Varexus
Bio
casual gamer dood. pmuch open for any game.
casual gamer dood. pmuch open for any game.
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Being part of the Backloggd community for 1 year
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idk why this had to be split into two games, but pretty decent rpg with pretty bland characters and a mildly fun battle system, but overall nothing special. had a fun time tho.
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Castlevania was always a weird franchise for me: I always knew it existed but never actually touched any of the entries - until 2020 when I first decided to play one of the games, but I had no clue which one to start with. I heard from some people beforehand, that Aria of Sorrow is the best game in the series, some even saying that it is one of, if not the best GBA games of all time, and these statements were enough motivation for me. I'll start with the bare-bones retelling of the story.
The story centers around a japanese high-school student named Soma Cruz, preparing to watch the first solar eclipse of the 21st century with his childhood friend Mina Hakuba at the Hakuba Shrine. Unfortunately, as soon as the full solar eclipse takes place, both Soma and Mina lose consciousness and get transferred to a weird, old castle, where they get greeted by a man in a black suit, Genya Arikado, who explains, that they are currently inside the solar eclipse, where the true castle of Dracula is located. Both Soma and Mina are confused, but their chit-chat is interrupted by some monsters. Arikado deals with most of the minions, and when Soma deals the finishing blow to the last monster, he experiences the soul of the creature flowing into him. Arikado explains, that Soma has the power of dominance over the demons of the castle, which means that he can randomly absorb the soul of the enemies he's slain. Arikado also tells Soma, that he must find a way to the throne room, where he will find the way to escape the castle, thus beginning the actual game. Now onto the technical stuff!
Aria of Sorrow plays pretty much the same as the other Castlevania games, while also being new and fresh due to the Tactical Soul System (TSS). Every single enemy and boss is capable of dropping their soul when defeated. There are 4 categories of souls: Bullet Souls (red), Guardian Souls (blue), Enchanted Souls (yellow) and Ability Souls (grey). Bullet Souls are reminiscent of the sub-weapons from other Castlevania games, being usable by pressing the button combo Up + B. Guardian Souls are kind of mixed bag, some being offensive such as Bullet Souls (Catoblepas), helping you traversing the castle (Flying Armor) or summoning familiars (Cagnazzo), activated by the L button. Enchanted Souls are passive abilities, which don't consume MP, like allowing you to walk underwater (Skula), increase stats or some other useful ability, such as Ability Souls, which are always active, regardless of your Soul Set. The graphics have aged wonderfully in my opinion, mainly the character sprites, which really well done honestly, alongside the sound effects, which are also splendid. The music is also pretty memorable, some songs being stuck in my head for a while after playing, like Ruined Castle Corridor, Don't Wait Until Night or the clock tower theme.
All in all, this one's a really special game for me, helping me out at a pretty difficult part of my life, and also leading me more deeply into the world of gaming.
The story centers around a japanese high-school student named Soma Cruz, preparing to watch the first solar eclipse of the 21st century with his childhood friend Mina Hakuba at the Hakuba Shrine. Unfortunately, as soon as the full solar eclipse takes place, both Soma and Mina lose consciousness and get transferred to a weird, old castle, where they get greeted by a man in a black suit, Genya Arikado, who explains, that they are currently inside the solar eclipse, where the true castle of Dracula is located. Both Soma and Mina are confused, but their chit-chat is interrupted by some monsters. Arikado deals with most of the minions, and when Soma deals the finishing blow to the last monster, he experiences the soul of the creature flowing into him. Arikado explains, that Soma has the power of dominance over the demons of the castle, which means that he can randomly absorb the soul of the enemies he's slain. Arikado also tells Soma, that he must find a way to the throne room, where he will find the way to escape the castle, thus beginning the actual game. Now onto the technical stuff!
Aria of Sorrow plays pretty much the same as the other Castlevania games, while also being new and fresh due to the Tactical Soul System (TSS). Every single enemy and boss is capable of dropping their soul when defeated. There are 4 categories of souls: Bullet Souls (red), Guardian Souls (blue), Enchanted Souls (yellow) and Ability Souls (grey). Bullet Souls are reminiscent of the sub-weapons from other Castlevania games, being usable by pressing the button combo Up + B. Guardian Souls are kind of mixed bag, some being offensive such as Bullet Souls (Catoblepas), helping you traversing the castle (Flying Armor) or summoning familiars (Cagnazzo), activated by the L button. Enchanted Souls are passive abilities, which don't consume MP, like allowing you to walk underwater (Skula), increase stats or some other useful ability, such as Ability Souls, which are always active, regardless of your Soul Set. The graphics have aged wonderfully in my opinion, mainly the character sprites, which really well done honestly, alongside the sound effects, which are also splendid. The music is also pretty memorable, some songs being stuck in my head for a while after playing, like Ruined Castle Corridor, Don't Wait Until Night or the clock tower theme.
All in all, this one's a really special game for me, helping me out at a pretty difficult part of my life, and also leading me more deeply into the world of gaming.