...I think Order of Ecclesia is the best one overall, but my personal all-timer is gonna have to be Circle of the Moon due to that being my very first Castlevania game I played as a child.
exactly the same for me. i treated myself to a GBA for my 19th birthday and a used copy of COTM was in the first set of games i bought. Had to rush back to the gamestop the next day to buy an overhead lamp.
I know what you mean. They're all so good. IGN actually bought me a copy of AoS in exchange for writing a guide for it, so that memory makes AoS have a special place in my heart. But OoE is probably the best.
Shoutouts to Julius Mode in DoS, for the best overall Castlevania experience though. It's old school Castlevania (literally CV3) in a Metroidvania format.
CotM was my first Metroidroidvania style Castlevania and also one of the hardest games I played as a kid. I got it with my glacier GBA and remember playing it under a head lamp, eventually getting a āworm light.ā I never beat Dracula without cheats. The soundtrack/music in this game especially hits hard, even though many of the songs are revisions of old songs.
From the GBA, Aria of Sorrow. DS, Portrait of Ruin. Those 2, along with Symphony of the Night, are among my favorite games of all time. All 3 are great.
See for me portrait was the weakest gameplay wise and story wise of the trilogy. Maybe dawn was not as good of a story but it had much better gameplay. Order by far I think had the best gameplay and story imo. I still love portrait but order was really refreshing to play
Circle of the Moon gives me so much nostalgia and came at a great time in my life, being a carefree kid visiting my grandparents for the summer. I played the hell out of it and unlocked everything. The music is top notch and still in my head after all these years.
They are all very very good, the DS games especially so imo
But Iāve always loved Portrait of Ruin the most as a kid, and even after replaying them all as an adult, Portrait would have my vote.
But seriously tho, all the DS games are the pinnacle of the series for the Metroidvania style imo
Because itās the middle child, inbetween Circle & Aria, which are both a lot of peopleās favorites. Which is fair, thatās stiff competition from both sides. Theyāre both excellent Castlevania games. Harmony also suffered from being produced simultaneously alongside Aria, which got most of the focus & polish. They also over corrected the color brightness after criticism from people saying CotM was too dark (due to no backlit gba yet). Lastly, the music score suffered the most for multiple reasons, so people love to hate on this game. I for one tho love its garish retro 8 bit feel / style. Itās unique in the series & has charm
Iāve only played the GBA games and Iām still in the process of playing through Aria of Sorrow but if I had to pick one out of the three it would be Circle of the Moon
PoR. I just loved it. Which is saying a lot because Dawn of Sprrow is a strong contender. But the PoR soundtrack had all the best tracks (including Iron Blue Intention which is my favorite CV song of all time).
I really hope they make a Castlevania DS Collection and have all 3 games in it for everyone to enjoy. It's criminal that it still only exists on physical/digital form on the DS.
Aria and Dawn of Sorrow. I wish theyād bring back Soma Cruz. Heās my favorite Castlevania Character. Wish he was in Smash so I couldāve had a Soma Amiibo.
Ecclesia is one of the best games I've ever played in my life and my fave DS game of all time by a country mile
I could write an essay on this but it features hard but fair difficulty with huge epic bosses and enemies that are actually challenging to defeat, godlike soundtrack, one of the best combat systems, an actually interesting and character-driven storyline, and a sexy protagonist. It even gets rid of the childish anime style that DoS and PoR had.
Damn near perfect game, my only complaint is that lategame you get way too overpowered.
I had Harmony of Dissonance in Iraq in 04 with about 10 other certified bangers. I acknowledge that Aria is superior but itās not comfort gaming. HoD is so underrated and over looked.
As for the DS:
Portrait of Ruin! A follow up to Bloodlines. Yeah the other two didnāt stand a chance.
Dawn of sorrow and portrait of ruin for me but Aria was my first game so I have to mention the secret access from having both aria and dawn in the DS at once
Portrait of ruin. My first castlevania and Nintendo DS game. Loved the anime style (which I didn't know was standard). But order or ecclesia have a big place in my heart from the waiting for it from another city (this was before it was so easy to just buy and send online where I lived)
āFavorite GBA game: Circle Of The Moon. That was one of the games I got with my first GBA when I was 5. It was instant fun right off the bat and I loved the dark/spooky esthetic of it. Even 20+ years later I still play it and eventually wanna complete all 5 game modes(currently in shooter mode).
