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

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.

[@andyenglish4303]

Fun Fact: When I first played this game I cleared the underground waterway... without first purifying the water. You think it's frustrating with the clean water, just imagine it without.

[@sunstruck]

purifying water? what?

[@blazeruby767]

There’s a key item that cleans the water and makes the area playable. But you can do it without the item, but it’s very difficult.

[@ChadGPTu]

Same here. It was absurdly difficult.

[@jesreforba8592]

I also did that haha.

[@ryumishima44]

Same here, but it was that difficult but satisfying feeling you get with games of this kinda(Actually the From Software games have been carrying this very effectively)

[@RondoOfBloodX]

COTM is VERY underrated in ALL aspects. It has easily one of the best CV soundtracks and a great battle system with the DSS. Hopefully with the Advance Collection more people will come to appreciate this game.

[@FINSuojeluskunta]

Some of the music is weak but other than that is really has the full CV experience

[@rowtow13]

The Castlevania Advance Collection does a lot to minimize some of this game's weaknesses (such as DSS farming) and it actually turns the dark graphics into a strength. It looks gorgeous on a TV. I like it more than Harmony of Dissonance.

[@MarginalSC]

The random drops make sure that it'll remain where it is.

[@MrOmegatronic]

This game was actually my introduction to the _Castlevania_ series. ;o

[@rabiroden]

I think this was my first Castlevania. I never beat it cuz dang is it hard. But apparently something about it made my dad curious enough to play it for a few minutes, and he practically _never_ played video games. He even figured out you can whip the candles and get items, which he told me about as he was playing -- a detail I honestly didn't know at the time. So that little memory is something I can thank this game for at least.

[@silveracid1344]

22:00 "if you become soft, I'll take over for you". Have had worse offers..

[@SlyBeast]

This game, even with grinding, has arguably the most difficult final boss in the Castlevania franchise. It also has, arguably, the most awesome final boss music in the franchise.

[@Chadius]

Proof of Blood needs a modern remix or an orchestra version so badly.

[@SlyBeast]

@@Chadius Doesn't it!? I feel like that one gets lost in the mix of all the great Castlevania music but it is top shelf.

[@Neobelmont1]

Imagine proof of blood as a remix in smash? We got awake but still, proof of blood is a strong song.

[@SlyBeast]

@@Neobelmont1 I was surprised and glad to see Awake show up in Smash! That's another one that doesn't get mentioned a lot among the others but it is one of my favorites.

[@jcafarley]

Circle of the Moon also has the best version of 'sinking old sanctuary.' Fantastic track.

[@jasongarrett768]

+1. Any time Castlevania remembers a previous music track besides the Big Three is a delight. But to be fair every time it remembers the Big Three is also a delight.

[@cinnamonnoir2487]

It's a good thing that song's so catchy, because any playthrough of Circle of the Moon involves hearing it on loop for half an hour on at least three separate occasions.

[@vincentlee8787]

@@jasongarrett768 Just to be clear, the Big Three is comprised of Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears, and Theme of Simon Belmont? ( I usually include "Beginning" as the Big Four.)

[@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness]

100%

[@MarcoCaifan87]

@@vincentlee8787 I woulda thought the big 3 as Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears, and Beginning, with Theme of Simon Belmont as the 4th.

[@zubizuva]

He’s just doing this series so he doesn’t have to talk about Deadly Towers. Can’t say that I blame him.

[@JeremyParish]

Deadly Towers went up today for Patreon backers. My long personal nightmare is over.

[@JeremyParish]

Benjamino 2000 Alas: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i16TqJhvp8SIba8

[@zubizuva]

@@JeremyParish Your bravery is unparalleled!

[@7thangelad586]

Careful! If you say “Deadly T____” three times in the comments section, it will possess your NES console and force you to play it for an interminable amount of time.

[@cinnamonnoir2487]

You know, this used to be my least favorite portable Castlevania game because it's so hard and confusing, and the difficulty curve is all over the place. Then I played it some more and realized that it's actually really clever and inventive, and the layout of the map is close to perfect for a game based around exploration. And it's _still_ my least favorite portable Castlevania game, because pretty much _all_ of them are friggin' fantastic. P.S. It's good to see I'm not the only one who sucks at fighting Adrammelech.

