N-Philes

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the first game in the currently two-part Castlevania "Sorrow" series (the other being Dawn of Sorrow). Of the three Castlevania games released on the GameBoy Advance, and of the multitude of games in the whole series, I have to say that this is the best one in the bunch. So why is this game is so darn awesome?

This amazing title is a 2-D side-scrolling adventure game with RPG elements in which you level up, improve weapons, accumulate accessories and armor and fight more undead monsters than you can shake a crucifix at. Although brutally killing enemies is always entertaining, one of the cooler aspects is that when you seize the souls of said enemies, you often times get a new weapon/ability/guardian, giving some exciting variety to the gameplay.



Weaponry plays a large part in the game as well. When you use weapons, you have to make sure they will work for each situation in the castle. Although you do have that traditional whip, you actually find other weapons all with different properties and animations, so choosing the right weapon for the right environment is paramount. For example, a straight horizontal sword that attacks immediately straight forward will be harder to use against a bat, but using an axe that does a top-down dropping motion will provide better use for taking down the airborne enemy. Rather than using just one weapon for the entirety of the game, like I have in Castlevanias past, which to me ruins the need for exploration, Aria makes you want to smack down random walls for hidden items or kill a beast enough times in hope that it will drop a weapon that will prove to be a necessity in fighting Draculas' minions. There's more to this game than "kill, kill, kill".



A big plus to this game is how greatly the castle and the monsters are designed. Progressing through the castle, it was rare to find the same monster in differently-themed areas, unlike some games where the developers throw the same enemies at you over and over. There was no holding back in enemy diversity and that made it easier to remember where certain creatures were in order to come back and find them to take their souls. Also well done were the game's levels; travelling areas via warps is never a chore and there are plenty of warp points spread out within the castle.

Not to be forgotten are the bosses in this game. The creatures are either an homage to other bosses in past Castlevania games (such as Death), or are completely new to the series with really cool abilities that make it tougher to stop them. These bosses are not easy to defeat by any means; expect to feel like you've actually accomplished something after defeating them. Even when leveling up enough to where beating the enemies in that area are easy, bosses still prove quite a challenge. This is an exploration game at its core, but what sticks this game into a higher position than most exploring/adventure games is that you never feel stuck, but more that you didn't explore well enough. This supreme level/enemy design that Konami has placed in this game is probably some of the best you'll see in any game.



However, the focus on the storyline in the game isn't as gripping as other elements. Each character plays a significant part in the story, which are compliments to the game, but as well-written as the story is, gamers should remember that this is still an adventure game. Does the focus on adventure over story take away from the enjoyment? This game progresses via what abilities you have received, and how well you used them, not by going through scripted events that usually advances the story. This is not an interactive tale, but more so a free-form search for making yourself stronger, that ends attaining power and continuing the journey.



Once you complete the game, (or did you really beat it? *WINK*), the game keeps you involved by providing plenty of extra modes to play around in. The best thing that you'll want to play is the single player story mode because there are still a ton of souls to collect, and even some monsters that are still yet to be discovered. It's at this part of the game where making your way becomes so much faster and easier, and collecting souls becomes less of a task. Instead of simply exploring the castle, you're exploring the possibilities of other enemy souls. This was actually the aspect I liked the most, because as a completionist, it was a challenge but certainly not a chore to accomplish. Similarly, after beating the game, you gain a feeling of strength - that all the work fighting endless hordes of evil was for something. You continue with confidence, strength and a sense of achievement and these feelings, I believe, make it the best title in the series to date.

There's a reason that this game has spawned a direct sequel - in fact many reasons: Perfect level design, awesome scripting, sensible weaponry, armor progression and a great story to boot. Konami has absolutely hit a high point in the series, so if you're one of the many who bought Dawn of Sorrow, you'll want to pick this one up as well - that is, if you can even find it. This game is a somewhat rare item among game stores, since nobody ever really trades it in. However, whether you have to pore over Ebay or harass your local videogame shop daily, you owe it to yourself to experience this MIA game.