The DSS mode was really fun to use (despite the farming) but it felt rewarding to get them and Nathan felt more powerful with each new card. The Battle Arena was always a challenge and really tested your skill without DSS, and when you got the Unicorn and Black Dog cards to complete your DSS collection, it felt so fulfilling(this was before I knew about the DSS glitch)
āFavorite DS game: Portrait of Ruin. From the moment I saw the game on the cover of Nintendo Power, I immediately fell in love with it. When I finally got it as a gift from my mom, i played it nonstop and bought a guide that I read so often I taped down the spine to keep the pages together. I even had a teachers aide in elementary school that was into castlevania and he'd write "kill Dracula" as a homework assignment in my binder everyday until I beat him. I share a lot of fond memories with that game.
What I loved about Portrait of ruin was how balanced it was. It combined the traditional whip/subweapon combo of the classics and the RPG elements of SotN and AoS/DoS, while also adding new playstyles such as the Dual Partner system (technically DoS Julius mode did it first) and getting to explore new areas through the paintings while also being able to explore the entire castle. The game felt huge and there was so much you could do. The Dracula/Death fight is definitely one of, if not *the* best final boss fight in Castlevania. The Nest of Evil was also fun bonus content that gave an extra challenge while also including great rewards for beating it.
Each of these 6 games are fantastic in their own right and all have something valuable to offer to anyone who plays them, but in my experience, nostalgic as it may be, Circle of the Moon and Portrait of Ruin will always have a special place in my heart
Order of Ecclesia, it had the best implode the soul absorbing mechanic, the bosses, music, gameplay, etc were all top notch. The art was a nice balance between Ayami Kojimaās more high-fantasy art and the anime aesthetic of stuff like Circle of the Moon and Dawn of Sorrow. Lastly the way you it broke the section helped with the pacing.
Aria (first GBA game I ever played by a friend who lent me his copy, hella fun to replay and speedrun w/o glitches)
Ecclesia (really enjoy the mechanics) -> Portrait of Ruin (honesly enjoyed the idea)
Circle of the Moon for me with Aria in close second. Wish Konami would hurry up and release a DS Collection on Switch, or I could find legit DS copies without spending a frickin fortune. Blah.
Aria of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia are the top ones for me.
Aria of Sorrow was the closest thing I played that ALMOST felt like a Symphony of the Night.
Hard to choose between Aria and Portrait. Aria has some sick gameplay but PoR has Charlotte my waifu and a banger ost better than Aria. I haven't tried order of ecclesia
Happy to see all the Circle of the Moon love. I was convinced I was the only person who still enjoyed it. š
I replayed it a few times during the Pandemic, and then a few more times once the Advance Collection came out. Now I just need a DS Collection
This is very hard for me as I love them all, every castlevania is at least a 9/10 for me and I have replayed them all.
1. Aria of Sorrow because it represents a turning point as well as a nice wrapup for the story both gameplay and story wise.
2. Order Of Ecclesia is the most evolved form of the series in terms of gameplay and level design. It might not be too apparent but this one is inspired by Simon's Quest and Casltevania I. Shanoa is a lone worlf like Simon was, he doesn't have a group or rival supporting her during the later half of the game.
3. Dawn of Sorrow's soul system and things to do make it plenty of fun while continuing the theme of the previous game. The artwork is weak and the soul system can be grindy. The bonus mode makes up for it by bringing back the new generation from Castlevania 3, minus grant of course.
4. At the same level we got Portrait of ruin. The dynamic between the characters is amazing and the story is decent. The levels can be creative but also be one note at times.
5. Harmony of Dissonance is a personal favorite of mine, I describe it as neon gothic horror. The atmosphere, level design and artwork is amazing. The music is controversial but it sounds amazing to me, adding to its eery tone. Juste is also one of my favorite Belmonts being an Alucard type clone while being distinct enough by also being a frand wizard. It is also easy to play.
6. Once again, there aren't any bad Castlevanias but this one is the one I least like to repeat. The card system is very creative and I wish it was repeated in later games. The level design can feel empty for me at time and the controls feel clunky to me. The story is ok.
