October Retro Community Playthrough - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

[MaterialHandlerMike]

Finished the game tonight. I love this game so much. It was just as much fun to play through now, as it was in my late teens.

[Slowman]

Started another play through and I picked up a New York style pizza.  Can't say I remember picking this up before but weird things like this are one of the things I like about this game.

[img width=700 height=414]http://oi60.tinypic.com/2i6dyx2.jpg[/img]

[singlebanana]

Congrats on finishing Mike!

Onward to the Chicago style deep dish Slowman.

[techwizard]

those who finished already should go check out Alan Wake if you're interested it's really great and deserves more attention than it's getting right now.

[RetroRage]

Started another play through and I picked up a New York style pizza.  Can't say I remember picking this up before but weird things like this are one of the things I like about this game.

[img width=700 height=414]http://oi60.tinypic.com/2i6dyx2.jpg[/img]

Heh I just grabbed the pizza too.  But I'm not nearly as far as most of you guys.  I still havent reached the inverted castle.

[techwizard]

Started another play through and I picked up a New York style pizza.  Can't say I remember picking this up before but weird things like this are one of the things I like about this game.

[img width=700 height=414]http://oi60.tinypic.com/2i6dyx2.jpg[/img]

Heh I just grabbed the pizza too.  But I'm not nearly as far as most of you guys.  I still havent reached the inverted castle.

the inverted castle can be difficult at times but for the most part isn't that bad, mainly because you already know your way around it more or less.

[RetroRage]

so I got the gravity boots....I don't feel like I'm jumping any higher than normal.

[techwizard]

so I got the gravity boots....I don't feel like I'm jumping any higher than normal.

we talked about that on the podcast segment that we just recorded the other day actually...and off the top of my head i can't remember what it was about them, but they're not a passive ability, you have to "use" them. GrayGhost or singlebanana could help you out.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Press Up and Jump at the same time. Let me know how that works for you.

[RetroRage]

Ahh got it.  It's kinda useless now though she I already have Soul of Bat.

I'm pretty stuck now too.  I don't want to consult a walkthrough but I don't have a ton of spare time I can devote to aimless wandering.

We're passed the checkpoint now so I assume I can ask the question outright, do I have to have a certain percentage to reach the inverted castle?

[techwizard]

Ahh got it.  It's kinda useless now though she I already have Soul of Bat.

I'm pretty stuck now too.  I don't want to consult a walkthrough but I don't have a ton of spare time I can devote to aimless wandering.

We're passed the checkpoint now so I assume I can ask the question outright, do I have to have a certain percentage to reach the inverted castle?

nope! you need a pair of items which you wear in a certain room, and that will activate a new path while gives you another item. at that point you go fight Richter while wearing said item and it will give you access to the inverted castle when you win that fight (without killing Richter)

[JerryGreenwood]

Press Up and Jump at the same time. Let me know how that works for you.

Down, up, then jump.

Started another play through and I picked up a New York style pizza.  Can't say I remember picking this up before but weird things like this are one of the things I like about this game.

Rare drop from a Frog.

Ahh got it.  It's kinda useless now though she I already have Soul of Bat.

I'm pretty stuck now too.  I don't want to consult a walkthrough but I don't have a ton of spare time I can devote to aimless wandering.

We're passed the checkpoint now so I assume I can ask the question outright, do I have to have a certain percentage to reach the inverted castle?

nope! you need a pair of items which you wear in a certain room

You might have these items and not even realize it. If not, you need to explore the normal castle more.

[JerryGreenwood]

I think it's far enough along to reveal a few tricks without spoilers.

- Some of the better swords in the game have a command attack. Do a quarter-circle forward motion and press attack and you'll get a better attack at the expense of some magic.

 - At the Outer Wall (the farthest east point in the normal castle) there is a passage which you need the mist to pass. Instead of waiting to get the mist, you can reach this room very early. In the room above it, you can break a wall and stand in the nook and hold down (or maybe up) for 6 seconds and an elevator will pull you into the secret room.

- If you go to the room underneath the Librarian in the normal castle, there is a slim passage in the ceiling and you can use the gravity boots directly under the Librarian's chair and bump him into the air. Do this several times and he'll drop a Max Life Up, Dracula's Tunic, Axelord Armor, and a Ring of Arcana.

[singlebanana]

Ahh got it.  It's kinda useless now though she I already have Soul of Bat.

I'm pretty stuck now too.  I don't want to consult a walkthrough but I don't have a ton of spare time I can devote to aimless wandering.

We're passed the checkpoint now so I assume I can ask the question outright, do I have to have a certain percentage to reach the inverted castle?

I suggest checking a walkthrough in terms of getting to the inverted castle. It's a little daunting to figure it out without doing so, or already knowing. I mentioned this on the thread around the time I posted the second checkpoint. I will post the process here, since I really don't consider this a spoiler as everyone needs to do this to finish the game:

You will need to obtain the Silver Ring (NW corner of castle past spikes, may need to equip Spike Breaker armor, which is in lower SE corner of castle) and Gold Ring (earned after killing Succubus in Nightmare sequence) to open up the floor in the clock room. You have to equip both rings to open the floor. Once you open the floor, Maria will give you the Holy Glasses, which you will equip when battling Richter. With the glasses, you will be able to see a floating orb, attack this instead of Richter and after this fight, you will be able to access the inverted castle.

[JerryGreenwood]

Forgot the mention, I beat it last night. Didn't get 200.6%, there are a few boxes in the water in the inverted underground caverns that I can't figure out/remember how to reach.

Now I'm trying the Richter quest for the first time. I'm guessing you can finish it within an hour since I've reached the inverted castle in about 20 minutes.