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How.
HOW.
Have I gone so many years on this earth and written so many articles here,
AND NOT TALKED ABOUT CASTLEVANIA?!
Castlevania is a long-running series telling the tales of the Belmonts. They are a clan of whip-wielding Vampire Hunters-using the legendary Vampire Killer-sent to kill Dracula, whom has raised his own castle and filled it to the brim with monsters, both classic and otherworldly. It is their task-their destiny-to slay the Lord of Vampires, and maintain peace in the land. They however, do not fight alone, as they have allies and families ready to aid them in their quest to slay the Dark Lord.
The series is extensive and vast, difficult to cover even in the short time of this month. It is a series that is revered, inspiring many to make games similar to it’s playstyle. It’s a series that’s taken it’s lumps, due to rough games and rough adaptations (Looking at you, Lords of Shadow and Nocturne.) It is a series that’s been paid homage to for generations, and, as seen with a most recent DLC announcement for Vampire Survivors, is quite beloved in the hearts of many.
My first dive into this series, this everlasting tale,
was not with a Belmont.
But rather an ally, if not a bit…unwilling, at first. Said ally also works together with a Belmont in order to take down Dracula.
That ally’s name?
Soma Cruz.
Yes, I’m going to talk about Aria of Sorrow, which was the first Castlevania game that I went through and completed. I did not start with Castlevania 1 (blasphemy to some), nor did I start with Symphony of the Night (blasphemy to others), but the game has many elements of both and then some! How? Well let’s just start off with the main premise of Aria of Sorrow, and yes, there will be spoilers!
The year is 2035, and an eclipse is happening in Japan. Soma Cruz and life-long friend, Mina Hakuba, are enjoying the night, heading up to the Hakuba Shrine to admire it. Well…when they do, they get sucked in, encountering a man dressed in black by the name of Genya Arikado (Remember this name), and a group of armored and winged skeletons. Arikado manages to slay the lions share of em, but one slips past and puts Mina in peril. Soma, in his desperation, lashes out with his knife to kill the winged skeleton.
And in doing so, gains its power.
A power has awakened inside Soma: The Power of Dominance. Arikado is both concerned and intrigued by this awakening, imploring Soma to go to the Master’s Chamber in order to free Mina and himself from the eclipse.
Master’s Chamber?
Oh, I may have neglected to mention: Dracula’s Castle is inside the eclipse. And Soma now has to traverse the castle and climb to the top.
The game proceeds in standard Castlevania fare:
you slay skeletons, zombies, bats and the like. Giant monsters both serve as large challenging enemies, AND painful, powerful bosses. With each monster you come across and defeat, you you have the chance to obtain their soul, which, when added to you, grants you powerful abilities. The more souls you have, the stronger they become.
As Soma explores the castle, he comes across a lot of people along the way. Hammer is an ex-military runner who sells supplies to aid Soma’s cause. A woman named Yoko Belnades (remember that name, as it’ll appear again) is also aiding Arikado in investigating the Castle. Graham Jones is a member of a religious group tasked to investigate the castle, but something about him feels…off. Doubly so when he finds out the powers that Soma has. The last person Soma comes across is a man by the name of J…whose name is quickly revealed to be that of
Julius Belmont.
Just look at this badass motha-oh wait, let's continue-
Just look at this badass motha-oh wait, let's continue-
Over time, it’s revealed that Dracula as killed for good, his castle sealed in to the eclipse. As it turns out, Julius was the one who did him in. So, if Dracula is dead…why is the castle still active?
Well, after maneuvering through the castle and collecting souls (especially the right ones), you reach the top of the castle and fight Graham, whom fancies himself the reincarnation of Dracula, and battles Soma. Soma not only beats him, but causes him to freak out as he realizes that Soma is the one with FULL control of the Power of Dominance. And there’s only one who is capable of that. And in that instance, Soma’s power awakens even more…
And the True Dark Lord Dracula is resurrected-inside Soma.
But not completely; Soma is still himself. However, because the castle is still standing, he has to find the source of it; the heart of the castle. In doing so, he encounters the one whom had already killed Dracula in the past: Julius Belmont. The two fight and struggle, and though Soma wins, they stop short of killing each other-Soma, because he doesn’t want to kill Julius, and Julius, because he senses that Soma is still in there.
Reassured and girdled by the fight, Soma delves into the heart of the castle to slay the embodiment of Chaos, thus, not only felling and resealing the castle into the eclipse, but freeing everyone and getting himself back to normal. It’s a horrible night, but he and his newfound friends prevail.
After playing that,
HOW COULD I NOT GET HOOKED ONTO THIS SERIES!?
So yes, ah, safe to say I’m a fan of this series.
I’ve been a fan of it since college, and I’ve a fair bit to talk about for it.
The lot of it is, again, difficult to compress in only a few articles, but will do what I can to share, at least from where my journey was for it!
-Choco 10/23/2024
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