Castlevania combo headed to GBA

Just like Dracula himself, old Castlevania games have a way of always coming back.

The original Belmont-based whippersnapper recently found new life on the Game Boy Advance last year as part of the Classic NES series. A pair of obscure Japanese Castlevania titles, Akumajo Dracula for the X68000 PC and Dracula X: The Rondo of Blood for the Turbo Duo, were resurrected in Castlevania Chronicles for the PlayStation. And now a pair of popular GBA installments in the series, Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow, are being rereleased on the system as part of the Castlevania Double Pack (working title).

Released in 2002, Harmony of Dissonance gave players control of Juste Belmont. Half a century after Simon Belmont's first run-in with the unholiest of unholies, Juste returns to Drac's digs in order to track down relics that will help him discover what happened to a friend who went missing.

The following year, Aria of Sorrow introduced gamers to Soma Cruz, a hapless innocent who wakes up to find himself trapped in Dracula's castle, chosen to be the next incarnation of the dark lord. Soma's story continues in Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania's DS debut, released last month.

The Castlevania Double Pack is scheduled for a first-quarter 2006 North American release. Both games were rated T for Teen when originally released.