Gameplay in Symphony of the Night adheres to the standard precepts of 2D platforming. The game's protagonist is Alucard, whose most basic moves are to attack with multiple weapons and jump. As he explores the castle, new abilities, such as the power to transform into a bat, are available.

But what made it a real winner back when it was first released, is that it boasts a very liberal control scheme compared to its predecessors in the Castlevania franchise; for example, the ability to double-jump and change direction in mid-air. Lots of new weapons were also introduced.

Symphony of the Night is often considered to have the best soundtrack of any game in the Castlevania series due to its expertly varied style. Composed by Michiru Yamane, the soundtrack contains elements from multiple music genres including techno, metal (plus its sub-genres: heavy metal, power metal, symphonic metal and neo-classical metal).

Achievements

1. Apprentice - 5 points
Defeat 10 consecutive enemies using only magic without getting hit.

2. Rampage - 5 points
Defeat 10 consecutive enemies using standard weapons without getting hit.

3. Bloodlines - 10 points
Defeat Dracula in the Bloodlines stage without getting hit.

4. Changeling - 10 points
Obtain the Bat, Wolf and Mist transformations.

5. Demon Slayer - 10 points
Defeat Gaibon and Slogra.

6. Familiar - 10 points
Collect all five familiars in the game.

7. Weapon Master - 10 points
Defeat 10 consecutive enemies using special weapons without getting hit.

8. Warlock - 15 points
Unlock/Cast all eight of Alucard's spells.

9. Topsy Turvy - 20 points
Unlock the Inverted Castle.

10. Money Bags - 25 points
Collect a bank of $100,000.

11. Seeker - 35 points
Explore 200.6% of the game.

12. Belmont's Revenge - 45 points
Finish the game, including the inverted castle, as Richter.