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Rating: 
-
This was a shock to me. For one thing, this game was raved all across the internet. For another thing, I'm familiar with the series (as far back as the first three NES games, to the SNES one, and Symphony of the Night), so I thought this would like those. Well... the gameplay mechanics are here, it seems, but everything else...
Lets figure this out piece by piece. First, the graphics were okay. Even though they're dark, and even though they're a bit lacking in animation (only THREE frame to show the main character running??!), the style was okay, and it added to the environments.
The sound was nice, and the music was great, but everything here just seemed like it could be done much better (the music sounds a bit MIDI-ish, but the melodies are good).
The controls... here's where everything really goes down hill. I'm no stranger to the Castlevania control scheme, having playing the first four games. However, for reasons I cannot fathom, this game has by far the worst control setup of all of them (which says alot, because I've replayed the first three games recently, and they haven't aged that well). First, controling your character is much like controling a big wooden stick. While the same could be said for the first four games in the series, this game takes it to far worse extremes, especially when considering the enemies move so much better (in other words, they're attacks seem more suited to a game that has you moving your character as franticly as a Mega Man X or Mega Man Zero game). Also, the option to have the whip spin by itself became rather annoying. Unlike Castlevania 4, which allowed you to move the whip around by holding the attack button down, this one only makes it spin on it's own, which is somehow amazingly counter-productive. Some of the abilities are nice (high jump, wall jump, etc...), but they don't alieviate this problem much, and actually require over-utilization in some areas (trust me, you would never survive the final battle without high jump).
Now the gameplay. I've played other games that used the "Metroid-vania" style (free exploration, found in Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow, as far as the ones I've played). Somehow, this one takes that system and just makes you lost. Seriously, this castle was not as fun to explore as all of the others. The boss battles (mostly refering to the last 4) were super cheap, requiring me to over-use the DSS system to the most extreme, which was a far cry from the more "down to earth" battles from Castlevania 4 and Aria of Sorrow. Much as I enjoy difficulty, I can't stand not being able to have a clear shot at a target with my whip due to the enemy being over-sized or too quick to dodge.
This is by far one of my most hated Castlevania games. If you even think about buying this game (since a lot of other people liked it), I recommend you find a way to rent it first. Otherwise, you may get yourself into a snag like I did. Lucky for me, this was only $15 at K-Mart, which is about as low as GBA games get.
Rating: 
-
How do you spend a good time with your GBA? By picking up Konami's "Castlevania: Circle of the Moon". This is by far the best GBA game you can buy and with good reason. The launch title for the GBA is ranked among one of the best sellers on the GBA.
It isn't hard to see why this is a loved game. From the moment you pop this into your GBA you'll be swept off your feet by its AMAZING sound and incredible gameplay that goes unmatched by any other game out there!
The game begins when three vampire hunters corner Dracula. A master, his son and an apprentice. The master becomes imprisoned by Dracula and drops The son and apprentice into the depths of the castle below. Now, playing as the apprentice, Nathan Graves, you must explore the castle and find a way to get inside Dracula's chamber and stop the rite from happening!
Most noticeable about Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is its music. Anyone who's played this game can tell you that Circle of the Moon sounds INCREDIBLE! There is no GBA game that sounds this good out there. Some of the music is actually Orchastral and for the GBA that's amazing.
The second most noticeable thing about Circle of the Moon is the gameplay. Circle of the Moon incorporates an RPG style like gameplay. You run around with a whip that you use to attack enemies. For each enemy you kill you get experience points. When you get enough you level up and your HP and MP increases.
But the gold of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is in the DSS (Duel Set-up System). This is perhaps the most innovative game idea presented in a title like this. There are twenty DSS cards in the game. Those for elements, and those for attributes. Finding all twenty isn't an easy task since the enemies drop them at random. But incorporating this system into the game is what makes it fun. You select one element and one attribute and see what happens. The DSS presents about 100 combinations and some are very worthwhile to see.
The other part of the gameplay that presents itself well is the exploration. The castle you explore is huge and well constructed. As you defeat more bosses and acquire more abilities you can explore even more of the castle. Much like the Metroid games, you'll know when you can proceed and when you can't. If you come to an area you can't get to its obviously because you do not have the correct ability.
