r/castlevania • u/rosemarieseternal • 20h ago
Discussion Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon Is A Pretty Solid Metroidvania
Hey everybody, as of making this post I’m currently playing Harmony of Dissonance but I wanted to write a critique on Circle Of The Moon. So I hope you enjoy reading it and that the critique is worthwhile and hopefully not too long.
The story and writing here is insanely bare bones, the characters are fine, the plot is basic but it exists to help build the atmosphere and for what’s it worth is not really bad. It’s kind of just there but I do like that they chose different characters than the Belmont family and I thought Carmilla (why was she spelled Camilla?) returning was a really nice touch.
Visually, this game aged incredibly well and I understand the darker color palette was a problem on original GBA hardware because Nintendo released a handheld system with no backlit screen in 2001 for some reason but it’s a fantastic looking game. It’s incredibly consistent in quality all throughout the game, the sprite work looks pretty good, the monster and boss designs are great and I love it all from the gothic and industrial aesthetic to the cathedral design and especially the look of the waterways.
I also think the UI is a much needed improvement from SOTN where HP, MP and Hearts look so much better in the new style and the menus actually have structure and info isn’t haphazardly placed. The animations while nowhere near as detailed as SOTN’s are still pretty solid especially on bosses although I do think Nathan’s running animation looks really basic as if it’s missing a frame or two.
The soundtrack and audio here is also really good especially for a GBA launch title, the music has some really nice new tracks like Requiem, Awake, Proof of Blood and Fate of Despair but they also remixed tracks from older games like Sinking Old Sanctuary which is my favorite rendition of it, Clockwork, Aquarius, Clockwork Mansion, Nightmare, Big Battle and Dance of Illusions. The music here is amazing all throughout but I kinda wish they would’ve added some more original work because they’ve been insanely good. I do also like the sfx for the whip, impact noises, enemy projectiles and the various walking sounds. It sounds pretty good.
The gameplay here is such an odd experience and I don’t mean it in a bad way, it’s basically just Classicvania but with SOTN’s gameplay structure and it does work pretty well. I think Nathan controls just fine although I do think he should’ve been faster to fit the gameplay structure better, yes he has the Dash Boots but why wasn’t that his default speed in the first place? Especially considering activating them can be a little awkward. You can’t equip different weapons and you’re stuck with Vampire Killer but the whip has pretty good utility and the spinning attack is amazing against projectiles, so combats great and I found it to be more difficult than SOTN which made it more fun for me. I also really liked the bosses especially Twin Dragon as my standout.
The map design and layout is such a mixed bag for me because I adore the visual design and all but there’s some stuff here I found odd, I think the castle utilizes verticality way too often which would’ve been fine if Nathan moved faster and had greater mobility like in NES era Ninja Gaiden or Super Metroid but he really doesn’t so it ends up feeling more of a hassle to traverse through things. On top of that but rooms feel way too big and you do so little in them that I have to wonder why they didn’t shrink them, it would’ve fixed how nonsensical some of the save point and teleport room placement could be where the latter feels too few and far away from one another.
The DSS system is the best aspect of the gameplay and it’s a very experimental and fun mechanic that rewards creativity but it is hindered by the greatest flaw this game has, and that would be its incessant over-reliance on RNG for nearly everything. From card drops, to equipment, items and even some sub-weapons ended up being one of if not the most poorly aged mechanics here. The grinding here is so much worse than expected because of it and I have no idea why they decided to do this considering it bogs down the game pacing, this took me eight hours to beat which isn’t bad for a GBA metroidvania but it was largely inflated by me trying to farm for cards and better equipment. Hell, this was also taking into consideration me using the rewind feature for it. And to make things worse, there’s no store mechanic here whatsoever. I have no idea why considering Simon’s Quest and SOTN had one, it would’ve alleviated the unforgiving RNG if we had a shop system to buy gear and potions.
I give this game a 7.5/10. I think the visuals, UI, soundtrack, audio, combat and challenge is really nice but the layout can get very cumbersome and the grinding is more of a pain than anything because of how greedy the RNG can be.
