Castlevania is 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 many Castlevania fans were excited to find Nintendo unveiling the new Castlevania Advance Collection at the most recent Nintendo Direct.
Castlevania Advance Collection was also surprise launched, but many players familiar and unfamiliar with the series are a bit confused that the collection does not feature the more famous Castlevania titles. This is because the collection bundles together a number of Castlevania titles 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.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon was 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 famed Castlevania producer 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 than her depiction in Netflix's Castlevania series.
One unique aspect of Circle of the Moon is its Dual Set-up System which sees players combining magic cards to create one of one hundred different magical effects. Circle of the Moon also 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 in Circle of the Moon went on to have a big impact on the Metroidvania genre.
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance was first released in 2002 and was produced by Koji Igarashi who wanted to try and make another title similar to the iconic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. However, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance was 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.
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 Dissonance also 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, as Harmony of Dissonance is infamously difficult to follow and progress through.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow was in development at the same time as Harmony of Dissonance and 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 Sorrow is 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 Sorrow was even frequently dubbed as the best Castlevania title since Symphony of the Night at the time. Aria of Sorrow later received 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's Castlevania: Dracula X that was originally released on the SNES, and is itself a remake of the 1993 title Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. The game follows Castlevania's Richter Belmont as 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 X mixed 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 of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night may also recognize many of the monsters that they come across in Dracula X, as many of its iconic monsters were reused in Symphony 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 newer Castlevania titles for fans to enjoy.
Castlevania Advance Collection is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.