Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Castlevania: Circle of the Moon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | KCEK |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Release date(s) |  March 21, 2001 (JP) June 8, 2001 (NA) June 10, 2001 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | Action adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen CERO: 12+ ELSPA: 11+ |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Media | 64-megabit cartridge |
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula Circle of the Moon (悪魔城ドラキュラ Circle of the Moon Akumajō Dorakyura Circle of the Moon?, lit. "Demon Castle Dracula Circle of the Moon"), is a video game created by Konami for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance system. The game was released in 2001 and is the first Castlevania game for Game Boy Advance. This game is called Akumajō Dracula: Circle of the Moon in Japan, and simply Castlevania in Europe (although the American name has become a standard when referring to the game). It was the only game in the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games to bear the "Akumajō Dracula" title, as subsequent entries adopted the "Castlevania" name, even in Japan (this continued until Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow). When director IGA took control of the series during the release of Chronicles on the PSX, he retconned Circle of the Moon, Castlevania Legends, and the two Nintendo 64 titles out of the storyline. This would again change, with the new 20th anniversary timeline, CotM would be brought back into the timeline.[1] Nevertheless, Circle of the Moon is more of a side story in the timeline as it has nothing to do with the Belmont/Morris clans, and follows the Baldwin/Graves families of vampire hunters, who also fight the children of the night, instead using the Baldwin heirloom, "Hunter's Whip".
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay in Circle of the Moon is similar to that of other post-Symphony of the Night Castlevania titles, in which the player must explore a gigantic castle filled with undead enemies and evil aberrations in a non-linear fashion. Generic enemies defeated by the player drop useful items and equipment, and also provide Experience points which increase the player character's power. Boss enemies provide plot progression, and their defeat allows the player to acquire new abilities such as a double-jump with which to progress further in the game.
The game is based around the classic Castlevania action style. The main character, Nathan Graves, uses a whip to attack the enemies, alongside the classic side weapons: Axe, Cross, Holy Water, Knife and Stopwatch. One of these sub-weapons may be carried at any time by the player, draining a supply of "Hearts" when used. Similar to how it worked in Dracula X, when a sub-weapon is picked up while another type is already being held, the first sub-weapon is dropped to the ground, instead of simply disappearing as it did in previous Castlevania games. The player may boost their character's statistics through equipping items such as armour. These statistics are Strength, which determines player's attack power, Defense, which determines resilience to damage, Intelligence, which determines the Magic Point (MP) recovery speed, and Luck, which modifies the frequency with which items are dropped by enemies.
One of the game's distinguishing aspects is its DSS (Dual Set-up System) for magic, based around magic cards. This gameplay mechanic allows the player to unleash several interesting abilities via a combination of two different magic cards: one Action card and one Attribute card. For example, the player can combine the "Mercury Card" (Action card with the power of whip enhancement) with the "Salamander Card" (Attribute card with the power of fire), obtaining a fire elemental whip attack as a result. Each of these cards is dropped by certain enemies, with a probability based on the player character's "luck" statistic, thus adding another search element. Use of DSS cards drains the player's supply of MP.
[edit] The Battle Arena
The Battle Arena is an optional bonus area in the castle, consisting of 17 rooms. Each room contains a selection of standard enemies which must be defeated for the player to exit, however the Dual Step-Up System (DSS) is unavailable, with the player's MP dropping to zero as soon as they enter the Arena. Each room contains a tougher selection of enemies than the last. While completing the Arena as a whole is a stiff challenge, the player can leave the Arena between certain rooms, making the area ideal for gaining Experience.
When the player is about to enter to the Battle Arena, the following text is displayed:
To step beyond will be to test your ability in the battle arena. Your Mind Power will be drained. You will not be able to use DSS. Once you enter, you will not be able to leave until all are defeated. Though, you may be rewarded for you efforts.
Completing the entire battle arena grants the player 291,582 experience points in total from enemies defeated, and the "Shinning armor" [sic], a body equipment that significantly increases the player's Strength, Defense, Intelligence, and Luck. There are also two DSS cards which can only be obtained from enemies in the arena.
[edit] Alternate Modes
Once the game is completed, the player receives a code that can be entered as their name when starting a new game. This code will start the game in Magician Mode, where the player starts with all 20 DSS cards, and high magical ability, at the expense of reduced strength, defense, and health.
By completing Magician Mode, another code is received, which lets the player start the game in Fighter Mode. In this mode, no DSS cards can be used, but physical power is drastically increased.
In turn, completing Fighter Mode unlocks the code for Shooter Mode. This mode places emphasis on combat using the subweapons, giving the player a very high maximum of Hearts to use them with (as well as halving the amount of hearts each subweapon uses), but giving a penalty to strength, defense, and HP. Shooter Mode also has a unique subweapon, the Homing Dagger, which is only usable in this mode.
Completing Shooter Mode unlocks the code for Thief Mode. This last alternate mode reduces all of the player's stats except Luck, which is boosted by an enormous amount. The idea in Thief Mode is to survive on whatever items and equipment the enemies drop, with greater Luck increasing the odds of getting items from each kill.
