Sound Test & Other Unlockables

Beyond Alucard's epic quest to thwart Dracula, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night offers a few hidden treats for dedicated players. These range from a nostalgic sound test to the ability to play as other iconic characters. Unlocking these features often requires specific actions during gameplay or at the title screen.

Sound Test

For those who wish to revisit the atmospheric and iconic soundtrack of Symphony of the Night, a hidden Sound Test option is available. This allows you to listen to all the game's music and sound effects at your leisure.

How to Unlock: To access the Sound Test, you must first complete the game with Alucard, achieving the "good" ending (defeating Richter and then Shaft, and ultimately Dracula in the Inverted Castle).
Accessing the Sound Test: After achieving the good ending, save your game. When you return to the title screen, navigate to the "Options" menu. A new entry, "Sound Test," will now be available. Select it to browse and play the game's audio tracks.

Playable Richter Belmont

Richter Belmont, the hero of the prologue, becomes a fully playable character once certain conditions are met. Playing as Richter offers a completely different experience, focusing on his classic whip-based combat and sub-weapons, without Alucard's RPG elements or transformations.

How to Unlock: To unlock Richter, you must complete the game with Alucard, achieving the "good" ending. This means you need to defeat Richter in the Royal Chapel while wearing the Holy Glasses, then proceed to the Inverted Castle to defeat Shaft and Dracula.
Starting a Richter Playthrough: After saving your game with the good ending achieved, return to the title screen. Start a "New Game." When prompted to enter a name, input RICHTER (all capital letters). The game will then begin with Richter as the playable character.
Richter's Abilities:
- Classic Combat: Richter wields his iconic Vampire Killer whip.
- Sub-Weapons: He can use classic Castlevania sub-weapons like the Axe, Holy Water, Cross, Dagger, and Stopwatch.
- Item Crashes: Richter can perform powerful "Item Crashes" by pressing Up + Attack with a sub-weapon equipped, consuming a significant amount of hearts.
- Limited Progression: Richter does not gain experience, level up, or equip new gear. His stats are fixed, and he cannot use Familiars or Alucard's transformations.
- Unique Path: While the castle layout is the same, Richter's movement and combat style necessitate different strategies for navigating and defeating bosses.

Playable Maria Renard (Saturn/PSP/PS4/Switch Versions)

While not present in the original PlayStation release, later versions of Symphony of the Night (such as the Sega Saturn port, Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles on PSP, and the Castlevania Requiem compilation for PS4/Switch) introduce Maria Renard as an additional playable character. Her gameplay style is distinct, focusing on animal-based attacks and magic.

How to Unlock: Similar to Richter, Maria is typically unlocked by completing the game with Alucard, achieving the "good" ending.
Starting a Maria Playthrough: After achieving the good ending and saving, return to the title screen. Start a "New Game" and enter MARIA (all capital letters) as your name.
Maria's Abilities:
- Animal Companions: Maria attacks primarily with her doves and can summon other animal friends like a cat or a dragon.
- Magical Attacks: She possesses various magical spells, offering a different combat dynamic than Alucard or Richter.
- Double Jump: Maria has a natural double jump ability from the start.
- No Equipment: Like Richter, Maria does not utilize Alucard's equipment system or gain experience.