castlevania game boy advance

31 Nights of Castlevania: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

October 18, 2017 colin Articles

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the third Metroidvania game on the GBA. It appeared Koji Igarashi and his team were going to keep on going in this direction, as the formula is a proven success. Aria of Sorrow was also released in 2003, which was probably the best time to own a GBA, thanks to games like Advance Wars 2, Fire Emblem and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga among others.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is, depending on how you look at it, the most bizarre or most creative the Metroidvania era. It completely ditches the “Belmont v. Dracula” story, in favor of something different. Even with strange new plotlines and characters, Aria of Sorrow features new gameplay features and has some of the best music out of all the handheld Castlevanias.

Aria of Sorrow’s plot and characters are unique
Aria of Sorrow takes place in the not-so-distant future of 2035. Instead of it being a period piece set in the European countryside, it is in modern Japan. Dracula’s castle also does not occur because of dark magic or it is the result mad cult leader or priest, it appears in Japan during a unique solar eclipse.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Screenshot

Huh?

Setting itself even farther apart from other entries is the actual lack of the Count himself! Instead, it’s his “spirit” or “energy” that curses the Land of the Rising Sun.

What?

To add to the weirdness, players don’t take control of a vampire hunter at all. Instead, they play as Soma Cruz, an exchange student living in Japan. Cruz also has secret powers and a dark one hidden inside.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Screenshot

Ok?

This may sound like a premise for a bad early 2000s anime, but it does flesh itself out into an engaging story with rich characters. The story has Cruz trying to defeat the evil in the land while trying to figure out what is going on himself. It’s a great set up, and the storyline practically begs players to explore the castle.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Screenshot

The main villain is an American cult leader named Graham Jones, who wants to control Dracula’s evil. Helping Soma Cruz along the way is Japanese government agent Genya Arikado aka Alucard under a different identity; Yoko Belnades, a local religious figure and a possible descendant of Syhpa from Dracula’s Curse; Hammer, a former U.S. soldier who is a weapons dealer; and Soma’s childhood friend Mina Habuku, who is acts as travel guide. There is even a missing Belmont, who goes by the name “J.”

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Screenshot

Aria of Sorrow is another great Metroidvania for the GBA
Despite the changes to the classic plot and ideas from other Castlevania games, Aria of Sorrow contains fresh gameplay ideas. Aria of Sorrow brings back the array of weapons in Symphony of the Night. Cruz’s sword and hand-to-hand combat skills are up to part with Alucard. This is also one of the few games in the series where the main character can wield firearms. Combat is still as engaging and fun as ever.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Screenshot

The newest feature in Aria of Sorrow is Tactical Soul System. How the system works is, after defeating an enemy or boss Cruz can absorb its soul to gain all kinds of abilities. The souls of the enemies will contain attack enhancements, helpful uses, and even brand new attacks. Some souls allow for summons and using the attacks the enemies use. It’s yet another new process, but it allows for even more creativity. Players can have near endless customization with the souls and weapons.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Screenshot

The graphics of the game take a more dark approach, which fits the tone of the game. It even looks more colorful and crisp than other GBA Castlevanias. Aria of Sorrow has one flaw and is shockingly enough its level design. The backgrounds and themes of the stages are classic Castlevania, but it’s a tad repetitive. Considering this is a massive exploration-based game, it makes Aria of Sorrow a bit of a slog.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Screenshot

To cap off the game, there is the soundtrack. Castlevania is a franchise with a consistently good soundtrack in each game, and Aria of Sorrow is no different. It’s a bit more atmospheric than most Castlevania soundtracks. There are some touches of native Japanese music too. Which makes sense, since that’s where the game takes place.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is easily one of the most original of the franchise. Its new premise and unique look on the classic Castlevania story is worth looking into. If it’s a bit too odd than players should still give it a shot, thanks to some imaginative gameplay. Aria of Sorrow’s levels may be a bit samey, but pushing that aside, fans and newcomers can enjoy a gripping Castlevania experience.