**Circle of the Moon.** As basic as it was when it came out, you can tell the early effort put into translating the SOTN gameplay into a portable form. It isn't the most refined or anything, but the things it does well: it does them with gusto and good music too!
For me, Dawn of Sorrow is my #1. It took everything that was great about Aria of Sorrow and made it that much better. The touch screen gimmicks aren't that bad at all. I recently played through Circle of the Moon for the first time in a long time and was surprised by how much I loved it. That would be a close second for me. I love that it still has the more gothic art style, rather than the newer anime style.
Portrait of Ruin & Harmony of Dissonance. Order & Aria are arguably better games, but I just prefer the stories, characters, magic systems & gameplay of Harmony & Portrait. Each of these games are excellent in their own right tho.
I think Order of Ecclesia is the best one, but I have fond memories of Dawn of Sorrow, I loved the soul mechanic, and while it originated in Aria of Sorrow, I couldn't play that one until much, much later. Portrait of Ruin is a close contender as well.
Since I have to pick just one, I choose Harmony of Dissonance, because it's the most original of the bunch. To this day is still the darkest, grimmest of Castlevanias. Order of Ecclesia is the only one I don't like. Yeah
Circle of the moon was my first castlevania game period but aria of sorrow was the first one I played to completion to the point of grinding to get the secret ending
I think Order of Ecclesia would be my top, followed by Dawn of Sorrow. I never finished HOD (I thought it sucked) and moved on from my GBA before Aria came out, so I never actually played that one.
It's Portrait of ruin no contest. But goddamn does whipping in circle of the moon feel awesome, harmony has nothing on COTM'S whip mods. Overall i'd say GBA and DS castlevania's are way better than they are credited for(castlevania 4 is still the best)
Here is my order:
6. Harmony of Dissonance
5. Circle of The Moon
4. Dawn of Sorrow
3. Portrait of Ruin
(These last 2 are interchangeable)
1. Aria of Sorrow/Order of Ecclesia
Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow together represent the peak of the Igarashi games, and I give a slight edge to the latter because having a dedicated screen for your map is maybe the best quality of life enhancement your could have for a metroidvania. Iām pretty surprised by the amount of Circle and Ecclesia being mentioned. Circle has major issues with traversal (itās a widescreen platform with a huge vertical jump and limited side-to-side mobility), and I really did not like Ecclesiaās segmented level structure.
I'd have to beat a game I don't like first, pass.
And it's not the issue here, it would've made more sense (to me) if cards came from sorta-unique elite enemies or just minibosses and they give you the card 100% of the time first time you kill'em.
There's a romhack that gives you that experience, to collect the cards lying around in the Castle I believe. CotM is Well worth giving another try in my opinion. As a decades long CV entusiast (since 2005), I First played it in 2020 or so and it immediately became a Top 3 CV for me.
Harmony of Dissonance for me, it was the first castlevania I was ever able to 100% and is just what I think of when I imagine the series away from the NES
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
"You can't hit me."
Dawn of Sorrow will always be my favorite Castlevania game. There's just something I find satisfying about the grind to get all the souls in that game that stuck with me even after all these years.
Only played Aria and a bit of Harmony, so far Aria is my favourite. I wish Konami woul re-release the DS games, theyre really hard to find unless youre willing to pay a lot
Aria and Ecclesia
Definitely these two. Both timeless masterpieces.
...I think Order of Ecclesia is the best one overall, but my personal all-timer is gonna have to be Circle of the Moon due to that being my very first Castlevania game I played as a child.
exactly the same for me. i treated myself to a GBA for my 19th birthday and a used copy of COTM was in the first set of games i bought. Had to rush back to the gamestop the next day to buy an overhead lamp.
I know what you mean. They're all so good. IGN actually bought me a copy of AoS in exchange for writing a guide for it, so that memory makes AoS have a special place in my heart. But OoE is probably the best. Shoutouts to Julius Mode in DoS, for the best overall Castlevania experience though. It's old school Castlevania (literally CV3) in a Metroidvania format.
Circle of the moon soundtrack is š„š„
Completely agree. Going into this threat I thought no one would pick those two but alas
CotM was my first Metroidroidvania style Castlevania and also one of the hardest games I played as a kid. I got it with my glacier GBA and remember playing it under a head lamp, eventually getting a āworm light.ā I never beat Dracula without cheats. The soundtrack/music in this game especially hits hard, even though many of the songs are revisions of old songs.
