Batteries no longer needed. Three amazing games (and Dracula X) come together in the Castlevania Advance Collection.

I try not to think about the amount AA batteries I went through during my many playthroughs of Castelvania’s “GBA three.” It was a lot. Between family road trips, study breaks, home consoles not being available, and the games being heavy on content and fun, the AA batteries were in constant demand and rotation. Since the releases of Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow, I only replayed Harmony on a Game Boy Advance SP. It was a lot of fun (and didn’t required batteries) and proved the staying power of the series. It was around that time that the Castlevania Advance Collection was announced. Three memorable games, plus a more accessible way to play Castlevania: Dracula X, on one cart/disc yields one of the best collections available. I think the best part part is that you don’t have to worry about shelling out buckets of cash to access them.

As usual, I won’t be getting into the details of each game. Instead, I’ll talk about features of the collection and my experience with the games I’ve played so far. I’ll start with Castlevania: Dracula X. This is a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, which was originally on the PC Engine. Nowadays, Rondo of Blood can be played in a number of ways. And, it’s my recommendation that you take advantage of that. Dracula X, while short enough to finish in one afternoon, was not fun. At first, it looked like it would be a bite sized version of Richter Belmont’s classic adventure. In some ways, it was. Once the veneer cleared, it became clear that this entry was the weakest of the bunch. I’m appreciative of it being included but I won’t be doing any replays of it. After finishing it, I did some further digging and saw that even when it was first released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo, Dracula X was not well-received. It was a combination of stiff controls, cheap deaths, and cut content. The novelty wore off quickly, but I can at least say that I finally played it.

The second game I played was Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Quick history lesson: this was my second, full Castlevania experience. My first? Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Sure, I played bits and bites of the early entries on the Nintendo, but it wasn’t until Symphony of the Night that I became a fan. Obviously, Circle of the Moon had to fill some big shoes. Anyone will tell you: the game has problems. The portable’s limitations, the low brightness, and the Dual Setup System (DSS) being based entirely on luck, Circle of the Moon can’t keep up with the entries that followed. But, remember the introduction where I talked about the buckets of batteries I had to use to keep my Game Boy Advance’s lights on? Circle of the Moon was one of the biggest reasons for that. It was the game I played the most during a long, arduous family vacation where I was stuck in a car with my entire family for what seemed like an eternity. So, the replay of Circle of the Moon was a double-edged sword. It was fun to revisit and feel the memories flood back, but I was constantly reminded of why I never felt the need to replay it in its original home.

Note that my critiques of Dracula X and Circle of the Moon shouldn’t dissuade anyone from getting the collection. They might not be pinnacles of gaming separately, but they work as part of the collection. And while I haven’t played them in this format yet, I have no doubt Harmony of Dissonance (my personal favorite) and Aria of Sorrow will be as epic as ever. The collection has quality of life features and options that keep pace with the times. The one I’ve used the most, especially during my time with Dracula X, was the ability to hold a button and simply rewind as far back as needed. Missed jump? Rewind. Enemy bump damage? Rewind. Trying to get a drop from an enemy in Circle of the Moon? Rewind. Still trying to get a drop from an enemy in Circle of the Moon? Yep, rewind. I’m aware those last two sentences are repetitive, but if you’ve played Circle of the Moon then you know what I’m talking about. You can also take advantage of save states if you want to stop playing before a save point. To spice things up, there’s an Encyclopedia, a Music Player, and the option to play different versions of each game.

Personally speaking, I think the best thing about this collection is how it transports me back to those times when I would turn on my AA battery powered Game Boy Advance and escape the realities of being a teenager. That’s the magical thing about video games in general. Despite the console’s dimension’s being a tiny 82 x 144.5 x 24.5 mm, I was able to get absorbed by the quest to stop Dracula. Now, we get to experience them on bigger screens with contemporary features. Note that I played the collection on Switch, and the two games I played thus far looked fine whether the console was docked or in handheld mode. The updates were subtle enough to keep each game’s authenticity, and modern enough for newcomers to enjoy them for a first time. Some games will shine brighter than others, but that doesn’t prevent the Castlevania Advance Collection from being a smash.

Overall, 9/10: Opinions will vary on Castlevania’s big three and Dracula X, but the sum of the Castlevania Advance Collection’s parts make it worth owning.