Started on Gameboy will play on collection
Very good, probably the best of the GBA ones. It's a tough battle between this and HoD.
Takes everything bad from Circle of the Moon and Lament of Innocence and burns it.
This review contains spoilers
When you think of Castlevania as a game series, you probably think of hot vampires, whips, folklore, and maybe ever so slight levels of homoerotic tension. When I think of Castlevania, I think of high schoolers, long fur trench coats, soul stealing, guns, and some of the funniest writing decisions ever in a game that takes itself so seriously. We simply aren't the same.
I adore Aria of Sorrow, it's such a fun time. There's no greater pleasure in the Castlevania series than playing as a high schooler who's actually the soon to be reincarnation of Dracula running around with a Positron Rifle summoning cats to gnaw the ankles of my enemies. It's truly incredible.
Genuinely the only issue is if you're looking to 100% it, there's a lot of grinding to get to that perfect soul completion, but goddamn that aside is it one of the best games on the GBA and one of the best Castlevanias outside of SOTN and the glorious pachinko machines....
I adore Aria of Sorrow, it's such a fun time. There's no greater pleasure in the Castlevania series than playing as a high schooler who's actually the soon to be reincarnation of Dracula running around with a Positron Rifle summoning cats to gnaw the ankles of my enemies. It's truly incredible.
Genuinely the only issue is if you're looking to 100% it, there's a lot of grinding to get to that perfect soul completion, but goddamn that aside is it one of the best games on the GBA and one of the best Castlevanias outside of SOTN and the glorious pachinko machines....
Arikado, Arikado...I feel like I met him somewhere in my memories. Must be imagining things.
Still a masterpiece of a game. With the same lovable jank I expect from a Igavania. Especially the shop glitch I am convinced is intentional.
No, I'M Dracula!
Got 100%, very very good game other than grinding souls being kinda lame. Rest of the game was great and movement felt fantastic, especially end game. Soundtrack is SUPER held back by being on GBA, this game needs to be remastered
Still a great game in the Advance collection. Save states are nice, but not much else is added to the game.
Soma is a Carti fan
While I prefer SotN, this game is just as good. It was a treat to play after having played Symphony first, and I think that allowed me to appreciate the game for what it is. Very fun and creative mechanic with the souls and being able to use the abilities of bosses and monsters. The twist was also very interesting as I think no other castlevania game had done it yet
While I prefer SotN, this game is just as good. It was a treat to play after having played Symphony first, and I think that allowed me to appreciate the game for what it is. Very fun and creative mechanic with the souls and being able to use the abilities of bosses and monsters. The twist was also very interesting as I think no other castlevania game had done it yet
Dawn of Sorrow ist weitaus weitaus stärker aber dennoch sehr sehr spaßig, auch wenn es teils mit den Gegnern anstrengend wird.
Truly one of the best Castlevania games ever made. The souls system is such a great system I could never get tired of playing around with it.
It's not a very difficult game either, especially for a Castlevania game.
Most people will be able get through it without too much difficulty.
It's not a very difficult game either, especially for a Castlevania game.
Most people will be able get through it without too much difficulty.
What about Soma Cruz spoke to Sakurai on such a personal level that he made him arguably the best spirit in Smash Ultimate
Coming to this after playing Harmony of Dissonance felt a bit strange; I really missed the whip and the classic items. Thankfully, most of the weapon types in this wound up being pretty fun still. Just as well, a lot of the demon soul abilities were fill-ins for the classic items, though some of them were even better in some cases. The music is definitely a huge and immediately noticeable upgrade from HoD's, which was quite welcome.
Despite all the positives, I think I still actually prefer HoD over this, just by a bit.
Despite all the positives, I think I still actually prefer HoD over this, just by a bit.
Still a total blast. The setting, art-style, music, souls-collecting - it's all great. The characters and story, although poorly written, are still memorable and fun.
Only beaten by Symphony Of The Night as the best Castlevania.
Only beaten by Symphony Of The Night as the best Castlevania.
The drastic change in quality from Harmony of Dissonance, in particular, came as a massive shock. Taking what worked and discarding what didn't of the previous GBA titles, Aria of Sorrow presents the leanest, most focused, and frankly best overall Castlevania experience the handled had to offer. The earlier entries had their merits and plenty, and they did well. Yet, there was always some Achilles heel that ultimately crippled the experience, hampering any future feelings to replay those titles.
