Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night

When Puzzle Quest came out, nobody had seen anything like it. Its combination of match-three gameplay and RPG character building was a huge breath of fresh air. Konami has tried to change things up again with Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night, a re-telling of its classic PlayStation title Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Amazingly, Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night manages to feel free and new like Puzzle Quest, and yet stays true to its roots as an action/exploration game.(In the interest of full disclosure, I have played the original repeatedly over the last decade. I am so intimately familiar with the game that I can literally play it in my head without a controller in hand.)Following the plot of the classic title, Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night tells the story of Alucard, son of the evil Count Dracula, who is drawn to CastleVania to put a stop to his father’s reign of terror once and for all. However, there are others who roam the castle, and not all is as it seems. The hero of the people, Richter Belmont, has seemingly turned to the dark side, and his sister-in-law Maria is searching for answers. Even Death himself has a say in your fate.

The castle layout is the same as the original – that is to say, enormous! CastleVania is made of up different areas, like the Marble Gallery, Underground Caverns, Outer Wall and more. Each area has a vast number of rooms to explore. Saving your game comes in the form of Safe Rooms littered throughout the castle. These rooms allow you to replenish your HP and MP, as well as shop with another important character, the Librarian. If you know where to go from the original game, you’ll know where to go here. If you’re new to the Castlevania universe, don’t worry as you explore the massive map. The Librarian character will help guide you to your next destination with the game’s generous hint system. Read full story...

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