[@RichardHannay]

We need a Metroidvania collection! GBA/DS games

[@theuglytruth6469]

We finally got it.

[@RichardHannay]

@@theuglytruth6469 we just need the DS collection now! 😈

[@NeoBlueCD]

I'm just curious how they'll make the dual screen/touch aspects of the games work, but man I really want that too

[@KingDaveth]

@@RichardHannay Honestly, I just want Symphony of The Night for steam but I doubt I'd get that one.

[@FitFatFern]

We got it and with an encyclopedia too.

[@PurifyWithLight]

Been playing through this again. What makes this one stand out to me is how snappy it feels. It's responsiveness is extremely satisfying

[@tgr3423]

The camera is also at the pixel perfect distance away from Nathan, so he is IMMENSELY comfortable to control and I never feel overwhelmed by enemies off-screen since you can see soooooo much.

[@dmas7749]

@@tgr3423 there are some places where i feel cheap blindsides are a bit of a thing, the bees in the warehouse, as well as some of the bosses like Necromancer where their fast projectiles are difficult to see coming

[@tgr3423]

@@dmas7749 I know which part you're taking about too. I used to think the same thing, but if you walk slowly, you can get them a good third of the way on your camera before aggro'ing them. There are some pretty bullshit enemies though, like the Devil. First time encounters with him are pretty impossible.

[@daveybentley9059]

2:52 The fact that you’re thinking of doing another series is what makes me worried.

[@Padoca]

Glad seeing you do justice to this great game. So many people bashed this over the years. Its one of my favorite entries in the series and my first metroidvania. I remember suffering through the Camilla fight because how dark the screen was, not being able to see the poison spores she releases.

[@Gantann]

After owning this game for over a decade, I finally beat it just a couple years ago and was really impressed by its quality. Compared to its direct successor, Harmony of Dissonance, it's aged far more gracefully with its darker, deeper color palette and music that's on the upper end for GBA quality in general (love the bass in some tracks). I couldn't get to the end when I was younger because it was just too hard, but I appreciate the difficulty now, even if some spots really overdo it like the optional arena area, which nearly requires some really powerful DSS combos. The game has a bit of a different rhythm to it I really appreciate-the shoulder tackle for instance does as much damage as your whip, but leaves you vulnerable afterwards. This led me to memorize how many strikes enemies took to kill and often substituting the last with a charge to finish them off while passing right through them, giving me extra momentum through the castle. It's a small thing, but it comes up in the moment-to-moment gameplay so often that it gives a different flavor to the whole experience. I really like those little differences this game has and the way they add up into being its own unique entry.

[@deltatango-six7941]

I like how in all of the GBA ads and commercials they show a vibrant backlit screen. Great Video Jeremy. This is an underrated Castlevania entry and one of my favorites.

[@chavesa5]

You can tell you were there in 2001--I was too. You really nail all the problems with Circle of the Moon, and why it's so frustrating because it is otherwise so excellent.

[@astrobollo]

Jeremy, I was hesitant to click on this video. You always bashed CotM whenever you have the chance on Retronauts, but I'm glad that I give it a chance, same as you did with this game. I believe that you really did justice to it in this review. It's a shame that I can give it just one like. :) Talking about the shortcomings of CotM, never felt that s shop was needed. Playing later Aria of Sorrow, I found that it was very easy to buy a bunch of healing potions from the store and then wailing on the final boss and healing periodically from the menu. That was a very unsatisfying victory and made the battle against Dracula in Circle a lot more fulfilling in retrospective with the limited healing resources and high damaging attacks from the boss. Loved this game to death and played over and over in different modes (magician, warrior, etc.), everyone offering a new spin to delve into Dracula's Castle again with different strategies to conquer it. Anyway, keep the good work...! Or should I say "works"? :D

[@CactusJack]

This brought back memories of me being so hooked on this game. I was going to the doctor with my mom and brother and I almost got hit by a car twice because I was walking and playing. After that, I was not allowed to play as I walked. Also my first run I didn't know I had to purify the water so I beat that area first. That was so hard and frustrating and then when I purified the water I was mad, I was like what was the point of it? Second run I learned I could do it first. Good job young me.

