Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is a 2003 action role-playing game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. It is the 20th main entry in the Castlevania series, as well as the third and final game produced for the system. Producer Koji Igarashi, who had led the production teams for previous Castlevania games, oversaw Aria of Sorrows development in parallel with its predecessor Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2002). Michiru Yamane returned to compose the music alongside Takashi Yoshida and Soshiro Hokkai. Director Junichi Murakami was new to the Castlevania series.
In contrast with other Castlevania titles taking place in the late medieval period or the early 20th century, Aria of Sorrow is set in 2035, decades after a climactic war resulted in Dracula's permanent demise and his castle being sealed in a solar eclipse. The plot follows the journey of Soma Cruz, a teenager granted occult powers, as he is trapped in the eclipse and encounters dark figures who wish to inherit Dracula's power. The game has been described as an action-adventure game with elements of role-playing games. Aria of Sorrow introduces several features to the series, such as the "Tactical Soul" system that enables Cruz to absorb the properties of defeated enemies, as well as a full New Game Plus mode.
Aria of Sorrow was released in May 2003. Although it sold poorly in Japan, selling 27,000 units nearly one month after its release, it was commercially successful in the United States, with more than 158,000 units sold in the three months following its release. Aria of Sorrow received universal acclaim, with praise for its visuals, gameplay (particularly the Tactical Soul System), music, and level design. Some critics considered it the best Castlevania game since Symphony of the Night (1997), as well as one of the best Game Boy Advance and Metroidvania genre games.
Konami released a sequel, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, in August 2005. It incorporated many elements from its predecessor, including the "Tactical Soul" system. Aria of Sorrow was re-released as part of the Castlevania Advance Collection on September 23, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One alongside Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (2001), Harmony of Dissonance, and Castlevania: Dracula X (1995).
Gameplay
thumb|left|An image of gameplay, with the primary character, [[Soma Cruz, using a soul to attack a pair of enemies]]
Aria of Sorrow features a 2D side-scrolling style of gameplay where the player controls the onscreen character from a third-person perspective. The game has been described as an action-adventure game with role-playing elements such as characters levelling-up each time they earn a set number of experience points from defeating enemies; each "level" gained increases the character's statistics, thus improving their performance in battle. Statistic examples include hit points, the amount of damage a character can receive; magic points, which determine the number of times a character can use magical attacks; strength, the power of a character's physical attacks; and intelligence, the power of a character's magical spells. These weapons differ in their damage output, the range of the weapon, and the speed of the attack. These areas feature different components, such as different enemies, varying terrain characteristics, and a unique piece of theme music. Similar to most platform games, progression between areas is limited by the abilities the player has. While the method in which the player progresses through the game is initially linear, the player's options become more diverse as the number of character abilities increases. Save for a few exceptions, all types of enemies in the game can eventually yield a unique soul that can be absorbed by the player. The rate at which enemies' souls are obtained varies between enemies. Players can trade souls between two Aria of Sorrow cartridges using two Game Boy Advance consoles and a link cable. Bullet, Guardian, and Enchant souls are identified with the colors red, blue and yellow respectively, and the player can only have one of each type equipped at any given time. Bullet souls are Soma Cruz's replacement for sub weapons in this game, and enable the player to consume a set number of magic points to use an ability, often some form of projectile. The fourth type, Ability souls, are treated differently from the other three types. They originate from one-of-a-kind enemies in the game, and once obtained, they remain active as long as the player does not specifically disable them, Additionally, the player can opt to start the game in Hard Mode, offering the same gameplay at a higher difficulty level. Julius Mode is an additional mode of play unlocked with the same method. Shortly after Dracula's death, a prophecy was made that Dracula's reincarnation would come to his castle in 2035 and inherit all of his dark powers. He is initially accompanied by his childhood friend, Mina Hakuba, the daughter of the priest of the Hakuba shrine. Over the course of the game, Soma meets additional characters that aid him in his quest: Genya Arikado, an enigmatic government agent and disguise for Alucard, the son of Dracula; Yoko Belnades, a witch and member of the Belnades clan; and Hammer, a soldier from the military ordered to investigate the events occurring at Dracula's castle, although he abandons this mission and sets up a shop to sell Soma equipment (potions, weapons and the like). Graham Jones, a missionary who believes he is Dracula's reincarnation, serves as the game's antagonist.