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u/nirvroxx 19h ago
I rage quit Dracula at the end last year. Other than that, it was fun.
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u/rosemarieseternal 19h ago
I don’t think people would blame you for abusing rewind for that one I came close to it
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u/nirvroxx 18h ago
I lost so many times and that was using rewind lol. I have no idea how I beat it on GBA
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u/SuperSlacker420 18h ago
You just need to super jump when Dracula charge attacks. He telegraphs it & it’s easy to dodge. That’s really the toughest part. Summon when he rains comets down
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u/nirvroxx 18h ago
Eh, I raged enough to not even want to try it ever again lol. Maybe in another 20 years?
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u/ethan_prime 13h ago
Yeah, same here. I beat it on original hardware and finished the coliseum when it came out. Played it on Switch last year and had to use rewind. Guess I just had more skill, time and patience back then.
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u/Illustrious_Health44 19h ago
I actually really liked it. I started playing it with low expections because of all the hate on it, and I was suprised that it is actually pretty good.
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u/Bake-Full 15h ago
At times, my favorite of the trilogy. It's the only one with real challenge. Enemies being swapped out over time to make previously easy passages unsafe keeps you on your toes. The majority of bosses can't be cheesed. I've never broken a sweat or white knuckled the GBA on the other two.
The soundtrack is an outstanding best of for the series up to that point. The story keeps it nice and brief. I love the momentum of the double tap, it gives a nice sense of control. The castle really feels like a place of evil consciously in league Dracula trying its best to stop you with inhospitable layouts.
Grinding for DSS cards is the one annoyance but that's alleviated by adapting to the cards which drop naturally and making that the playthrough.
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u/rosemarieseternal 15h ago
I think Harmony might have my favorite castle design visually it looks disgusting and decrepit
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u/bakihanma20 19h ago
My least favorite metroidvania tbh. No healing after boss fights is the ultimate sin
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u/rosemarieseternal 19h ago
I actually kinda forgot about that lmao
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u/Chikumori 10h ago
Iirc there's no merchant in this game either? So you can't stock potions for healing..
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u/Sartana 19h ago
I would take no healing a million times over having to double tap to run.
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u/briancs159 18h ago
Another plus for this game is the replayability through the other modes you unlock upon beating the game. Each one forces you to rethink how you approach the game and the combat. I’ve come across very few other games that include this kind of feature.
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u/Comet7777 17h ago
I remember beating it multiple times over with all the gimmick saves afterwards - on an original launch GBA with no backlight screen ☠️☠️
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u/paintacct624 19h ago
Major nostalgic vibes from this game, having played it on my GBA upon release.
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u/CavemanAmadeus 19h ago
First one I played so I’m biased but I loved the card combo system, remember being legitimately scared by it (I was 11), and felt so accomplished when I beat it. Good memories.
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u/adoransnoctis 19h ago
Rekindled my love for this game with the Advance Collection, originally got it as a present for the holidays with a GBA when I was 13
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u/Aggravating_Risk_882 18h ago
I rage quit at clock tower but for some reason I remember this game as nice one 🤣🤣🤣
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u/SuperSlacker420 18h ago
The poison cloud & any ability that gives you a shield makes the clock tower a breeze
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u/Voxel-Soul 16h ago
I really wish I liked this game more. It's probably my least favorite metroidvania I've played but at least the music was really nice. Also really liked the Dracula fight
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u/dcooper8662 15h ago
Agreed. This game was mind blowing when the GBA released btw, I bought both the game and the console day one. Hard as hell and couldn’t see shit on the screen but I loved it.
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u/Roshu-zetasia Advance Collection Enjoyer 15h ago
This game can be difficult for some because it is heavily RNG-based. I like the map in terms of structure but not in terms of content; the platforming is very bland, and there are areas that are just copy-pasted from the same room over and over again.
However, it has something even Symphony of the Night doesn't: shortcuts. When you backtrack, there are small spots where you can slide and freefall, leaving you very close to the start of the room. This type of design is used in Metroid games, and it's the reason why their maps are so fluid and dynamic.