[@Chadius]

Speedruns skip the purification step entirely. It's totally possible to do it. That's what I liked about it.

[@CactusJack]

@@Chadius Young me was annoyed, me now thinks, wow that is cool you can do that. I like when metroidvanias let you bypass stuff or do things your way. Kid me didn't appreciate it

[@cheapergamer]

This game holds up well, played through it again about a year ago on a backlit SP. Such an ambitious game to kick off the GBA Castlevania line with!

[@BradLad56]

I've played for the first time this year thanks to the advance collection.

[@bananachild1936]

Circle Of The Moon is a pretty solid Castlevania game. The arthritis I got from playing it is also pretty solid too. Thanks to its wonderful "Double tap to run" walking/running system.

[@ricksloan5588]

Every time you beat it you unlock a different type of character. The magician starts with all cards.

[@TheXivu_Arath]

I’m an S Tier Magician main and this is my favorite game. One thing I cannot stress enough: Brain Floats… we all know that you can use the ice whip(Mercury and Serpent) to freeze them to reach high areas early. What a lot of people don’t know is that with the ice sword(Mars and Serpent) you attack at the same speed and do the same damage for the same effect with slightly less range BUT it swings overhead and makes freezing the Brain Floats above you much, much easier. This allows for a significantly less frustrating time reaching those higher areas early on and remember as long as you don’t attack while they’re frozen you won’t accidentally kill them. As a Magician Main, grabbing those health upgrades REALLY help how squishy the class is. Tip No. 2. When you cast ANY summon but Unicorn, pause the game as soon as the animation starts(BEFORE Nathan leaves the ground) and swap your cards to Venus and Thunderbird(more damage per map percentage) for a BOOST to the summon Damage. This actually makes Cockatrice a higher DPS option than Thunderbird. This trick also works with the Skeleton’s Big Bone for a damage bump as well. Edit: This can allow Magician to consistently one phase Camilla and the Minotaur Room, The Devil Armor Room and The Devil Room in The Battle Arena(with the mind restore potion quick summon cheese).

[@kennylauderdale_en]

I'd just like to say I love how well edited your videos are. Your virtual boy series was great too!

[@FloatingSunfish]

Really glad you're continuing this series right after it started. The games on this system were really quite something and, dare I say it, even *_better_* than most DS titles.

[@JeremyParish]

Unfortunately it's going to be a while before my next GBA video. I'm spacing these out so I can focus on completing NES 1987.

[@FloatingSunfish]

@@JeremyParish That's okay, whatever you feel is best! 😉 We love your videos regardless!

[@moonsdonut5188]

so who else has been binch watching ;)

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

I agree they were quite something, but topping DS releases? Really? That's just because there's not as much shovelwear for the GBA.

[@felixvids7238]

@@TheSmart-CasualGamer I'd go so far as to say that 2d games generally look better on GBA. There's a lot more nice pixel art on the platform whereas a lot of images on ds are simply compressed as hell which makes em look way trashier

[@jasonblalock4429]

I find the art design of the early GBA games to be fascinating, with how different devs were all trying to find ways to work around the terrible screen. It gives much of the GBA library a very distinct - if often garish - visual identity.

[@KuraIthys]

I never really thought about it that much, but in hindsight it makes sense. Then again I started with a GBA SP. Frontlit screens aren't as great as backlit for image quality, but it's a hell of a lot better than the unlit original's screen. I wonder how much of an effect the later models with screen lighting had on the design of later games? I suppose not that much since you still had to consider the original model... Having the SP's screen from the start may also have resulted in different game design...

[@jasonblalock4429]

@@KuraIthys Oh, it would have undoubtedly resulted in different graphic design. I mean, just look at Harmony of Dissonance, and how they stuck bright colored borders around characters to make sure they were visible. And both of the latter GBA Castlevanias, in general, have an absolutely absurd, almost psychedelic palette full of bright colors. Then came the DS games, and suddenly they're back to the appropriately dark gothic look.

