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Castlevania Reviews - Symphony of the Night 
Symphony of the Night: This could very well be the best Castlevania in existence. I myself have never played the Japanese version of Dracula X: The Rondo Of Blood ( which will change soon.... ) so I would say that SOTN is probably the best that you can get. And I hear the Sega Saturn version is even better than the PSX version, but sadly, it's another Japanese only release. In the Saturn version, Alucard, Maria and Richter are all selectable from a character screen in the beginning. In the american version only Alucard is available at game's start until you beat it once and then you can play as Richter. 
The Lowdown: Everything in SOTN rocks. The music, the graphics, the spells, the weapons. It's a role-playing game as well as platform adventure, as experience points are gained for raised levels. You also gain money to buy weapons and items. After making it through the first castle, and saving Richter ( Don't kill him! - You need the holy glasses), you have to go through the same castle upside down. An average complete game of SOTN once you've mastered it takes around 5 and a half to 6 and a half hours, probably about 15 hrs your 1st game, and you can spend even more perfecting games, getting every item and getting everything to level 99. The best I've done is level 68 Alucard with every weapon and item and all familiars on 99, and the game has 40 hours on it. It must take a long time to get Alucard on 99. My best time to date has been 4:15 at 200.6. Anyhow, here's a list of the best stuff in the game to get, and where to get it. 
NOTE: These are mostly rare items which might need some luck potions or a Ring Of Arcana. Some Good Swords: Crissaegrim: I think this is the best one in the game, it hits 4 times and has an attack of about 160some with 2 Rings Of Varda on and a high level Alucard. Get this from the Schmoo in the inverted library. Runesword: This flying sword hits twice, and has a high attack. Get it from the Dodo Bird at the reverse entrance. Marsil: This is an even more powerful version of the Firebrand, with an awesome flame-up special attack. Get it from the Fire Demon in the necromancy laboratory. 
Osafune Katana: A high attack with 2 special moves, and doesn't lower your defense as bad as some other katanas (Like the Yasutsuna and Masamune). Get this behind the waterfall in the reverse caverns. Alucard Sword: You start with this one, but of course Death takes it away. (Unless you do a trick which I've never done, where you supposedly keep your stuff). Anyhow, it can be re-found to the far right of the reverse abandoned mine, on the opposite end away from the warp. Mablung Sword: Not only does this one have good attack and adds to your defense, it does the Shield Rod spells! Get this from the Spectral Sword in the reverse chapel. Sword Familiar: After level 50 you can use him, on 99 it's the most powerful sword in the game, although it's pretty cool letting him fly around on level 99! Get this guy in Olrox's quarters, in the section underneath where you fight Ol' 'Ol. Lol! (Hehe...that's too much.) Sword Of Dawn: Summon Dawn Warriors! Do the quarter circle move and this one can summon a few or a whole slew of Dawn Warriors...archers, mages, swordsmen and such. Nifty! Get this in the reverse castle keep, to the top right, past the Skull Lord, underneath the turquoise. Mourneblade: A portable soul-steal! Hit anything with an effect, an enemy, candle, gear..you get back 8 life. Unlimited. Gear, huh? Get it from the Azaghal in the reverse colliseum or ouside of it in reverse Olrox's quarters. Holy Sword: Use this one on Richter, so you can't hurt him but can hurt the curse, and it also whoops ass on the Guardians. Get this from Vandal Swords in the clock tower, or find one in the ceiling of the colliseum.
Never mentioned in folk-lore what a prankster the Grim Reaper can be after he's been out drinking with Dracula and Medusa. All of the Shields: Iron Shield: You can buy it in the library, or get it from a Winged Guard in the royal chapel....this one's spell rocks with the Rod! A giant knight with two swords kicks some ass! Alucard Shield: Duh, the best one for defense. Find it at the far right end of the reverse caverns. Shield Rod spell is a soul steal. Dark Shield: It kills things! Has an attack level of a fairly decent sword. It's unholllll-y. Get it from the Malachi in reverse Olrox's quarters. Rod spell is a freaky thing too...wait till you see it...looks like Freddy Krueger's head and meteors. Skull Shield: The awesomest Rod spell...a laser! It's high up, so it hits big guys like Olrox or the Creature right in the head and kills them instantly, also it takes out the Granfalloon in one shot. Get it from the Skull Lords in the clock tower or from Yorick in the reverse castle keep. Knight Shield: Adds to your attack for a bit with the Rod, get this one from the colliseum, or from a Spectral Sword in the reverse chapel..he drops em quite often. AxeLord Shield: Get it from, surprise, an Axe Knight. It's got okay defense, and the Rod spell send a l'il Axe Knight out a-choppin'. Alucart Shield: It sucks. You don't want it. It does nothing. Blaaagh. (Actually, if you equip ALL of the Alucart equipment, you get +30 luck, but your attack and defense will still suck.) Leather