KnockBack, Episode 36: Castlevania (Symphony of the Night)
Added 2018-10-18 16:01:01 +0000 UTCFor a decade, Castlevania fans knew their beloved series as something traditional. You'd go through a stage full of bad guys, you'd fight a boss at the end, and you'd move on to the next level, where you'd do it all again. But then, in 1997, Symphony of the Night came to PlayStation (and Saturn!), and changed the formula forever. Widely considered one of the very best games ever created, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night took influence not only from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest on NES, but Super Metroid on SNES, and fused RPG and non-linear elements with the atmosphere, characters, and story Castlevania fans were so familiar with. The result was -- and is -- something totally unforgettable. So let's take some time and talk about Alucard's famous adventure, one he undertakes on behalf of a family hellbent on killing his own father.
Comments
I listened to this episode and found my old PS1 and saw that I had a copy of SOTN that I never played (maybe I played like 5 minutes). I plug the game in and I was hooked right from the start and I am amazed by how good this game is. The graphics, the music, the gameplay, the bosses, the asmosphere. It is now one of my favorite games of all time, even though I have never played it before last year. Thanks :)
Theis Jensen
2019-01-09 20:38:32 +0000 UTCTotally worth it, though the Requiem package is well worth it, too.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-08 22:50:19 +0000 UTCNice memory! Getting a TurboGrafx isn't necessarily worse than a Genesis. (I'm only kidding.) Thank you for listening!
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-08 22:50:03 +0000 UTCLOL. Welcome to Yankee Stadium.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-08 22:49:30 +0000 UTCFantastic thoughts! And I agree: There's such a deeper meaning behind Castlevania, in terms of who is there, why, and when. It's fascinating to think about, and it contributes to it being one of my favorite series ever.
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-08 22:47:56 +0000 UTCThank you so much! <3
Colin Moriarty
2019-01-08 22:47:01 +0000 UTCTo anyone reading this, it's definitely on the Xbox store. I bought the backwards compatible version last night for something stupid like £3.37, which is less than half the price of a decent pint in London.
Dave Boorn
2018-11-27 11:49:03 +0000 UTCFunny story. The only time I went to Yankee Stadium back in 2007, there was actually a guy sitting in the bleachers by himself with a full Red Sox outfit. He had the hat, the shirt, flags and everything. Needless to say he got a really harsh welcome when he came in like midway through the first inning. People were randomly getting up during the game to start an asshole chant while pointing him and everybody would just sang along with them! It was a lot of fun. As far as I can tell, the guy walked away unharmed, but my friend and I really had a blast. I am from Montréal and I can tell you that the atmosphere was as intense as a Canadiens/Leafs game at the Bell Center!
Stephane Leduc
2018-11-09 19:29:36 +0000 UTCI'm a little behind, but I'm catching up now. The Castlevania games are awesome, and Symphony of the Night really is something special. I'm one of those wacky kids who got a Turbo Grafx over a Genesis (back in '91?)... The timing doesn't matter, but it set me on a path to get the CD add on and then the Super CD upgrade, and living in queens, I had relatively easy access to one of my favorite places at the time, a game shop that had imports as well, so you're damn right I saved up spent $50 plus (a lot for a kid at the time) on a used copy of the imported Rondo of Blood. Holy Balls, it blew my mind at the time. That music! The game itself was fantastic as well, though maybe not as sparkly visiting it after all the awesome Castlevania games that followed. It was stage by stage, but still had alternate paths you could take to lead to new stages. So good! Dangit... I need to get that PSP remake downloaded on my lovely Vita again. What a package that is. A remake of Rondo with SotN and the Original Rondo hidden away inside as well. We are spoiled. Thanks for the great conversations! Another way that we are spoiled.
Richard Straceski
2018-10-30 14:06:36 +0000 UTCFantastic episode. SOTN is my personal favorite of all time, I remember getting it a year after it released, my freshman year of high school. I feel something that makes the game so intriguing is how evocative of grandeur Dracula's castle is in this particular entry. Take the library or hell, even the coliseum; they're vast in scope, yet what type of denizens would populate Dracula's castle, let alone utilize such areas? The castle instills a feeling of "this was once a place to be celebrated, but everything about it now is antithetical to celebration. This is a place where people do not belong". Also you and Dagan are right, that confessional section in the chapel has always been fucking creepy. Keep up the great work.
Justin Marxer
2018-10-29 19:58:11 +0000 UTCAn excuse to play through again for the platinum!
MeatSpin11
2018-10-26 23:07:58 +0000 UTCThis has quickly become my favorite podcast. Keep up the good work!
