• Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: Jun 10, 2001
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. 70
    There's so much to have a go at and so much detail and addictive gameplay that fans of the series won't be disappointed - in fact you may just think that it's fang-tastic!
  2. Castlevania means well, providing marvellous visuals and setting a superb atmosphere. But it suffers from hideous amounts of revisiting.

Awards & Rankings

5
4
#4 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2001
7
#7 Most Shared Game Boy Advance Game of 2001
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 153 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 9 out of 153
  1. Squall
    Sep 8, 2005
    10
    The difficulty was intense and rewarding. I loved the secret classes that you could unlock, much better than the secret characters in SOTN or The difficulty was intense and rewarding. I loved the secret classes that you could unlock, much better than the secret characters in SOTN or HOD in my opinion. The spell system was awesome except for the fact that it is extremely hard to track down all of the cards. Music was brilliant and I was glad to hear remixes of popular tunes such as 'vampire killer.' Full Review »
  2. Jun 26, 2013
    10
    This game is the best castlevania to date! It's got tight controls, and great challenge. It also does a great job with the sub weapons, theyThis game is the best castlevania to date! It's got tight controls, and great challenge. It also does a great job with the sub weapons, they are super useful. The story isn't really there but somehow still does the job. Its a masterpiece. Full Review »
  3. May 22, 2011
    6
    Definitely not as good as Aria of Sorrow, or even Harmony of Dissonance for that matter, in my opinion. The game is quite nice in itself. TheDefinitely not as good as Aria of Sorrow, or even Harmony of Dissonance for that matter, in my opinion. The game is quite nice in itself. The graphics are all right, the music is really great (lots of great remixes of classic Castlevania tracks too), and the gameplay is fun, even though the controls are a bit of a pain. The main issue I have with this title is that the difficulty is way too high. Now maybe that's a good thing if you want a challenge. However with RPG-style games such as this, it just becomes annoying to be forced to spend hours on level grinding just so you can at least survive against the next boss. It dramatically breaks the pace of the game and as a result you even forget the story and what was happening all along. You just circle between half a dozen rooms, killing enemies over and over and over. Other than that it's a fun game, so if you don't mind spending tonnes of time on levelling up, you should enjoy it. Otherwise I'd suggest for you to try Harmony of Dissonance or yet better Aria of Sorrow. In fact try those anyway if you like this style of games. Full Review »