It has been a long time since a core 2D Castlevania game came out. Konami put out the Castlevania Anniversary Collection in 2019 to showcase some of the 8-bit and 16-bit classics, but fans seemed a bit more interested in getting the Game Boy Advance library back. After some 2021 rumors, Castlevania Advance Collection is finally here. The collection grabs all three GBA games including Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow.
All three of those games fall under the Metroidvania bracket that began with Symphony of the Night. There is another inclusion, Dracula X, which is more classic playing Castlevania entry. It's a nice bonus but not the feature players are buying this game for. It’s been a while since these GBA classics came out so let’s go through some basic strategies that should apply to the entire trilogy.
6 What’s New?
There wasn’t much added to the games to make them look new but that’s okay as the 16-bit art still looks great. There are save states which are always nice to see in retro collections along with a rewind button. Don’t forget to utilize both of those utilities especially outside of boss fights.
Every game allows up to ten save states at a time which is separate. This will make backtracking less of a hassle. There’s an option to play the games in the three major territories they came out in which does tweak the difficulty of the games. There is also a music player and an art gallery.
5 Remap The Controls
On the Switch the default control scheme has B to attack and A to jump. This is a bit awkward on modern controllers so it is advised to move the jump button to B and the attack button to Y. This should create a smoother experience.
Another setting players should tweak in the options is the screen ratio. The pixels in every game in the collection don’t convert perfectly in widescreen but it doesn’t look as stretched out as some other retro collections. Keeping it in the 4:3 ratio is fine too but the widescreen model should make it easier to see what’s going on.
4 Farming For Items And Abilities
Farming for items and abilities are crucial to the GBA games and the series overall. This is mostly for Aria of Sorrow since that game’s system is the most complex. If players are struggling with a boss then sometimes getting a new weapon, piece of gear, or ability can change the world. There is another extra in this collection called the Encyclopedia.
This has data on every monster in every game. The data is partially filled out but the more players fight monsters then the more data will be filled in. Don’t forget to consult its contents in order to figure out enemy weaknesses as well as what their drop rates are. As an extra piece of advice, sometimes length is better than pure power when it comes to weapons. Speed is critical too
3 Consult The Map In Every Room
Upon entering a room in the GBA games, players should consult the map. If there are several open doorways, go into each one first as a peak before actually exploring. This method should be used in order to find save points faster.
This is the best way to heal in the games. If players die then they can always rewind time, but real save points are still critical for beating each game. Also be wary of hidden walls that knocked down with weapons as well as what boss doors look like. This is true for many entires in the series. Also as it was stated earlier, always save outside of boss doors.
2 Find Big Monsters, Farm For Experience
The nice thing about the GBA games in the series is that they tell players how much experience they need to level up. This makes the process feel less like guesswork. It’s standard practice for a lot of RPGs but not every title is as giving. In order to level up fast players should first find a save point.
This will act as the retreating heal point. Then they should find a big monster, or a group of the toughest monsters nearby. These usually have good amounts of experience. Before fighting them players should note how much experience they have. After defeating the monster they can then figure can figure how much the monster was worth in experience points. This can help maximize the grind time.
1 Take Notes For Backtracking
There is something else players should take notes on when playing these games. As true Metroidvanias, each title gives players abilities that can help them reach new areas as the stories go on. If an item or gateway is blocked, make a note of where that is on the map and what the blockade looks like.
Manual notes are good but so are screenshots. Thankfully taking a picture on the Switch is a real breeze. The maps are handy for some guidance but they aren’t that detailed. That’s why taking notes or screenshots is recommended in order to lessen the hassle of remembering where to go next.
Castlevania Advance Collection was released on September 23, 2021 and is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.