Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is an action role-playing game released in 2003. It was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. This game is the 20th main title in the Castlevania series and the last game made for the Game Boy Advance. Koji Igarashi, the producer, worked on Aria of Sorrow at the same time as its predecessor, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2002). Michiru Yamane, along with Takashi Yoshida and Soshiro Hokkai, composed the music. Junichi Murakami was the director and new to the Castlevania series.
Unlike other Castlevania games set in the late medieval period or early 20th century, Aria of Sorrow takes place in the year 2035. This is many years after a major war that ended Dracula’s life and sealed his castle during a solar eclipse. The story follows Soma Cruz, a teenager who gains supernatural powers. He becomes trapped in the eclipse and faces dark figures who want to take over Dracula’s power. The game includes action-adventure elements and features from role-playing games. It introduced the "Tactical Soul" system, which lets Cruz copy abilities from defeated enemies, and a New Game Plus mode.
Aria of Sorrow was released in May 2003. It sold 27,000 copies in Japan within one month but sold more than 158,000 copies in the United States over three months. The game received very high praise for its visuals, gameplay (especially the Tactical Soul system), music, and level design. Some critics called it the best Castlevania game since Symphony of the Night (1997) and one of the best Game Boy Advance and Metroidvania games.
Konami released a sequel, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, in August 2005. It included features from Aria of Sorrow, such as the "Tactical Soul" system. Aria of Sorrow was re-released in September 2021 as part of the Castlevania Advance Collection for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The collection also included Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (2001), Harmony of Dissonance, and Castlevania: Dracula X (1995).
Gameplay
Aria of Sorrow is a video game that uses a 2D side-scrolling style of gameplay. Players control the onscreen character from a third-person view, meaning they see the character from behind. The game is an action-adventure with role-playing elements, such as characters gaining levels after earning a set number of experience points by defeating enemies. Each level increases the character’s attributes, which improve their performance in battle. Examples of attributes include hit points (the amount of damage a character can take), magic points (how many times a character can use magic attacks), strength (the power of physical attacks), and intelligence (the power of magical spells). When enemies appear, players can use different weapons, such as swords, axes, spears, and a handgun, to defeat them. These weapons vary in damage, range, and attack speed. Items and accessories can be found by defeating enemies or buying them from the game’s shop.
The game takes place in Dracula’s castle, which is divided into several areas. Each area has unique features, such as different enemies, terrain, and theme music. Progression between areas depends on the player’s abilities. At first, the game follows a linear path, but as the player gains more abilities, they have more choices for moving through the castle.
Aria of Sorrow introduces the Tactical Soul ability system. Players can absorb enemy souls to gain new abilities. Most enemies in the game can provide a unique soul. The rate at which souls are obtained depends on the enemy type. Players can trade souls between two game cartridges using two Game Boy Advance consoles and a link cable.
Souls are grouped into four categories: Bullet, Guardian, Enchant, and Ability souls. Bullet, Guardian, and Enchant souls are colored red, blue, and yellow, respectively. Only one of each type can be used at a time. Bullet souls replace sub weapons and allow players to use abilities that consume magic points, often involving projectiles. Guardian souls provide ongoing effects, such as transforming into mythical creatures or summoning familiars, but they drain magic points continuously. Enchant souls are always active when equipped and can increase attributes or grant abilities like walking on water. Ability souls are different—they come from rare enemies and remain active unless the player disables them. They do not use magic points.
The game includes additional play modes. New Game+ lets players restart the game with all previously acquired equipment, levels, and souls. Hard Mode offers the same gameplay but at a higher difficulty. Boss Rush mode challenges players to defeat all bosses in quick succession, and Julius Mode lets players control Julius Belmont, a character from the Belmont clan, after completing the game once.