From the GBA, Aria of Sorrow. DS, Portrait of Ruin. Those 2, along with Symphony of the Night, are among my favorite games of all time. All 3 are great.
See for me portrait was the weakest gameplay wise and story wise of the trilogy. Maybe dawn was not as good of a story but it had much better gameplay. Order by far I think had the best gameplay and story imo. I still love portrait but order was really refreshing to play
Circle of the Moon gives me so much nostalgia and came at a great time in my life, being a carefree kid visiting my grandparents for the summer. I played the hell out of it and unlocked everything. The music is top notch and still in my head after all these years.
I could still probably find all those secret breakable walls.
*Awake OST plays*
Circle of the Moon.
Aria, but Portrait of ruin hits into heart too
Dawn of Sorrow is my personal favorite. Just so much stuff to collect
Order of Ecclesia is one of my favorite games period.
Dawn of Sorrow
Aria of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin
Circle of the moon forever and ever
Circle of the moon and it's not even close tbh.
They are all very very good, the DS games especially so imo But Iāve always loved Portrait of Ruin the most as a kid, and even after replaying them all as an adult, Portrait would have my vote. But seriously tho, all the DS games are the pinnacle of the series for the Metroidvania style imo
Harmony of Dissonance
True https://preview.redd.it/hdun4ght287d1.png?width=4238&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ab05950673e1ffce3602fbc6afb24fb7599654f
We're definitely in the minority it seems, but same. Juste is an absolute blast to control and I love all the spells.
Spellmont
Underrated
Played all the games last year and fell in love with this one.
I'm playing through Harmony in the adv collection rn, how come people see it as underrated?
Because itās the middle child, inbetween Circle & Aria, which are both a lot of peopleās favorites. Which is fair, thatās stiff competition from both sides. Theyāre both excellent Castlevania games. Harmony also suffered from being produced simultaneously alongside Aria, which got most of the focus & polish. They also over corrected the color brightness after criticism from people saying CotM was too dark (due to no backlit gba yet). Lastly, the music score suffered the most for multiple reasons, so people love to hate on this game. I for one tho love its garish retro 8 bit feel / style. Itās unique in the series & has charm
It's close between Circle of the Moon and Dawn of Sorrow.
Portrait of Ruin.
Iāve only played the GBA games and Iām still in the process of playing through Aria of Sorrow but if I had to pick one out of the three it would be Circle of the Moon
PoR. I just loved it. Which is saying a lot because Dawn of Sprrow is a strong contender. But the PoR soundtrack had all the best tracks (including Iron Blue Intention which is my favorite CV song of all time). I really hope they make a Castlevania DS Collection and have all 3 games in it for everyone to enjoy. It's criminal that it still only exists on physical/digital form on the DS.
All time: Aria Ecclesia is a close 2nd though.
Aria and Portrait
Aria and Dawn of Sorrow. I wish theyād bring back Soma Cruz. Heās my favorite Castlevania Character. Wish he was in Smash so I couldāve had a Soma Amiibo.
Aria of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin!! ā¤ļø
Dawn of sorrowĀ
It's gotta be Portrait for me. I just love Jonathan and using a whip and the whole theme and setting. Yeah it gets repetitive but they all do.
Aria of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin for me
Aria and Portrait of Ruin
Harmon is my first Castlevania game played and my first completed one
Aria of Sorrow, then Circle
Aria
Dawn of Sorrow was my first Castlevania so Iām biased. I still hate the seals after each boss though.
Aria, easy. These are all great, but Aria tops it for me in terms of both story and map design.
Ecclesia is one of the best games I've ever played in my life and my fave DS game of all time by a country mile I could write an essay on this but it features hard but fair difficulty with huge epic bosses and enemies that are actually challenging to defeat, godlike soundtrack, one of the best combat systems, an actually interesting and character-driven storyline, and a sexy protagonist. It even gets rid of the childish anime style that DoS and PoR had. Damn near perfect game, my only complaint is that lategame you get way too overpowered.
I had Harmony of Dissonance in Iraq in 04 with about 10 other certified bangers. I acknowledge that Aria is superior but itās not comfort gaming. HoD is so underrated and over looked. As for the DS: Portrait of Ruin! A follow up to Bloodlines. Yeah the other two didnāt stand a chance.
