Castlevania circle of moon was an amazing game but it definitely needs to be more like devil may cry, hellsing, god of war bayonetta charmed and van helsing
Best Castlevania game I played and PASSED as a kid back in 2005. The spell system is the most creative system I've ever experienced and always wished the proceeding Catlevania games would include. To count how many spells you can do by the combination of spell cards would be 100. This alone puts most games to shame. The enemies are difficult but awesome for gamers who love challenges and have patience to figure out the patterns of the enemies. The bosses are great and most likely you will die before figuring out how to beat them. The cards were a grind but didn't take too long to get. The arena map was great and challenging and rewarding. The map is pretty good and the soundtracks are better then their variants on other castlevania games. I played this game again and decided to review it after passing it and it still remains as the best Castlevania even though it isn't canon due to the hater producer not being involved in this installment. It was quick work with the strategy guide I wish I had back then but nonetheless I enjoyed it alot and gave me awesome nostalgia.
With the ability to store up to eight different quests, and a quest time that will require at least 12-15 hours to complete, fans are in for a genuine treat.
Castlevania Circle Of The Moon is a Fantastic game and my favorite metroidvania,The graphics and soundtrack are amazing,one of The best castlevania games
Solid game, visuals are pretty nice and soundtracks have some charm and vibe. The thing is that game's difficulty is really harsh, its a little bit grindy which i like, but most of the boss fights are weirdly designed, for me boss fight should be challenging and when you fail you feel that it is yours fault, but here some boss fights are so straight forward that with intended gear you would win without any effort, on the other hand there are bosses that have attack patterns that are close to impossible to consistently dodge without cheesing and you can't win because you are good! in those scenarios you just need better equipment. Game was quite fun and it is solid title in the series, just not for the starting point, because there are better ways to start with Castlevania! :)
Alright, "Castlevania: Circle of the Moon," a classic entry in the iconic series, and it's time to see if it's as legendary as its predecessors or if it falls victim to the curse of mediocrity.
Graphically, for a GBA game, it's pretty damn impressive. The dark, atmospheric visuals and detailed sprite work bring the haunted castle to life. It's like a gothic painting that you can carry in your pocket, capturing the essence of the Castlevania aesthetic.
Gameplay:
Gameplay-wise, it's classic Castlevania. Whip-wielding action, platforming challenges, and those classic sub-weapons – it's like a familiar song with a few new riffs. The DSS (Dual Set-up System) adds a layer of strategy, allowing players to combine cards for unique effects. It's like adding a few unexpected chords to a well-known melody.
Soundtrack:
Now, let's talk tunes. The music, composed by Sotaro Tojima, is atmospheric and haunting. It complements the gothic atmosphere perfectly, and the memorable melodies stay with you long after you've put the GBA down. It's like a symphony of darkness that enhances the overall experience.
Story:
And the narrative – well, it's Castlevania. Dracula is causing trouble, and it's up to the Belmont clan to whip him back into submission. It's not breaking any new ground, but it's like a classic horror movie that you enjoy for the familiar tropes.
Now, for the critique. The biggest flaw is the infamous "DSS card drop" system. Some essential abilities are locked behind random card drops, which can lead to a frustrating grind.
In conclusion, "Castlevania: Circle of the Moon" is a solid addition to the series, capturing the essence of what makes Castlevania great. The challenging gameplay, atmospheric visuals, and haunting soundtrack make it a must-play for fans of the genre. The random card drop system may leave a bitter taste, but it doesn't overshadow the overall experience.
I wish this game was better, I really do. The DSS system is an amazing innovation and it's still another Castlevania and those are almost always good. However, this game has some massive problems. For one, the difficulty is absolutely absurd. Not in a fair but difficult way like Hollow Knight mind you, but a NES-brutal bullcrap kind of way. Enemies do absurd damage even with the best equipment, healing potions are rare to non existent, save points are incredibly rare and sometimes even hard to find, enemy attacks are very difficult to dodge, every hit has insane knockback, and many more things make this a brutal and frustrating experience basically requiring save states or some sort of rewind ability. Along with that, the controls are very hard to work with unlike all future Castlevania games in this style, with running being tied to double tapping the direction keys. The only time this is actually possible consistently is when playing on a PC with a keyboard, but then it's hard to access L and R for special moves and exploration. This is made worse by the base walking speed being NES slow, making the incredibly fast paced and brutal combat encounters of this game even more difficult, not to mention you don't even have the iconic backdash in this game! Along with that, unlike other Metroidvanias, every area feels the same with many areas bleeding into each other and not feel distinct enough, not helped by the same songs playing in multiple areas making exploration difficult. Enemies also scale to progression, so late game you'll find early game areas filled to the brim with OP enemies that can kill you in like 4 hits and it's just unfair. There is also no shop to restock on items or get better gear. Everything is based on enemy drops, making progression even tougher, especially if you're unlucky and/or don't want to grind. Sub weapons, supposted to be a major mechanic, are nearly useless as nearly every one has been nerfed compared to previous games like Super Castlevania 4, Rondo of Blood, and Symphony of the Night, the only one being even slightly useful being the incredibly rare cross sub weapon, which is only really good when you run out of MP and need an alternative to your magic infused whip. (because normal whip is weak AF) Also, in game there is no bestiary for finding out what enemies drop what and where they can be found, basically requiring a guide to actually allow you to survive. Another major feature of the game besides DSS is the class system. Unfortunately, new classes are locked behind beating the game multiple times, and since this game is brutally hard in the most unfair of ways, good luck with that. You start with the hunter class, who is the base class who can do everything but excels at nothing. Beating the game with the Hunter unlocks the Fighter, who cannot use magic at all but their STR and DEF are buffed by 500%. I'm not joking. Beating Fighter Mode unlocks Wizard Mode, who has weak STR and DEF (the most important stats) but high INT (the most useless stat) and has access to all DSS cards from the beginning, which is useless because you can already access nearly every DSS card from the beginning due to an infamous glitch. Worst mode by far. If you are somehow able to beat wizard mode you unlock Thief Mode, who has incredibly low stats (even lower than wizard) but has 9999 luck, guaranteeing drops for every enemy. So basically only play Fighter once you unlock him and don't bother with the other modes, and play Hunter if it's your first time or you want to use magic. So yeah, while having some really good ideas, Circle of the Moon flops in nearly every other category. 4/10. Do not play. Even Harmony of Dissonance was better than this.
A very hard to complete game, glitches are required. Bosses have far too much health, Nathan deals far too little damage, the Castle is designed in many parts to trick you into thinking you're progressing only to drop you into a pit far back from where you were.
SummaryCount Dracula has been resurrected and evil will reign supreme unless he is stopped. As Nathan Graves, you'll hunt down the count and use your whip and a variety of special items to destroy his minions. Battle your way through Dracula's castle and rid the world of evil once and for all!