[@HikariOblivion]

CotM is a game I have particular fondness for: It was the first Castlevania I played, and while it had its issues, I enjoyed doing the grind while I had nothing better to do and was in a place where the portable nature of the GBA were useful. It took me a year to play the game to completion, and since then I've played every other Castlevania I could find. Really great to see you cover it.

[@zachariahbritt1859]

Same here. I could have written the same post word for word.

[@MAYOFORCE]

It was a great metroidvania with a very adventurous kind of feel but the platforming physics are ass. >Design a game for a screen that's wider than tall >Make the jump arcs super high and the walking really slow and stiff

[@Chadius]

Also off screen enemies who like to kick you off the cliff.

[@MAYOFORCE]

@@Chadius It's actually not that bad

[@CecilMcW00t]

The constant double tapping you had to do so you could get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time really sapped my enjoyment of this game. That and the lack of a bestiary to track drops. I get why people praise the game as it provides an awesome challenge and lots of replayability with the different modes though.

[@MAYOFORCE]

@@Alianger All these comments remind me of how I would still love to see a reimagining of this game or HoD. Harmony's got good movement and a magic system and a bad map while Circle has the opposite

[@zxbryc]

There is a ROM hack called 'Card Mode' (posted just earlier this month) that puts the cards out in the open throughout the game (similar to Metroid), rather than having to grind for them. That's probably the way they should have went in the first place

[@swordofstabbingold]

yeah, the cards are required for a couple items. The cockatrice card especially.

[@RocketSlime]

The issue with that is unless their randomized it forces all players and every play through into being rather restricted, I however maybe optional parts of the map could be locked behind a version of the dds system where you can upgrade card combos like imagine Fire whip becoming a dragon head of Fire

[@awesomeinmortal3499]

Wow

[@joshb.9380]

Excellent work as usual. I felt this was a fair assessment of a flawed but enjoyable game. I recently played through it again and find that Jeremy does a great job of summing up both what is enjoyable and what is frustrating about this title. The castle, music, and DSS cards are great, and “Awakening” was an amazing addition to the Castlevania themes line-up.

[@clearlyazul]

With the quality of his videos, youd think hed have way more than 43k subs. Got another here keep it up dude!

[@arnox4554]

I'm gonna thank KZbin for that.

[@7mads]

I played it again last summer on the PSP, it is still amazing. I love CotM so much

[@Poever]

That’s piracy, mister

[@Keezawea]

@@Poever ...and?

[@hermitx8573]

@@PoeverIt's not piracy if you own the original cartridge.

[@Langas_LVDC]

Just wanted to say that the Advance Collection has restored the audio for the GBA games and now they sound AND look amazing!

[@Berutoron]

Is there any way to listen to them somewhere on yt? No review i've seen mentions the high quality audio option and it drives me nuts!

[@ocarina6908]

I remember one friend who had a birthday on the week of this game's launch and not only was this all he wanted as a gift, but all us friends clamoured to watch him play it. Being my first Metroidvania title this game will always have a special place in my heart. Going from the glorious aesthetics and audio of this game to the garish, high contrast visuals and subpar sound of the sequels was a real heartbreak.

[@gochadc]

Every time I see this game I want to finish it again, it's wonderful and also has a ton of replay value with the secret "classes"

[@xymoriintus]

Never knew about the replay able classes when you beat it that's so cool

[@ralfsstuff]

Fun fact: The poison mist combination makes Death, Carmilla and most of the Underground Waterway trivial. Death in particular was a joke. The mist just destroyed his scythes, which means he wasn't really able to do anything. I was able to have it on continually since it barely used any MP. It's also great to find hidden rooms because you could just keep it active and it would auto destroy any walls you passed by anyway.

[@MiguelPaulettePerez-bj8ml]

Despite this being really hard to get into, I'll find these tunes popping in my head far more often than I'll understand, considering the frequency of my playing this game.