The characters were designed by Ayami Kojima, who had previously worked on the characters in Castlevania games such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. Due to the game being set in the future, Kojima's designs are notably more contemporary, utilizing modern clothing, in contrast to the medieval attire that characters from previous games wore. After a group of monsters appear and are dispatched by Arikado, one of the monsters' souls is absorbed by Soma. Arikado explains this as the awakening of Soma's "power of dominance". and reveals that Dracula, long thought to be immortal, was destroyed for good in 1999, and that his powers will be passed down onto his reincarnation. She clarifies the nature of Soma's powers, revealing that they are not necessarily evil, but inherent to Soma himself. Later, Soma encounters Hammer, a member of the Army ordered to come to the Hakuba shrine. He has forfeited his mission, however, in favor of selling goods. He becomes Soma's vendor, selling numerous goods to aid Soma's mission. A mysterious man then accosts Soma, asking about the nature of Soma's dark power. When Soma continues to converse with him, the man reveals that he has amnesia, and the only thing he remembers is his name starts with "J". Concerned, Soma confides this incident to Yoko, who recommends that Soma join her in stopping Graham. As Soma proceeds further through the castle, he comes upon a scene of Graham stabbing Yoko with a knife. Graham retreats, and Yoko warns Soma of Graham's power. Arikado arrives, promises Soma he will look after Yoko, and demands that Soma pursue Graham. Soma meets "J" again, who reveals he is Julius Belmont, the man who defeated Dracula in 1999.
Soma ascends to the castle's keep and confronts Graham in the throne room. Although Soma's sole desire is to leave the castle, Graham is convinced that Soma must be killed for absorbing the souls of the castle's monsters. Soma manages to defeat Graham, even after Graham uses his newfound powers to assume a demonic form. As Graham falls in defeat, Soma absorbs his powers, and realizes he is Dracula's reincarnation. Arikado arrives and reveals a way for Soma to save himself by halting the flow of chaos into the castle. Soma proceeds to the Chaotic Realm, but Julius attacks him, believing that Soma is Dracula. Julius allows Soma to defeat him, as he sensed Soma's soul fighting against Dracula's influence. Before he leaves, Soma elicits a promise from Julius to kill him if he fully becomes Dracula. Soma travels through the Chaotic Realm and finally locates the source of chaos. Soma manages to defeat the manifestation of chaos and is sent congratulations by Yoko, Hammer, Julius, and Arikado. Soma awakens back in the Hakuba Shrine with Mina, pleased that the conflict is over.
Development
thumb|Producer [[Koji Igarashi, who led the production teams for previous Castlevania titles, led Aria of Sorrows development.]]
Aria of Sorrow was unveiled at a press conference in San Francisco by executive producer Koji Igarashi on January 16, 2003. Igarashi had worked on previous Castlevania games such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. Aria of Sorrow was placed in production alongside Harmony of Dissonance, resulting in both games sharing similar programming engines and gameplay elements. Aria of Sorrows Ability souls, for example, provide the protagonist with innate abilities like the Relic items in Harmony of Dissonance. Nevertheless, Igarashi claimed he wished to try a "different route" for the series with Aria of Sorrow via placing the game in a futuristic setting.
One of Igarashi's prominent concerns during development was addressing the criticism expressed concerning Harmony of Dissonance. Igarashi noted that the music in Harmony of Dissonance had not been well received and Michiru Yamane, who had previously worked on the acclaimed music for Symphony of the Night, was hired in order to compose for Aria of Sorrow. The development team worked on the game's audio cycles, as well as delegating more cartridge space and processor cycles for the sound.
|Fam = 36/40
|GI = 9.25/10
|GSpot = 8.6/10
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow has received critical acclaim from several video game publications, with many comparing it to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, widely considered the best game in the Castlevania series. Official Nintendo Magazine called the game "Fang-tastic stuff", placing it 71st on a list of greatest Nintendo games. In Japan, the game sold 27,000 units one month after its release, considered to be a poor showing for a major video game franchise. Conversely, the game was significantly more successful in the United States, with more than 158,000 units in sales three months after its release.
As the third installment of the Castlevania series on the Game Boy Advance, many reviewers made note of the game's differences from its predecessors, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, with many considering it the definitive Castlevania game for the Game Boy Advance.
In 2007 IGN ranked it as the second best Game Boy Advance game of all time. Game Informers Tim Turi ranked 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, specifically the Tactical Soul system, was a frequent subject of acclaim among reviewers. RPGFan called the Tactical Soul system "addictively fun", and GameSpot lauded the simplicity and depth of the gameplay. In an interview, Koji Igarashi noted that he felt that the Tactical Soul system used in Aria of Sorrow, as well as the storyline with Soma Cruz, were a waste to use in only one game, and contributed to his desire to make a sequel. Though Aria of Sorrow was successful, its sales figures failed to meet expectations and prompted the switch to anime-style designs. In 2005, Igarashi expressed a desire to develop a game centered on the battle between Julius Belmont and Dracula, but commented that the project would be dependent on available production time.
On November 3, 2005, Aria of Sorrow was re-released as part of Konami's "Konami the Best" line in Japan. It was re-released, along with Harmony of Dissonance, in the Castlevania: Double Pack in North America on January 11, 2006. A scaled-down version for mobile phones by Glu Mobile was released in 2008 in Europe. It features loading times and reduced animations to accommodate its smaller file size, but retains most of the original game's locations and mechanics.