ireviewgames123

TL;DR If you liked other Metroidvanias you'll probably like this one but keep in mind it's harder. No stylus required Thank God. Taking place after the events of Symphony of the Night- you play as Shanoa a Glyph Master apart of an organization (The Order of Ecclesia) that has been tasked with finding a way to destroy Dracula in the absence of the Belmont clan. The story is similar in some respects to other Castlevanias in the past (SOTN, COTM and HoD come to mind) with a rivalry motif but it's neat to see a non-dominant-Belmont story with a new power. No Vampire Killer here! Gone is the anime style from Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin. The art style here is fantastic with lovely sprites and character art for portraits. Some sprites are recycled from previous games but they fit fine and the ones added are well done. The music is amazing as well only bummer was sometimes tracks were repeated in different levels I was wanting more because all of it was so good and catchy. One of the main mechanics is the Glyph System which allows you to absorb Glyphs, either dropped by enemies or hanging around in the environment, and give you special abilities typically in the form of a weapon or some sort of buff. The closest thing to it would be Soma's 'Power of Dominance' soul-absorbing ability from Aria/Dawn of Sorrow. You no longer equip weapons like in previous games instead weapons are in the form of Glyphs (e.g. your sword, rapier, hammer, etc. is a Glyph you equip). Armor is still equipped and is separate. Using Glyphs absorb MP, MP can be slow to drain depending on your weapons and MP does recharge rather quickly after you cease attacking. So yes- doing attacks drains MP but it's really noticeable and can even add an extra layer of strategy. You get two slots for attacks each assigned to a different button. You can mix and match or have the same weapon for both buttons. On top of MP you have a heart meter. Hearts are used for special attacks typically stronger than your normal. Depending on the weapons you have equipped depends on the special attack you will have. This game can be seen as a hybrid between old-school Castlevania and Metroidvania. You have a map where you have a hub-world and levels you select, go through, and open up more as you go along. The hub-world is home to the villagers you save and interact with them. You can do quests, buy items and equipment, talk, save and refill your hearts. Levels can be boiled down into one of two layouts (or can be a mixture: More of a straight-line where you fight enemies until you get to the end (closer to OG) or you explore a large structure that has branching paths (closer to Metroidvania). I think this works quite well. The game itself came off harder to me than previous Metroidvanias. I don't mind this Metroidvanias are usually way too easy (but difficulty does let up about 2/3 of the way through). Enemies feel like they have more of a presence and the bosses are quite a spectacle and fun to fight. Most bosses are memorable and you're gonna have to pay attention they aren't complete pushovers like in previous Metroidvanias. Aside from some parts that felt a bit tedious/grindy (some quests have you grind for items that have an awful drop rate in order to unlock extra items in the shop) and feeling ripped off from the merchant's prices the game was a blast. Does not require you to use the stylus at all!! Make sure you save all the villagers so you can get to (spoilers wow) Dracula's castle since it essentially doubles your content and makes the game feel complete.

Score would be an 8 or 9 if it weren't for farming/grinding and the dreaded Seal System (having to use the stylus to draw increasingly intricate shapes to defeat bosses when they're about to die and if you mess up you have to fight the boss again). Playing Soma over-all is fun and the soul-absorbing 'Power of Dominance' feature is back. Pixel art is good, the anime character portraits are generic and lack the personality seen in Aria, the music is amazing which is to be expected from this series. Julius mode, that you unlock if you get the bad ending, is actually quite good. You get to play as Julius and Yoko and Alucard join your team. A really refreshing alternative game mode actually worth playing. It also eliminates the seal system! It's a shame that they added the Seal System and made it a little grind-heavy. It really does take away from an otherwise great experience.