Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

In a small outburst of nostalgia,  I have spent most of my day playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SotN).

Seems like a good topic for All Hallows' Eve month...

In the unlikely possibility that you don't know this game, "Symphony of the Night is considered one of the greatest and most influential video games ever made". 

You can get it in PS4 and probably other platforms - the graphics and mechanics might be a bit outdated compared to modern games, but I still had fun with it today.

It has several similarities to other stuff we discussed in this blog -  mostly Ravenloft and Dark Souls.

Cool monsters, gothic vistas, limited items, non-linear maps, living furniture... all the fun stuff. 

There are also a few ideas that would be fun addition to my games...

Playing with different characters/weapons

SotN starts with a boss battle that takes place a few years before the beginning of the actual plot - a repetition of the last fight of the previous game. You play with a different character (different weapons and all) against the main villain! 

This is a battle you cannot lose due to a little help from an ally, but it foreshadows things you'll see later on (also, you can get several perks if you defeat the monster without help).

[Notice that the first character you play is an heir to the Belmont clan - the heroes of previous installments - so there is a continuity here too].

Then you get to play with Alucard (Dracula's son, also introduced as a "supporting character" in a  previous game). 

The game is very easy at first - enemies barely hurt you, and one hit of your heirloom sword is enough to destroy them. And right after that... you get all your equipment stolen!

Eventually, you can play with other characters - an aspect that I always enjoyed in Castlevania games.

Most D&D games go "from zero to hero", making you progressively more powerful (sometimes, to redundantly give you more powerful enemies). 

Allowing you to play with different PCs (or a completely different arsenal) might give you a nice taste of things to come... as suggested in the DMG.

Limited access to equipment

Like Dark Souls, the game gives you limited access to equipment at first (after you get your stuff stolen!). You can gather some money, but it will take a while until you can find someone that can sell you stuff.

This is an aspect of Cruse of Strahd I should have highlighted a bit more - there is treasure to be found, but not much to buy with it.

But in most D&D games you get so much money that you can get any ordinary weapon or armor by level 3 or before; after that, only magic weapons make a difference.

Making PCs suffer a bit for for their gear might make items more valuable and appreciated.

Monster variations

I might have mentioned this before, but I think monster variations are underused in D&D.

I used to like having hundreds of monsters, but it makes the world too random. That is why I focused on monster types when writing Teratogenicon.

You can make a much more coherent setting/dungeon using fewer monsters and many variations. A group of skeletons in chain, shooting bows from afar, are a different challenge from your usual skeleton mob - even if the stats are similar.

A more interesting setup is pairs of different monsters, with different abilities - one of he first boss battles in SotN includes a flying demon carrying a skeleton creature (picture above), and later on you had to fight a minotaur and a werewolf at the same time.

Another variation is monster phases. When the skeleton-thing (above) loses his weapon, he attacks with his beak. Dracula will eventually transform into a big demon when wounded, etc.

If you want to use various monsters, at least give them a theme. Plant monsters, various types of undead, mutant/leader/boss versions of common monsters, etc.

Having a dungeon with adjacent rooms of skeletons, then goblins, then giant bats, with no explanation is baffling and irritating.

Revisiting places

One of the fun things about SotN is that after you "finish" the castle, you have to face it again... this time, upside down!

(This might be where I got the idea of suggesting The Wretched Hive can be turned upside down if you need an underground dungeon).

You get to see things (literally) from a different angle. Places that were unreachable are not available, and vice-versa. The challenges are new, yet familiar.

A similar thing happens when you can turn into a bat, mist, etc. - now you can get to places you had seen but couldn't reach.

In most D&D games there is not much to do with a dungeon after you "clear" it (except, maybe, for some mega dungeons). 

It might be fun to do the same with dungeons. They don't need to be turned upside down - they can be flooded, invaded by a different faction, remodeled, or changed by an earthquake. Maybe certain areas require high level spells to access - an unlockable door or unreachable platform.

Again, it is something I attempt in The Wretched Hive - some high-level areas are hard to reach without flying, a key, or specific spells, although most of the "main level" can be faced by beginning PCs. I also included some notes on repopulating/revisiting the dungeon, but they are brief.

(Needless to say, dungeons should also be non-linear and Jaquayed in many ways. BTW, Jennel Jaquays is going through severe illness ATM and needs help).

Recurring places, characters, names (Belmont), monsters... these things give coherence to the game, and I should probably use them more often.

Contains affiliate links. By purchasing stuff through affiliate links you're helping to support this blog.