It's hard to believe that Konami hasn't released a new, non-mobile Castlevania entry in what's rapidly becoming a decade. A series that has consistently delivered excellent 2D Action Platformers, Metroidvanias, and even 3D spin-offs, suddenly ceased to exist. Combining action-packed gameplay with classic monsters from the golden age of Hammer, nothing hits quite like Castlevania.
Things began looking up with the release of the truly phenomenal Castlevania Anniversary Collection and Castlevania Requiem. Konami hasn't stopped there, however, and 2021 saw the release of Castlevania Advance Collection — a gathering of classic Metroidvanias for one of Nintendo's greatest handhelds.
4 Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon
Circle Of The Moon, sometimes just referred to as Castlevania GBA, was the first Castlevania to make it to Nintendo's then-new handheld. Players take the mantle of Nathan Graves - wielder of the Hunter's Whip. This makes Circle Of The Moon one of the first Castlevania's to not star a Belmont, and the first to not feature the legendary Vampire Killer. After falling down a pit, Nathan and his jealous compatriot, Hugh, must navigate Dracula's castle to save their master, Morris.
Like most of the games on this collection, Circle Of The Moon is a Metroidvania, and as such, the game will have you running up, down, and all around looking for the right path, before backtracking with new abilities to unlock more things. What makes it stand out is its card system, DSS. Certain enemies will drop powerful cards that can be combined to transform the properties of the Hunter's Whip. Longer range, fire damage, increased defense, etc. The game is a little clunky to play by modern standards, but this is still a sprawling adventure filled to the brim with secrets, enemies, and abilities, that make it well worth playing.
3 Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss/Dracula X
Dracula is once again up to his old tricks. After been revived by a bunch of ne'er-do-wells, Richter Belmont sets out to rescue his girlfriend and her sister, Maria. Dracula X is a bit of an odd duck when it comes to history, mostly because it's considered a port of the phenomenal, Rondo of Blood. It is, in fact, a completely different game that sort of follows the general formula set by Rondo and shares the same sprites and bosses, but probably exists in a separate timeline. Look, it's a bit of a mess.
But it's a damn fine mess. Unlike every other game on this list, Dracula X is not a Metroidvania. Instead, it's a Classicvania through and through. This means no backtracking and no exploring - although there are some alternate paths you can take here and there. Dracula X is intentionally clunky, with Richter sporting a 1-directional attack, the classic strut, and limited mobility in the air. Instead of being an intense series of quick dodging and rapid attacks, Dracula X is more of an intricate puzzle requiring players to utilize sub-weapons to make up for Richter's otherwise underwhelming attack options. Whilst not as good as Rondo of Blood, Dracula X is a fantastic game for those itching for a classic Castlevania experience - it's hard as nails though. You've been warned.
2 Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance
A whole 50 years have passed since Simon Belmont vanquished Dracula. Juste Belmont has inherited the Vampire Killer and is off to slay the Dark Lord with the help of his friend, Maxim. This, like most Castlevania's, is your standard story, but it does have a few twists, turns, and amnesia-based tropes thrown in for good measure.
The second GBA game to launch, Harmony Of Dissonance is a drastic step up in quality when compared to Circle Of The Moon. Everything from graphics to animations, to controls, have been reworked, making Harmony Of Dissonance a joy to play, even by modern standards. Utilizing a combination of innate dodging, Relics, and Spells, combat in Harmony Of Dissonance is fast, satisfying, and filled with options. The improved controls also make exploring and platforming less of a hassle. There are fewer secrets to uncover in Harmony, however. So if slapping walls for hidden rooms is your thing, then Harmony may not be for you.
1 Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow
Set over 300 years after Simon Belmont first whipped Dracula into Oblivion, Aria of Sorrow goes for a uniquely modern story with visuals to match. Like in Circle Of The Moon, you don't play as a Belmont — you play as Soma Cruz. Soma is a high school kid rocking a coat Seto Kaiba would be jealous of, and an attitude to match. He accidentally finds himself trapped inside a mysterious castle and must find his friend, and escape.
Aria Of Sorrow is the third, and final game to release on the GBA. It also just so happens to be the best. Whilst the controls and graphics largely feel in line with Harmony Of Dissonance, Aria Of Sorrow excels in the story department. It's filled to the brim with cheese, but the core concepts and ideas being tackled here are genuinely interesting. Soma is a surprisingly compelling protagonist, and he is supported by an all-star cast. The big gameplay tweak is Soma's ability to absorb the souls of his enemies to gain new attacks. This system would later reappear in all sorts of games after Aria Of Sorrow, such as Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night.