Plot
In the Castlevania series, vampire hunters from the Belmont clan battle the immortal vampire Dracula. In 1999, Dracula was defeated and his powers were sealed during a solar eclipse. A prophecy stated that Dracula’s reincarnation would return to his castle in 2035 to inherit his powers. This prophecy drives the story of Aria of Sorrow, which takes place in Dracula’s castle, a common setting in the series. The castle is divided into many areas that players explore.
The main character, Soma Cruz, is a student in Japan who can absorb the souls of monsters to gain their abilities. He is joined by Mina Hakuba, the daughter of a priest. Other characters include Genya Arikado, a government agent who is secretly Alucard, Dracula’s son; Yoko Belnades, a witch; J, a man with amnesia; and Hammer, a soldier who sells supplies. Graham Jones, a missionary who believes he is Dracula’s reincarnation, is the antagonist.
The game’s characters were designed by Ayami Kojima, who previously worked on Symphony of the Night and Harmony of Dissonance. Her designs use modern clothing, unlike the medieval styles of earlier games.
The story begins in 2035, when Soma visits Japan. During a solar eclipse, he and Mina enter Dracula’s castle with Arikado. Soma gains the ability to absorb monster souls. Arikado tells Soma to find "the master’s chamber."
As Soma explores the castle, he meets Graham, who claims Dracula’s powers will be passed to him. Yoko, working for the Roman Catholic Church, warns Soma about Graham. Hammer sells Soma supplies. A mysterious man named J, who later reveals himself as Julius Belmont, the hero who defeated Dracula in 1999, helps Soma.
Soma confronts Graham in the throne room. Graham believes Soma must die for absorbing monster souls. Soma defeats Graham, who becomes Dracula’s reincarnation. Arikado helps Soma stop chaos in the castle. Soma battles the source of chaos and returns to the Hakuba Shrine with Mina, ending the conflict.
Development
Aria of Sorrow was announced at an event in San Francisco by executive producer Koji Igarashi on January 16, 2003. Igarashi had previously worked on earlier Castlevania games, including Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. Aria of Sorrow was developed at the same time as Harmony of Dissonance, so both games used similar technology and had similar ways to play. For example, the Ability souls in Aria of Sorrow gave the main character special powers similar to the Relic items in Harmony of Dissonance. However, Igarashi wanted to take a "different route" with Aria of Sorrow by setting the game in a futuristic world instead of a medieval one. Ayami Kojima, who had previously worked with Igarashi on character designs for Symphony of the Night and Harmony of Dissonance, joined the project. To follow the "different route" theme, the character designs used modern clothing instead of the older, medieval styles from earlier Castlevania games. The game's story was partly inspired by a prediction by Nostradamus about a "big evil lord in 1999" and the 1999 solar eclipse in Eastern Europe.
During development, Igarashi focused on fixing problems from Harmony of Dissonance. He noted that the music in Harmony of Dissonance had not been well received, so he hired Michiru Yamane, who had created the popular music for Symphony of the Night, to compose the soundtrack for Aria of Sorrow. The team worked on improving the game's audio quality by using more space on the game cartridge and more computer power for sound. Keeping the visual quality from Harmony of Dissonance was a top goal, as many reviewers had said the game had strong graphics but weak audio. The team also tried to improve the gameplay system while keeping features fans liked. Some elements missing in Harmony of Dissonance, such as hidden rooms and breakable walls, were added to Aria of Sorrow. Igarashi included a feature called Soul trading, which allowed players to trade souls using a cable to connect two game consoles, helping players collect all the souls in the game.
Reception
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow received praise from many video game magazines. Some compared it to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which is widely seen as the best game in the Castlevania series. Famitsu gave Aria of Sorrow a score of 36 out of 40, the highest score any Castlevania game has ever received from that publication. Nintendo Power listed it as the 22nd best game made for a Nintendo system in their Top 200 Games list. Official Nintendo Magazine called the game "Fang-tastic stuff" and placed it 71st on a list of greatest Nintendo games. In Japan, the game sold 27,000 copies one month after its release, which was considered a weak performance for a major video game franchise. However, the game sold more than 158,000 copies in the United States three months after its release, showing much greater success there.
