Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Secrets Fans Forget About

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is one of the finest games on the original PlayStation, one that managed to transcend the "2D is antiquated" arguments of the era and became one of the most beloved titles on the system.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a game packed with secrets, some of which cannot be found during a regular playthrough. This is a game that has been torn to shreds by speedrunners, who have examined every single corner of the map in search of ways to cut down their times, and in the process, have uncovered all kinds of tidbits about Dracula's castle.

While Konami might not be interested in giving Castlevania: Symphony of the Night the remake treatment that it so sorely deserves, the original is still ripe for secrets and lore that even the most dedicated of players may not be aware of.

10 The Game Over Screen Quote isn't from Dracula

Toru Hagihara is No Bram Stoker

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night can be a hard game, especially for those who don't know all the overpowered builds. Those who succumb to the guardians of Dracula's castle will be treated to the game over screen, where a quote appears, saying, "Let us go out this evening for pleasure. The night is still young."

Most people who have played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will assume that this quote comes from Bram Stoker's Dracula. After all, the main villain is Dracula, and the series has made countless references to the novel.

As it turns out, the game over screen quote isn't from the Dracula novel. In fact, it's a wholly original quote made for the game and doesn't come from any vampire literature.

9 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has Sega Saturn-Exclusive areas

The Sega Saturn has at Least One Thing Going for It

Most people associate Castlevania: Symphony of the Night with the PlayStation. In fact, many fans might be surprised to learn that it had any other releases beyond the ports that came out much later.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night had a Sega Saturn version, widely considered the inferior port, largely due to longer load times, especially when using the menus.

However, the Sega Saturn has a ton of exclusive content that hasn't appeared in any other version. Not only is there a playable version of Maria, but it has exclusive areas: the Garden and the Prison, which have their own upside-down variants. Hopefully, if Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ever gets a proper remake, this Sega Saturn content will be fleshed out and incorporated into the game.

8 A Lost Version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was Found

All Five Game.Com Owners Must Be Disappointed

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has received several ports and is playable on the PS4/PS5 and Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S. Annoyingly, there's no version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the Nintendo Switch or Switch 2, despite their massive audiences.

One system that nearly received a Castlevania: Symphony of the Night port was the Game.com, a handheld system by Tiger Electronics. Unfortunately, this port was canceled before completion due to Game.com's demise.

Luckily, development builds of the Game.com version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night have made their way online, and a surprising chunk of the game was complete. While it lacks a ton of content compared to the original release, it's still a surprisingly faithful adaptation.

7 The Sega Version has Hidden Inappropriate Content

DeviantArt Wasn't Around for the Castlevania Fans Back Then

People might scoff at the Sega Saturn version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for its bad load times and lackluster content, but those who owned a PC could unlock something far more shocking in the game.

Anyone who puts a Sega Saturn Castlevania: Symphony of the Night disc into a PC can find a folder filled with official artwork that isn't seen in-game, all in surprisingly high quality.

Among these pictures is a topless drawing of the Succubus enemy, meaning nude artwork is hidden in the Sega Saturn port of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. At least there's one thing that makes it more valuable than the PlayStation version.

6 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was Full of Drugs

Alucard Needed Something to Keep Him Awake on His Adventures

While the original PlayStation marked an era when more adult concepts were allowed in video games, there was still a ton of censorship, especially when it came to religious imagery and illegal substances.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is no exception. In one of the early preview builds, the potions in the game (Smart Potion, Luck Potion) were called drugs, such as Smart Drug and Luck Drug.

It's easy to see why this was changed, as it wasn't unheard of for games of the era to use the term drugs in a medical sense, as was the case with EarthBound, only to have the names changed later, to tone down the idea that video game heroes are chomping down on pills to help them win battles.

5 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has Cut Familiars

Who Wouldn't Want the N Demon as a Companion?

Alucard doesn't have to explore Dracula's castle alone, as there are spirits, known as Familiars, who can fight alongside him. While not as powerful as the son of Dracula, they can be helpful allies, providing healing spells or whacking the enemies as needed.

The English version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night cut two Familiars for some reason. The first is an alternate version of the Faerie, who can sing for Alucard, and is found in Orlox's room.

The second cut Familiar is the N Demon, which stands for Nose Demon. This is the regular Demon Familiar, except with a massive nose. This is a reference to one of the goons from an anime called Yatterman, who also inspired Wario & Waluigi and Team Rocket. The Demon Familiar shares the same voice actor as a big-nosed villain from Yatterman, a reference that would have been lost on English-speaking fans.

4 Alucard Used to have a Light/Dark Mechanic

He Gets the Unholy Sorcery from His Dad's Side

Being the child of Dracula, Alucard is the heir to an incredibly dark legacy. This was going to have a tangible effect in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but it was cut during development.

An interview with the developers, available on Shmuplations, confirms that Alucard's mother was intended to come from a holy bloodline. The intention was for a light/dark mechanic, with Alucard shifting in either direction based on the equipment/spells he used.

The ending of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night would have changed, depending on whether Alucard learned more towards the light side or the dark side. Unfortunately, this element never made it into the final version of the game, with the endings determined by the player's actions.

3 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has an Obscure Gargoyle Transformation

Was Dracula's Grandmother Demona?

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is closer to being an RPG than its predecessors, which were straight-up action-platformers, transforming it into the ultimate Metroidvania. This meant that Alucard could be affected by status effects, such as poison, which had their own items and spells to counteract them.

One of the most annoying status effects in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is petrification, which turns Alucard to stone. It turns out that being made of stone doesn't reduce the damage he takes, meaning Alucard can easily be killed while waiting for this effect to wear off.

There's a very slim chance that Alucard will transform into a gargoyle when hit with petrification. Not only does this look extremely cool, but it provides invincibility while he's stuck in this form.

2 The Voices Will be Familiar to PS1 Fans

PS1 Horror Games Sure Hated Competent Actors

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has notoriously bad voice acting, even for the era. The intro sequence in which Richter confronts Dracula has dialogue so terrible that it has achieved memetic status among gamers and has been referenced in many other pieces of media over the years.

It's easy to write off the voices as amateurish, but the actors who played Richter and Dracula appeared in multiple video games throughout the PS1 era.

Dracula was played by Michael Guinn, who also played Harry Mason in Silent Hill and was the announcer in Ridge Racer. Richter Belmont was played by Ramsay Scott, who voiced Chris Redfield in Resident Evil, and provided additional voices for series like Street Fighter, Shenmue, and The House of the Dead.

1 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night has a Darker Ending that was Cut

Maria Never Got Her Chance to Shine in the Darkness

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is infamous for hiding half of the game. Anyone who doesn't realize that they have to defeat Richter Belmont in a specific way will only get a bad ending and can't access the second castle.

It turns out there was an even darker ending planned, based on text and audio files archived on The Cutting Room Floor. According to these files, Maria was going to be possessed by Shaft, and her four spirits would be swapped with demons.

In this cut ending, Alucard would have had to slay both Maria and Richter, resulting in the darkest conclusion to the story by far. Thankfully, this didn't make it into the final version of the game, but it might be resurrected in the inevitable remake.