I just beat Harmony of Dissonance and I'm about to start on Symphony of the Night when I've taken a decent break from Castlevania games. Which ones are you guys playing now? Have you just beaten any? Any advice for a first time SotN player?

" never played one... dont hurt me "

I just finished the 3rd. About to play the first once i find a rom.

" rom. "

I'm playing Order of Ecclesia. It seems pretty long as I have been playing it off and on for quite a while. Maybe I'll finish it one of these days.   :P

" I just finished the 3rd. About to play the first once i find a rom. "

Just started Dawn of Sorrow a couple of nights ago. I've never played a DS Castlevania before -- obviously playing Circle of the Moon in the GBA slot doesn't count -- so I'm quite excited about getting taters deep into a new adventure.
 
@Icemael said:

" @Bubahula: Here's my advice: Explore. The other metroidvania games are pretty much linear experiences, though they have some minor exploration. In Symphony of the Night, however, you'll often have several paths to choose from, all of which lead you to stuff that'll help you get closer to the ending. The game doesn't guide you nearly as much as the other ones. By the way, I'm currently playing through Symphony of the Night for the third time. "

" Just started Dawn of Sorrow a couple of nights ago. I've never played a DS Castlevania before -- obviously playing Circle of the Moon in the GBA slot doesn't count -- so I'm quite excited about getting taters deep into a new adventure.
 
@Icemael said:

" @Bubahula: Here's my advice: Explore. The other metroidvania games are pretty much linear experiences, though they have some minor exploration. In Symphony of the Night, however, you'll often have several paths to choose from, all of which lead you to stuff that'll help you get closer to the ending. The game doesn't guide you nearly as much as the other ones. By the way, I'm currently playing through Symphony of the Night for the third time. "

True dat, exploration is key. I actually finished SotN the first time by rushing through, although I still really enjoyed it enough to play it again. My return play saw me taking the time to try and delve into every corner of the map. Needless to say, the rewards gained from acquiring certain pieces of equipment and knowledge led to one of my favourite moments in gaming. ;)  I think I've played it through 4 times, and even now all this talk makes me a bit twitchy. "

Ecclesia definitely brought back the difficulty in Castlevania.
 
I'm in the process of beating it, though I did get distracted from some recently released games.

" Please do try Order of Ecclesia. It's my favorite of the bunch "

" @Seedofpower said:

" I just finished the 3rd. About to play the first once i find a rom. "

You disappoint me. "

" @Seedofpower said:

" I just finished the 3rd. About to play the first once i find a rom. "

You disappoint me. "

I just beat Symphony of the Night and got all the XBLA achievements. What a draining experience! Getting the 200.6% map achievement was exhausting. I didn't enjoy the inverted castle as much as the first part of the game, but I still love this game. I'm glad I played it. I'm now starting on Aria of Sorrow.