[@serhiykrykun]

I just LOVE how challenging the game is. All IGAvanias are shamefully easy in comparison.

[@7thangelad586]

Along the line of “arguably bests” the GBA SP itself might be arguably my favorite handheld.

[@7thangelad586]

The DSS system left me feeling overwhelming anxiety that I was constantly using the least effective ones.

[@AltimaNEO]

Oh man me too. It was too in depth for what should have been a quick pick up and go game.

[@magetsalive5162]

Protip: most of the throwables are kinda useless, and if you're hunting for items and not using Luck +30% you're cheating yourself. Most of the rest of your situations can be solved by whatever you feel you need at that moment, which in my experience usually seems to be elemental healing, an elemental weapon, or a Summon setup. Also, be sure you abuse the DSS Card Swap to get combos you don't have cards for so you can use the Unicorn summon for much-needed healing whenever you have the chunk of MP you need for it.

[@7thangelad586]

Thanks for the crash course! I always made use of the Luck increase just to find more items. I experimented with most combinations and generally found a decent elemental attachment to combat certain enemies in areas. I’m certainly going to put the game on rotation in the future; I managed to get to the final battle but never finished it.

[@MrOmegatronic]

Spam the superjump, @@7thangelad586, it's one of the best (only?) ways to dodge a lot of stuff. xD

[@christopherdemichiei]

The next biggest flaw of the DSS, aside from the scarcity of drops, is that only one combo can be activated. As such, a lot of combinations aren't worth using.

[@prufrockrenegade]

Great video! I just have a small nitpick about your comment regarding the developers "cheating" in the sound department. The GBA audio hardware was primarily designed for sample playback, like the SNES. The original Gameboy PSG chip was also thrown in, mainly for backward compatibility, but also for developers to use in a supporting role if they choose. Pretty much every GBA game I can think of relied on samples for the bulk of their sound generation, although they did tend to be at a lower, grainier sample rate than the SNES

[@ovinophile]

Fond memories of the hours spent playing this directly under the brightest fluorescent light in my basement...

[@derekdraws]

Favorite GBA game, hands down. Great video (as always)

[@Jikkuryuu]

This might also be the first instance of the "so awkward to aim that it's often useless" handgun in the Castlevania series.

[@alder613]

I got this game yesterday, and I'm loving it so far!

[@Kairu99]

Dude your output is insane. I can't wait to eventually watch all of these.

[@Zulk_RS]

Weirdly enough, I actually like the double-tap run mechanic. It makes movement feel like there's some momentum and weight to it in a satisfying way. Compared to that, the movement in Aria feels like you're just floating through the game.

[@kumatmebro315]

Excellent video. I finally played through this game recently and was initially annoyed by its flaws. By the end I really liked the game. But everything you said is spot on.

[@lordmanimani-]

This was a great entry! I've always had a nostalgia for CotM, with basically the same set of fringe reservations you laid out in much better explanation (save points, great but flawed Stat and magic systems). Thank you for continuing on into the GBA!

[@Sankaritarina89]

I think I just discovered a new favourite channel! I stumbled across your channel when I was just now looking for reviews or talks about "Rygar" on NES that was released for the Switch NES today. Your channel is amazing. So much nostalgia!

[@cashnelson2306]

My first GBA game, played squinting directly under my grandma's table lamp on the original version of the console. I had only played a couple scant hours of SotN at a friend's house, but enough for my 10 year old self to know that was the coolest game I'd ever seen. Finally owning what was close enough to a portable version of it was so cool I barely even noticed I had to be directly under a bright light. The music still gives me those nostalgia goosebumps like nothing else save Chrono Trigger.

[@PianoBlack62]

I hope you never get tired of making castlevania content. Thank you jp

[@BlazeHedgehog]

This game's obsession with luck and RNG is what made me hate it, honestly. Even by the end of the game, rolling around with a luck stat of 600+, I still felt like I was tediously grinding drops. Plus, I think by the time I finished the game, I'd only found two or three DSS cards.

