Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow Description

Konami's long running vampire slaying series receives its third Game Boy Advance instalment with the release of Aria of Sorrow, closely following the successful Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance. Developed by Koji Igarashi and the creative team behind the classic PlayStation title, Symphony of the Night, Aria of Sorrow takes the series in a new direction, introducing a new storyline, gameplay features and, rather surprisingly, a central character entirely unrelated to the famous Belmont family. The game begins as new protagonist Soma Cruz is about to witness the first solar eclipse of the 21st century, when he suddenly passes out, only to awaken inside a mysterious castle. From here players must navigate their way through the castle's complex maze of labyrinths, battling ferocious monsters at every turn in order to find an escape before they are consumed by evil. The majority of the gameplay in Aria of Sorrow remains faithful to the arcade-style platforming first introduced with the release of the 1987 Castlevania arcade, as you make your way across the game's various platform-filled, archaic environments, hacking and slashing a hefty amount of creepy adversaries. This time, however, you now have the ability to collect the souls of enemies and therefore use their souls as weapons, which means that there are over 100 powerful new attacks and skills to be acquired. Also, with the aid of a GBA link cable, these enemy souls can be traded with friends, further bolstering your character's strength against the evil forces lurking within the castle walls.