As the third Castlevania game on the Game Boy Advance, many reviewers noted its differences from earlier games in the series, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. Many considered Aria of Sorrow the best Castlevania game for the Game Boy Advance. GameSpy said the game "managed to get just about everything right" compared to its predecessors and called it "the best portable Castlevania game yet created." RPGFan said the game "[showcased] the true art of game development: to adapt and change as necessary yet remain consistent." RPGamer called Aria of Sorrow one of the best games released for the Game Boy Advance.
In 2007, IGN ranked it as the second best Game Boy Advance game of all time. Game Informer's Tim Turi placed it among the best Castlevania games on the Game Boy Advance. He praised its gameplay and visuals for setting a standard for future Castlevania games. GameZone ranked it as the seventh best Castlevania title and the best of the Game Boy Advance Castlevania titles.
The gameplay, especially the Tactical Soul system, was often praised by reviewers. RPGFan called the Tactical Soul system "very enjoyable," and GameSpot said the gameplay was simple yet deep. RPGamer said the gameplay was "completely solid," praising the game's controls, enemy interactions, and the Tactical Soul system. RPGFan said the game had "a chance to be the most respected installment of the series," noting it was not overshadowed by Symphony of the Night like earlier games. Some reviewers questioned the game's length and difficulty. GameSpot said a single playthrough would take about ten hours, and players would become "practically unstoppable" as they progressed. RPGamer agreed, saying the game "never offered much of a challenge," but noted that the "simple fun" of the gameplay made up for this.
Reviewers widely praised the game's graphics and audio. RPGFan said the environments were "beautiful and detailed," and noted that while the game did not match the graphical quality of Symphony of the Night, it "did a very good job trying." GameSpy called the graphics "clear and colorful," with "good animation on easily visible characters." GameSpy also said the audio, which had been criticized in Harmony of Dissonance, was "fitting and well-composed." Before the game's release, IGN said the music was "pretty good." GameSpot said the music was "mostly forgettable," but noted it was much better than the audio in Harmony of Dissonance and praised the individual sounds used for enemies.
In terms of story and characters, RPGamer said the characters were well-developed, with a focus on the personalities and growth of supporting characters. Previous Castlevania games had ignored the development of supporting characters, focusing instead on the main character. IGN said the game's ending was "very unsatisfying and disappointing," but praised the change from the usual Castlevania plot, where a Belmont family member defeats Dracula with help from other characters. GameSpy criticized the presence of a "weak female character who needs protection" and a "man who looks very feminine and does all the fighting," calling these stereotypes. However, they noted the game had a "strong and interesting story" that was the best in the series since Symphony of the Night.
Sequel and re-release
Because of the success of Aria of Sorrow, the development of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, a rare sequel in the Castlevania series, was announced on January 6, 2005. In an interview, Koji Igarashi said he believed the Tactical Soul system from Aria of Sorrow and the storyline involving Soma Cruz were valuable ideas that should not be used in only one game. This led him to create a sequel. The Tactical Soul system was used again in Dawn of Sorrow, along with new features, such as anime-style character designs. Ayami Kojima was not part of the team making Dawn of Sorrow, so the game used anime-style designs instead of the original art style. Although Aria of Sorrow was successful, its sales were lower than expected, which influenced the decision to use anime-style designs. In 2005, Igarashi expressed interest in creating a game focused on the battle between Julius Belmont and Dracula, but he noted that the project would depend on how much time was available for development.
On November 3, 2005, Aria of Sorrow was re-released as part of Konami's "Konami the Best" collection in Japan. It was also released with Harmony of Dissonance as the Castlevania: Double Pack in North America on January 11, 2006. A simplified version of the game for mobile phones, made by Glu Mobile, was released in Europe in 2008. This version had longer loading times and fewer animations to reduce its file size, but it kept most of the original game's locations and gameplay mechanics.