Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is a video game that consists of 3 releases
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Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow is a Castlevania handheld title published by Konami for the Game boy Advance originally released in 2003. It is the third Castlevania game for the handheld system.The game was also later included in the Castlevania: Double Pack in 2006. It stars Soma Cruz, a Japanese High School transfer student who comes upon an Eclipse in the year 2035 and is led to Dracula's castle. It is the first game in the series to take place in the 21st century, and lands near the end of the series time line, just before its direct sequel, Dawn of Sorrow. The game was a commercial success in the United States, selling 158,000 units at launch, though it did not fare so well in Japan.
Aria of Sorrow, much like all of its predecessors, is a 2D sidescrolling action platformer. The game incorporates a number of elements from console RPG games, such as the experience and levelling up systems. Soma, the main character, will gain experience points whenever he defeats an enemy. Once enough experience has been gained he will level up, increasing all of his stats, and improving his performance in combat. In addition, the game borrows inventory and loot systems from RPGs that allow Soma to collect upgrades for armor and weapons. Equippable items, along with hearts and money, are dropped by enemies, and can be found when destroying breakable light sources.
Being a post-Symphony of the Night Castlevania title, the game is non-linear in nature. Soma will explore the many quadrants of Dracula's castle, discovering new powers, secret passage, and solving puzzles to advance. He will need to search thoroughly, backtrack, and experiment in order to progress through the castle, and reach new areas. Each area houses different scenery, tougher enemies, and new puzzles and challenges for Soma to tackle.
Unique to Aria of Sorrow is the tactical soul system, which allows Soma to absorb the souls of his enemies, granting him an expanded repertoire of special abilities. These souls are divided into four categories: Bullet, Guardian, Enchant, and Ability souls. Soma can equip one of each at any given point in the game. Bullet souls are generally offensive in nature, and will usually create a projectile attack. Guardian souls have an effect over time, and include summons and transformations. Enchant souls are continuously active when equipped, and will increase Soma's statistics, or grant him a number of abilities. Finally, the ability souls will give Soma additional skills, usually required for progress through the castle. Both bullet and guardian souls require magic points to use, while Enchant and ability souls do not.
Plot
The year is 2035. While visiting the Hakuba shrine in Japan with his friend, Mina Hakuba, Soma Cruz is sucked into a solar eclipse and transported to Dracula's castle. There he meets Genya Arikardo where a group of monsters attack Soma but Genya destroys them and Soma absorbs a soul. Genya explains to him that Soma has "the power of dominance" and can absorb enemy souls and use them in combat. Genya then tells Soma to find the master's chamber. As Soma proceeds through the castle, he meets Graham Jones in the church. Graham reveals he was born on the same day Dracula perished in 1999 and believes he is the reincarnation of Dracula. Soma then meets Yoko Belnades, who is searching for Graham believing he is dangerous and could be the reincarnation of Dracula. Later in the game, Soma meets J, a man who has amnesia. After this, Soma confronts Graham about Yoko's suspicions and Graham claims he will inherit Dracula's power soon and runs away. Later, Soma meets with J again and J reveals he is Julius Belmont, the man who defeated Dracula in 1999. Soma reaches the throne room and Confronts Graham who has inherited Dracula's power. Soma defeats him and learns that Graham was not the reincarnation of Dracula, but he himself was. Arikado confronts Soma and tells him that he can save himself by destroying the Chaos within the castle. Soma heads to the Chaos realm but is halted by Julius, who believes him to be Dracula. After the battle Soma tells Julius to kill him if he can't destroy the Chaos. Soma heads into the Chaos realm and defeats Chaos. He is then congratulated by Mina and Airkado after the castle crumbles to the ground.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow was the first Castlevania game to take place in the future. It put the player in the shoes of Soma Cruz, stumbling into Dracula's Castle in the year 2035. Aria of Sorrow is a 2D exploration platformer featuring the "Tactical Soul" System, which allowed the Player to steal the Enemy's Abilities, using them in varying ways in order to proceed through Dracula's Castle.
Overview
Entering the castle
Gameplay
I'm on a boat!
Being a post-Symphony of the Night Castlevania title, the game is non-linear in nature. Soma will explore the many quadrants of Dracula's castle, discovering new powers, secret passage, and solving puzzles to advance. He will need to search thoroughly, backtrack, and experiment in order to progress through the castle, and reach new areas. Each area houses different scenery, tougher enemies, and new puzzles and challenges for Soma to tackle.
Equipping souls
Plot
The year is 2035. While visiting the Hakuba shrine in Japan with his friend, Mina Hakuba, Soma Cruz is sucked into a solar eclipse and transported to Dracula's castle. There he meets Genya Arikardo where a group of monsters attack Soma but Genya destroys them and Soma absorbs a soul. Genya explains to him that Soma has "the power of dominance" and can absorb enemy souls and use them in combat. Genya then tells Soma to find the master's chamber. As Soma proceeds through the castle, he meets Graham Jones in the church. Graham reveals he was born on the same day Dracula perished in 1999 and believes he is the reincarnation of Dracula. Soma then meets Yoko Belnades, who is searching for Graham believing he is dangerous and could be the reincarnation of Dracula. Later in the game, Soma meets J, a man who has amnesia. After this, Soma confronts Graham about Yoko's suspicions and Graham claims he will inherit Dracula's power soon and runs away. Later, Soma meets with J again and J reveals he is Julius Belmont, the man who defeated Dracula in 1999. Soma reaches the throne room and Confronts Graham who has inherited Dracula's power. Soma defeats him and learns that Graham was not the reincarnation of Dracula, but he himself was. Arikado confronts Soma and tells him that he can save himself by destroying the Chaos within the castle. Soma heads to the Chaos realm but is halted by Julius, who believes him to be Dracula. After the battle Soma tells Julius to kill him if he can't destroy the Chaos. Soma heads into the Chaos realm and defeats Chaos. He is then congratulated by Mina and Airkado after the castle crumbles to the ground.
| Game Name | Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow |
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| Original US Release |
May 6, 2003
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| Original US Release |
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| Aliases | Castlevania: Minuet of Dawn |
GBA games collection
a list of 12 items by ChineseTea
a list of 12 items by ChineseTea