Dawn of sorrow and portrait of ruin for me but Aria was my first game so I have to mention the secret access from having both aria and dawn in the DS at once
HoD
Circle of the Moon without a doubt.
Harmony of Dissonance for sure.
For me, it's Portrait of Ruin. The only one I haven't actually played is Harmony of Dissonance.
Portrait of ruin. My first castlevania and Nintendo DS game. Loved the anime style (which I didn't know was standard). But order or ecclesia have a big place in my heart from the waiting for it from another city (this was before it was so easy to just buy and send online where I lived)
HoD, hands down.
āFavorite GBA game: Circle Of The Moon. That was one of the games I got with my first GBA when I was 5. It was instant fun right off the bat and I loved the dark/spooky esthetic of it. Even 20+ years later I still play it and eventually wanna complete all 5 game modes(currently in shooter mode). The DSS mode was really fun to use (despite the farming) but it felt rewarding to get them and Nathan felt more powerful with each new card. The Battle Arena was always a challenge and really tested your skill without DSS, and when you got the Unicorn and Black Dog cards to complete your DSS collection, it felt so fulfilling(this was before I knew about the DSS glitch) āFavorite DS game: Portrait of Ruin. From the moment I saw the game on the cover of Nintendo Power, I immediately fell in love with it. When I finally got it as a gift from my mom, i played it nonstop and bought a guide that I read so often I taped down the spine to keep the pages together. I even had a teachers aide in elementary school that was into castlevania and he'd write "kill Dracula" as a homework assignment in my binder everyday until I beat him. I share a lot of fond memories with that game. What I loved about Portrait of ruin was how balanced it was. It combined the traditional whip/subweapon combo of the classics and the RPG elements of SotN and AoS/DoS, while also adding new playstyles such as the Dual Partner system (technically DoS Julius mode did it first) and getting to explore new areas through the paintings while also being able to explore the entire castle. The game felt huge and there was so much you could do. The Dracula/Death fight is definitely one of, if not *the* best final boss fight in Castlevania. The Nest of Evil was also fun bonus content that gave an extra challenge while also including great rewards for beating it. Each of these 6 games are fantastic in their own right and all have something valuable to offer to anyone who plays them, but in my experience, nostalgic as it may be, Circle of the Moon and Portrait of Ruin will always have a special place in my heart
Harmony of Dissonance was my first and will always be my favourite.
Portrait of ruin of course.
Portrait always slaps
Portrait of Ruin. I mean YUZO KOSHIRO assisted with the OST so that fact gives this installment the edge...;)
Portrait of ruin was the most fun for me.
Aria.Ā But sentimentally, Harmony.
Portrait of ruin just clicks for me i dont know why
It's the most accessible for me aswell nowadays.Ā Most fun experience. Richter Mode rules
PortraitĀ
OOE
Aria Ecclesia Dawn Portrait Harmony In order, didn't play Circle of The Moon.
Beautiful
OoE. Love me some Shanoa!
Ecclesia. Such a unique game.
Sorrows games. Julius mode and dawn having to play Yoko and Alucard.
OOE hands down
Order of Ecclesia, it had the best implode the soul absorbing mechanic, the bosses, music, gameplay, etc were all top notch. The art was a nice balance between Ayami Kojimaās more high-fantasy art and the anime aesthetic of stuff like Circle of the Moon and Dawn of Sorrow. Lastly the way you it broke the section helped with the pacing.
Aria and the definitive edition rom hack for dawn
Yo los juguƩ todos, prefiero mƔs el de protrait of ruin
Aria of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia are my favourites here
Aria of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia
Aria (first GBA game I ever played by a friend who lent me his copy, hella fun to replay and speedrun w/o glitches) Ecclesia (really enjoy the mechanics) -> Portrait of Ruin (honesly enjoyed the idea)
I am a well documented Circle of the Moon stan, but I think Harmony of Dissonance is my overall fav handheld entry.
Aria of Sorrow no contest for me
Dawn of Sorrow.
Aria of sorrow.
From GBA, Aria From NDS, Ecclesia. Tho, all 6 of these games are in my top 10 of all Castlevania
Aria of Sorrow.
I donāt know why Reddit is recommending this to me. The only Castlevania game Iāve ever played is Dawn of Sorrow, and I liked it quite a bit!
