Hands-On: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Soma Cruz and his Japanese pals are in for a spooktacular night that they'll never forget! Don't forget the Scooby Snacks, li'l buddy!
Castlevania fans loved Circle of the Moon, even though it made them all blind. They loved Harmony of Dissonance, even though it was too easy and too samey. With Aria of Sorrow, Konami obviously wanted to produce a game that nobody, series fan or no, could complain about---something that showed in the preview version, already several bounds ahead of the last two titles.
The originality Konami has injected into Aria was most prevalent within the "soul"-based skill system---instead of collecting special weapons, killing a monster earned you an attack or skill based on that enemy. For example, grabbing the soul of a spear-chucking skeleton granted you the ability to throw spears yourself, while killing a winged creature let you jump higher. Since your physical attacks aren't much cop at the start (just a few short-range knives), these soul skills must be learned and mastered in Aria from the very beginning.
This rather neat idea, combined with graphics that already outclass those of Harmony of Dissonance in spots (not to mention a lovely soundtrack that more than makes up for Harmony's tinkly music), means that Aria could be worth buying even if you're not a Konami-goth maniac. The only question mark: Will the challenge ever return to the old Castlevania standard again?
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