This is the best in the series. Just perfect.

User Rating: 10 | Castlevania: Akatsuki no Minuet GBA
I love it! What can I say? That it was good? No! That it was great? No! In fact, it was the best damn game ever made in the series for GBA. If you don't agree, well that's just a matter of each individual's opinion.

Why do I say it was the best? Quite simple really. I normally finish the game once and never touch it again. This however, must have been the second game I have ever played, that has actually been subjected to excessive plays.

The story was actually very good and just about consistent to its nature. It has a few good plot twists as you progress. The style of the game was incredibly well done. The art styles for each were beautiful, the monsters in the game were really good. The gameplay was just right, not too hard and not too easy. There have been very good boss battles too.

The other thing that was really good was the ability to collect souls of your monsters. Soul collecting is actually not as easy as you think. Depending on the monsters and your own luck, you might be luckier to be able to collect souls of some boss monsters you first encounter. If not, you will encounter them again at later levels. There are other bosses that will guarantee to give you souls. Most of the monsters were really good in design as well as it's animation. Much of the soul abilities were actually quite good, with one or two that were both quirky and funny.

The levels of exploration were also good. The music was beautifully rendered. Michiru Yamane has made one the best music soundtracks of all time. Each and every one of the songs were played well to each stage you go to. And also it really sounded like you were in there. Also the sound effects really adds a nice touch to the entire game from the sound of a mandragora screaming to Soma speaking in Japanese.

The bonuses were ok, completing it once and go through a save plus allows you to keep most of your souls and items. You can also find quirky weapons when going through boss mode too.

This was and will always be the game closest to my heart.