(Concluded) Castlevania: SotN 20th Anniversary, 2k members

Welp...I didn't think this would be a thing, but here it is. I guess since SOTN did play a significant role I could tell my story of how I came across it. Though I have to let you all know that my story isn't flashy or memorable as the stories I've read here. My parents never cared about video games and the gossip and talks about video games had always stayed in a small circle of friends during school. Even then I was sort of old school, but was always opened to new gaming genres. I was picky about my video games back then and Castlevania was not one of the games I have considered to have any enjoyment out of especially when only having played the NES games. Yes, you heard right. I hated Castlevania.

The Super Nintendo and Genesis have reintroduced me to Castlevania when the graphics, music, and gameplay shown vast improvements from the hardware of it's time and I was pursuing a style of art as early as Middle School. By then, I was introduced to Dracula X while also with Megaman X for the first time. I don't know what is X titles, but that time I hit a level of graphic intensity that I have not been used to. Seeing a half blown off Zero speaking to me had almost made me hurl in my mouth a little bit. Something I have not expected from a Megaman game no less, then I went straight to playing Dracula X not expecting anything other than what I saw on the cover art. It took me to a dark place that washed away the qweeziness that I have had from MMX's sudden graphic nature, it was like a baptism of hellfire showering over me. Because nothing was safe in the growing world of video games I came to accept maturity in my taste in video games and the way I played them. I don't really question how the way Richter bled out so violently as he begin to spark out blue light when getting dropped by something as simple as a bone when low on health, well, not anymore.

Dracula X changed the way I thought about Castlevania franchise and have had my interest slowly building towards the other different Castlevania titles, but Castlevania was still not on my top favorites. Bloodlines was not like Dracula X, but it was enjoyable. I couldn't afford anything during that time so back then it was only rent outs, hand me downs, or trade. I had to find some means to earn some money or really really pray that I get it for Christmas which is hardly likely. Somewhere between 98 or 99 is I have been seeing copies of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in stores, game stores, etc. I didn't have a Playstation, but I learned a little bit more from word of mouth because back then that's how it used to be. When there's big news about a game we pass the word in discussion. Sure I hear about the latest games and how awesome they are, but because I don't have any means of getting those things I am always behind. The games I wanted so badly back then are now extinct pretty much, sorta ironic.

Back to the story, I had no chance of buying or even playing the game. I never had a Playstation and deep down inside I know I have missed out all the awesome games that came with that system. One day a former friend of mine brought over his PS1 introduced me to two games for the first time ever, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I fell madly in love with Soul Reaver and spent many hours playing. When we took a break from that, we moved on to SOTN and he let me play it first since he spent hours already playing Soul Reaver. I guess it's also because I told him about it. Any news I hear about video games I tell him about and he gets them. When I played as Alucard at the start of the game, it was like as if the magic inside the game has recognized me as it's master. Immediately my adventuring nature kicks in and I begin discovering things and finding new items and ways of playing he has never seen before when he played it. He's always been one for cheats so of course he would not know. Getting everything with cheats and beating the game was his staple, but by God did he learn from my gameplay.

Eventually, around the turn of the century....2000 was the turn of the century was it? Well, I finally got my PS2 and the games I had bought before even acquiring the system are now playable. On the same month I got my PS2 someone broke in our house and stole most of my gaming consoles save for the Snes which fell in the back of my Tv. Both my Christmas and my birthday was destroyed. There was nothing I can do to redeem my stolen game consoles. The PS2 was given to me as a gift from my mother and her friend who saved up to get me the one thing that would open me up to the next level of gaming and my growing inspiration for drawing.. I was truly heartbroken. The news about my misfortune reached out neighbor at the time who had PS1 to spare to at least play the games I have for the Playstation. Friends from school also gave me gifts That I can use for my PS1, a copy of Blade and Final Fantasy Tactics. The neighborhood was not as good as it used to be and we've kept getting problems that eventually forced us to moving elsewhere, but when I did get the chance to borrow a copy of SOTN until I finally gotten my own as a gift. That game alone perhaps more than the others I had played had tied me over from the darkest times of my adolescence. Transferred to my new school I got to meet new friends and had speak to people who had the same interests. This is when I met my friend Andrew or Euphoric_Fever as he is known in discord. We share the same love and interests in Castlevania, but his love grew exponentially when I had ultimately introduced him to Symphony of the Night. I have never seen anyone turn gay for Alucard as quickly as he did.