Aria of Sorrow immediately struts its stuff with a more remarkable presentation than the previous titles. While Circle of the Moon still looks decent when playing on a backlit screen, Harmony of Dissonance was frankly disgusting to look at and listen to. Aria finally balances bright, readable visuals and a soundtrack that is as fantastic as its art direction. Though you no longer have a dash as overpowered as the one Juste had, Soma winds up being the most fluid-to-control protagonist of this series since Alucard in Symphony of the Night. Much of that comparison stems from the extensive leveling and equipment systems that parallel the item drops and build diversity of Symphony. Aria of Sorrow arguably gets one over on Symphony of the Night with the Tactical Soul System: an expansion of Circle of the Moon's Dual Setup System.
The DSS was a neat way to expand the limited combat offered in Circle, with the player solely sticking to a whip the entire game except for any changes the DSS would bring. Aria's systems allow for multiple weapons to switch around, as well as three different enemy souls that can provide a variety of effects. Some are direct replacements of progression upgrades from previous games, others are replicas of what was found in Circle, and others are brand new to this experience. While the DSS was neat, the number of cards that would drop didn't incentivize trying different potential builds due to the limited options. Unless you wanted to spend hours grinding for cards, you couldn't experiment with much on a first playthrough. While Aria's tangible souls are more numerous, many still have rancid drop rates, which means you're likely not seeing every ability on offer in a single playthrough. Thankfully, the sheer number of souls to obtain means there is something for everybody to roll with without considering grinding.
The other main factors of a rich Castlevania experience are map design and enemy variety, which Aria has in spades. Harmony of Dissonance was a frustrating slog through two identical castle areas to find the most essential upgrades to continue. The entire experience was teasing you with areas you couldn't explore until far later, as the pace at which progression items were handed out was miserable. Aria fixes this with a steady stream of upgrades and a structure that is hard to get lost in. In my case, I was seldom stuck and never needed to consult any walkthrough to get the true ending, unlike the ceaseless times I consulted the internet on how to finish Harmony. This is further enhanced by a great assortment of enemies and bosses that vastly differ from one another in appearance and function. The player is almost always on their toes for new and exciting enemies to experiment with and hardly has to backtrack.
Aria of Sorrow is just Symphony of the Night boiled down into a portable Super Nintendo. Complaints are, at a minimum, mainly about a crunchy-sounding soundtrack (which isn't the game's fault, more the hardware it was made for) and the fact that you're spending a lot of time scrolling around menus to test one thing, pause, then test something else. If these are the sacrifices needed to have arguably the best-paced Castleriod in the series, they are sacrifices I'm willing to have.
Aria of Sorrow immediately struts its stuff with a more remarkable presentation than the previous titles. While Circle of the Moon still looks decent when playing on a backlit screen, Harmony of Dissonance was frankly disgusting to look at and listen to. Aria finally balances bright, readable visuals and a soundtrack that is as fantastic as its art direction. Though you no longer have a dash as overpowered as the one Juste had, Soma winds up being the most fluid-to-control protagonist of this series since Alucard in Symphony of the Night. Much of that comparison stems from the extensive leveling and equipment systems that parallel the item drops and build diversity of Symphony. Aria of Sorrow arguably gets one over on Symphony of the Night with the Tactical Soul System: an expansion of Circle of the Moon's Dual Setup System.
The DSS was a neat way to expand the limited combat offered in Circle, with the player solely sticking to a whip the entire game except for any changes the DSS would bring. Aria's systems allow for multiple weapons to switch around, as well as three different enemy souls that can provide a variety of effects. Some are direct replacements of progression upgrades from previous games, others are replicas of what was found in Circle, and others are brand new to this experience. While the DSS was neat, the number of cards that would drop didn't incentivize trying different potential builds due to the limited options. Unless you wanted to spend hours grinding for cards, you couldn't experiment with much on a first playthrough. While Aria's tangible souls are more numerous, many still have rancid drop rates, which means you're likely not seeing every ability on offer in a single playthrough. Thankfully, the sheer number of souls to obtain means there is something for everybody to roll with without considering grinding.
