Classic Pickup for some GBA action
User Rating: 8.1 | Akumajou Dracula: Circle of the Moon GBA
Here is another launch game (I believe) that I’m reviewing well after the fact. It was the first thing I picked up for my fledgling GBA, and I really enjoyed it. I think the graphics rating would be much higher on the new GBA SP because of the backlit screen, but I am rating it as I first encountered it. It is well worth picking this one up, even now, if you are looking for a cheap diversion on your GBA. This game might, indeed, be the game that highlighted the primary flaw of the original GBA (no backlit screen). It had that, “if only I could get the light to shine on it at the perfect angle, this game would be gorgeous,” kind of feel. The graphics were beautiful, but dark, and at times, invisible. Still, I suspect that the 7 I gave it would be closer to a 9 on the new SP. Gameplay-wise, this is just more Castlevania goodness. They even tacked on some role-play elements (e.g. new items, spells, character levels), which work really well. The game flows beautifully, and the action is almost always prevalent. The reason for an 8 instead of a 10 in gameplay is simply because this game founded a new pet peeve with me, which is insanely difficult final bosses. I couldn’t believe this last guy. I remember not being able to put the game down for several days, as I flowed through it. Then, I get to Dracula, and I’m just fighting the same guy over-and-over. He just seemed unbeatable. I got so frustrated that I literally put the game down for close to a year. Finally, after a year, I thought, “That guy couldn’t be so bad. Let me take another crack at him.” Well, ended up consulting a FAQ, just to get by this guy. It said, for one thing, that my level was too low to really have a chance. I thought, “I’m level 43, and it says I need to be at least 50, preferably higher, to beat him.” This annoys me because I don’t like having to do needless leveling in an action game. Fortunately, I can cheat further because I bought this game used. It had someone else’s character on there who was level 63. I used him to beat Dracula. Then I sold the game the next day. I hate having to resort to these kinds of methods to beat a game. Still, this was a really fun title to play with on my first GBA. I would definitely recommend it. Personally, I don’t give it much in the way of replay just because I never, ever want to fight that dumb last boss again (hence, the 7 value score). Other than that last boss, this is a stellar game and a worthy successor to the Castlevania series. Anyone who enjoys 2D action/platformer games, should definitely pick this one up. Maybe the disproportionately hard final boss won’t frustrate you as much as it did me, in which case, I would think you would love this game.
