Dracula's Castle (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)

Dracula's Castle
Castlevania location
Layout of Dracula's Castle in Symphony of the Night
First appearance	Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
In-universe information
Type	Castle
Ruler	Dracula

Dracula's Castle is the main setting of the video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997), which was designed by Koji Igarashi. Players control the protagonist Alucard as they explore the castle, which was based on the traditional depiction of Castle Dracula from the horror novel by Bram Stoker and related media, and is one of numerous incarnations in the Castlevania series. Upon defeating Shaft, a minion of Dracula, players are able to enter the Inverted Castle, an upside down version of the original castle that was included because the designers wanted to add more content without having to create new assets. The Inverted Castle served as inspiration for multiple games, such as 2014's Strider and Igarashi's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

Dracula's Castle as it appears in Symphony of the Night was positively received by critics due to its detailed, memorable design, and was called one of the most iconic video game levels. Edge cited it as the first time the castle gained metaphorical significance and was more than just a backdrop.^[1] The appearance of the Inverted Castle received more mixed reception. Some critics, such as those for IGN, GamePro, and Edge felt it was one of the best gaming moments, citing how it is designed to be playable in both orientations. Staff for IGN and The Escapist felt it was an important factor to why Symphony of the Night was so good. Other critics, such as USgamer staff, were more critical; they felt that it was at times tedious and "annoying," though senior editor Kat Bailey found the "meta aspect" fit with the "weird and chaotic" nature of Dracula's Castle.