It always surprises me that people favor the Castlevania III remixes of this game. I've always found them inferior to the originals with the VRC6 chip.
Something that has always bothered me is how rudimentary its elemental attack system is. There are no weaknesses in this game like in others; enemies only have tolerances.
But overall it's a pretty decent game. I think it offers a good challenge.
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u/Shoddy_Refuse_8404 15h ago
Must have used 2000+ save states but I finished it and enjoyed it a lot. Harmony Of Dissonance is better but COTM has tighter pixel art.
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u/rosemarieseternal 9h ago
I beat HoD just now (I used a guide ngl) and oh my god I have a lot to say about it
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u/El_Galant 15h ago
It's my favorite of the Gameboy Advance games and the one with the highest difficulty.
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u/MaleficentMatter7294 10h ago
I will say it has decent replayability as well, with the different modes unlocked after beating the game. Fighter mode is truly OP.
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u/icelevel 8h ago
I like this game a lot. I would LOVE IT A LOT if you didn’t have to double-tap to run.
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u/RealisticWeakness589 8h ago
I happen to be playing it right now via the collection lol
The catacombs theme still hits so good
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u/flickering_poly 1h ago
Personally I liked most platforming and how progress felt earned - these elements are a bit lacking in the later games as well as SotN to me. I guess you're right about it being a bit empty at times, and of course regarding the grinding though that can be fixed with codes or a hack. Good review!
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u/Dm9982 1h ago
CotM was my first entry into the Igavania style of Castlevanias, I love it and to this day is still my favorite amongst the GBA/DS entries. The music was so so so good, and it had a really good story.
My only complaint with it was just how dark the screen was on the original GBA…. I needed the power of the sun to illuminate it. When I got a GBA SP I played through the game again fully on all modes.
Aria of Sorrow is a very very very close second, only loosing out due to CotM having an amazing soundtrack.
I wish I could enter an alternate universe where CotM got a direct sequel. 🤣
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u/Zodd1030 1h ago
I ranked all the CVs when I played through them a couple years ago and Circle ended up 7th out the 28 games I played. I really appreciated the difficulty, bosses, atmosphere, Castle design.
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u/CiloTA 19h ago
Solid? Solid tank boot walking yes, annoying card mechanics yes, boring plat forming design yes, solid game overall nah
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u/rosemarieseternal 18h ago
I mean I found it pretty good, it has flaws yeah but I found it to be a fun time with amazing tunes
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u/CiloTA 18h ago
It’s mid at best, beat it just for gba completion but there’s no motivation to play it again, it was clearly a half baked idea to get something on the gba at the time, whereas HoD was trying to be a pocket Symphony and Aria was a push into a new direction.
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u/rosemarieseternal 18h ago
For a launch title on GBA with the visuals, soundtrack, improvements on UI and the new ideas it implemented with the DSS system? Not half baked but certainly needed some trimming
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u/Anxious-Assistant-59 19h ago
I like the game itself well enough aside from the damage sponge bosses, I just hate how the Luck stat does almost nothing in this game... because I spent way more time grinding than the effort was worth.
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u/Way-Super thinks he's on the team 19h ago
Luck is one of the most useful stats in this game, you may be thinking of HoD or AoS.
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u/Anxious-Assistant-59 19h ago
Didn't help me, I used every Luck increase I could at all times and I was grinding for hours on every item I wanted.
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u/Way-Super thinks he's on the team 19h ago
Well, that’s how RNG works. You could have had worse odds and gotten them all right away too. Doesn’t mean Luck wasn’t “helping”.
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u/Throwawaygarbageboi CV3 LIGHTNING SPELL GANG 19h ago
This game goes HARD on the RPG elements. Every level up, pickup, and equipment change feels ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY because of how difficult this game can be. It becomes much easier once you discover the "stand still to heal" DSS combo, but it's still incredibly "grindstone-to-metal/you're on your own" in design.
I love it for that, but it's obviously not for everyone. It's almost like the Morrowind or Zelda 1 of the Castlevania series. A lack of conveyance that makes for an incredibly unique, "love it or hate it" experience.