Video: Igarashi plays and talks about his Symphony of the Night

"We thought Alucard should have his own room...we'd have this guy called the 'Skeleton Carpenter'...and as you progressed in the game, he'd gradually build up your room."
Producer Koji Igarashi describes one of many cut features in Konami's 1997 hit Symphony of the Night.

It's been more than a year since Castlevania series producer Koji "IGA" Igarashi left Konami to strike out on his own, and this week he cropped up in a special episode of Double Fine and Two Player Productions' "Devs Play" video seriesto play and chat about the game he's best known for: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night .

The video runs just over two hours and seems worth watching for most game developers, regardless of how you feel about the game, as Igarashi and his compatriot Ben Judd take turns ruminating on "Metroidvania" game design and the intricacies of Japanese game development.

Double Fine's Anna Kipnis and other (off-camera) studio staff also ask Igarashi smart questions about game design and his experiences working at Konami. 2PP and Double Fine have published a variety of these "Devs Play" videos in the past year, and you can find a dedicated playlist of them over on the Double Fine YouTube channel.