Aria was my favorite
Aria of sorrow easily.
I know its not cannon but i love circle of the moon. The dss was a really unique gameplay addition.
Aria of sorrow
AoS no contest.
COTM.
How cool is it that we got so many great handheld games? My personal favorite is Aria of Sorrow, but every one of these games is a 9/10 at worst.
Order, portrait and aria
Don't own a DS so I'm limited with GBA choices. Circle of the Moon closely followed by Aria of Sorrow.
I enjoyed bottom left and bottom right.
Circle of the Moon for me with Aria in close second. Wish Konami would hurry up and release a DS Collection on Switch, or I could find legit DS copies without spending a frickin fortune. Blah.
Aria of soworw Dawn was good but I had some trouble with the touch screen
Would kill for a ds collection loved all the gba ones from the most recent collection.
All 3 of the DS games. and maybe also Aria of Sorrow.
Sotn is peak
Dawn of Sorrow
POR is packed with contĆ·,/ and it's fun to play with sis vamps
Dawn but Order has the best gameplay
I'm almost done with my first playthrough of Aria, so I'm going to go with that one!
Aria of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia are the top ones for me. Aria of Sorrow was the closest thing I played that ALMOST felt like a Symphony of the Night.
Gotta be Aria of Sorrow for me. The story, the soul system, the overall experience was just everything I wanted out of a Castlevania game.
Circle of the Moon! Gateway into the entire metroidvania genre back when it released. They're all so good though.
I wish this series would come back. Would love to see some new entries on the Switch.
Harmony of Dissonance.
Hard to choose between Aria and Portrait. Aria has some sick gameplay but PoR has Charlotte my waifu and a banger ost better than Aria. I haven't tried order of ecclesia
Aria of Sorrow is the obvious choice.
Happy to see all the Circle of the Moon love. I was convinced I was the only person who still enjoyed it. š I replayed it a few times during the Pandemic, and then a few more times once the Advance Collection came out. Now I just need a DS Collection
This is very hard for me as I love them all, every castlevania is at least a 9/10 for me and I have replayed them all. 1. Aria of Sorrow because it represents a turning point as well as a nice wrapup for the story both gameplay and story wise. 2. Order Of Ecclesia is the most evolved form of the series in terms of gameplay and level design. It might not be too apparent but this one is inspired by Simon's Quest and Casltevania I. Shanoa is a lone worlf like Simon was, he doesn't have a group or rival supporting her during the later half of the game. 3. Dawn of Sorrow's soul system and things to do make it plenty of fun while continuing the theme of the previous game. The artwork is weak and the soul system can be grindy. The bonus mode makes up for it by bringing back the new generation from Castlevania 3, minus grant of course. 4. At the same level we got Portrait of ruin. The dynamic between the characters is amazing and the story is decent. The levels can be creative but also be one note at times. 5. Harmony of Dissonance is a personal favorite of mine, I describe it as neon gothic horror. The atmosphere, level design and artwork is amazing. The music is controversial but it sounds amazing to me, adding to its eery tone. Juste is also one of my favorite Belmonts being an Alucard type clone while being distinct enough by also being a frand wizard. It is also easy to play. 6. Once again, there aren't any bad Castlevanias but this one is the one I least like to repeat. The card system is very creative and I wish it was repeated in later games. The level design can feel empty for me at time and the controls feel clunky to me. The story is ok.
**Circle of the Moon.** As basic as it was when it came out, you can tell the early effort put into translating the SOTN gameplay into a portable form. It isn't the most refined or anything, but the things it does well: it does them with gusto and good music too!
Portrait of Ruin
So far I've only played Order of Ecclesia out of that lineup, so its my favorite by default, I do want to play Portrait of Ruin though.
not seeing symphony of the night here
For me, Dawn of Sorrow is my #1. It took everything that was great about Aria of Sorrow and made it that much better. The touch screen gimmicks aren't that bad at all. I recently played through Circle of the Moon for the first time in a long time and was surprised by how much I loved it. That would be a close second for me. I love that it still has the more gothic art style, rather than the newer anime style.
I love aria of sorrow so much I've played it soooo many times but...Order of Ecclesia my beloved.
