Symphony of the Night Guide: How to Actually Find the Second Half of the Game

You’re playing one of the greatest games ever made, but there is a very high chance you are only seeing half of it. It’s a weird feeling. You beat Richter Belmont, the credits roll, and you feel… unsatisfied. That’s because Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is famous for its massive, mid-game pivot that most players in 1997 missed entirely without a strategy guide or a very dedicated friend. This symphony of the night guide exists because the game doesn't hold your hand. Honestly, it barely even nudges you.

Getting the "True" ending requires a specific sequence of events that feels almost like an urban legend. Most modern Metroidvanias telegraph their secrets. Koji Igarashi and the Konami team did the opposite. They hid the second half of the game behind a pair of glasses and a golden ring.

The Mid-Game Wall Most People Hit

So, you've explored the Marble Gallery, fought through the Long Library, and finally made your way to the top of the castle. You see Richter. He’s the protagonist from Rondo of Blood, but here he’s the "Lord" of the castle. If you just walk in and kill him, the game ends. You get a "Game Over" screen disguised as a mediocre ending. It’s a trap.

To see what’s really going on, you need the Holy Glasses. To get those, you need two rings: the Gold Ring and the Silver Ring. This is where the game gets cryptic. You find the Silver Ring in the Royal Chapel after a long trek, but the Gold Ring is guarded by a boss named Succubus in the Nightmare sequence. Once you have both, you have to go to the giant clock in the center of the Marble Gallery. Wear both rings. The floor opens.

Down there, you meet Maria Renard. She gives you the Holy Glasses. Now, when you fight Richter, you don’t actually target him. You look for a tiny, floating green orb circling him. That’s Shaft. He’s the dark priest controlling Richter. Break the orb, and the real game begins. The castle flips upside down. Literally.

Understanding the Inverted Castle

The Inverted Castle is a masterpiece of level design efficiency, though it’s undeniably polarizing. Some people find it repetitive. I think it’s brilliant. You’re essentially playing a remix of everything you just did, but gravity is your enemy now. Your movement options—like the Gravity Jump ($High Jump$) and the Bat Form—become essential just to navigate what used to be a simple hallway.

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The stakes are higher here. The enemies are harder. You aren't just looking for a way out; you’re hunting for the five pieces of Vlad: the Heart, Tooth, Rib, Eye, and Ring of Vlad. These are the keys to summoning the final boss in the center of the inverted castle.

The difficulty spike is real. If you enter the Inverted Castle underleveled, the first few screens will wreck you. The Medusa Heads in the inverted Clock Tower are arguably the most annoying enemies in gaming history. They don't just hit you; they petrify you in mid-air, often dropping you into a pit or onto spikes. It's brutal.

The Gear That Actually Matters

Forget most of the swords you find. Most of them are junk. If you want to trivialise the game—which, let’s be honest, is part of the fun in a symphony of the night guide—you need the Crissaegrim. It’s a drop from the Schmoo (a flying ghost-like enemy) in the Inverted Long Library.

The Crissaegrim is broken. It allows Alucard to attack while moving and strikes multiple times per button press. It turns the game from a calculated action-platformer into a blender simulator.

• Shield Rod + Alucard Shield: This is the "Nuclear Option." If you use the Shield Rod’s spell (Press both attack buttons simultaneously) while the Alucard Shield is equipped, you become invincible. You deal massive damage just by touching enemies.
• Mourneblade: This sword heals you as you deal damage. It’s found in the Inverted Castle and is great for players who struggle with dodging.
• Power of Sire: A high-damage consumable that clears the screen. Save these for the harder bosses like Galamoth.

Speaking of Galamoth, he is technically an optional boss in the Floating Catacombs, but he’s harder than the actual final boss, Dracula. He’s a giant, lightning-spewing titan. To beat him without the Shield Rod exploit, you need the Beryl Circlet, which heals Alucard when he’s hit by lightning. Without it, you’re likely going to see the "Game Over" screen a dozen times.

