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Few names in gaming are as recognized or prolific as Castlevania. Best known as 2-D adventures, springing the series on the Game Boy Advance must have been a natural choice. The first fruit of this labor, Circle of the Moon, has certainly been an experience.
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Circle of the Moon is a solid graphical package. The characters could probably have used a little more detail, but other aspects, particularly enemy and level design (very nice looking castle, I must say) are certainly ample compensation. For those who would be using old model Game Boy Advances, be warned that finding a good light source is particularly important, as the castle you have to work in is what one would expect for a place housing a Vampire Lord: dank, dim, and filled with minions. It's a fine effect, but don't bother trying to complete it by playing after dark, as that just won't happen.
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I found myself just a little disappointed in Circle of the Moon's music, however. My last Castlevania adventure (the Playstation classic Symphony of the Night) was quite strong musically, and the choral tune accompanying the title was quite nice. Which is not to say the rest of the music was bad. Indeed, players should definitely listen to it while playing. However, it failed to meet the expectations set by its predecessors, at least to my mind.
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Circle of the Moon tells a simple and sparing story. One of Dracula's worshipers has decided to resurrect him (as happens every now and then), and so Morris Baldwin, with his apprentices Hugh (son) and Nathan (you), go to banish Dracula while he is still weak. They are caught surprisingly unprepared, and Dracula captures Morris, dropping Nathan and Hugh down a rather deep pit. At this point, Nathan and Hugh separate to search for Morris, the Player takes control of Nathan, and the game starts in earnest, with only minimal intrusions by the story. Although simple, the story is still told well enough, and is incentive to go about your slaying of various demons and undead.
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The thrust of Circle of the Moon lies in exploring your surroundings, fighting off the occasional boss creature, and acquiring magical items which increase your abilities, allowing you to access new areas of the castle. Supporting you in your quest is a basic experience and equipment system, your reducing the general population gaining you experience and the occasional equipment drop. There are no stores, or anything similar, so make sure you kill everything many, many times. Finally, the game sports what it calls the Dual Setup System. In addition to items, some enemies also drop cards, either Action or Attribute. Pair up one of each, and you have a spell, ranging from enchanting your whip (all vampire hunters use whips!) to calling up a familiar. With 10 of each card type, there are theoretically 100 spells, although rare enemies drop the best cards.
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The control setup for Circle of the Moon is quite good, with all of Nathan's moves being easy to reliably use. In fact, I liked this setup better than Symphony of the Night's, particularly for jumping. Although the game has limited save points, annoying in a handheld, they are so plentiful if one looks hard enough that it was very rarely an issue. Circle of the Moon is also reasonably challenging, so expect to spend a good deal of time acquiring levels, especially in preparation for boss battles.
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Circle of the Moon should take between 10 and 12 hours to complete. However, exploring the entirety of the castle, collecting all the Cards and the best equipment, and the like should add considerably. There is also a rather difficult optional area... so difficult that I admit to not attempting it. Finally, after completing the game you can access different play modes that make Nathan different character types. For example, you can become a Magician, which reduces your strength and stamina, but greatly increases your spell casting ability and starts you off with all the Cards.
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While I personally thought Circle of the Moon could have used a stronger story, the game is still an excellent purchase for handheld owners, and possibly even worth looking into a Game Boy if you don't have one.
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