With even before owning a copy of SOTN I new of the art that was used in the game. NOCCA, an academy school of arts granted me access to computers because we didn't have one at home. I delve into searching art references of my favorite games and anime. I've learned about Ayami Kojima and her works before I even knew she was a female artist. Around that time I wanted to master that art style so badly, but only remained my failed attempts to capture the beauty of her originality. I have made OCs and 2 art posters for Castlevania as well as designed a character sheet which was eventually tested with it's first session among two of my other buddies. I've learned the most of what I could of Castlevania and the many titles, eventually through the games I follow the timeline that was built over the years that was still being pieced together during that time. Eventually I got my PS2, but by then I have enough to get games for that console. Blockbuster was near by where we live so I go there from time to time and dig out what other games I can find, it was then I've done something so outrageous. When I saw that they were selling Greatest Hits copies of SOTN I have lost my mind. I got my money and gotten as many as 5 copies to pass out among my friends who I felt would enjoy the most out of this game. I questioned myself sometimes why I did this not because it was just a 10 dollar deal, then I finally know. I loved Castlevania. Koji Igarashi made that possible somehow and from there it became what it is. It seems that it became more than just a gimmicky horror action adventure with all the hollywood monsters in it, but it became it's own story. It's own long stand-alone story and everything else is just an aesthetic that will keep adding on with each passing installment. It was the Iga Period for Castlevania, a time when...each Castlevania game has it's own story to tell, it's own exciting style of gameplay to share all while paying due respect to the previous installments whether it be story based or gameplay.

There hasn't been a time that hasn't talked about Castlevania and possible fan projects around this time of year for me, Euphoric, and Kevin another buddy of mine. We're old fan farts of Castlevania. Eventually I learned there was a fan-run group on Facebook called Project Akumajo 1999 challenging Konami and Igarashi the creator of SOTN to complete the storyline. There has been petitions, voting polls, donations, all sorts of stuff. Euphoric broke the news that he had answered the call with a riddle, that's when we knew at that very moment that all along.....He was Dracula and he is coming back.

So yeah, I jumped on the hype train and there I was since the very beginning of this Kickstarter campaign. Not really known in the community, but I was there. So to this very day when I think, draw, play, read, talk, eat, dream about Castlevania I do it with SOTN in mind. The style, art, mood, and atmosphere at the very least. There you have it. My story, take that however you will. It's not really legendary or heart-lifting, but this is pure truth. My life with Castlevania.

PS. As for the copy of SOTN, I now only have it digitally for PSN. I'm okay with that though. I don't expect to win any giveaway, but I gave this a shot just in case this one counts. I really didn't expect this to be such a long post. I'm really sorry guys.

I'm having a fantastic time reading through all of these. Seeing that passion for SotN is really refreshing. In a lot of Castlevania groups I'm in, everyone gives off this "SotN is great and all but really overrated" vibe. It's really nice to see everyone here discussing all of the love and passion we share for the game.

I remember coming home one late summer day in 1998 and seeing my brother and one of my good friends playing SOTN in his room-- I was 13 years old and remember thinking it looked fantastic. I'll never forget the music either, they were at the clock tower and I remember getting a load of "Tragic Prince"

I also remember being strangely afraid of the game; my brother asked me to play while he used the bathroom, to go to a save room and I was like super nervous to do anything haha. Now I can blow through the game in less then an hour, but back then it just felt so massive and complex.

It still is one of my favorite games!

Like me some giveaway madness

Never played SOTN, but what brought me to bloodstained was the art style in a genre I thought only did pixel art, love the goth vibe, interesting story, great music. it just looked leagues ahead of any other sidescroller I've ever played or saw coming when I saw that E3 2016 demo. free gifts are always a nice thing to have

I first played Symphony of the night when I was at the age of five.
It was the first game for me to complete, then I became the Castlevania fan I am today.

My best memory about Symphony of the night was after I have beaten the first castle, I thought that was it right? a year later, me and my step brother decided to go through the game again. So we played it again and reached to the throne room where Richter is waiting for you and he almost killed us, so my brother used the librarian card to return because we didn't save. We saved, purchased some potions then returned to the throne room, but he wasn't there so we kept going until we saw this weird looking thing that made the whole castle inverted, it blew our minds and we almost went crazy because of it.. then we knew later that there is an official way to get to the inverted castle without using the card glitch. I think that was my favorite memory from Symphony of the night.

