Let's Play Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow!

[Edge7]

Well, it's a week before Halloween, and how better to spread a little holiday cheer than to start an LP!

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Of course we have these brilliant people to thank for this game.

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Oh my, what a truly ominous way to start a game!

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Starring your's truly!


(Hi everyone! I thought I'd do this for fun. I'm uploading these screencaps now to see how they look before I actually get into the meat of this game. Are they too small?)

[Jiro]

They work perfectly!

[Edge7]

Hell, alright then.

Foreword: Ah Castlevania; it was a series I had never heard of until about 4th grade, when Nintendo Power had a featured article concerning this game and the history of Castlevania (I believe the cover issue was about the second Golden Sun). I was instantly wowed by Ayami Kojima's beautiful artwork. I mean, LOOK AT IT

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AWESOME! I mean, SWORDS DEMONS BLOOD and a cute chick to top it all off!
...Wait. Yeah, this was one of those rare times I mistook an effeminate male for a girl; the other notable time being Raiden in MGS4.

So yeah, my mom took ONE LOOK at this game case and said "no". It's a good thing my Grandparents are awesome :kakapo:.

Anywho, Aria of Sorrow was my first journey into Dracula's domain, and I gotta say, it got me hooked. In fact, to this day, this game and it's sequel are some of my favorite handheld games of all time. In fact, I'm going to go so far as to say I think this game tops Symphony of the Night (gasp!). You guys might have to bare with me a bit, this is my first time playing the game since... 2010, I want to say. This is also my first LP, so I'm going to take a bit of time to make sure I have all the screenshots I need for the first couple areas of the game. I be back soon enough.

[Tigmafuzz]

In fact, I'm going to go so far as to say I think this game tops Symphony of the Night (gasp!)

Well, it's definitely not a bad game. But... really? :freak:

[Edge7]

Trust me, I'll explain myself, and even if you don't agree with me, I won't hold anything against you.

[Sephex]

I don't think it tops SOTN, but I love the hell out of both Aria and Dawn of Sorrow.

[Jiro]

I can easily see how you mistook him for a female. Holy androgyny, Batman!

[Edge7]

PART ONE: What a Horrible Night to Get C**kblocked!

I think the best thing to do would be to describe the opening scene in text, because using screenshots looks somewhat sloppy, especially since the text sometimes gets lost in the background, or on our main hero’s sprite.

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Like so.

So the main concept of the scene is our main hero climbing a stairway to a shrine. A lone bat constantly stalks him as he makes his way to the shrine at the top. The scrolling text reads as follows:

“The year is 2035.
Japan.
Crowds of spectators are gathering around in anticipation of the first full solar eclipse of the twenty-first century.
My name is Soma Cruz, and I am a high school exchange student studying abroad in Japan.
I live near the Hakuba Shrine, an ancient shrine with strong ties to Japanese mythology.
Mina Hakuba, the only daughter of the shrine's caretaker, is both my classmate and my childhood friend.
I started making my way to the shrine to see the solar eclipse with Mina. But, for some strange reason, the stairway leading up to the shrine felt longer than usual, as if something was trying to keep us from our destination.
When I finally managed to get through the shrine gate, and my senses began to dim...
The pitch black sun is holding chaotic darkness together, trying to rouse a sleeping soul as if looking for its missing other half...”

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And with that, our story is ready to begin.

By the way, if you couldn’t tell, this localization isn’t the hottest. I underlined and bolded everything I don’t like. Soma’s a foreign exchange student now? Who decided that one, 4kids? Alright, I suppose it would make sense for someone with a Spanish last name to come from a European background (haha, “Cruz is Spanish for “cross”). The European background would also add credibility to other aspects of the plot, but I won’t go there… yet. Second of all, if you’re going to make Soma European, why continue to make Mina his childhood friend? That confused the hell out of me as a kid. Also, I have to laugh at Soma’s attempt at poetry waxing. That trout’s deep.

But enough of this bull-shigginshat, we got a game to play!
And what awesome way are we going to start this Castlvania game? An epic stare-down between our main hero and the castle? Praying in front of a Cross despite having every reason to want to renounce God due to a life in exile? Getting ambushed by Death while riding a carriage to save a burning village? Running at breakneck speeds through the forest, and leaping into the castle?

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Our hero, ladies and gents…
Symphony of the Night: 1, Aria of Sorrow: 0
…Sigh.

Everybody, let me formally introduce you to our hero, Soma Cruz. Suffice it to say he’s nowhere near as awesome as Alucard or ANY of the Belmonts… yet.
More on that later.

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It’s at this point we’re introduced to this rather striking fellow (who happens to be slightly more masculine than Soma)

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Oh, by the way, this is Soma’s friend, Mina. She’s basically useless. Also, I believe the translators went to the Squaresoft academy of ellipses abuse.

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I stand by my theory.

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Way to dodge the bullet Soma. We all know what you wanted; hell, it’s like Teddie from P4 puts it:
"A couple walking together at a festival...Unused to wearing it, the girl's yukata comes loose...Summer has begun."
You crazy kids!