Castlevania doesn't have bad graphics. For a GBA launch title the overall presentation is good but unless you have a GBA SP its a little dark. On a normal GBA it was so dark sometimes that I'd take damage and didn't know what was hitting me. The animation is also on the shorthand side. But that shouldn't suggest that Circle of the Moon doesn't present itself rather well.
The game is also a good challenge. It is not an easy game to get through, and newcomers to the series will have some trouble. But a good challenge is a good thing. The game is not too easy but it really isn't all that hard either. The meat of the challenge comes from the bosses and in any game that's where the challenge should come from.
Perhaps the best part about Castlevania Circle of the Moon is the replay value. Most games lack this but Circle of the Moon makes it worthwhile by providing new modes. Each time you complete the game you unlock new modes. Magician Mode, Fighter Mode and Thief Mode. Each mode has its own strenghs and weaknesses. For example, in Magician Mode you start off with all the cards and a massive amount of MP but your attack, defense and HP are severely limited. In Fighter Mode you have incredible attack, defense and HP but you don't get any DSS cards. In thief mode you have incredible luck! This makes playing through the game a second, third or fourth time a completely different experience than before.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is perhaps the best GBA game out there. With superb sound and gameplay, this is easily a treat for any gamer and Castlevania fan. It stacks up perfectly to Symphony of the Night and more over, should be the Castlevania that all future titles on the GBA should be compared to. An awesome effort by Konami.
The Good
+Great gameplay
+DSS System is the best
+Good challenge
+Visually striking
+INCREDIBLE SOUNDTRACK. Among the best the GBA has to offer
+Of good lentgh
+Lots of exploration to do
+Good storyline
+Lots of replay
The Bad
-The graphics are dark on a normal GBA
That's actually the only con that sticks out. Enjoy, as this is as good as GBA games get.
Rating: 
-
If you are a gamer who loves the castlevania games, especially "Symphony of the Night" Then you must check out Circle of the Moon, A very good game with fairly good music for the GBA.
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The reason for my title is fairly simple; "Circle of the Moon" successfully pulled the Castlevania series out of a dry spell that gave us the mediocre "Legends" and N64 offerings.
The premise of the game pretty much remains unchanged, with some new characters thrown into the mold; basically, Dracula's Dark consort, Camilla, decides to kick things off a little early this century by resurrecting Dracula in the year 1830. Surprisingly, you're not a Belmont in this game; you play as a character named Nathan Graves. As Nathan, you'll explore Dracula's huge castle and collect DSS cards; these cards, when combined with each other, lead to an absolutly incredible number of special attacks. Nathan will also learn special moves from defeating boss enemies, such as the slide kick, the high jump, and the ability to break through stone blocks.
"Circle of the Moon" is the hardest Castlevania game since "Bloodlines;" with health-restore items few and far between and, with a suspicious lack of any merchants, Nathan is going to have his work cut out for him.
One other gripe about the game; it's incredibly dark. As in you need direct overhead light to see what you're doing. I suggest playing this on an SP (which has a back light) or on a Game Boy Player for the Gamecube.
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I won a Game Boy Advance SP in a door prize drawing last week. I'm not new to video games, I've had an NES, Super NES, Sega Saturn and now a PS2... but I'm also not really a "video game guy" either. That being said, the second game I bought for my GB (after Madden 2004, 5 stars for that btw) was Castlevania Cirlce of the Moon. How fondly I remembered the original Castlevania on the NES and the even better Castlevania 2 and the hours upon hours I spent playing them. The graphics and sound on this pint-sized version are better than them both, and had the potential to be better too... BUT IT'S TOO HARD! Now, I certainly don't want to whip through it in an hour, but I can't even play 5 minutes without dying (and subsequesntly restarting from the very beginning after watching the agonizing intro again and again) If you're the kind of guy or gal who can beat the most difficult run-punch-kick-and-shoot games in an afternoon, than by all means this game is for you. BUT if you're like me and enjoy games like Super Mario than Castlevania is one to avoid!
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