Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Game Boy Advance
  • Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: Jun 10, 2001
Metascore
91 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. GamePro
    100
    Set against a myriad of beautifully rendered 2D environments, the detailed visuals convey a feeling of dread.
  2. G4 TV
    100
    2D adventure gaming at its best.
  3. GamePen
    100
    I loved Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, as I've loved every other Castlevania game. The gameplay, which is the most important factor in a game, is right on.
  4. Gaming Age
    100
    One of the best games of the year on any platform.
  5. GameSpot
    96
    Picks up where "Symphony of the Night" left off and stands out as one of the best portable adventures ever created.
  6. Gamer's Pulse
    96
    This is by far the best Gameboy Advance game that I've played so far, and to top this would be a Herculean feat.
  7. Media and Games Online Network
    95
    With it's astounding gameplay and unbelievable fun factor, it's a game you won't want to put down, even when given it's slight graphic downfalls.
  8. Nintendophiles
    95
    The best GBA game so far, and it'll keep you busy for a long time.
  9. GamerWeb Nintendo
    95
    Circle of the Moon has truly broken new barriers in portable gaming, offering just plain, unadulterated fun in its purest form. This is the greatest use of silicon ever.
  10. TotalGames.net
    94
    Despite being on a handheld, the visuals and music in the game really astound – they create just the right mood for a game about vampires and other nasty stuff.
  11. netjak
    91
    Outstanding musical splendor. The score, like the graphics, is a compliment to the game's dark setting. The excellent sounds are loud and clear, and they don't struggle to be heard.
  12. GMR Magazine
    90
    A complex card system governs your special abilities. [Feb 2003, p.97]
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  13. IGN
    90
    The world is huge, the boss creatures are massive in size and challenging to defeat. And the overall quest is extremely fulfilling.
  14. Electric Playground
    90
    The patented pacing, mechanics and rewards of the adventure go down like a perfectly aged fine wine.
  15. Hot Games
    90
    Features fun gameplay with more depth than you'll find in most GameBoy games so far.
  16. All Game Guide
    90
    With the ability to store up to eight different quests, and a quest time that will require at least 12-15 hours to complete, fans are in for a genuine treat.
  17. My Gamer
    84
    An immensely entertaining game. For those gamers who crave classic side-scrolling action it provides a more than adequate fix.
  18. GameSpy
    82
    A deep, engrossing, RPG-platform amalgam that's also perfectly portable.
  19. N-Insanity
    82
    Circle is a surprisingly deep game and certainly sets the bar for its descendant games.
  20. GameCritics
    80
    The game was solid, addictive, and incredibly likable. However, in the greater scheme of things, Circle Of The Moon is a small step for the Game Boy Advance, and nowhere near a giant leap for videogames.
  21. Yahoo! Games
    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!
  22. Thunderbolt
    60
    Castlevania means well, providing marvellous visuals and setting a superb atmosphere. But it suffers from hideous amounts of revisiting.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 2 out of 15
  1. Matseb2611
    7
    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. 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 »
  2. GeorgeS.
    10
    I was so excited about this game I bought a GBA right when they came out FOR this game. I wasn't even a big Castlevania fan UNTIL I played this. First Castlevania game I ever played and as far as I can tell (havent played all of them but ive played most) one of the best. Its a shame that Konami listened to people whining about the difficulty which resulted in the average pathetic difficult bright colored Harmony of Dissonance.… Full Review »
  3. Squall
    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 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 »
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