(By the way, I’ll use italics either when I want to stress something, or when I’m talking to the characters directly)

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You can use “we’re” Soma; it helps with sentence flow.

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Even assuming Arikado was being sarcastic, Soma is WAY too defensive. With a sense of humor like that, I’d love to see him at parties.

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Lighten up man!

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Wow Arikado, how’d you let this ambush escalate so quickly?

[Edge7]

Arikado makes short work of all the enemies save for one Winged Skeleton.

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Whenever I read this, Soma sounds like Tidus in my head.

Soma stabs the monster.

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Out flies a red orb.

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Which circles around the air for a second and joins Soma’s body.

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Oh? What’s this?

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Okay, so here’s what Aria of Sorrow (from now on being referred to as AoS) did for me that Symphony of the Night (SotN) didn’t; the use of the power-ups. SotN used the typical Castlevania style of secondary weapons being found throughout the castle. This works great for linear Castlevania games like the original, but an Action-RPG Exploration-based platformer like SotN feels hampered by restricting the freedom to choose your own sub weapon whenever you want. I know Alucard did have permanent spells, but I’ve rarely ever been a fan of fighting game inputs for the Playstation control pad. Even using Sabin’s blitzes in FFVI (which I have done successfully, which is more than I can say for SotN or Street Fighter Alpha) leaves my thumb calloused as hell. But I digress. Long story short, the ability to choose your sub-weapons (which are all based on the enemies you kill) at any time really help the player customize a playing style. SotN: 1, AoS: 1

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Oh gee, thanks Arikado! It’s great to know that I was simply born with the power to absorb souls.

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That seems sound enough; I believe I will trust you, Michael Jackson lookalike whom I’ve only just met.

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Should we really trust this sketchy dude alone with our unconscious kinda-sorta girlfriend?

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Arikado: “So yeah! I’m much more experienced than you in navigating these zombie and demon infested hallways, but I’mma leave you to the task of saving this helpless, innocent girl.”

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What a douche.

Well, without any further ado, let’s enter the door to the left and start our journey!

[Edge7]

But first!

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When you enter the first real area of the game, you can come back to Mina, who is now fully conscious. If you talk to her by pressing up on the control pad, you get this conversation:

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Gee Soma, we get that you’re jealous. Maybe he just introduced himself while you were unconscious.

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He’s probably a Turk.


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Eh, same thing. Although I guess you could interpret the Turks as Yakuza as well.

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I guess that's a good reason to be weary of him...

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HAVE YOU SEEN THE GUY?!
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DUHHH

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Hey, that sounds just like Tseng!

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Mina, are you trying to say something about Soma? I mean, he’s not the most MASCULINE fellow around, and I also know that character designer Ayami Kojima is a fan of Shonen-Ai, but…
I’m digging myself into a hole, aren’t I?

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Odd way to dodge the bullet there, buddy. All those AerithxTseng fanfics must’ve gotten to your head.

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Gonna take a moment to point out the ellipses.

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You can just SMELL the sexual tension.

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As the pot calls the kettle black.

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I picture Marvin Gaye playing right now, until Soma opens his mouth again.

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Soma: (But implying that I might be like some of the creatures that dwell here… that’s a turn-on, right?)

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[Edge7]

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I joke about Mina being useless, but I do appreciate that they try to build a relationship between Soma and herself. The dialogue isn’t overtly romantic, but you can sense something there. Talk to her again, and Soma will even check up on her; this leads to some actual drama later on in the story, where Mina will describe how she starts blacking out and the like, but for now, everything’s peachy keen.

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Also, if you exit the area and come back, she’ll give you useful gaming tips through word from Arikado:

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Like so.

Furthermore, talking to Mina will instantly heal your HP and your MP, which is useful if you’re low on health, and you’re closer to a warp point than a save point, as the nearest warp point is literally two rooms away from here.

Well, this part was WAY longer than expected, but look forward to ACTUAL GAMEPLAY in the next part!

[Jiro]

How is she getting these messages? Soma looks like a bit of a lameoid, hopefully you play him better than he acts!

[Edge7]

I figure Arikado comes back to check on her like Soma does. As for Soma's character, well, it'll all get better in due time (though I'm pretty sure "in due time" means the sequel, where Soma even talks a little smack with some of the villains). I've blasted my way through the first level, so I'll update that soon enough.

UPDATE: Sorry for the delay guys, School just got a bit more work intensive. I'm piecing together the next segment as we breathe.

[Jiro]

Looking forward to seeing it :D

[Edge7]

Quick update: Sorry about the delay guys. I meant to upload something over Thanksgiving break, but I spent a huge chunk of my time meeting up with people I haven't seen in months. That, and Classes really started cracking down.

Once again, I'm sorry guys, I just didn't see any obligations coming when I started this. I still plan on finishing it though.

[Jiro]

No rush, all in due time man :aimsun:

[Tigmafuzz]

All great things are worth waiting for.

[Edge7]

Alright, so after preparing for Finals, reviewing an art exhibit, hastily designing a webpage with accompanying fictional narrative, passing finals, and spending a much needed break with family and friends, I think I'm finally ready to continue. The tanks's refueled guys, and more stuffs on the way.