Symphony of the Night was my first love of so many things.
My cousin had given me his copy, and I was somewhat dubious due to the history of the Castlevania games thus far.
Traditionally, I had wanted to play them but due to the difficulty incurred by the limitations of the NES and just the overall frustration of frequently starting over and having the inability to in any way fortify your character, I had started veering away from them.
But this was new.  And it was awesome.
From the very beginning, I was greeted with enthralling music, an amazing gothic environment that I could, in my writer's imagination, put myself into and a world and story so immersive that it left me constantly craving more.  It let me explore a vast castle with secret areas, and permitted me to seek out items and other things that would not only sate the RPG player in me, but made it all the more intriguing. (*The succubus area being one such instance)
You gave me a character both brave, yet tormented. (And, admittedly, also one of my first fangirl crushes.)
It started - it really was my very first! - me on a journey that's taken half my life on collecting game and anime soundtracks.
I remember simply doing silly things, like jumping around the screen just to watch how Alucard moved and the mesmerizing after-image the designers employed.
The game was everything I could ever have hoped for, the best of an RPG and action game - and the only things I may have mourned over the years was the abysmal voice acting of everyone but Mr. Belgrade and the woman who did Maria; and  a bit of bad dialogue.
Even still, I wanted more. And despite Alucard not having any further direct stories - and other than the recent reboots which I am NOT a fan of - I can proudly say that I have played everything up through Aria/Dawn of Sorrow and Harmony of Dissonance.
I love IGA's work and everyone involved and this game, even as a 'spiritual successor' was a project I was proud to support. It has everyone in every vein that I've come to love and respect in this industry and who have, past and present, been associated with these games.
(IGA, Mr. Belgrade, Ayami Kojima, Mana, Nastume, Michiru Yamane, Yoshitaka Amano, and so many others who made this both special and one of the most beloved games I've ever played.) 
I think IGA deserves to have his dream of another game come true, and I have no doubt that with the assembled team, that this will be anything but amazing.


All The Best

- DragonSage

I think EVERYONE knows how I feel about SOTN in virtually every way. I love that game, and I love this forum.

Happy 20th! My goodness, I had no idea. What a night to sign up to this forum, eh?

I first heard of the Castlevania series while playing the Van Helsing game back in late 2004. After noting my love for dark gothic themes (and Devil May Cry), my older sister brought it to my attention, but I didn't actually pick up and play a Castlevania game until December, 2012. I was scrolling through my best mate's digital library on the 360 when I came across Symphony of the Night. I booted the game up instantly when he told me how good it was, and boy, he was not lying.

Funny thing was, this whole time I was picturing Castlevania to be a 3D Adventure game, but when that title screen popped up, I knew I was in for a treat. And after the Prologue battle with Richter against Dracula, I was hooked for certain.

I hadn't played anything like it in my life, aside from Metroid II on the Gameboy as a child. But this game was on a whole other level. Visually, I was awed. The sprite work was so detailed, and the animations were so fluid, it made it seem timeless. I cringed at the voice acting at first, but it's definitely something you learn to love, and now I wouldn't have it any other way (I'm so happy Robbie Belgrade is going to be in Bloodstained! AHHHHH!!!).

I then proceeded to play the game for 2 hours, most of which was spent getting destroyed by Slogra & Gaibon. I died so many times but it only made me want to play more, learning my way around the game little by little and finding new secrets & items every time I tried again. It was truly special, and I hope Bloodstained throws me that many curve-balls the day we first go to play it as well.

My mate gave me SotN and a PSX emulator before I had to leave, and the rest is history. I've since finished the game 5 times: Once the week I got it, and then once every October since! The setting and the music make it my go-to Halloween game, and the RPG elements is something I never would have suspected from a platformer, but it's what keeps me playing for hours on end.

The game and its castle is huge, but how fast you complete it is entirely up to the player, and that's something I adore. When they said Bloodstained's castle was going to be the biggest one yet, I jumped out of my seat! I'm super excited to explore a whole new castle, and I have a good feeling this castle's going to be my favorite one yet! Bloodstained's characters look spectacular, it's got a wealth of new features planned by the sounds of things, Yamane is back at it along with Yamada(he's still on board, right?), and Iga's at the wheel. I haven't been this excited for a video game in 10 years. (I just hope we can get Mana more involved, too!)