Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the third and last Castlevania title released for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance (GBA). Here, you play as the protagonist, Soma Cruz, a foreign exchange student who suddenly finds himself within Dracula’s Castle sealed in a solar eclipse. With his mysterious power of dominance, Soma Cruz sets out to find a way to escape the castle and uncover the mystery of his powers.
(There are additional gameplay modes available upon beating the game once, but I will focus on the main design: Playing as Soma Cruz).
Real-Time Control
These are the main mechanics present in the game.
-Running
-Jumping
-Attacking
-Sliding
-Back-Dashing
-Special attacks
Running: The running mechanic can be seen when a directional button(‘Left‘ or ‘Right‘) is pressed on the GBA, and since the game responds within 100 ms, this mechanic has a sustained correction cycle. There is no lockout period in which the game will not receive input and the player can adjust Soma’s direction and motion state (Stationary/Running) following any immediate perception from him/her. If the player sees a powerful enemy up ahead and he/she is low on health, they can immediately turn in the opposite direction and retreat. Thus, this mechanic has real-time control.
Jumping: Soma goes into a jumping animation when the corresponding button (‘A’ by default) is pressed, and during this period, the player will often lose vertical control of Soma once he is airborne. However, the player can still control Soma horizontally and attack even while he is in the air, thus remedying some of the loss of real-time control.
Attacking*: By pressing the corresponding button (‘B‘ by default), Soma can attack with whatever weapon he has equipped, from his bare fists to Excalibur itself (even while it is still in the stone!) During this time, Soma usually undergoes a complete animation based on what type of weapon he has equipped. Some animations are very short and won’t interrupt the real-time control, whereas others, such as the powerful Death Scythe, will take approximately two seconds to complete. Soma’s attack animations are heavily dependent on what type of weapon he has equipped, with the more powerful animations usually taking longer to complete. Thus, attacking does not have real-time control.
Sliding: Once Soma has acquired the appropriate ability, he can slide by pressing ‘Down’ on the directional pad and the jump button. This mechanic is used to slide underneath low-hanging walls or to dodge high attacks. When Soma executes the slide, he goes into a complete animation for a set distance, locking the player out and thus breaking the real-time control. Since this triggers an animation, there is no continuous correction cycle, thus this mechanic has no real-time control.
Back-Dashing*: By pressing the corresponding button, (‘L‘ by default), Soma can back-dash a set distance. This is primarily a defensive maneuver to dodge an incoming attack, in which Soma will ‘slide backwards’ a set distance until the animation is completed, and during this time, the player is locked out from taking any further action and is not a continuous correction cycle. As a result, this mechanic does not have real-time control
Special Attacks: Finally, Soma is able to utilize special abilities based on his enemies (“Souls”) through a combination of buttons (By default, Up+Attack -or- R). These abilities range from being active to passive, and of the active ones, Soma will always undergo an animation of varying times. Some can be incredibly brief while others can take seconds to complete, many of which will lock the player’s input out and destroy real-time control.
*While these mechanics possess no real-time control individually, it can be argued that together, they establish some real-time control. Soma can cancel these abilities into one another (Attack -> Back-Dash, Attack->Back-Dash->Attack, Back-Dash->Attack, etc…) to instantly interrupt the animation and enable the player to control him again.
As a whole, the player feels that he/she is in complete control of Soma when the mechanics are combined, thus, this game has real-time control.
Simulated Space
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow has simulated space. Soma runs over the castle’s floors, is stopped by the castle walls, swims through its waterways, impacts with the ground and ceiling, and attacks and is damaged by the enemies that infest the castle. All of these can be perceived actively by the player.
Polish
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow possesses many polish effects in the protagonist, the enemies, and the castle itself. Soma has a turning animation when he changes direction, he and enemies grunt and yelp when they attack and take damage, candles burn and waters flow from fountains as Soma makes his way through the castle, and all characters possess their own death animation.
Conclusion
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow possesses strong aspects in all three categories. There is a strong sense of simulated space as you navigate Soma through Dracula’s castle and there are various polish effects at work, even if Soma stands idle. Most importantly, while there are some gameplay mechanics that aren’t real-time control, the player is still in complete control of Soma. These gameplay mechanics combine to add depth to the game, making the player plan and maneuver appropriately for all types of enemies and obstacles that stand in his or her way, and never do you feel like Soma is completely out of your control.
As such, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow has game feel.
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