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Alucard’s Transformation and Spells

You start the game with Alucard’s best gear, only for Death to steal it within five minutes. It’s a classic trope. Getting that power back is the core loop. But don't sleep on the spells. Most players forget they exist because the inputs are like fighting game combos.

Soul Steal is the big one. (Back, Forward, Down-Forward, Down, Down-Back, Back, Forward + Attack). It drains health from every enemy on screen and gives it to Alucard. It’s expensive in terms of MP, but it saves lives. Then there’s the Hellfire spell (Up, Down, Down-Forward, Forward + Attack), Alucard’s iconic teleporting fireballs. It’s stylish but mostly useful for clearing small mobs early on.

The Wolf form is mostly for speedrunning or getting specific items, like the "Holy Symbol" that lets you swim in water without taking damage. The Mist form is essential for passing through grates, but the "Power of Mist" upgrade is what you really want, as it lets you stay in mist form longer and actually fly through obstacles.

Hidden Mechanics and Map Completion

To get the 200.6% map completion—the gold standard for SotN fans—you have to be obsessive. You have to hug every wall. You have to break every suspicious-looking ceiling. There are even glitches, like the "Sword Brothers" glitch or using a Library Card at a specific frame, that can push your percentage over the limit, but for a standard run, 200.6% is the goal.

One thing the game never tells you: the librarian in the Long Library has a secret. If you go to the room directly underneath him and use the Gravity Jump to "bash" his chair through the floor repeatedly, he’ll eventually drop rare items. First, a Life Max Up. Then, the Ring of Arcana. Eventually, he even gives up the Axe Knight Armor. It’s tedious, but the Ring of Arcana increases item drop rates, which is crucial if you’re farming for that Crissaegrim.

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The Ending Transitions

There are technically four main endings.

1. The Quick Ending: Kill Richter without the Holy Glasses. The castle collapses, Maria is sad, and the game is over.
2. The Maria Ending: If you have the Holy Glasses but kill Richter anyway, you get a slightly different variation where Maria realizes she couldn't save him.
3. The Standard "Good" Ending: Beat Shaft in the Inverted Castle but have a low map completion percentage. Alucard leaves, and Maria stays with Richter.
4. The "Best" Ending: Beat the game with over 196% map completion. Maria realizes she loves Alucard and goes after him. It’s the most narratively satisfying conclusion to Alucard's arc of self-imposed isolation.

Why This Game Still Holds Up

Symphony of the Night succeeded because it didn't treat the player like an idiot. It assumed you would explore. It assumed you would notice the clock in the Marble Gallery moving every minute. It assumed you would wonder why there were two halves of a ring that both mentioned a clock.

Modern games often use "Waypoints" and "Quest Logs." SotN uses atmosphere and curiosity. When Alucard enters the castle, he’s an overpowered demi-god. When he leaves, he’s even stronger, but as a player, you’ve earned that power by unraveling the architecture of the castle itself.

Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough

If you’re loading up the game right now, here is exactly how to handle your progression to ensure you don't miss the good stuff:

• Don't rush to Richter. Take your time exploring the Outer Wall and the Clock Tower. Finding the "Jewel of Open" from the Librarian is your first priority; it lets you through those glowing blue doors.
• Farm the Schmoo. Once you reach the Inverted Long Library, spend 20 minutes killing Schmoos. The Crissaegrim makes the final bosses much less frustrating.
• Check your map for gaps. If a room looks asymmetrical, there’s probably a breakable wall. Use the "Soul Steal" spell; the projectiles often reveal hidden rooms by hitting the walls inside them.
• Equip the Beryl Circlet. Before you fight Galamoth in the Inverted Catacombs, make sure you have this headgear. It turns his deadliest attack into a full heal for you.
• Save your Library Cards. Use them if you get stuck deep in the Inverted Castle and need to buy potions or sell gems to the Librarian. You can teleport back to the normal castle easily this way.

The beauty of this game is that it rewards knowledge over raw reflexes. Once you know where the items are and how the mechanics interlock, you can beat the game in under two hours. But that first journey, where you're lost in the music and the pixel art, is something you only get once. Dig into the walls. Break the game. That’s how it was meant to be played.