Entrance (Symphony of the Night)

The is the first stage in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and is entered as the hero crosses the draw bridge in the opening sequence. It leads into the Alchemy Laboratory. Its counterpart in the Reverse Castle is the Reverse Entrance. The theme music of this area is Dracula's Castle.
==Geography==
The Entrance appears surrounded by a thick forest and houses a drawbridge for entry to and from the the castle and the outside world. Long hallways with tall windows connect to the castle gate, some windows swing open due to the violent storm outside upon first entering. A small treasure alcove is placed high above the entrance grounds and does not appear to be reachable by means other than flying. Stairs in the back corridors lead to higher elevations of the castle.
Upon first entering the castle, the stormy weather will leave the hallways darkened, but once the player traverses halfway through the first hall, the lights go on and the general theme plays out throughout.
The Entrance acts somewhat as a central HUB, connecting to many other portions of the Castle. 
==Version differences==
===Sega Saturn version===
The unfinished area beneath the draw bridge is accessible in the Sega Saturn version of the game. It leads to the Underground Garden. The hatch will open after visiting the Alchemy Laboratory once.
While playing as Richter Belmont, the area's theme music is Bloody Tears; while playing as Maria Renard, it is Vampire Killer.
===Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles===
In the Dracula X version, the swirling background during the first meeting with Death is not present.
==Dialogue==
==Item Data==
==Notes==
*If the player has entered and even explored the Alchemy Laboratory but hasn't yet fought Gaibon and Slogra, and then returns to the same room in the Entrance where the initial cutscene with Death took place, Gaibon and Slogra will appear there. They fight the player as they normally do during their boss fight; however, it's not possible to defeat them there. When either boss has received enough damage for them to enter their phase 2 patterns, Gaibon will get a hold of Slogra and both will then fly away, their escape plan leaving the pair immune to further attacks. Not even with a very powerful attack (such as Richter's Hydro Storm) can they be beaten in that location. This fight acts more like an Easter egg, and they still have to be properly defeated during their actual boss fight.
**Although Gaibon can turn red in this encounter if he received enough damage (signaling Phase 2), his color changing can be interrupted if Slogra was "defeated" immediately after Gaibon (as Gaibon takes his time kneeling and recovering). If timed correctly, this interruption can cause Gaibon's color to be stuck on a changing color as he immediately rushes to save Slogra. 
==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
SoN Entrance 01.png|First encounter with Death (PlayStation version).
DXC-SoN Entrance 01.png|The Dracula X Chronicles version.
Symphony of the Night PSP Entrance first time.jpg|The darkened hallway upon first entering the Castle.
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Castle entrance 4.png
Castle entrance 5.png
Castle entrance6.png
Castle entrance7.png
Castle entrance8.png
Castle entrance9.png
Castle entrance10.png
Castle entrance11.png
Castle entrance12.png
Entrance to underground garden.png|Entrance to the Underground Garden as seen in the Sega Saturn version.
Symphony of the Night PSP Entrance Unused Save Room.jpg|The unused entrance shaft leading to a Save Room (right) in the PSP version of Symphony of the Night. 
===Maps===
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Forest.png|The forest before the Entrance.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Entrance (Playstation).png|PlayStation
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Entrance (Sega Saturn).png|Sega Saturn
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Entrance Map (Playstation).png|PlayStation
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Entrance Map (Sega Saturn).png|Sega Saturn
==Related stages==
*Alchemy Laboratory - The next stage for Alucard.
*Marble Gallery - Connected area (initially accessible from Marble Gallery).
*Outer Wall - Connected area via the teleporter (initially accessible from the Outer Wall). Other areas later become accessible through teleporter as their teleporters are found.
*Underground Caverns - Connected area first accessible from the Underground Caverns.
==Other appearances==
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night===
An upside down version of the Entrance is found in the Inverted Castle called the Reverse Entrance. It contains stronger enemies than the original stage, including Jack O' Bones, Dragon Riders, Orobourous, Nova Skeletons, Fire Wargs, Warg Riders, Blue Venus Weeds, and a rare Dodo Bird. Some of these enemies appear in other games with entrances inspired by the one in this game.
===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Game.com)===
The initial area of the Entrance was included in a prototype of the unreleased Game.com port of the game. It follows the general layout of the original game. Zombies and Mermen appear in this stage. Death is also encountered here with the same dialog from the original game.
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===Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (LCD handheld)===
The Entrance is the first stage of the LCD version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Zombies and Medusa Heads are fought here. Defeating the boss Medusa will give Alucard a Sword to replace his Dagger. Since the background is fixed in this game, the Entrance background art is used during the entire game, including other stages.
SotN Tiger LCD Screenshot.JPG
===Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night===
The Castle Entrance in Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night includes some enemies from the original Castle Entrance and from its reverse version, the Reverse Entrance.
===Castlevania: Harmony of Despair===
The stage Lord of the Flies in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair contains elements of this stage, along with nearby stages. It consists of the lower ground-level parts of the map. It includes a large section of the forested area before entering Dracula's Castle. It also includes the unfinished underground area by the castle gates that was later expanded to include the Underground Garden in the Sega Saturn version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
===Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody===
The general layout of the Entrance (called Entrance to the Magic City in Chinese) in Castlevania: Moonlight Rhapsody is similar to its layout in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
==Videos==
Castlevania- Symphony of the Night (Tiger game.com)
(Epilepsy warning) Castlevania Requiem - Underground Garden in SotN revisited
==Trivia==
*Using the Heart Refresh and Duplicator glitch (or via cheat codes), it is possible to enter the Entrance ground's sealed chamber in PlayStation and PSP versions of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. It is revealed that within this chamber, a Save Room is present with glitched graphics. The connecting shaft has water present and exiting the room normally from underneath the grounds has the trap door at the grounds opening.
**Entering this chamber at the beginning of the game via cheat codes displays the Save Room with normal graphics. It is possible this Save Room was intended to be used to allow the player to save after the Richter vs. Dracula battle (or at the beginning of a Richter or Maria playthrough). If entered this way however, Alucard may become stuck unless movement or item cheats are used due to not yet possessing the Double Jump or flight abilities required to climb the shaft. Alucard can also receive water damage if he crouches inside the shallow pond.
*Using glitches or hacks can also allow a player to explore the forest outside the Entrance main gate. Graphics are not loaded, the drawbridge doesn't lift until the player reaches close to its location, and once the player goes to the farthest left possible, the game will begin the cutscene sequence with the trees properly loaded in. The Map cannot be accessed within the outside area.
**If the trap door is open, Alucard will immediately enter the cave shaft as he lands onto the Entrance grounds.
*If playing under the Luck Mode settings, it is possible to use an exploit to skip the first meeting with Death, allowing for Alucard to retain his personal equipment. In doing so, he can optionally collect "another" set of Alucard items.
Category:Castle Entrances
Category:The Dracula X Chronicles Locations
Category:Encore of the Night Locations
Category:Symphony of the Night Locations