GAMES .: REVIEW
GAMEBOY ADVANCE

September 2001
By Jae Lurman

CASTLEVANIA - CIRCLE OF THE MOON

I've enjoyed the Castlevania game series for years. Theres something about being in the boots of a whip-weilding vampire hunter, negating through castles and their surrounding areas ridden with demonic undead that has captivated the hearts of generations of games players.

It seems, like the almighty Lord Dracula himself, the game has stood the test of time well. While Castle of the Moon borrows heavily from the Castlevania bloodline (especially Symphony of the Night) in terms of storyline, play mechanics, sound etc, those familiar with the series have come to expect and accept the fundamentals of the game : Dracula has been ressurected and only you can stop him.

You play Nathan Graves, made successor by your master Morris Baldwin, to weild the Hunter Whip (weapon of choice for vampire banishment obviously!). Morris chose you over his own son Hugh for reasons which unfold and Hugh's jealousy must eventually be confronted.

Castle of the Moon really impressed me with its beautiful graphics, albeit too dark sometimes to truly appreciate. The fluid animation and attention to detail on the anime-ish characters, their enemies and the backgrounds is top-notch. The sound effects are crisp and the music is well composed and damn creepy. Probably the stand-out aspect of Castle of the Moon its its RPG-esque feel. As you vanquish the hordes you gain experience points which power up Nathan. Theres room for improvment in areas such as hit points, magic points, strength, defence, intelligence and luck. These can also be increased by equiping armours, magic rings, gauntlets etc. In addition to the familiar sub- weapon items you can find special items which increase Nathan's abilities. Dashing, double jumps and super jumps all open up new (and secret) areas to be explored in this huge quest.

Some real help can also be obtained through the games innovative magic card system. Collecting and combining 10 different cards for 100 possible spell effects is awesome, especially the ability to use swords, a gun and even summon yourself a creature for assistance. It all adds to the games atmosphere, largely helped by the many save points along the way. Because youre not going to take Dracula down in one sitting you'll be back for more constantly unveiling new sections of the map. When the game is completed, you can play it through again and again with new "modes". This isn't just what hand-held gaming is all about, this is what GAMING is all about.

Genre - Platform Adventure

Developer - KCEK
Publisher - Konami
Release - June 11 2001 (GBA launch title)

Players - 1
Link Options - None

Save - Battery
(8 save positions)

TIP
A good light source is absolutely neccessary for this game

EXTRA MEDIA
Japanese Box Art
( front )
( back )

LINKS
Official Site
Castlevania Realm

Graphics - 8
Stunning but dim palette makes for an eyesore.

Sound - 10
Atmospheric and haunting SNES styled music.

Gameplay - 9
Engaging and challenging. Requires brains AND brawn. No tedious 3D camera angles!

Lastability - 8
Different modes and levels will keep you coming back for weeks.

Characters - 8
Hugh is very likeable and could easily be the star of a sequel. All characters effectively add depth to the storyline.

Overall - 8.5/10
An essential GBA launch title. Castlevania fans especially wont be dissapointed.