Hidden Gems: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

In this installment of “Hidden Gems,” we’ll take a look at the Mondo release of the double LP album of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Most people would agree that the soundtrack to Symphony is considered as one of the best music in the Castlevania franchise. While Dracula’s Curse is the definitive soundtrack to everything Castlevania, Symphony’s music has no doubt left a legacy in its own right. Michiru Yamane’s compositions go hand in hand with the levels of Symphony such that one might argue that she left a blueprint for future Castlevania music pieces.

Since Symphony was also ported to the Sega Saturn, Mondo made sure to include music from the Saturn version. The tracks correspond to the added levels that the PlayStation version lacked; this explains why there are notable differences between the PlayStation and the Saturn versions.

The version obtained from Mondo is the translucent red vinyl version. The color adds to the horror aspects of the Castlevania series in general. The gatefold cover features artwork originally made by Jasmin Darnell. The front portrays Alucard, the gatefold pages portrays Maria Renard and Richter Belmont, and the back portrays Dracula with the track listings and credits.

This album was exclusively released during the 2018 edition of the San Diego Comic-Con at the Mondo Booth, but they were sold out by Saturday due to long lines and very high demand.

The Mondo website is in stock (the translucent red is sold out) so don’t hesitate to pick up a copy and drop the needle to some of the best music in video game history.