31 Nights of Castlevania: Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

October 17, 2017 colin Articles

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Screenshot

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is the second Game Boy Advance title and one that follows the Metroidvania format once again. Improving here and there on Circle of the Moon’s minor setbacks, Harmony of Dissonance proves that lightning can strike three times. Although, this time around, the overall package might come off as underwhelming.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance follows Symphony of the Night more closely

Taking one look at the box art, and one can see Konami used a similar art style to the PSOne classic. Starring Juste Belmont (Author’s Note: Who kind of looks like Alucard?) as the latest Belmont to take on the Vampire Lord. Dracula has kidnapped Juste’s childhood friend Liddy, but in typical shonen anime, his best friend/rival/shipping-partner-in-many-a-fan-fiction, Maxim Kishine, wants to save her first.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Screenshot

Gameplay-wise, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance utilizes the whip seen in most Castlevanias. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s a missed opportunity to do something different with the combat. The new Spell Fusion system is similar to Castlevania Legends’ sub-weapon system but offers more variety. For example, Juste can combine the ice with the dagger weapon to shoot multiple targets at once. It’s a nice touch, but it doesn’t have a lot of customization, which is a downer.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Screenshot

Luckily, Konami piled on the RPG-elements with an overabundance of armor and sub-weapons to collect throughout the game. When you beat the game, you can play as Maxim, who has shurikens and can double jump. It doesn’t change a whole lot, but it does make the game much easier playing as him.

Music is fine, and the graphics have been improved over Circle of the Moon. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is one of the better-looking games on the GBA.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Screenshot

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is a good, 4/5 game

Overall, there is nothing truly horrible about Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. However, it doesn’t do too much different that sets it apart from the other Metroidvanias. The castle is overall pretty plain, and while there are some good platforming elements, it just has a very “been there, done that” vibe. However, it’s simple nature and the genuine decrease in difficulty make Harmony of Dissonance a great “beginner’s entry” to the Metroidvania-genre.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Screenshot

Regardless, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is worth playing, whether you are a hardcore fan or a newcomer to fighting Dracula.

31 Nights of Castlevania: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

October 16, 2017 colin Articles

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Screenshot

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon was one of the first Game Boy Advance games and is Konami’s second attempt at the Metroidvania-style. Thankfully for them, lightning struck twice.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Screenshot

Circle of the Moon not only succeeds in repeating a formula but is also a great game on its own. Circle of the Moon introduces a new system and takes on a refreshing plotline to the long-running series. While the music is a tad weak and the graphics may become choppy, Circle of the Moon is an impressive game.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Screenshot

Circle of the Moon creates its own story and new gameplay features
Circle of the Moon takes place a few decades before Bloodlines and stars vampire hunter-in-training, Nathan Graves. Graves is embarking on his last training session with his mentor Morris Baldwin and Morris’ son, Hugh. Upon entering a dark castle, recurring villain Camilla appears to kidnap Morris. Hugh and Nathan are separated, and players take control of Nathan to find Morris and Hugh. Unfortunately for him, his last test of training involves taking on a resurrected Count Dracula!

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Screenshot

Circle of the Moon keeps the emphasis on non-linearity and exploration found in Symphony of the Night but manages to change up the core gameplay. Dracula’s castle is still a massive one and will take more than a few hours to explore it. The portions of the castle have a heavy emphasis on platforming. Thankfully, jumping and attacking are quite fun thanks to the GBA’s control set up. While certain sections of the Count’s castle may appear samey and will have the player questioning if they have been there before, the level design is overall good.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Screenshot

Circle of the Moon begins a trend with the GBA Castlevanias

Instead of a huge variety of weapons, Nathan is equipped with a Castlevania staple; he combats the forces of evil with the whip. Players can upgrade the whip with the card-based Dual Set-Up System. Enemies will drop cards after being defeated by Nathan. From there, the player will collect them. From the status menu, players will set up whichever ones they want to use. Certain cards can change the whip attacks or summon monsters from magic. It’s an intuitive system that allows for creativity and mixing things up.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Screenshot

For a launch title on the Game Boy Advance, Circle of the Moon shows off what the system is capable of doing. Unfortunately, this also shows the system’s shortcomings as well. The graphics within the game are crisp and colorful, but not quite as animated as they were in other games. The music is catchy and full of atmospheric anthems, but some of them are repetitive. Although, the remixes of classic Castlevania tracks are quite good.

For too long, fans were given mediocre, or outright terrible, Castlevania games on handhelds. Circle of the Moon managed to change that, thanks to engaging and entertaining gameplay. It’s a shame Koji Igarashi removed the game from the series canon, as Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is easily one of the franchise’s better games.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Screenshot