I know, I know, its heresy, but I'm playing this for the first time and Alucard moves sooooo sloooooowllly and there's no run button or anything (yet). I'm going to stick with it but the slow movement is really frustrating. Is that just a hold-over from the NES Castlevania games or something? I played a few of the GBA Castlevanias and I don't remember them being this clunky.

I played it for the first time last year and don't remember the movement being that slow. It does get faster when you change into wolf form. I sort of got the sense that the speed of loading off a disc factored into some of the design decisions as well.

Having played it back in the day and replayed it recently, the movement speed is something that takes a little getting used to. And eventually, you do get used to it. I'm not defending the movement as a "brilliant design decision that you simply don't UNDERSTAND yet," but at least the enemies and environments are usually tailored accordingly to Alucard's speed.

And similar to what @mosespippy said, you do get some movement upgrades and abilities that smooth things out a fair bit, most notably the ability to double jump later on in the game. Just keep at it, it's worth it!

Yeah, I understand what you mean. I didn't finish SoTN completely until about a year ago (played it for the first time in about 2008, but got lost and gave up due to its poor mapping system) and the movement and the jumping can feel a little stodgy. Just takes some getting used, and backwards-dashing everywhere helps, too!

Game's perfect.

It's light speed compared to old Castlevania, and you have total control during combat. Back dash, double jump, and those flash boots make it better.

I get the slow speed, but he does get faster as the game progress, plus--I know it sounds silly--but I backdash everywhere in that game.

Stick with it, I still believe it is one of the greatest games of all time, I play it to completion a few times a year.

If you back dash everywhere you go much faster.

@corevi said:

YES! I did that all the time! Good times.

Going back to old games and they feel different from games of nowadays? Unheard of!

I jest.

If you go fast enough with the back dash you can fly through the room where Death takes all your OP cool shit and keep it.

You don't know slow and clunky until you've played the previous Castlevania games other than 4.

Back dashing helps. It is slow, but once you get accustomed to it, it all kind of clicks together.

Yeah, I played several portable Castlevanias before I played Symphony of the Night, and it did feel more sluggish. Honestly I think most of the GBA and DS games are better than SotN, but SotN is still good, and the granddaddy of that type of game.

This. Always be dashing.

I'd say Dawn of Sorrow is probably the best of the lot, though SoTN does have its superb score and art style going for it against the DS trilogy.

You're slow and clunky !

I did like the GBA and DS ones quite a bit, but I felt like I had more control over Alucard than those games. Like why couldn't you point your sword diagonally downwards after SoTN? Why did they get rid of that weird kick you can do when you're barehanded?

Spells are great in SoTN and the classic method of collecting hearts and finding subweapons along the way really appeals to me as a simpler solution than the soul collecting stuff in the AoS/DoS games (that said... I did get EVERYTHING in dawn of sorrow...).

To answer the OP, just backdash everywhere. You'll get better at it quickly, don't mash that triangle button, there's a rhythm to it. I still haven't tried shield dashing but it should be even faster.

I've never really felt it was too slow. Especially not enough to frustrate me. True the GBA and DS games play a bit better, but they don't have that art and that music. Super Castelevania 4 and SotN are still easily the best games in that franchise.

It is slow as motherfucking hell!

At the beginning.

Y'all forgot about Dre that?

Alucard's walk animation is smooth as hell but he's moving like a man dancing in molasses.

After you lose your powers in the first 10 minutes you get busted way, way down and movement is very slow until you get more powers. You can, however, dash backwards. Which is hilarious.

But stick to it mine friend, for soon you shall be like lightning amongst the storm!

Yeah, I played that game through for the first time last year. Alucard is super slow. Although to be fair, all the Castlevania games I've played felt really slow and a bit clunky to me.

I played the 360 version and don't remember feeling like it was slow, but this was right after playing Dawn of Sorrow so maybe I was used to Castlevania's funny-feeling movement.

Also, yeah, always be backdashin'.

Sotn is just not a very good game. The GBA ones are actually better but the bad ones in the series drag the good ones down.