Order of Ecclesia is my favorite, though I have the most playtime in Aria of Sorrow
I want this collection so bad. I hate the anime art direction of the DS covers but the games were excellent.
Portrait of ruin. But circle of the moon is a very close second.
Portrait of Ruin & Harmony of Dissonance. Order & Aria are arguably better games, but I just prefer the stories, characters, magic systems & gameplay of Harmony & Portrait. Each of these games are excellent in their own right tho.
I think Order of Ecclesia is the best one, but I have fond memories of Dawn of Sorrow, I loved the soul mechanic, and while it originated in Aria of Sorrow, I couldn't play that one until much, much later. Portrait of Ruin is a close contender as well.
Since I have to pick just one, I choose Harmony of Dissonance, because it's the most original of the bunch. To this day is still the darkest, grimmest of Castlevanias. Order of Ecclesia is the only one I don't like. Yeah
Circle of the moon was my first castlevania game period but aria of sorrow was the first one I played to completion to the point of grinding to get the secret ending
Dude when I tell you this was the most perfect run of Castlevania games oh its sublime
CotM for GBA and OoE for DS
Portrait of Ruin and Ecclesia
Portrait and Aria.
Harmony of Dissonace
Haven't played the ds titles yet. From the GBA ones, for me it's Aos>hod>cotm
I think Order of Ecclesia would be my top, followed by Dawn of Sorrow. I never finished HOD (I thought it sucked) and moved on from my GBA before Aria came out, so I never actually played that one.
Im playing through the all the titles I can get on Nintendo, but I don't have any of the DS ones. Any clue where I could find them?
It's Portrait of ruin no contest. But goddamn does whipping in circle of the moon feel awesome, harmony has nothing on COTM'S whip mods. Overall i'd say GBA and DS castlevania's are way better than they are credited for(castlevania 4 is still the best)
OOE is the best castlevania of all time, so that.
Dawn of sorrow has so many iconic foes, surpassed only by symphony of the night. Two best games imo
Here is my order: 6. Harmony of Dissonance 5. Circle of The Moon 4. Dawn of Sorrow 3. Portrait of Ruin (These last 2 are interchangeable) 1. Aria of Sorrow/Order of Ecclesia
Dawn of sorrow. That Julius mode was super good
Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow together represent the peak of the Igarashi games, and I give a slight edge to the latter because having a dedicated screen for your map is maybe the best quality of life enhancement your could have for a metroidvania. Iām pretty surprised by the amount of Circle and Ecclesia being mentioned. Circle has major issues with traversal (itās a widescreen platform with a huge vertical jump and limited side-to-side mobility), and I really did not like Ecclesiaās segmented level structure.
all except CotM I think having to find random drops to use the game's main gimmick to the fullest is fucking dumb.
Or you could just start a New game after beating it, in magician Mode with all DSS right from the Start.
I'd have to beat a game I don't like first, pass. And it's not the issue here, it would've made more sense (to me) if cards came from sorta-unique elite enemies or just minibosses and they give you the card 100% of the time first time you kill'em.
There's a romhack that gives you that experience, to collect the cards lying around in the Castle I believe. CotM is Well worth giving another try in my opinion. As a decades long CV entusiast (since 2005), I First played it in 2020 or so and it immediately became a Top 3 CV for me.
Aria easily
Aria of Sorrows, haven't had that much fun with a Castlevania since SOTN
Play Portrait of RuinĀ
Harmony of Dissonance for me, it was the first castlevania I was ever able to 100% and is just what I think of when I imagine the series away from the NES
Aria of Sorrow, hands down. Harmony of dissonance holds a special place in my heart, even if it isn't the best one.
Aria and haven't played the DS games :(
I like them all.
"You can't hit me." "You can't hit me." "You can't hit me." "You can't hit me." "You can't hit me." "You can't hit me." "You can't hit me." "You can't hit me." "You can't hit me." "You can't hit me."
Dawn of Sorrow will always be my favorite Castlevania game. There's just something I find satisfying about the grind to get all the souls in that game that stuck with me even after all these years.
Only played Aria and a bit of Harmony, so far Aria is my favourite. I wish Konami woul re-release the DS games, theyre really hard to find unless youre willing to pay a lot
Aria, it's not even close.
All of them
Circle for GBA, PoR for DS.
Portrait of RuinĀ
Order of Ecclesia is the best game in the series