2001 Konami
The prince of darkness is up to his old tricks again, and its your job to stop him. Playing the role of Nathan Graves in this portable Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, you will have to journey through the endless corridors in Draculas lair. The story is that you, your father, and your fathers apprentice Hugh go to Draculas castle to finally end his destructive reign. Once there, Dracula springs a trap on you and your comrade Hugh so that you are separated from your father. Hugh runs ahead to try and stop Dracula from doing anything to his master, and as Nathan you are one step behind Hugh at all times.
Features
- Battery back-up save
- Digitally sampled voices and sound effects.
- 80 DSS spells and 10 summons
- 12 save slots.
- Only for Game Boy Advance
Jason: I must say this game was like a sucker punch when I played it, in a good way of course. I really wasnt expecting much from it since I usually cant shake the feeling that Konami will butcher a title if they arent careful. This wasnt the case with Castlevania: Circle of the Moon though. The game shines in all areas and succeeds in making me play to the very end, which doesnt often happen for me with portable games. I plugged in countless hours trying to reach Dracula and save my father.
The actual graphics in this game are nothing to turn your nose up at. Though many may complain that they are dark graphics, they are extremely detailed and large. The graphics are usually not tiled like what older games would be like. Now they are comprised of larger images that really make the game feel like a dark cartoon while playing. The animation for Nathan could have been better though.
I dont think there are many down sides to this game, other than a bit of slow down here and there. However, a word to the wise: this game is not for the weak. You have to be prepared to get slain tons of times even if you are at a high experience level. Though thats what makes the whole formula work so well; You cant just rely on your experience level in the game to get you further. You have to also physically be good at the game to traverse the difficult areas. I feel a good balance was reached and the score shall be weighed accordingly. Fun game and I definitely recommend it to fans and newcomers.
Brenden: I'm not the biggest fan of the Castlevania series, but I do generally enjoy the games and was expecting a similar experience with Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. I'll admit it though, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon frustrated me at first. I spent most of my first few minutes dying and threatening my GBA. Once I got the hang of it though, I was hooked. As I played through it, the challenge level always kept the gameplay from becoming tedious, and it held true for the entire game. On top of that, the replay value in this game is great. Sure, you can just play it, enjoy it and finish it, but there are a good number of secrets to be found throughout the game that should keep you coming back for more.
As for the graphics, I really must say I was impressed. The boss battles are beautifully detailed with large enemies. Like Jason, I feel that Nathan's animation could've been improved. Sometimes, he does look a little out of place in the midst of the huge detailed areas. The sound in the game was pretty much what I expected, with the exception of Nathan's miscellaneous noises (grunts, etc). The noises that come from Nathan are by far some of the cleanest sounding voices I've heard on a handheld. The music is reminiscent of previous installments of the series and it fits the bill nicely. One complaint I could make about it is the lack of variety. I couldn't help but notice that many of the tunes were repeated over and over (or remixed over and over, I can't be certain).
In conclusion, if you love Castlevania, this game is for you. Anyone who's enjoyed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the PSX should definitely check this title out, it has a similar feel to it. If you've never enjoyed the Castlevania series or have never even glanced at it, I still suggest a rental. The story's fairly predictable, but overall, it's a good game.
Stephen: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon demonstrates the beauty of a perfect difficulty level. Always challenging but never infuriatingly so, this game has that "just one more try" factor that most other platformers would kill for. Sure, frustration will set in as you're trying to fend off those awful Flaming Swords, while dodging the curse-dealing Marionettes. But as you play and replay the same levels over again, a strategy will begin to emerge. And therein lies the genius of the game: every monster, ghoul, and undead apparition can be defeated easily, once you figure out the strategy to do so. Sometimes all that separates a seemingly undefeatable boss and another prize in Nathan's trophy case is a simple switching around of the spell cards.
Rarely do the elements of action, exploration, and strategy combine to provide such a rock-solid gaming experience. Sure, the main character animation is a little stiff, and there is a general lack of variety in the soundtrack, but then the Castlevania series has never been about flashiness. Quite simply, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is as deep as this type of game gets, and would be a must-own on any platform.