Riley Smith
2018-10-26 20:10:11 +0000 UTCI wish I could take credit for the name - the first ones were “Cyborg Marc Dark Souls Update” - a group member named Brandon Williams said “Marc Souls” would be a better name and he was absolutely right.
Marc Boggio
2018-10-26 19:22:34 +0000 UTCAnd now it's on PS4, too!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-26 19:15:18 +0000 UTCMarc Souls? ... I'll allow it.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-26 19:15:06 +0000 UTCGreat episode. I played it on my Xbox One this summer. I believe it was on sale on the Xbox store but they might have removed it so I think I got lucky. Worth a chance if any of you bought it on 360 back in the day it might be in your queue.
MeatSpin11
2018-10-26 18:24:37 +0000 UTCFantastic episodes and I honestly salivated at the possibility of a From Soft Castlevania game. I’m not sure if you’ve been seeing my posts on the Side Quest Facebook group, but I’m doing a series called “Marc Souls” where I post videos of Souls-like boss kills (currently making my way through Nioh as I’ve exhausted the From games). I think the lessons in traversal mechanics they’ll undoubtedly learn with Sekiro, could put them in a position to make a perfect 3D Castlevania game. Ludwig the Accursed is a Bloodborne boss that gave me a distinctly Castlevania vibe and was probably the hardest one I’ve fought (DLC boss). I’m not sure if links display properly in here, but here it is if you want to give it a watch: <a href="https://youtu.be/z3S4vrGTZTQ" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/z3S4vrGTZTQ</a>
Marc Boggio
2018-10-25 18:07:13 +0000 UTCIt's a really bad rivalry, I'll say that much. Thanks for listening! Glad you liked it.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-22 00:54:23 +0000 UTCExcellent episode, as always and loved listening to the episode and playing Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles on my PS Vita. As a side-note, went to a Yankees vs. Red Sox game in Fenway Park in 2012, and as a tacit Red Sox fan was shocked at what transpired in the outfield bleachers. Boston fans are no joke.
Cameron O'Neill
2018-10-21 19:47:25 +0000 UTCMan oh man, Matt Cassel. Remember when he was gonna be the next big thing?
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-20 20:31:54 +0000 UTCI wore my Dallas jersey to a Skins home game. I got heckled sooo much. I loved everyone second, especially cause we won....with Matt Cassel....
Tyler
2018-10-20 19:43:09 +0000 UTCI'm glad you enjoyed the episode! It'll truly be a cold day in hell before I root for a Boston sports team. =D
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-20 06:52:50 +0000 UTCI will tell you i thoroughly enjoyed this conversation but as a diehard Red Sox fan was a bit bothered by the end. Hopefully you and Erin can watch the World Series and cheer on the right team.
Kevin Sullivan
2018-10-20 03:09:20 +0000 UTCNot indoors. If it took place outside, I'm sure it would have been passed mustard.
Jeshua Anderson
2018-10-20 01:55:50 +0000 UTCYour parents wouldn't have liked you throwing cross-shaped boomerangs at undead creatures, I assume.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-20 01:31:18 +0000 UTCYa know, I couldn't remember why I never seriously played Castlevania growing up. Then I listened to you guys and remembered growing up in a very religious household, playing it just wasn't gonna happen. Same with my friends. But it always looked like a dope series. Now it sounds just as fun. Great show guys!
Jeshua Anderson
2018-10-19 21:00:37 +0000 UTCI can't wait for the Trophy list. I also can't wait to get my copy. Could be today; could be early next week. Who knows?!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 19:45:31 +0000 UTCLOL.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 19:45:05 +0000 UTCYeah, Bloody Tears is the jam. Thank you for listening!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 19:44:56 +0000 UTCThis is a good kind of pressure. You're gonna like it.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 19:44:44 +0000 UTCI certainly didn't make the connection at the time.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 19:44:34 +0000 UTCA Yankees-driven podcast could be appropriate, in the future. =)
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 19:44:16 +0000 UTCGreat episode guys! I actually just played SOTN for the first time, about 98% blind play through, this past January. I had heard so many good things that I was worried it might have been overhyped, but my worries were quickly calmed. What a fantastic game! It instantly shot to my top 5. I ended up playing till about 192% and finally gave up on getting the 200%. I am hoping the trophy list isn’t too over the top (speed runs mainly) so I can try and get the platinum on PS4.
Neely 4x4
2018-10-19 15:07:59 +0000 UTCI was surprised that you were not familiar with Richter before SotN, having been in Dracula X for Super Nintendo. I know it wasn’t a great game, but not knowing about Rondo of Blood, it was still a fun classic Castlevania.