Shield: MOO! The Rod spell is a cow! It adds to your defense. Get it in the alchemy laboratory or from a Stone Rose, or Slinger, or the library. Fire Shield: Immunity to fire, with a firey snake spell. Get it from the Fire Demon in the necromancy lab. While your at it, get a Marsil. Medusa Shield: Also kills things! And resists stoning, and has a freaky spell. Get it from...no, wait..a...Medusa Head! Shaman Shield: Good defense, spell ups intelligence. Get it in the clock tower, on a pillar. Need double jump or bat to get there. Goddess Shield: A little shield, but a good defense, and spell is a free Resist Dark potion. Well it costs magic, so maybe it's not free. But it's in the necromancy lab. Herald Shield: If you're very lonely, do the spell. You see some chick's butt. I'm really not kidding. It protects you from fire or thunder, but you also see her butt. Find it in the caverns. And you see her butt! Items: The only ones worth discussing Ring Of Varda: Essential. You need it. Wear 2. Adds 35 to strength each. Get it from the Parnathropus ( Paranthropuses? Paranthropi? ), but wait until the ones in the second castle in the outer wall, unless you are playing luck code ( name as X-X!V''Q ). The one in the colliseum has only dropped it for me twice without luck code, with luck code it's a done deal to get one. The others drop it frequently if you have a Ring Of Arcana on, and even without sometimes. The catch...you have to have beaten the game once for this item to be dropped. Nauglamir: The only other thing worth wearing in the second castle really, if you can't have 2 Rings, take the +15 to defense of the Nauglamir. Get this from a Cave Troll in the reverse caverns. Ring Of Arcana: Well, it helps with the rare items some times. You can get one by doing the jumping-under-the-library-man's-chair trick, and one by defeating Beezlebub in the necromancy laboratory. Good Armors: Walk Armor: After you complete the first castle, Walk Armor can't really be beaten for defense, unless you get it an early God's Garb. Find the Walk in the catacombs. Diamond Plate: Good for the first castle, before you find Walk Armor, and doesn't minus 10 from intelligence like Walk. Buy it in the library. Fury Plate: Defense goes up 20 points when you are hit, which is very good! Sometimes more fun than Walk Armor. Find it in the floor of the reverse colliseum (where the Holy Sword was in the ceiling), or get it from a Minotaur. Holy Mail: Wear it against Richter. Find it in the ceiling of the entrance, above the mermen and the pot roast rock. Mojo Mail: Increases magic attacks, so it rocks with the Rod. Get it from a Tin Man in the reverse library. God's Garb: Almost as good as Walk Armor. Unless you get it early on in the second castle it won't be as much protection as the Walk, but you can get it from a Guardian. Good Head Protection: Dragon Helm: Lowers enemies defense, good defense for you. Found in the reverse clock tower. Steel Helm: Defense same as Dragon Helm, but in the first castle in the wall of the clock tower. (Yeah, you gotta click the gears.) Topaz Circlet: The most useful circlet. Restores life from poison damage, can be used against Balloon Pods, Alucard Doppelganger 40, Spittle Bones, you can eat Toadstools, etc. get it in the first library, behind the bookcase after the stone mask. Ruby Circlet: Restores life from fire damage, good against Guardians. Get it after beating Galamoth. Beryl Circlet: Essentially needed to beat Galamoth, restores life from lightning. Get it in the wall of the entrance, next to the pot roast rock...you need to run across the inside of the pot roast rock with the wolf 10 times, and fly across the top with the bat 10 times, touching the ceiling. Then the wall opens up. Same place as Jewel Sword in the first castle. Wizard Hat: Best head protection. Get it from a Salome in the reverse catacombs. Cloaks: Well Cloaks are just to look cool. I like the Crystal Cloak, and the Elven Cloak. The Joseph's Cloak is fun, too. There is never a huge difference in the defenses, and the only one that does anything special besides add to constitution or so is the Blood Cloak, which restores hearts by damage. Here is where to find them. Cloth Cloak: Alchemy lab. Crystal Cloak: Caverns. Elven Cloak: Buy in library. Reverse Cloak: Buy in library. Blood Cloak: Colliseum. Royal Cloak: Reverse clock tower. Twilight Cloak: Reverse chapel. Joseph's Cloak: Buy in library. Familiars: What they do and where to get em Ghost: The Ghost is cool and all but the little moron flies away when you turn into a bat. He envelopes enemies to kill them and later restores you life. Find him in the clock tower. I like him. He means well! Demon: He attacks alot and does spells, good on level 99. He also is the only way to push the wall switches in the abandoned mine. You find him in the abandoned mine, as well. Faerie: She heals you with your items, breaks you out of stone, and points out walls and floors you can break. Find her in the library. Sword: He is CRAZY on level 99. Find him in Olrox's quarters. Bat: He is also a bit crazy, dive-bombing enemies, and summoning more bats to fly with you as you level up. Find him in the alchemy lab. Well there's my brief look at some SOTN stuff...any specific questions, mail me, I know the game up and down.
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