[@hosdelagdo]

How come reviewers never mention the DSS pause cheat? The developers built it into the game for a reason. It really allows you to experience the game to the fullest and find the best possible combinations for each scenario.

[@jexthegamer]

I loved this game back in the day! It's still one of my favorite Castlevania games.

[@hzafary]

So glad you chose Circle of the Moon! One of my all times faves!

[@GearGolemTMF]

This was my first and only Castlevania. I loved it. Didn’t beat it till like 2008ish but I enjoyed it a ton. Especially cheesing with the DSS glitch.

[@joypadretro2797]

Hey Jeremy, i LOVE your vids. Quality content!

[@petwisk2012]

I still think this is the best looking and sounding game on the GBA

[@IndohNintendo]

Best looking? I agree, it looks great and holds up even now in 2021, but how many GBA games have you played? IMO, Minish Cap, Gunstar Super Heroes, Astro Boy: Omega Factor, the 3 Starfy's and others are all more visually impressive. Even Aria of Sorrow looks alot cleaner....

[@David-dz1cb]

Heh, that opening pun. Glad to see this moving at a good clip! Got this on Wii U a year back, enjoyed but never finished it.

[@chamchamtrigger]

Great video. I was always bothered about why the machine tower sounded so familiar, and now I know why thanks to this video. It's odd, despite playing Castlevania 3 a whole lot as a kid (and both tracks being in my car's playlist), I just couldn't make the connection. On another note, I think one of the few things which made me tolerate fighting the last boss in CotM was the music for that fight.

[@Darth-Cosmos]

This is why Castlevania advance collection is so amazing: save states and replays!!!!

[@doricdream498]

yep. it also tells you which monsters have card drops, which was an absolute godsend. my first playthrough was with the advance collection, and it really helped me fall in love with the game.

[@Darth-Cosmos]

@@doricdream498 yeah man, I played and completed dawn of sorrow on nds and really liked it and I loved the art style so I always wanted to play the other ones but never did. Currently circle of the moon has me hooked, some bosses get really hard but with some practice it has been a breeze. I hope they release a collection of the ds games too

[@doricdream498]

@@Darth-Cosmos same here. the cart prices have been skyrocketing from what i can tell, and emulating ds games is usually asking for a headache due to the touch controls. i own portrait of ruin and its basically my gold standard for the vania type games in the series, and i would love for it to get more attention.

[@thatguy4632]

You make great videos. Thank you!

[@youisiaint]

I loved how a lot of the music was revamped 16-bit Castlevania tunes

[@mattdgroves]

Thumbs up if you played this at launch on the original GBA. That music made the grinding/RNG much more tolerable.

[@user-a5Bw9de]

It is indeed a rather unique experience, since the damsel in distress is an old man who is your tutor, and a villain who resurrected the final boss is a gorgeous beauty. I bet some bromance lovers would just bite into this game too. Sidelines aside, this game is pretty solid. Throwing giant bones at transformed Dracula has its own meme qualities along as a viable solution.

[@thomasj.9686]

Fair and in depth review. CotM is my favorite GBA Castlevania.

[@kosmosyche]

My favorite game on the GBA and my favorite metroidvania after Symphony of the Night. You can critisize it to your heart's content it's still an insanely fun and satisfying adventure. Later installments in the series didn't feel as fresh and interesting, they largely were "more of the same" type of deal.

[@bakem0n0]

So love the music jingle for the next episode. Captures the feel of those old Japanese anime i used to watch

[@Yungbeck]

The GBA Castlevanias are really underrated!!

[@aman1632]

"Evolutionary Galapagos"... Nicely done sir...

[@dalemuir1105]

I'm playing through this just now and thoroughly enjoying it. I'm playing it on the Castlevania Advance Collection, so there's no problems with display and the sound is improved. The game also tells you which enemies drop cards and whether you've got them, but it's frustrating enough trying to get the rare ones knowing which enemies drop them that I can't imagine what it was like in 2001!

[@BuLdaHntiWrkshp]

great work buddy

[@benjaminramsey4695]

Very good review, thorough.

[@RetroBreak]

Great video! Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on the other GBA Castlevanias!

