Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, it followed Rondo of Blood and shifted away from strictly linear stages, drawing on exploratory structure while expanding equipment, statistics, spells and character growth.

It became one of the games most closely associated with the modern term Metroidvania, helping establish ability-gated exploration and RPG progression as a durable action-platformer template.

Although it was not an immediate blockbuster, critics praised its animation, soundtrack, atmosphere and depth, and its reputation grew substantially through reissues and retrospective coverage.

Its structure became the model for later handheld Castlevania games and influenced a large wave of independent exploration-platformers and action RPGs.

No reliable standalone lifetime sales total has been publicly confirmed; the original release was a modest seller whose reputation grew substantially through later reissues.

Original Japanese title is Akumajō Dracula X: Gekka no Yasōkyoku. Koji Igarashi had a major creative role as assistant director, writer and scenario programmer. Credit wording and title romanisation were checked during Editorial Pass 006.