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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite Castlevania Title, December 1, 2003
When I first heard that this game was going to be set in 2035, I thought, "Well, here it goes. Castlevania with lasers." Well, you CAN get a laser (or a photon cannon, more accurately,) but the vast majority of the game stays strictly to the series' roots, and offers a vast amount of innovation not only to 2D gameplay, but to the Castlevania storyline as a whole. I'll write a few blurbs about each element.Story--gamers find themselves in the role of Soma Cruz, a young exchange student to Japan who finds himself and his friend, Mina, trapped within Castlevania, which itself is trapped in a solar eclipse. I know it sounds far-fetched, to say the least, but trust me, it works. If you can find the final ending of the game, you'll be treated to the greatest twist in the history of Castlevania games. Gameplay--very tight and solid. The forward dash from Harmony of Dissonance is gone, but Soma gets along fine without it. Soma has the ability to absorb an enemy's power and then use it himself; this opens up almost unlimited gameplay opportunities. Don't worry, though, the system isn't that intimidating; the biggest problem I had with Symphony of the Night was that the inventory was too large and complex for me, a casual gamer. Not so with Aria of Sorrow. There's a large inventory, to be sure, but I've never had to scratch my head over it. Music--top-notch; the best music to come out on the Game Boy Advance. There's a few Japanese sound bytes thrown in, too, which really helps the atmosphere of the game. Graphics--detailed and beautiful. Not quite as impressive as Circle of the Moon, but at least you can SEE this game without direct over-head light (I don't have an SP, but I do have a Game Boy Player for my 'Cube.) In short, Aria of Sorrow is not only my favorite Castlevania game, it's also my favorite Game Boy title. No self-respecting Nintendo fan should be without this game.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Castlevania game since SotN, May 11, 2003
SotN (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, for the PS1), was a monumental experience not just for Castlevania fans, but for videogame fans everywhere.Ever since it's release back in 97, we've all been waiting for a worthy successor, to no avail. Until NOW. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, is by far the best Castlevania game since SotN. Now, it has to be said that there are certain effects, both graphically and musically, that won't necessarily meet up to the complete quality of SotN, simply because AoS is on the GBA, and not on one of the next-gen systems as we would all like. This though, doesn't really take away from what not only I, but almost all Castlevania fans view as an truly excellent game. Graphically, the game surpasses the last two GBA incarnations by a land slide. From the backgrounds to the extremely fluid character animation, to the character design (which surpasses SotN in some areas IMO), it all shines brightly. There were certain effects that I honestly didn't think would have been possible to do on a handheld. Graphically, this game is simply beautiful to behold. It's an artistic masterpiece. Sound wise, AoS won't let you down. The Castlevania series has always been known for it's superb music, but the last Castlevania title's music (Harmony of Dissonance) was flat, boring, and in some cases, just plain annoying to have to listen to. AoS though, does more than just fix that, it has tunes that Castlevania lovers will be hunting down mp3's to listen for, to in the car. One of the tunes (in the Graveyard), actually gave me a sense of dread. The sound effects themselves are excellent as well, and help in the immersion factor (I love the blood gushing sound effect). Game play? You got it!! While I liked the last two GBA Castlevania games, this one leaves them both in the dust. The new soul collection system is marvelous, and IMO, it couldn't have been done better. The way it works is, basically every enemy in the game (except for two, which are obvious once you've been playing for awhile) have souls that you can collect. Once acquired, each soul, when equipped, provides you with a unique characteristic ranging from simple statistical upgrades, to new forms of attack, to even transformations that turn you into a raging monster taking out everything in you path. There are a total of 110 soul to collect in all, so you'll have your hands full. Chances are you'll beat the game (the game has three different possible endings) before collecting them all, but one of the really cool features of this game is that once the game is beaten, you have the option to start from the beginning again, with all the souls and items you've collected intact. Also, once the game has been beaten, you have the option to start a new file as one of the games other characters (I'll leave it to you to find out who). You can also select to set the game to hard mode, for a greater challenge. Story wise, AoS has the best story in a Castlevania game. EVER. Without giving too much away, the game ties in with previous Castlevania game quite pleasingly. Nuff said. Once I picked this game up, I couldn't put it down. From the gorgeous graphics, to the superb music, to the enjoyable gameplay, to the fan worthy story, AoS is a must have. This game is one of the best reasons to own a GBA, GBA-SP, or the GBA player for the GC. Pick it up today, I promise you'll be glad you did. If you don't, you are REALLY depriving yourself of pure gaming excellence.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Finest Castlevania Yet, July 10, 2003
Yes, you read correctly. It could be argued that this game surpasses even "Symphony of the Night" in quality. This came as quite an unexpected blow to me, especially since the last two GBA Castlevania games had left me disappointed and somewhat faithless to the series. Even on the tiny GameBoy Advance, this game exceeds my expectations in every aspect of gameplay.Graphics: Because this is a GBA game, I would have been satisfied with ho-hum graphics, but this game looks incredible. The motions are fluid, and you won't be going blind from watching poorly-used sprites vibrate back and forth endlessly even when your character is standing still (Did someone say "Final Fantasy VIII?"). No complaints here. Controls: This was the area of gameplay I was most worried about, as it is often a problem with games for hand-held consoles. But "Aria of Sorrow" comes through in fine style, with one of the smoothest, most intuitive control schemes I've ever used. Actually, therein lies the game's only problem: The game plays so well, once you play it, you can't go back and play previous Castlevania installments because the controls pale in comparison. But obviously this is nothing to complain about. This game does a wonderful job of preserving the traditional Castlevania-style two-button interface: one button for jumping, one for attacking. It's ingeniously simplistic. Sound: Many of the other reviewers have criticized the game's music as being boring and forgettable. While this game's music may not be up to par with, say, "Symphony of the Night," it is still worth listening to, and is MUCH better than the excuse for music found on "Harmony of Dissonance." The sound effects are also good; some enemies will scream when killed. Story: Alright, so the story is not that great, but honestly: does any Castlevania game have a good story? If you want story, go buy an RPG. Personally, I don't want to hear a lot of talking in a platformer. This game's story does the job just fine, and offers multiple endings as does any good Castlevania game. Gameplay: This is where the game really breaks ahead of the competition. This is the most fun I've had playing a video game in a long time - I found myself skipping meals to slave away at my GBA. For starters, you get to use swords instead of the Belmont family weapon: a whip. THANK GOD! I've always hated the whip. Second, you will unlock a barrage of special moves to use such as the double jump, the slide, the high jump, the flying kick...the list goes on. These moves really add some spice to the game. And now for the kicker: Soul Collecting. This is the absolute coolest thing anyone has ever put in a video game. Here's how it works: Every enemy in the game (112, to be exact) has a soul that contains an ability. Every once in a while when you kill an enemy, you acquire its soul, which can be equipped and used at the cost of magic points. There are different types of souls, and if you collect 100% of the souls, you will get the best item in the game. You can even trade souls with a link cable! If you play through this game without collecting souls, you might as well have been playing with you eyes closed. Replay Value: There is tons of it. When you beat the game (depending on which ending you earned), you unlock lots of extra goodies, including the Boss Rush mode, where you try to beat every boss in the game as fast as possible. You will also earn the ability to play as a Belmont, which means you can use a whip. Closing Note: I realize that this review assumes that the reader is familiar with the Castlevania series, so if you are not, this section is for you: BUY THIS GAME!
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