[edit] Story
The year is 1830. At an old Austrian castle, the worshippers of Chaos were attempting to revive the Lord of Darkness, Count Dracula. The Vampire Hunter Morris Baldwin and his apprentices, Nathan Graves and Hugh Baldwin, heard of this and headed to Castlevania to stop Count Dracula from coming back to life and uniting the powers of darkness. However, they arrived a few seconds too late since Camilla, a minion of Count Dracula, had already started the rite to revive her master.
In order for Dracula to regain his former power, he would need to wait until the full moon ritual was completed. Before the group could fight Dracula and seal him again, Dracula destroyed the floor under Nathan and Hugh, causing them to plummet down a long shaft leaving Morris alone with Dracula and Camilla. Fortunately, Nathan and Hugh survived the fall. Hugh runs off to save his father after telling Nathan to get out of the castle. Nathan decided not to, as he wanted to rescue his mentor more than anything. He then explores the large castle, fighting Dracula's minions along the way.
He eventually arrives at the ceremonial room and attempts to vanquish Dracula and save his master from being sacrificed as a part of the dark ritual. While he was fighting Dracula, Hugh freed Morris and together they escaped the castle, leaving Nathan to fight Dracula alone. He succeeds in beating Dracula and his ultimate form. Before he was sealed, Dracula stated "It is a wasted effort. I will never be truly gone. So long as there is darkness and desire in the soul of man. I will continue to be revived". Nathan replied, "And we will be there to stop you. You can bet on that". Dracula dies and the castle crumbles. Nathan then leaves to continue his training with Morris and Hugh.
[edit] Main characters
[edit] Nathan Graves
The hero of the game. He is the character that the player controls throughout the game. He was the one chosen by Morris Baldwin to wield the Hunter's Whip.
Nathan's parents, along with their friend Morris Baldwin, set out on a quest to seal Dracula, the king of darkness. After a long and strenuous battle, Morris sealed away Dracula, only to find to his horror that his two friends had been killed in the battle. Taking their adolescent son Nathan, he began raising him alongside his own son Hugh to become accomplished vampire hunters.
[edit] Hugh Baldwin
Hugh is Nathan's rival. He is jealous of Nathan because he believed that he should be the successor of Morris Baldwin, and therefore, receive the Hunter's Whip. He also believes that Nathan is too weak to fight alongside him. His primary weapon is a sword.
[edit] Morris Baldwin
Morris is Hugh's father and a veteran Vampire Hunter. He and Nathan's parents sealed Count Dracula 10 years ago. Morris does not believe in favouritism, and therefore chose Nathan as his successor instead of his son, Hugh.
[edit] Count Dracula
Main Article: Dracula
Sealed away in 1820 by a team of Vampire Hunters, Morris Baldwin and Nathan's parents, Dracula hopes to use Morris' energy to fully revive himself and taint the world with darkness.
[edit] Camilla
Main Article: Camilla
A minion of Count Dracula, Camilla is actually a demon disguised as a female human. She led the attempt to revive Dracula so she can serve him again. Camilla turns out to be a boss later in the game. In the Japanese version, her name is Carmilla, which is probably a reference to the vampire novella, Carmilla, written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, which was a strong influence for Bram Stoker's Dracula.
[edit] Items
- Hunter's Whip - Heirloom whip passed down through the Baldwin family to help fight vampires. It is not to be confused with the Belmont/Morris clans' "Vampire Killer" whip.
[edit] Development
[edit] Music
Circle of the Moon's score consists of numerous remixes of tracks from earlier games, such as "Vampire Killer", "Aquarius" (from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse), and "The Trick Manor" (also known as "Clockwork Mansion") (derived from combining "Rotating Room" and "Spinning Tale" of Super Castlevania IV). In addition to these, the game also features "Dance of Illusions" (from Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood), which is used in the first phase of the final battle. Also included are some original pieces such as "Fate to Despair", "Awake", and "Proof of Blood". The soundtrack was prepared by Sotaro Tojima.
[edit] Reaction
IGN gave Circle of the Moon a 9.0, or "Outstanding", citing "deep gameplay" and "very long quest" as its chief positives.[1]. Gamespot.com gave it 9.6 out of 10, leaving Circle of the Moon as the best rated GBA game. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, it is the seventh-highest rated GBA title.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Harris, Craig (June 14th, 2001). Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. ign.com. Retrieved on June 4, 2006.
[edit] External links
|
Castlevania • Vampire Killer • Simon's Quest • Haunted Castle • The Adventure • Dracula's Curse • Belmont's Revenge • Super Castlevania IV • Chronicles • Chi no Rondo • Bloodlines • Dracula X • Symphony of the Night • Legends • Castlevania (N64) • Legacy of Darkness • Circle of the Moon • Harmony of Dissonance • Aria of Sorrow • Lament of Innocence • Dawn of Sorrow • Curse of Darkness • Portrait of Ruin |