[@xymoriintus]

I used to play circle of the moon so much I was waking up in the middle of the night with auditory hallucinations of the title screen music 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤣 I still really love this game. Thankful they put it on Switch

[@drunkenbuttons606]

I'm really glad the recent re-release addressed some of the issues mentioned here. Now you can tell which enemy drops cards by defeating them. Obviously the screen issue was long ago remedied with the Wii U Port, but now just as well with the Switch. Also, save states help mitigate the sparse save locations. Overall, it's nice to see a classic gem like this get a few quality of life improvements. I just hope the DS titles receive the same treatment in the near future.

[@JeremyParish]

Yet they still didn’t add an auto-run…

[@Unquestionable]

Sadly the worst part of the week has arrived, the longest possible time before another new video. This was a pleasant surprise of tackling a third party game this early in the line up and was happy to see it acknowledged. Personally looking forward to the Super Dodgeball Advance video, got that at launch (well a day after launch, got the date wrong and had slim pickings at the local toy store).

[@therealbenlurie8810]

This was my first castlevania game id ever played. I saw a walkthrough in a friends nintendo power and needed to have it. It was hard as fuck for 12 year old me.

[@tiradouken2854]

Loved circle of the moon. The remix of themes from other castlevania games were really good and the graphics are awesome. Of the 3 gba games I felt this was the hardest of the 3 games without exploiting the dss glitch and thought it was the best of the 3. Aria if sorrow was really good to but easier.

[@realsucka]

I've never seen this channel before but I literally just got done beating Circle of the Moon so here's to hoping I dig this retrospective

[@doha057]

This game has one of the best music in the entire GBA library.

[@ryanstevens3822]

really appreciated this video, on retronauts and rankings you always sound like you absolutely hate this game, but it sure was something special when it came out, and i feel like you really sell that along with its shortcomings.

[@PointZoneTelephone]

Somebody made a hack recently on the romhacking.net forums that puts the cards in the game's map as upgrades for you to find and not random drops, it's pretty good When I played this game I literally got the Serpent card on my first try killing the Earth Demon and didn't realize any of that was a difficult thing, which is pretty funny I played Harmony of Dissonance right afterwards and even with the hack to darken the game's palette to make it more bearable I still found it to be worse in comparison

[@DragoonBoom]

Oh fuck me so hard lmao i just got to the end of the game with a 999 luck cheat and the drop rate was still really bad OH MY GOD i wasted my time with the bad version of the game

[@jasongarrett768]

Looking at the ending scene of this game and then that of Harmony if Despair will certainly induce retinal whiplash. “Overcorrecting” is absolutely right. I do wish the latter game could get a more Ayami Kojima-accurate remaster with subdued lighting. Castlevania may be one of my three most favorite series but it’s disheartening to be reminded that this really was the last sprite based game with all original artwork; some of those enemy sprites may have had longer careers than Morrigan’s Darkstalkers sprite and that’s long past time for retirement. *remembers spending far, far too long grinding that earth demon and developing strong feelings about grinding thresholds because of it*

[@dylantortosa7678]

Loved the vid, CotM was my first metroidvania title. I hope you also cover Harmony of Dissonance in the future!

[@christiandornan1308]

Cicle of the Moon was the first GBA game I bought with my GBA after the day that it was launched here in the UK. I couldn't play it because how bad the GBA screen was so I ended up getting a wee purple light to shine on the screen.

[@siskavard]

That 3 frame run cycle absolutely boggles my mind - much, much more powerful hardware with the GBA & the team goes for a run cycle straight out of an NES game.

[@heff2959]

Exactly. Whereas the running animation was one of SotN's best features.

[@LieutenantStandby]

My first and favourite castlevania game, absolutely love the RPG mechanics in it.

[@ChristopherViola]

I enjoyed this one when I played through it long ago, but loved it even more playing through the different builds. Especially Shooter mode which gives you a hard hitting axe, cross, and the homing dagger. I thought it was cool that the game Chasm added similar builds. More Metroidvanias with builds, please!