The other main factors of a rich Castlevania experience are map design and enemy variety, which Aria has in spades. Harmony of Dissonance was a frustrating slog through two identical castle areas to find the most essential upgrades to continue. The entire experience was teasing you with areas you couldn't explore until far later, as the pace at which progression items were handed out was miserable. Aria fixes this with a steady stream of upgrades and a structure that is hard to get lost in. In my case, I was seldom stuck and never needed to consult any walkthrough to get the true ending, unlike the ceaseless times I consulted the internet on how to finish Harmony. This is further enhanced by a great assortment of enemies and bosses that vastly differ from one another in appearance and function. The player is almost always on their toes for new and exciting enemies to experiment with and hardly has to backtrack.
Aria of Sorrow is just Symphony of the Night boiled down into a portable Super Nintendo. Complaints are, at a minimum, mainly about a crunchy-sounding soundtrack (which isn't the game's fault, more the hardware it was made for) and the fact that you're spending a lot of time scrolling around menus to test one thing, pause, then test something else. If these are the sacrifices needed to have arguably the best-paced Castleriod in the series, they are sacrifices I'm willing to have.
The best Castlevania. It 100% deserved this port.
So close to being a perfect Castlevania experience. It's still excellent, and everything you desire from a Castlevania game. However, sometimes figuring out where to go is a tad confusing, and getting the true ending is a tad annoying. Still worth playing.
Something about this one didn’t click for me nearly as much as the prior two… but I still liked it.
Eu joguei MUITO esse jogo por emulador, mas nunca cheguei a zerar. Agora eu posso dizer que sim, eu consegui!
Good shit! Definitivamente el mejor Castlevania de GBA. El gameplay esta mas refinado que en los dos anteriores y una vez que tienes todos los upgrades pasear por el castillo se siente fluido. El soul system no solo añade variedad y customización al gameplay, aunque los drop rates pueden ser exageradamente bajos en algunos casos. El OST es sólido como suele ser en esta serie. Y narrativamente es uno de los que hace algo más novedoso que el clásico trope de Castlevania de: Dracula revivió otra vez, vamos a matarlo.
Sin spoilers, el penúltimo boss battle se sintió épico.
Sin spoilers, el penúltimo boss battle se sintió épico.
Review in progress:
One of the best Castlevania games along with Symphony of the Night. It's a shame that it's trapped on the GBA with its awful audio. Aside from that, my biggest complaint is that the soul system is very RNG-heavy. I would've preferred for the odds to become progressively better the longer you go without getting the drop you want.
One of the best Castlevania games along with Symphony of the Night. It's a shame that it's trapped on the GBA with its awful audio. Aside from that, my biggest complaint is that the soul system is very RNG-heavy. I would've preferred for the odds to become progressively better the longer you go without getting the drop you want.
One of my favorite castlevanias, i love the design of the castle and enemies, it can get a little easy with the QoL options of the advance collection but still worth the play
I got the “good” ending, but didn’t bother farming all of the souls.
97.2%
I got the “good” ending, but didn’t bother farming all of the souls.
97.2%
An incredible power fantasy set in Dracula's Castle resting in the sky during a solar eclipse. The platforming and action is snappy, the GBA sprites and animations are flawless, the length is perfect, and Soma Cruz is sexy and fun to play as.
it took less than 10 hours to get powerful enough to clear rooms in seconds and get the "true ending", which is exactly what I was hoping for and exactly what I needed.
If you like metroidvania's, you owe it to yourself to play this one. The Advanced Collection is constantly on sale and worth it for this game alone.
it took less than 10 hours to get powerful enough to clear rooms in seconds and get the "true ending", which is exactly what I was hoping for and exactly what I needed.
If you like metroidvania's, you owe it to yourself to play this one. The Advanced Collection is constantly on sale and worth it for this game alone.
Genuinely one of the best castlevania games out there, and easily blows every other GBAvania out of the water.
Second Castlevania I've finished, first being SOTN. Pretty great overall, similar feelings to SOTN. Pacing felt better across the board, fun souls to play around with, good music, all around a good time
Molto buen juego, muito bonito.
De los juegos de la Advance Collection, me parece el más pulido en el apartado jugable, pero por muy de calle. La banda sonora no está mal, pero todas las versiones de esta colección me han terminado sonando pesadas.
De los juegos de la Advance Collection, me parece el más pulido en el apartado jugable, pero por muy de calle. La banda sonora no está mal, pero todas las versiones de esta colección me han terminado sonando pesadas.