamer. Archived from the originalon April 20, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- USgamer. Archived from the originalon June 14, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Blake (June 26, 2022). "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's Biggest Surprise Is Also Its Biggest Weakness". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "Vampire Survivors: What is Inverse Mode & How to Get Gracia's Mirror". 22 October 2022.