Chris B
2018-10-19 12:37:25 +0000 UTCLooks like I must give this game a try when it releases on PS4. You guys really hyped it up and now I feel pressured to like it. Hopefully I have good taste.
Adrian Pinter
2018-10-19 11:41:52 +0000 UTC"What is a Moriarty?! A wonderful pile of retro knowledge?!" Excellent, excellent episodes, my dudes! A random, perhaps unpopular, opinion of mine: I'm not crazy about the SOTN version of "Bloody Tears", the original is probably my favorite tune in gaming.
Justin Matkowski
2018-10-19 02:56:26 +0000 UTCI got to the end of this episode, and it breaks my heart that we must be enemies during baseball season. Respectful enemies though. Like when Jeter would get boo'd at Fenway.
Nate McKinney
2018-10-19 02:11:20 +0000 UTCThis was a fantastic episode. But I really loved the sports talk at the end!! Would love to hear a sports team history of fandom between you two. May make a topic request at the next primary
Ryan Harvey
2018-10-19 02:01:33 +0000 UTCGot it!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 01:18:37 +0000 UTCI, too, am excited. =)
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 01:18:33 +0000 UTCDouble entendre!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-19 01:18:16 +0000 UTC"The Empire knocks back"
John the Nabo
2018-10-19 00:38:54 +0000 UTCYEEESSS!!! Been looking forward to this episode so much! I recently re-played through it a year or so ago. I played it in a completely different way and just tried to break the game. Spamming enemies to get the best item drops, etc. Got the Crissaegrim for the first time. That weapon COMPLETELY breaks the game. (Super rare, only dropped by one enemy, and that enemy is only in 1 or 2 places in the inverted castle.) It's like the 3rd or 4th highest attack rating, but when you hit an enemy it hits them 2 or 3 times in one attack. Not as challenging, but still really fun playing it that way. Can't wait to begin chasing that sweet, sweet platinum in Requiem next week.
Nate McKinney
2018-10-19 00:09:04 +0000 UTCSo that’s where y’all got the name ‘Knockback’ from. 😮
Michael Miller
2018-10-18 23:58:12 +0000 UTCOh no, Lola. =\
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 22:57:41 +0000 UTCYou could make the Knockback episode order tonally in line with the events of empire strikes back so the last episode of wave 5 is super depressing and hopeless and maybe Colin gets his hand cut off and Lola is frozen and taken away
Tyson Williams
2018-10-18 22:41:51 +0000 UTCI'm not, Peter, but if anyone else is, please chime in! Peter, if the problem persists, just DM me and lemme know how I can help (and if it's happening on browser, or mobile, or RSS, or whatever).
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 22:23:55 +0000 UTCQuality is key! Thank you for that. I'm glad it's shining through.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 22:23:33 +0000 UTCI honestly don't recall. Haven't played Bloodlines in probably two decades.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 22:23:20 +0000 UTCIs anyone else getting playback issues, mine plays for a few minutes then shuts off and makes me replay from the beginning
Peter Mark
2018-10-18 21:38:17 +0000 UTCThere is an amazing weapon on SOTN called the Shield Rod. If you equip it with a shield in the other hand and attacking twice while blocking, it gives you a buff and/or special atack specific to the shield that you are using, for an example the leather shield gives you more defense, while the iron shield summons an armored entity that swings huge blades at the enemy. I only found out about this a few months ago and i was mind blown, its amazing that YEARS after its release there are still things we havent seen on this game. FUCKING LOVED this episode Colin, keep up the incredible quality with these!
John the Nabo
2018-10-18 21:15:03 +0000 UTCDidnt castlevania bloodlines had a playable character that used a spear?
John the Nabo
2018-10-18 21:06:26 +0000 UTCThank you for listening! I'm looking forward to jumping back into Rondo myself.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:39:11 +0000 UTCGreat episode. Can't wait to play Rondo for the first time and play Symphony of the Night again with the Requiem collection
Tanner Brant
2018-10-18 20:09:32 +0000 UTCGood to hear!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:04:59 +0000 UTCI think there's room for both, and I hope Konami ends up exploring traditional and Metroidvania-style Castlevania games in the future.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:04:54 +0000 UTCIndeed! The timing is purely coincidental, but it all worked out. =)
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:04:25 +0000 UTCHahaha.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:04:12 +0000 UTCI'd rather play Requiem than RDR2... but thankfully, I can play both!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:03:51 +0000 UTCI liked the Castlevania II references in the game (like Veros Woods) that I think went over so many people's heads. Still, they really shat the bed with the sequel (and the 3DS game).
