Which GBA Castlevania is the best???

[stargate]

I am finally beaking down and getting a Game Boy Advance (now that the damn thing has a light). I am dying to play Castlevania, but wonder which one I should pick up first.

[Charlie]

I haven't played the other one yet, but Circle of the Moon was amazing. If you like Castlevania, then get both. But there is no right or wrong here, because they're all good (supposedly).

[BenT]

I played HoD for review last year, and gave it an 87.

I'm playing it again, now, and am really noticing its deficiencies. The music is really bad. Worse, though, is the utter and complete lack of challenge. It's a complete cakewalk, particularly when you spend even a few minutes to level up a bit. The story is crappy, exploring can be a chore, and the "furniture room" mini-game is less than pointless. It's just... blah. I'm told that the upcoming Aria of Sorrow was in development at the same time this game was, and it shows. HoD seems like a stopgap game to me.

I have come to prefer Circle of the Moon. It can be hard, the level design is somewhat blah, and it's definitely difficult to see without a lighting solution, but the challenge actually keeps it interesting. Give it a shot, I say. The price is right.

[DarkSoul]

I sadly haven't played both yet, but I do have CoTM, and I can at least vouch for it's excellence. Maybe you might wanna pick it up first, and hit Harmony later.. (Or try them out first, borrow from a friend, or emulate one for a little bit to try it, no moral foul if you're just trying it out, if you ask me)

[sonnenhexer]

I´ve played both, HoD and CotM, and CotM is better.

Michael

[simonbelmont7]

there both great, but get Circle of the Moon!!! =) The spell cards and all the different magics are a great idea!!
mark

[Xipe]

Just going through HoD as Maxim, and its not very exciting.

I plyed through CotM with all 5 classes (you unlock a new one each tume through) and still enjoy playing it now and then.

Go for Circle of the Moon!! Better lastability and as said above, a bit more challenging even if its not very hard compared to the original CV titles

[stargate]

great. thanks everyone!! COM it is.

[Mayhem]

Memory failing... which order have they come out in?

[sonnenhexer]

First Harmony, then Circle AFAIK.

Michael

[Sylentwulf]

I like HOD Better, The summons and magic system in CotM was just too much, and if you took the time to do all of it, it made the game too easy.

Edit - CotM had what, 128 total spells and summons? c'mon. Thats just ridiculous.

[Eternal Champion]

First Harmony, then Circle AFAIK.

Er, I thought Circle of the Moon was released shortly after the GBA launch, and Harmony of Dissonance a year later...

[sonnenhexer]

First Harmony, then Circle AFAIK.

Er, I thought Circle of the Moon was released shortly after the GBA launch, and Harmony of Dissonance a year later...

Er, right.
Sorry.

Michael

[Eternal Champion]

Kein Problem, Sonnenhexer. (Sonne und Hex zusammen bedeutet...?)
Hat diese Spiele deutsche Titeln?

[sonnenhexer]

Kein Problem, Sonnenhexer. (Sonne und Hex zusammen bedeutet...?)
Hat diese Spiele deutsche Titeln?

The titles are the same, I was wrong about the release-date.
sonnenhexer translated is sunwizard or something similar.

Michael

[Mayhem]

I thought CotM was the one I had now... guess so!

[Daniel Thomas]

Well, I'm going to go against the grain and say Harmony of Dissonance is the better Castlevania of the two.

I enjoyed Circle of the Moon a lot, actually. It's a really good game. The only thing that really sticks in me is the random way all the items, clothing, cards, etc. are randomly generated. I really hated having to fight the same stupid enemies over and over and over, just to get another one of those cards.

Of course, it's a great game, but by the end of it, I was burned out.

Harmony is much more of a retro Castlevania. In fact, if you're alert, you will spot references to every Castlevania game in the series (even going back to the original Vampire Hunter), as well as references to Super Metroid, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, Gradius, and Strider. I also think everything just looks much better and is easier on the eyes.

Many people give this game grief over the music, but, honestly, I don't see what the problem is. I love the music in this game. The music in Circle sounded great, but nearly all of the songs are recycled. Harmony actually has a lot of new music, and it's clearly in the Baroque style of the classic Castlevania games. For me, as long as the melody is well-written, and it all sounds good (certainly better than GBC quality), I'm fine.

I also have to give a nod to the furniture room. It's a completely arbitrary thing, but it's a great little touch. I like things like that.

And, finally, the game is a bit on the easy side, certainly easier than Circle was. But I had such a terrific time that I enjoyed the whole experience of it all. When I was done with Harmony, I was left wanting more. I think that's much better than feeling burned out; it leaves me eager for the next installment. What Konami should have done is allowed for a "Random" mode, where all the items are randomly scattered around the castle. I really want to go through this game again -- a feature like this should be obvious.

Anyway, that's my two cents. I've been writing a bunch of GBA reviews on my website, and I'll get to the Castlevanias one of these days. You're probably best buying them both.