also known as Akumajou Dracula - Circle of the Moon
Game Boy Advance
🇬🇧
Reviewed in 2001
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✪ Reviewed on May 26, 2024
86
Castlevania at its best in portable form. Exploration is captivating, atmosphere is flawless. One of the best entries in the franchise, simply put.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player12+
Description
Konami action-exploration game on GBA, released in Europe in November 2001. Nathan Graves explores Dracula's castle to rescue his master Morris Baldwin, armed with a whip and the DSS system combining 10 Attribute cards and 10 Action cards to create up to 100 distinct spells. Five game modes unlockable based on performance, labyrinthine castle architecture and varied enemies.
Castlevania review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
From the castle's first corridors, nervy gothic themes and catchy melodies set a tension worthy of the great Castlevanias. The GBA's sound chip deploys a surprisingly powerful symphonic rock that sticks to the whip and the jump. This dark, energetic atmosphere marked the series' return to handhelds.
Original European PAL run of Circle of the Moon distributed under the plain Castlevania name, in a period when Konami Europe still routinely shortened the title of GBA releases. First entry of the Igarashi unit on the new platform and foundation for the later Aria and Dawn. European cardboard box is fragile, and the frequent confusion with the Konami China Unl version sharing the same id makes a clearly identified PAL piece all the more important to verify for Castlevania completists.
Memorable bosses
Reviving Metroid-style exploration, this gothic odyssey scatters revisited classic guardians across its castle: the three-headed Cerberus, the iron golem, the vampire Camilla, then Dracula himself. The DSS card system enables elemental counters that turn every duel into a laboratory. Demanding and richly animated, these clashes relaunch the formula with flair.
Is Castlevania still worth playing in 2026?
The first Castlevania to bring the Symphony of the Night formula onto a handheld, Circle of the Moon may date back to the GBA launch, yet its sprawling map, ability gated progression and DSS card system with nearly endless combinations all hold up remarkably well. The gothic mood is anchored by a solid Konami score and the difficulty climbs without coddling. The original screen darkness is easily forgotten on emulator or Game Boy Player today. Still an essential pick for any metroidvania enthusiast.
