Castlevania Advance Collection

Castlevania Advance Collection is a compilation of four games from the iconic Castlevania series. It includes three titles originally released for the Game Boy Advance console - Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow - as well as the game Castlevania: Dracula X, which debuted on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System platform. The set was developed by Konami, the company responsible for the brand.

Plot

The games that are included in the Castlevania Advance Collection tell the story of vampire hunters' struggle against Dracula and his henchmen. In Castlevania: Circle of the Moon we take on the role of Nathan Graves as he attempts to confront the sinister bloodlord, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is about the adventures of Juste Belmont, the grandson of Simon Belmont, known from the main instalment of the series. In Castlevania: Dracula X we take control over Richter Belmont, who, after Dracula's return from the land of the dead, must explore his castle and once again send him back to that world. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the only game included in the set to take us into the future, telling the story of Soma Cruz - a young high school student involved in the centuries-old cycle of the vampire lord's reincarnation.

Mechanics

Games included in the Castlevania Advance Collection set are side-scrollers. We explore dark levels, which, typical for the metroidvania genre, are interconnected, creating a kind of labyrinth. The gameplay is dynamic and has a high difficulty level. While exploring locations, we have to jump on platforms and avoid traps, as well as face tons of enemies, among which the most popular are powerful bosses. Our main weapon is the cult whip known as the "Vampire Killer"; the exception is Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, where we make use of other weapons, such as swords, axes, spears, and even a gun.

Games differ in various ways. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon contains RPG elements and also has a Dual Set-up system, which involves collecting special cards, based on which we create unique spells; Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance introduces a boss rush mode, as well as Spell Fusion mechanics, allowing you to combine weapons with spell books; Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow brings the Tactical Souls system, allowing you to gain abilities from defeated enemies; Castlevania: Dracula X, meanwhile, introduces a new special attack, the Item Crash.

Moreover, the set has been enriched with new elements. We are talking about a scan gallery, an encyclopedia, which is a wealth of information on the contents of particular games, and a music player, where we can listen to soundtracks. In addition, the compilation allows us to choose an American, European or Japanese version of each production, save game status at any time, rewind gameplay after a defeat or record replays.

Technical aspects

Graphics of the games in the Castlevania Advance Collection remain unchanged.