Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is generally known alongside Super Metroid as the two games that started the Metroidvania genre, and SotN is still considered one of the best in that genre today. Numerous different versions of the game were made over the years with the most distinguished version being the PlayStation 1 release. The only issue with this version of the game was that it was incomplete due to being the first release. The extra content that would finish the game was later added to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation Portable releases. As of today, a new mod has been released, adding this content to the beloved PS1 version of the game.
Why this version?
Of the different iterations of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the PS1 adaptation is considered the definitive version due to having the best overall performance, sound quality, and visuals. Later releases of the game suffered from various downgrades, including altered audio, performance slowdown, graphical issues, and various other problems depending on the version played. The only real upside of later releases was some extra content for select versions of the game. The Sega Saturn release included extra content that was not released on any later iterations, including a playable character, multiple map sections, music, enemies, and items. The PSP release had some minor script improvements along with a different playable character.
It’s Time to Fully Explore the Castle
The mod from belaLugosiIsDead, adds a total of four restored map locations: the Underground Garden, the Cursed Prison, and the two inverted versions of these locations found in the second half of the game. The Sega Saturn version of Maria is playable at the start of the game with her own moveset and skills. Music and enemies stalk the restored locations along with the area bosses. From the PSP release, a second version of Maria is playable that is also added as an optional boss, and the upgraded English Dub and script were added to make this the best version of the game possible.
While a few small bugs are still being reported for this current version of the mod, belaLugosiIsDead has worked hard to get things working right and has already put out a version 1.2 with some fixes. For those interested, the mod can be found here, and finally allows fans the ultimate experience of playing through all locations in the game with all the characters. This mod was designed to work with a modded PlayStation 1 and on emulators.