[@JoeCoolMaveric]

2:20 Ah, SOTN Cerberus. The lamest, easiest boss in the entire game.

[@dmas7749]

ngl kinda annoying if you're doing lv1 or naked

[@JoeCoolMaveric]

​@@dmas7749, in those circumstances, sure, but the last time I did a normal playthrough, this happened. Kind of hilarious, really: twitter.com/JoeCoolMaverick/status/1140691705815097344

[@Tripplebeem]

I am replaying Circle of the Moon via the Castlevania Advance Collection as we speak, and every time those Killer Bee's show up in this video I want to yell just like when I am playing the game.

[@jeremyjohnson8844]

The Sinking Old Sanctuary. Good intro.

[@alt_mode_rose]

Disappointed this didn’t begin with “What a horrible light to have a curse.”

[@FloatingSunfish]

I'm sure he's just saving that golden pun for the next Castlevania game. 😆

[@MikeChimeri]

I'm just disappointed. One month ago, I watched Joe Redifer praise this game in a Game Sack video on the Metroidvanias while acknowledging some of its flaws. The impression I got from Jeremy here is it's all flaws. Similarly, I was watching an older Game Sack video which featured a glowing review of Solar Striker by then co-host Dave White. So, I accessed the old Game Boy Works (then World) episode and, sure enough, got the opposite perspective. But in the marketplace of ideas, not everyone will agree. So, I respect Jeremy's dissent.

[@JoeBushOnline]

This game's profile would've been significantly improved had they launched with a backlight and had Konami not made you double-tap a direction to run all the time, honestly, I think it stands the test of time better than much of the early GBA output. I know you've said that it'll be a while before you get back to this series, but I'm fascinated to see what you think about Pro Skater 2 on GBA as well if and when it comes up

[@mikedl1105]

This was my first Mtroidvania. I enjoyed it so much I played it to completion

[@drizzysetx7867]

This game was the reason I became a big fan of the Castlevania franchise😌, first castlevania I laid my hands on and most memorable

[@goranisacson2502]

My very first Metroidvania game. Not the first Castlevania game I played, but certainly the first one I remembered and got me hooked on playing the ones that followed. Can't really disagree with any of the criticisms, I just don't mind them- as someone who got a guide with his game magazine and knew which enemies to grind, I soon built up a sizeable DSS arsenal and went to TOWN on the enemies. Ah, for the days when I had the time to casually 100 % games at my leisure, and with no distractions around to do so...

[@FINSuojeluskunta]

This game is better than most people say, some of the music is very good and some is pretty low-effort. The point he made about dying to enemies after a boss is a huge problem in this game, but preventable if you buy the Steam version and make a save state after the battle. The battle arena is really fun if you're level ~45+. It still has a good solid castlevania feel and has tons of NG+ goodies if you want them, but the RNG aspects are kinda meh, needing to farm and grind is not something I want out of a castelvania. The DSS, while very fun, includes some stuff that kind of makes normal whip attacking inferior. So you end up just wiping rooms with summons. All DSS playthrough took me ~30 hours, second magician playthrough took like 3-4.

[@luisguillermojg]

Excellent video. Much more positive than I expected. The thing about luck is that one player may end up having a miserable time whereas with a few key different variables another will have a blast. I never got too many good cards in CotM but that, and the great level design, forced me to be more deliberate with movement and combat and to use the few cards I got wisely. Since I could never count on items and abilities bailing me out, I had to be more judicious with how I moved around the world, not unlike with the NES Castlevania games. This extends to the final boss which was quite difficult to beat until I figured out the movement after a few tries and was much more rewarding to beat as a result. I might be alone here but I had more fun beating this than Symphony of the Night. The latter is more polished but has subpar level design and ends up giving you everything on a platter (I never even had to use the Bestiary since I had more items that I needed anyway). CotM has a great map and a proper challenge level to up the tension and demands that you move around. Standing around and spammin attacks isn't going to cut it here. I think the ideal Igavania mode is one that complements complex but challenging level design with a combat/item/upgrade system that gives you enough advantages without being too esoteric and/or making you virtually invincible. So basically Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia.