Introduction:

Back in the late '80s and early '90s, Konami's Castlevania series were a strong example of the sidescrolling platformer. The games combined solid gameplay with excellent music, inconic visuals, and an engaging premise. Much has changed in the world of videogames since those "good ol' days", but the Castlevania series has still been sticking to what it does best: good old-fashioned 2D platforming action. Strangely enough, the series' modern sidescrolling iterations have been respectably successful and just as strong, if not arguably stronger, than their original NES counterparts. Although aspects of the series have undergone revision or have even been dispensed with entirely over the years(you can thank the magnum opus that was Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the PlayStation for much of that), the Castlevania spirit remains very much intact, and one can't help but feel that the changes that have been made to the gameplay are for the better. A strong example of the series' current ethos is Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow for the GBA. It proves once again that you can't keep a good (or evil) vampire down.

Story:

The storyline of Aria of Sorrow seems to take bold strides away from the previous games, but actually falls in line with the traditional Castlevania plot. The game takes place in the year 2035 (as opposed to previous games which took place usually in the 1700's or 1800's). A young man by the name of Soma Cruz, along with his friend Mina Hakuba, are getting ready to watch the first solar eclipse of the century. As often happens in videogames, things go horribly wrong. Soma blacks out and then wakes up to find himself and Mina in an ancient European castle, which he soon learns from a mysterious stranger is Castlevania, the castle of the great vampire, Dracula. Soma also mysteriously gains the ability to possess the souls of the fiends and monsters of the castle in order to use them to his advantage. Soma must then venture through the castle in a quest to defeat this evil force as many unanswered questions haunt him. How did he get here? Why did Dracula's castle arise here and now? More importantly, what possible connection could he and his newfound powers have with all of this?

Gameplay:

As Soma Cruz, you must traverse Castlevania's haunted corridors, slaying all manner of supernatural beasts and evil spirits. Just like Castlevania: Symphony of The Night, the game's level structure is for the most part nonlinear, with certain inaccessible sections opening up to the player as they gain new abilities. Much like the sidescrolling Metroid series, the game consists of one large interconnected level consisting of sub-areas, divided by obvious doorways. Also much like the Metroid games and Castlevania:SotN, the areas are interesting, well designed, and well implemented into the core structure of the castle. My only gripe is that there could have been more areas and elements of the castle that reflect the modern time period, since the near future setting was one of the big bullet points of the storyline. Aria Of Sorrow is a game that is as much an RPG as it is an action game. As Soma defeats the hideous denizens of the castle, he will gain experience points that will raise his level and thus make him stronger. He can also equip various pieces of armor to improve his defense, as well as a large variety of weapons with varying levels of power and different attack ranges. One aspect of Aria of Sorrow that stands out above the others is the game's "Tactical Soul System". As Soma defeats enemies, there is the random chance that he will collect that creature's soul. He can then use that soul to his advantage, granting him powers he wouldn't have otherwise. This serves to replace the subweapons of previous Castlevania games (there are still souls that emulate them), while providing many new abilities. Some souls are actively used, others grant passive powers when equipped, and still others simply improve Soma's abilities outright. One thing's for sure: the sheer number of different combinations of souls is pretty impressive, and gives the gamer quite a bit of flexibility. Also the game features a handy quicksave mode, which is great for when you have to leave the game quickly.

I give the gameplay: 9/10

Graphics:

The graphics aren't as impressive as those in Symphony Of The Night, but they have just as many nice subtle touches to them. Although some of the sprites seem deceptively simple, they are well designed and animate fluidly, especially the sprite for Soma himself. The backgrounds contain some nice mode seven and parallax scrolling that will make you scratch your head wondering how they pulled it off on the GBA. Some solid sprite rotation for some of the enemies also leaves a strong visual impression.

I give the graphics: 8/10

Sound:

Castlevania games have always been strong when it comes to audio, especially in the music department. Aria Of Sorrow does not disappoint in this regard. The writing is top notch and many of the songs are quite catchy. The music for the first corridor is quite memorable, and will probably have you humming it for quite some time even after the system is off... whenever that is. The sound effects are all quite strong. The slashes and jabs of Soma's weapons all sound pretty cool. There are also quite a great number of voice samples, some of which are linked to specific soul attacks. Most of these are in Japanese (provided they aren't simple grunts or screams), but it makes little difference, since they are usually a single word or phrase, and there isn't much doubt as to what they are referring to on screen. The ones for enemies all sound pretty sweet, especially if it's their last dying breath. There is however the GBA sound hardware to contend with. Even though the sound is intrinsically very strong, it is still GBA sound. However, anyone who grew up with the NES and SNES should feel right at home with the midi music and digitized voice.

I give the sound: 8/10

Replayability:

Lots of replayability. These sort of non-linear platform games tend to be pretty replayable to begin with, and Aria of Sorrow gives you a few nice incentives to play through it again. The game boasts a good solid length (8-12 hours) and is fun throughout, so repeat play sessions shouldn't be a hassle. Also, there's a "new game +" mode that lets you start from the beginning of the game with the souls you gained during your previous playthrough, save certain souls that allow you to progress to particular areas. Those are often guarded by the bosses within the dungeon and must be earned again.

I give the replayability: 9/10

Challenge:

The game is quite challenging. Players who don't stock up on items and keep a sharp eye on their hit points will see a lot of game over screens. The bosses are all quite formidable, and many will require a healthy amount of strategizing to avoid their attack patterns. A great deal of thought will also go into what abilities and equipment you should use to do combat with some of the tougher foes. Despite these hurdles, the challenge is lessened by the fact that it is pretty easy to build levels, so if you come across a boss that's just simply too hard, bust some skulls for a while and then try again later.

I give the challenge: 8/10

Value:

This is a great game that you will find yourself coming back to from time to time at the very least. It is a great, solid game that every GBA owner who loves classic platforming should have. The GBA's portability makes it even harder to put down, since you can take the adventure with you everywhere you go.

I give the value: 8/10

Overall:

A good solid neo-classical platformer with solid gameplay and strong production values. It stands toe to toe with the other games of the series, while bringing it's own sense of style and variety to the table.

I give Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow: 9/10

Conclusion:

I'd recommend this game to any fan of the classic games, fans of platformers in general, or any fan of the game's subject matter. It is impressive, solid, and lots of fun to play. Best of all, Konami chose to continue this game's story arc in the recently released Castlevania:Dawn Of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS, so fans of Aria of Sorrow can continue their adventure even further.

Written By: The Steve Has Spoken
E-Mail: unbob1000@hotmail.com
URL: http://www.myspace.com/thestevehasspoken
Date Submitted: October 29th, 2005

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