Castlevaniais one of the most influential series in the games industry. The series boasts nearly 40 different titles that are all soaked in gothic architecture, vampires, and fantastical monsters. In recent years it also spawned a successful Netflix anime series but has largely left fans pining for a new release in the series for many years. That is why manyCastlevaniafans were excited to find Nintendo unveiling the newCastlevania Advance Collectionat the most recent Nintendo Direct.
Castlevania Advance Collectionwas also surprise launched, but many players familiar and unfamiliar with the series are a bit confused that the collection does not feature the more famousCastlevaniatitles. This is because the collection bundles together a number ofCastlevaniatitles that were released on the Game Boy Advance from 2001 to 2003 as well as a 1995 Super Nintendo title. While many players may not have heard of these titles, they are some of the most highly regarded releases across the franchise, and each offers players a full interconnected map for players to explore throughout the story and unlock a variety of different powers and types of equipment.
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Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Circle of the Moonwas a launch title released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance. The game was very well received when it was released, but its plot elements were eventually retconned by famedCastlevaniaproducer Koji Igarashi. Regardless, the game’s story is very well received, despite following Nathan Graves, a hunter out to kill Dracula that isn’t a member of the Belmont clan. The game follows Nathan as he tries to prevent Dracula from regaining his full power with the death of Nathan’s mentor and father figure Hugh. The story also features series mainstay Carmilla, although she is more traditional thanher depiction in Netflix’sCastlevaniaseries.
One unique aspect ofCircle of the Moonis its Dual Set-up System which sees players combining magic cards to create one of one hundred different magical effects.Circle of the Moonalso has four different modes that players can unlock by completing the game. Each mode alters Nathan’s statistics, forcing players to engage with different aspects of the game, whether it be relying more on magic or not using any at all. This new way to encourage multiple playthroughs introduced inCircle of the Moonwent on to have abig impact on the Metroidvania genre.
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonancewas first released in 2002 and was produced by Koji Igarashi who wanted to try and make another title similar tothe iconicCastlevania: Symphony of the Night. However,Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonancewas met with a mixed reception that garnered praise for the game’s art and gameplay while it was criticized for its more confusing progression and lackluster story and music. The player plays Juste Belmont, the grandson of Simon Belmont fifty years after Simon ended Dracula’s curse. He sets off with his friend Maxim Kischine to rescue his friend Lydie Erlanger, who has been kidnapped.
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In doing so, Juste eventually runs into Dracula’s minion Death at Dracula’s castle, and Juste gets wrapped up in a quest to destroy Dracula’s remains. Interestingly, the game features three distinct endings that reflect the player’s performance throughout the game.Harmony of Dissonancealso introduced another new magic system to the series that allows players to fuse two spells together for new abilities. Players checking out the title for the first time in the new collection, however, may want to keep a guide handy, asHarmony of Dissonanceisinfamously difficult to follow and progress through.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrowwas in development at the same time asHarmony of Dissonanceand was released in 2003.Aria of Sorrow’s production was also led by Koji Igarashi who worked alongside director Junichi Murakami who was new to the series.Aria of Sorrowis very interesting in that it is set in the future in the year 2035 and follows the teenager Soma Cruz who is a potential vessel of Dracula’s reincarnation after his defeat in 1999. The game did not perform well in Japan but was a big success in America, where it was praised for its gameplay, setting, and graphics.Aria of Sorrowwas even frequently dubbed as the bestCastlevaniatitle sinceSymphony of the Nightat the time.Aria of Sorrowlaterreceived a sequel in 2005 for the Nintendo DS, which was also met with praise at release.
Castlevania: Dracula X
The final game in the collection is 1995’sCastlevania: Dracula Xthat was originally released on the SNES, and is itself a remake of the 1993 titleCastlevania: Rondo of Blood. The game followsCastlevania’s Richter Belmontas he searches for his kidnapped lover Annette. This leads him to ultimately confront Dracula in his castle after nine stages that feature two alternate routes. However,Dracula Xmixed up the game’s art style, redesigned its levels, and altered a couple of its gameplay elements. The game is well known among fans of the series for featuring tight gameplay while also having untimed levels that have multiple ways to finish them.
Fans ofCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightmay also recognize many of the monsters that they come across inDracula X, as many of itsiconic monsters were reused inSymphony of the Night. The game also features the series' iconic Item Crash ability that allows players to use a sub-weapon in a super attack to deal extra damage on enemies if the player has a large enough window of opportunity. The game was also very well received at the time of its release, and it will be interesting to see how this collection is received in modern times. Hopefully, it performs well enough to persuade Konami to develop newerCastlevaniatitles for fans to enjoy.
Castlevania Advance Collectionis available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.
