CASTLEVANIA: SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT IS STILL NOT ON SWITCH
When it comes to classic video game franchises, Konami's Castlevania series is undoubtedly one of the greatest. Combining survival horror with adventure, these games helped give rise to the "Metroidvania" subgenre of exploration video games. Perhaps the most iconic entry in the series is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which is widely regarded as a high point of the Castlevania series.
Despite its continued critical acclaim and the tendency to re-release older Castlevania on new hardware, there have been quite a few consoles that went without a port of Symphony of the Night. The latest of these is the Nintendo Switch, which continues a rather unfortunate trend for the game and Nintendo. With no official reason given as to the lack of a Switch port, it raises the question of why Symphony of the Night is unplayable on the Nintendo console.
Updated on August 29, 2024, by Michael Colwander: The August 2024 Nintendo Direct was a good one for Castlevania fans as more games in the iconic Metroidvania series are set to release on the Nintendo Switch! Sadly, however, Symphony of the Night is still nowhere to be found. More information on which Castlevania games are available on Switch has been added.
What Is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night?
| System | Metacritic Score |
|---|---|
| PlayStation | 93 |
| PlayStation Portable (The Dracula X Chronicles) | 80 |
| PlayStation 4 (Requiem) | 74 |
| Xbox 360 | 89 |
| iOS | 88 |
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - How to Unlock Alucard's Bat Form
One of the most desirable transformations for Alucard in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is Bat Form. Here is how to unlock it and its upgrades.
The central storyline of Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night takes place after the events of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. With Richter Belmont having since disappeared, the demonic castle of Dracula returns, with Richter claiming to now be its lord. He's met by protagonist Alucard, who's none other than the half-human son of Dracula himself. Under a controlling spell, Richter intends to resurrect Dracula so that he and the king of the vampires can fight for all eternity. The cursed nature of his father's presence makes Alucard question his existence and whether creatures such as himself belong in the world of men.
Alucard debuted in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, but he's arguably a far more serious version of the character Kid Dracula from the video game of the same name. The character's depth and inner turmoil showcased how the series was evolving, namely in the storytelling department. These traits made Alucard a fan-favorite, especially since he wasn't just another member of the Belmont clan. This was just one of the reasons why Symphony of the Night was so beloved upon release, and why fans still want Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the Switch.
Why Symphony of the Night Is So Beloved
Notable Metroidvania Games Aside From Castlevania and Metroid:
- Blasphemous
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
- Hollow Knight
- Dead Cells
- Guacamelee!
- Ori and the Blind Forest
- Animal Well
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Though it might have initially seemed like simply another entry in the venerable series, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night quickly became the most acclaimed entry. This was namely due to the introduction of what gamers now refer to as the "Metroidvania" video game genre. Players had greater exploration options, and this made the game more rewarding and exciting. Likewise, its 2D graphics were lauded, namely in an era where 3D aesthetics were becoming the norm. It was more than a sign that 2D gameplay wasn't outdated, especially with how atmospheric Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was.
Said atmosphere was created by both the aforementioned graphics and the audio. The soundtrack for Symphony of the Night is again considered a highlight in the franchise, and it helped mold the game into a haunting yet adventurous experience. Thus, it's no surprise that it was so beloved in its day and with modern gamers, as well. Thus, there's continued demand for a Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Switch port. Sadly, this still hasn't happened, despite the game being brought to so many other consoles.
Symphony of the Night Epitomized the Industry's Break from Nintendo
Why Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is Still Worth Playing
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night practically invented the modern Metroidvania formula, and it's still a fantastic game after all these years.
Another reason why Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is the console that it first came out on. It was initially released in 1997 for the original Sony PlayStation, though it would later receive a port to the doomed Sega Saturn console in Japan. Beforehand, most of the series had been released on Nintendo consoles, which is why Symphony of the Night not doing so was such a game changer. When Nintendo chose to continue using cartridges for its Nintendo 64 console, Sony took advantage of developers' apprehension by courting third parties. One of those just so happened to be Konami, which brought its latest Castlevania game to the PlayStation.
