Jeremy Parish

Game Boy Works Advance #002: Castlevania Circle of the Moon (Patreon)

Published:

2019-10-16 14:00:00

Imported:

2024-04

Tags:

castlevania game boy works game boy works advance

Content

If you're wondering why I jumped the gun a bit and launched Game Boy Works Advance now, here's the answer. I hit a pair of Castlevania games last year for Halloween, and by cracky, I feel like that should become a tradition. Not sure how I'm going to make it happen, but we'll figure it out...

In any case, this is the second-longest single Works video I've ever produced (right after Gargoyle's Quest). I can't make this a habit, because I'll die if I do, but sometimes the moment arrives where ya just gotta push your own limitations, you know?

Files

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon retrospective: I spit on your Graves | Game Boy Works Advance #002

Yep, it's Halloween, and that means it's time for my annual Castlevania retrospective. This time, we jump forward a decade from Super Castlevania IV... For many long-time fans, the big selling point for Game Boy Advance at launch wasn't a kooky Mario port or a throwback F-Zero sequel—it was Konami's first proper attempt at a Symphony of the Night follow-up in the form of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Circle absolutely blew away anything that had ever been created to that point for a handheld system, with stunning music and great-looking graphics. Unfortunately, Circle wasn't without its shortcomings—some resulting from questionable game design choices, and others resulting from issues with the GBA hardware itself. This tiny metroidvania juggernaut wasn't quite the grand slam it could and should have been, but don't let its flaws distract from the fact that this was an unparalleled feat in portability back in 2001.