Drac is back, as Alex tackles his most anticipated game in this comprehensive review.
As one of the biggest advocates for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, you can imagine how thrilled I was to finally get my hands on its spiritual successor, Circle of the Moon. Of course, I had my doubts about the title, and the fear of being let down by it was certainly there. After all, not only was this going to be the semi follow-up to one of the greatest games ever, but it also marked the return of the storied Castlevania franchise to the 2d realm. Could Konami return the series to its former glory, after the less than stellar (but not terrible) N64 incarnations? How would it match up to the CV’s of old? All of these doubts and questions were put to rest after a mere hour and a half of gameplay. Circle of the Moon is not only the game to get at the GBA launch, but it’s also one of the best games of the year on any platform.
You are Nathan Graves, an apprentice vampire hunter, who along with your partner Hugh Baldwin must rescue your master (Morris Baldwin,) from the clutches of Dracula while putting the evil Count to rest once again. The story isn’t exactly the most complex tale ever told, and it’s actually quite predictable, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Is it clichéd? Most definitely, but the cut scenes are still a nice break from all of the action. As in SotN, there are character portraits within the dialogue boxes and they add an extra touch of style to the game. If you’re the type of person who demands an epic with every game you play, then just remember that Castlevania has never really been about story.
The meat of CotM lies within the gameplay. Just like in SotN, you have one huge location to explore, which is divided into separate sections. If you’ve never played a game of this sort before, let me explain how it works. Throughout the adventure, you’ll come to places that you won’t be able to pass unless you’ve met certain conditions somewhere else in the castle. In the case of CotM, these conditions usually mean defeating a boss and then gaining a new ability. For example, you might come to a part of the castle where you can’t reach a platform because you can’t jump high enough. Somewhere else in the castle, there’s an item that gives you the ability to double jump, which would then give you access to the previously inaccessible area. The whole game works in this fashion, as the castle just keeps opening up more and more. There’s an incredible feeling of progression and accomplishment when you find a new item, and then think of all the new places you can go. The castle you have to explore is absolutely humongous, although I’m not sure if it’s quite as large as the one in SotN. Even if it’s not, the amount of secret areas you can find certainly makes up for that. There are a ton of walls that can be broken through to uncover secret rooms (more than in SotN.) Needless to say, you’ll be exploring the various locales for quite a while.
One of the things that really sets CotM apart from SotN is the difficulty. While you won’t be tossing your GBA against a wall, the game is still pretty hard. You had better be prepared to spend a bit of time just leveling up your character before advancing to the next area of the castle. The difficulty of the enemies constantly increases with each new area you find, and sometimes all-new enemies will appear in parts of the castle that you thought you didn’t have to worry about anymore. It’s this very smooth challenge level that constantly keeps you on your toes. It’s also worth noting that each enemy you encounter will require a different strategy. You can’t just walk up to every enemy in the game and start whipping away in hopes of defeating it. There’s quite a bit of variety, so you’d better be prepared to change your approach with each new foe. Just wait until you see some of the later boss fights! I really like the fact that the game is so balanced throughout and is not a total cakewalk.
In terms of the weapons that you have at your disposal, there are plenty. You start out with the standard whip, but through the use of the addicting DSS card system, you can enchant your character with a number of abilities. Throughout the course of the adventure, certain enemies randomly drop “cards.” There are two types of cards: attribute and action. You work this neat little system by combining an action and attribute card to give Nathan a specific ability. For example, let’s say you combine the serpent card (ice attribute) and the mercury card (strength action.) Now Nathan has an ice whip! There are a possible 80 different combinations in the game, which makes the replay value for CotM shoot through the roof. It’s fun experimenting with different combinations at different points of the adventure. This system is far more useful and practical than the magic attacks that were used in SotN.
In the sound department, CotM is about as good as it gets on a handheld. Before reading any further, I urge you to buy a set of headphones as soon as possible and hook them up when playing this game. The overall atmosphere is enhanced ten-fold. Just the sound of Nathan’s footsteps and the cracking of his whip help to draw you even further into this creepy little world. As for the music, it’s more reminiscent of Castlevania 4 and even Dracula X, than of SotN. That’s not a bad thing though. Not by a long shot, as every single piece is composed beautifully, and the quality of the sound is a little above SNES caliber. Konami even managed to fit a voice track in the game, at the title screen. For all of the CV purists out there, there’s also a version of the legendary “Vampire Killer” within the game. The only problem I had with the music? There’s simply not enough of it. Sometimes you’ll be listening to a single track for over a half hour before finding an area that features a new piece of music. I guess Konami was going for quality over quantity, and the quality is certainly there, but I still would have loved to hear a version of “Bloody Tears” somewhere. Besides this minor gripe, I can’t complain much.
The replay value in CotM is almost infinite. As if the amount of secrets in the core game weren’t enough, you’re also given a reason to replay it over and over. When you complete the game, you’re given a password that will grant you certain attributes when you begin another game using that password. Beat the game again using that password and you’re given another one! It’s actually pretty cool, as each password usually gives you some kind of advantage over your enemies. As I mentioned above, there are also a ton of secrets to find within the game. For the really brave players, there’s even a battle arena that I can guarantee will keep even the most hardened Castlevania veterans busy for a while. All in all, CotM is more than worth the price of admission.
I really can’t praise Konami enough for this awesome little package. Castlevania is back, and with the almost guaranteed success of this title, maybe it won’t be too long before we’ll see a true sequel to SotN. Now, wouldn’t that be something? Until that time comes, do yourself a favour and pick up Circle of the Moon. This is easily one of the best games I’ve played in the past two years and is worthy of any true gamers attention. Buy it. Play it. Love it. The end.
