10 Unforgettable Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Environments

One of the best adventures of all time is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. This Metroidvania lit the fuse that kindled into a bunch of amazing follow-up adventures, and even though Konami seemed to lose interest in the series for a long time, fans never did. And a big part of the reason for that adoration is the incredible environments you'll find in this iteration of Dracula's castle.

Now, normally, a list about environments would be purely visual in nature. But because every part of the game is so effortlessly stitched together, and because Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has a banger of a soundtrack, I factored those amazing tunes in while writing this list.

Whether you're slashing ghouls to the music of Moonlight Nocturne, practically dancing through stately halls in Dance of Gold, dashing away from fanged shadows in Door of Holy Spirits, or just saving your progress to the ethereal tones of Prayer, this game is full of amazing environments backed up by even better music. And that's before you even factor in the tunes used in the frenetic boss battles like Festival of Servants and Death Ballad. For simplicity's sake, the following entries have been ranked according to my personal preferences for the adventure.

10 Alchemy Laboratory

Something Dangerous Brewing

One of the very first areas in the game is the Alchemy Laboratory. It's a stately and ornate series of rooms full of dangerous bubbling potions, tricky switches, and some standard ghouls and ghosts. The game isn't trying to murder you from the outset, which is good, though not something you can rely on.

Though this seems like a very linear area, there are some well-hidden secrets you won't be able to find on your first time in the Alchemy Laboratory. That includes some devious breakable surfaces, as well as a repository full of sub-weapons that Alucard will want to frequent.

Even though there are mostly skeletons waiting for you in this early area, you'll be surprised by the devious battle against two demonic bros named Slogra and Gaibon.

9 Clock Room

Tick Tock Puzzles

The Clock Room, found near the Marble Gallery, is one of the most mysterious areas in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I remember being utterly perplexed when I first encountered it, and wondering if there was any true significance to the ominous wheel with the ram's head set in the middle.

Without huge spoilers, I'll say this is one area of the game that will require multiple tools to unlock all its many secrets. One of which is the Stop Watch sub-weapon, but that's far from everything. I'll just say that you'll want to try all sorts of techniques to find all this room has to offer, and sometimes that just means sitting patiently.

This is also an area of the castle where Alucard encounters Maria, whose advice will be invaluable in reaching the best possible ending in the game. In a game full of well-hidden secrets, this one hides in plain sight.

8 Long Library

Read a Good Book

As someone who loves reading, I've spent my fair share of time relaxing with a good book in a library. And not just small ones, mind you, but some truly enormous ones, such as those found on my alma mater's campus. That said, I've never seen one like the Long Library.

Not only is this a beautiful expanse full of old-timey lanterns and golden stairs, but it's also bursting at the seams with monsters. Some of which are the self-same books the library is full of, while others are a bit more eclectic. That includes floating nightmares called Ectoplasm, as well as the infuriating Flea Men.

What's neat about the Long Library is that you'll find the wizened Librarian there, who will sell you vital items and equipment you can't get any other way. Alucard will need all the help he can get as his excursion through daddy's castle gets more difficult.

7 Marble Gallery

X Marks the Spot

The Marble Gallery is a sort of central HUB in Dracula's Castle. Not only does it host some amazing relics that will help you explore new areas of the castle, but it also leads to other areas you'll want to explore once you're stronger. That most definitely includes the Underground Caverns.

Many of the foes found in the Marble Gallery are animated objects, like a Ouija table and evil dolls. There are also plenty of more dangerous foes, like the Axe Knights and superbly annoying Medusa Heads.

Though it's not the most dangerous part of the castle, it's an early choke point that will challenge the young vampire. But towards the latter part of your adventure, you'll look fondly on the relatively nice foes found within.

6 Olrox's Quarters

Stone Spirits

I was wondering for a while after entering Olrox's Quarters who the hell Olrox was supposed to be. That's because you won't come face-to-face with the boss until Alucard can get a lot more aerial with the help of a powerful transformation.

