| Product: |
Castlevania - Circle of the Moon (GBA) |
| Date: |
08/09/01 (249 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: very long, will last a while, nice "dark" graphics, bundles of playability
Disadvantages: can be hard to see sometimes, can be a bit tough
well i have managed to pry myself away from the lovely little hand held bundle of joy to share my experience of Castlevania on the GBA. Having been a big fan of Castlevania on the SNES many years ago, I was eagerly awaiting this new GBA title, and I am glad to say it was every bit as much fun as I recalled on the GBA's older brother!
Castelvania on the GBA is a side scrolling platformer in the guise of the old 16 bit side scrolling classics. For those of us old enough to recall the glorious days of fun and adventure on systems that didnt rely on flash graphics, this will be a joy to play and for those new to the style will be pleasantly refreshed at how much fun a game can be without polygons!
The game is set in the huge expanse of the Vampires castle, and it truly is huge. You start the game with the basic whip which can be used in a standard attack or by holding the attack button it circles around the player forming a kind of shield. As you destroy the many and varied minions of darkness you are awarded experience points which when reach set points progress the players stats up a level, increasing strength and defense powers. The game is a mix of the arcade action, which it is for the most part, but does include elemets of adventure games where you have to build the experience points, and also the element of DSS cards which allow the user extra powers, varying on the pairing of cards selected. This adds a nice extra element to the game, making it a bit more involved than your regular out and out action game.
The game is tough, no doubt about it, expect to spend a while getting through the game and expect a few times when you are lost as to where to go next, but some extra exploring should soon show the answers. the difficulty level is set nicely though, and as you progress through the game you encounter "bosses" which when defeated bestow extra powers on the player which allow access to areas unreachable previously. This makes fo
r
a nic
e learning curve, with not too much frustrating searching a real feeling of progress being made.
The graphics are clean and crisp and add well to the whole horror style, although being dark can lead to some problems in a room not too well lit with the well publicised GBA's dark screen. Sound also is equally atmospheric with a haunting opening tune when you swich on the machine, in game sounds are fine.
All in all, a great game which will keep you involved for a long while, but one which provides constant reward and a nice feeling of progress. One for all GBA fans to own!
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