Another iconic example of this major shift in fortune for Nintendo was the release of the original Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation, robbing Nintendo of a major established third-party property. The exclusive nature of the Konami game was a prelude to the current absence of Symphony of the Night on the Switch. Its Sony loyalty continued throughout the years, with ports of Symphony of the Night being available for the PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 4. Likewise, it's also been ported to the Xbox 360, Android, and iOS, with the latter two outlets making the game more accessible than ever.
In its 27 years of existence, however, it's yet to come to a Nintendo console. Even as the concept of console exclusivity is winding down. It's not like Konami swore off Nintendo completely, as it would later release Castlevania games exclusive to Nintendo hardware. Many of those have since been released elsewhere through the Castlevania: Advance Collection and Castlevania: Dominus Collection, making the sting burn even worse for Nintendo fans. Despite the trade-off, there's still no Nintendo Switch Castlevania: Symphony of the Night port.
Potential Factors Affecting Symphony of the Nights Switch Absence
As strange as it may sound, Konami's apparent refusal to release a Nintendo Switch Castlevania: Symphony of the Night port may be to simply keep in line with its lack of a port on previous Nintendo consoles. However, there doesn't seem to be any hard-line need to keep it only for Sony consoles, since it's also been on the Xbox 360 and smartphones. The best explanation may involve Konami's less-than-grandiose stakes at the moment.
Konami, once one of the kings of Japanese video game developers, has fallen by the wayside. Over the past few years, it's been far more focused on pachinko machines than creating new video games or even re-releasing old ones. It took a long time before Konami began re-releasing games in their flagship property, Metal Gear, to current consoles. The second volume of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection may finally release Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots from its PlayStation 3 prison. So there's precedent for Konami to give fans what they want, however, the dragging of their feet to re-release those games says a lot about its reticence in bringing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to the Switch.
The aforementioned Castlevania: Dominus Collection is the latest release in the series, having been released for Switch in 2024. Even then, it was merely a compilation of older titles, not going far enough to take advantage of the franchise's new fanbase from the Netflix series. Given that most Castlevania titles are on Switch, the fact that Konami has failed to follow it up with a Nintendo Switch port of Symphony of the Night – one of the franchise's best entries – says a lot about how interested the developer is in video games as a whole. Given the growing gap in releases and the lack of prioritizing the franchise, fans will be lucky to see a new Castlevania game – let alone a Nintendo Switch Castlevania: Symphony of the Night port – anytime soon.
Which Castlevania Games Are On Switch?
How To Play The Castlevania Series In Chronological Order
Replaying a classic like Castlevania is a great opportunity to play the games in the right, narrative order.
If Symphony of the Night isn't on Switch, then which Castlevania games are? Well, nearly all of them. For starters, the recently released Castlevania: Dominus Collection. It contains four games – Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, Order of Ecclesia, and Haunted Castle Revisited. The latter of these, Haunted Castle, is a revamped version of the original Castlevania arcade game. The other three were all Nintendo DS titles each of them receiving high marks as some of the best Castlevania games to date, especially the underrated Portrait of Ruin.
The Anniversary Collection includes Castlevania, Simon's Quest, Dracula's Curse, Super Castlevania IV, Castlevania: The Adventure, Belmont's Revenge, Bloodlines, and Kid Dracula as well as the ebook History of Castlevania - Book of the Crescent Moon. Kid Dracula is notable as it was never released in English before this release. The Advance Collection includes Game Boy Advance games in Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow as well as the SNES Castlevania: Dracula X, which is a revamped Rondo of Blood. This release also includes a save state and a rewind feature.
Nintendo Switch Online has the Genesis version of Bloodlines to play as well as the Game Boy Castlevania: Legends. If that's not enough there's Arcade Archives VS. Castlevania as well as Dead Cells with its Return to Castlevania expansion. All of this and no sign of Symphony of the Night. Nearly every Castlevania game is on Switch except for the cream of the crop. At this point, it's getting pretty ridiculous. Hopefully, someday that will change even if it goes the overpriced launch title route like Capcom did with Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers for the launch of the Switch. Regardless, there are plenty of amazing Castlevania games on the Switch, making it a great place to get started on the series.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Richter Belmont has vanished just as Castlevania reemerged from the mists. Meanwhile, Alucard, the bastard son of Dracula, has awakened from his eternal slumber, intent on destroying his evil father once and for all.