Long before you battle against the ancient vampire Olrox, you'll find yourself dealing with a brutal sword spirit called Poltergeist, who can single-handedly end your adventure prematurely. Once you finally turn into a bat and reach the upper portion of this area, you'll find a ton of cranky skeletal friends, and eventually stake Olrox himself.

This area is mostly notable for how long it will be until you explore the fullest extent of it.

5 Royal Chapel

Sinful Sorrow

One of the reasons I enjoyed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night so much was the Gothic overtones found in the game. And there aren't many areas more inspired by Gothic design than the Royal Chapel.

It's full of gorgeous stained-glass, long steps, and eventually a nightmarish corridor full of flying skeletal foes. The whole time, though, you'll be remarkably uplifted by the sounds of prayer that contrast so dramatically with the monsters rampaging throughout.

The boss of the area is the fierce but also cuddly Hippogryph, who's actually pretty easy to deal with. Still, you'll keep thinking about the Royal Chapel for all that gorgeous stained-glass and the curious confessional room...

4 Floating Catacombs

Unholy Mardi Gras

I generally do my best to avoid spoilers for newer games, but for something like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which has been around for nearly 30 years, I can't promise I won't occasionally let one secret out. And if that's a concern, you'll want to stop reading here.

Now, for everybody still reading, one of the coolest parts of the game is that you don't just explore a single castle. No, you'll eventually find yourself in a nightmarish mirror image called the Reverse Castle. And one of the best areas there is called the Floating Catacombs.

Put simply, the Floating Catacombs are a sort of deadly Mardi Gras. There are various witches and frost spirits wizzing about, monsters carried on stretchers, and the unkillable Blood Skeletons. And just when you think you're done with all the chaos, you'll instead find the most brutal boss in the entire game waiting for you.

3 Colosseum

Battle to the Death

Most of the areas in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night are stately and mysterious. But not the Colosseum. It not only features epic uptempo tunes, but it's also full of some of the most dangerous monsters found in the entire castle.

The Colosseum is brutal, full of long stretches of angry and hard-hitting foes like Blade Master, Armor Lord, and the Owl Knight. There are also elevators that Alucard will have to activate to explore more freely. Best of all, one of the most amazing transformations, the Mist, is found here.

To get it, though, Alucard will have to deal with a deadly duo in the Minotaur and Werewolf. And if you thought Slogra and Gaibon were hard, they have nothing on them. Win the bloody encounter, and you'll prove Alucard is the true champion.

2 Underground Caverns

Cold and Wet

You'll find a lot of conflicting myths about vampires out there. In some of them, it's said vampires can't cross open bodies of water, and that even some varieties of water can damage them. And unfortunately for Alucard, he's very sensitive to rushing water.

This makes getting through the Underground Caverns a bit of a challenge. Until you find a relic that lets him safely explore water, it'll hit him like Holy Water, burning his health to shreds.

Meanwhile, you'll find all sorts of glittering ice spirits, aquatic creatures, and the barrel-chucking Skeleton Ape. Keep special note of that last one, since you'll need its help to truly explore the depths of this watery tomb.

1 Reverse Keep

Beginning of the End

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night starts with a flashback to Richter Belmont facing off against Dracula in his throne room. Once Alucard finally finds his way to battle Richter in that same area, there's a path to an unfortunate truth. Namely, that Richter isn't the big bad, and that someone else is pulling the strings.

This leads Alucard to the Reverse Keep, just the first of many areas he'll explore in the Reverse Castle. An area that was so iconic for the series gets turned on its head, and areas that were easy to walk around before suddenly require great agility just to get around.

More importantly, all the monsters found in this new castle are much more powerful and acrobatic than you'd expect, and it will take all of Alucard's strength and guile to survive. Stick with it, though, and you'll finally reach the end of this timeless adventure.