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:03:36 +0000 UTCYou're very welcome. Thank you for your support!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:03:14 +0000 UTCHave fun!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:02:52 +0000 UTCHope it's worth your time. =)
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:02:45 +0000 UTCCan't wait for Requiem. Konami said I may get a code by the end of the week!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:02:37 +0000 UTCGot robbed on that HR call, too. =\ Hope this turns your day around, indeed.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:02:23 +0000 UTCI would be nothing without those that support me. I'm happy to do what's necessary. =)
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:02:10 +0000 UTC=)
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:01:57 +0000 UTCIt's gonna be a great few weeks for gamers.
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 20:00:17 +0000 UTCI hope you enjoy. =)
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 19:59:22 +0000 UTCEnjoy!
Colin Moriarty
2018-10-18 19:59:16 +0000 UTCThat is correct, and the load times are almost nonexistent compared to the PSX version.
Greg Ohlenforst
2018-10-18 19:31:23 +0000 UTCThis has fueled my excitement for this game in the coming days
jalen kelly
2018-10-18 19:17:49 +0000 UTCThis is a great game, but I don't like how it changed Castlevania at all. It became too reliant on on stats and luck of drops and less on skill and timing , yes there is a skill curve but but it feels minor to me especially when I could at any time go, grind 5 levels and then stomp enemies I had trouble with 20 mintes ago . This is why I was a fan of the Lords of shadow return to level-less guy with whip weapon taking on impossible odds that the only non-iga lead castlevania game in the Igavania style (circle of the moon for gba) kind of gave me. The fact Iga has his own series and studio now makes me happy because I'm hoping much like super bomberman Konami can get something together that throws back to classicvania while bringing it into the 2010s while Iga feeds those who love his game with bloodstained.
That black guy
2018-10-18 19:13:07 +0000 UTCDudes, I was so excited when I saw the notification for this come up on my phone this morning. I completely agree with you guys that this is the perfect October game and I loved hearing Dagan's perspective on the incredible art. The rest of wave 5 has a lot to live up to now!
Jimmy Champane
2018-10-18 19:02:56 +0000 UTCI’m mostly excited for Castlevania Requiem because my fiancée and good friend have both agreed to finally play Symphony of the Night, so help them god if they don’t appreciate it.
Jayce Tamulevich
2018-10-18 18:55:21 +0000 UTCGreat episode as always fellas. I just wanted to make a clarification and let you all know that the Xbox 360 version of SOTN is indeed backwards compatible with Xbox One. I believe it's based off of the original PSX version, but is in HD, 4:3 aspect ratio and has achievements, leaderboards etc. Just wanted to let you all know :)
William
2018-10-18 18:43:15 +0000 UTCI might also jump on SotN before Red Dead next week. I haven’t ever played it, and that needs to change! Excited to listen to this episode.
Brent Lindquist
2018-10-18 18:08:13 +0000 UTCCastlevania:Lords of shadows (first one) is one of the most underated games. I love that game. Got platinum on it :)
Saulius Vekteris
2018-10-18 17:02:30 +0000 UTC....i was 15 :(
Joey Finelli
2018-10-18 17:02:07 +0000 UTCOh man I’m way beyond excited for this.. thank you Colin!
Craig Carter
2018-10-18 16:43:53 +0000 UTCLol this game came out the year I was born.
Will Hahn
2018-10-18 16:42:39 +0000 UTCThis is ridiculous. Look how stoked we all are! I can’t say to experience this again.
Jonah Gespacho
2018-10-18 16:16:32 +0000 UTCSo many good shows and so little time to listen, but this one I can’t miss.
James Galos
2018-10-18 16:11:07 +0000 UTCOne of the best games ever! I have Requiem preordered. Can’t wait to dive back in.
Kevin DeBruin
2018-10-18 16:08:23 +0000 UTCAwful day so far because my Astros are on the brink of elimination and pitching like shit. This is how we start to turn the day around :D
ScootyTooty
2018-10-18 16:08:08 +0000 UTCVery exciting, I've been waiting for you to talk about this! Also, you're a madman taking the time to respond to so many comments on here. Hard-working doesn't even begin to describe your commitment.
Forrest Hunter
2018-10-18 16:04:45 +0000 UTCOh what a treat!
Barry M. Johnson
2018-10-18 16:03:43 +0000 UTCSo excited to listen to this. I will be playing this remaster over red dead next week as it's been too long for me.
Brian Borlaug
2018-10-18 16:03:00 +0000 UTCYES!!! my day just got so much better ❤️. This is going to be such a great listen
Sweeny waking up to Lilly siphoning out his piss
2018-10-18 16:02:46 +0000 UTCOmg! This episode is gonna be the best!!! Ty!!!!!
Abe Moukhtar
2018-10-18 16:02:08 +0000 UTC
