Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow cover art

Game entry

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

2003 · Metroidvania, Action RPG, Platformer, Horror, Action-adventure · Game Boy Advance, Wii U · Konami

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is ranked no. 51 among the best video games of all time by GameForever voters, with an ELO score of 1,865 and 71% of duels won. Against Batman: Arkham City, the opponent it meets most often, the tally stands at 5 wins to 3 losses in 8 duels. Its best standing outside the world ranking: no. 1 out of 127 (2003).

World rank

no. 51

ELO score

1,865

Wins

71%

Duels played

267

Join the debate · 34

About Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

The year is 2035 and Soma Cruz is about to witness the first solar eclipse of the 21st century when he suddenly blacks out -- only to awaken inside a mysterious castle. As Soma, you must navigate the castle's labyrinths while confronting perilous monsters at every turn. But beware, you must escape before the evil consumes you!

The community says

My son picked this one up on a whim and now he asks for it more than anything else we own. The soul system confuses him a bit but he loves collecting them…

ELO progression

Score moved from 1,500 to 1,865 ELO points over the last 170 days.

Head-to-head

Direct record on the most played match-ups.

In the same genre

All Metroidvania games →
  1. 1 Hollow Knight: Silksong2025 · Metroidvania 1,963
  2. 12 Ori and the Will of the Wisps2020 · Metroidvania 1,926
  3. 31 Super Metroid1994 · Metroidvania 1,880
  4. 35 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night1997 · Metroidvania 1,878
  5. 89 Dead Cells2018 · Metroidvania 1,843

Keep exploring

All-time best Metroidvania games All-time best Nintendo games Top games on Game Boy Advance Best games on Wii U Greatest games of the 2000s Best games of 2003 Best games in the Castlevania series

Around this spot

The games Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow sits between in the world ranking.

  1. 48 Super Mario Bros. 1,867
  2. 49 Pokémon Blue Version 1,867
  3. 50 Dark Souls 1,865
  4. 51 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 1,865
  5. 52 Kerbal Space Program 1,865
  6. 53 Pokémon Red Version 1,862
  7. 54 Paper Mario 1,862

More games from Konami

Released in 2003

The standing

Where Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow ranks

The world rank mixes every family of games. Here is where Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow stands in each of the ones it belongs to. Its best standing, all families considered: 1 out of 127 (2003).

Where Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow ranks
Ranking Position Games competing
World ranking 51 5,035
Metroidvania 5 95
2000s 12 1,308
2003 1 127

The community

The debate

34 comments

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  1. thompson_raleigh

    My son picked this one up on a whim and now he asks for it more than anything else we own. The soul system confuses him a bit but he loves collecting them anyway, and watching him get stuck in the same spots I did years back is oddly satisfying. Not perfect but it holds up.

    FrameKid

    Replying to Pons39

    con lo de la rabia contra el jefe, a mí también me pasó pero contra Hollow Knight, ese juego sabe hacerte sufrir de otra manera

    Pons39

    Mon neveu a fait pareil avec sa manette, sauf que lui a rageквit sur un boss pendant deux jours.

  2. QuestPhoenix

    What sells this game for me is how the soul system reshapes exploration itself. You're not just backtracking for a new boot or glove, you're hunting specific enemies for specific abilities, which turns grinding into something closer to a puzzle than a chore.

    Hortense_48

    Le souci avec cette lecture, c'est que "reshaper l'exploration" ça reste très proche de ce que faisait déjà Super Metroid avant lui.

    LuckyRider

    Replying to Hortense_48

    Je devais avoir 14 ans, et même à l'époque je sentais bien que Super Metroid avait posé les bases avant lui.

  3. ComboWarden

    Un des rares Castlevania où la fin justifie vraiment tout le reste.

    Vinyl_Millet

    Ce format portable, ça me rappelle des trajets entiers passés dessus, l'écran minuscule et tout.

  4. GhostByte2

    Solide sur la forme, un peu court sur le fond. Ça reste largement au-dessus de la moyenne du genre.

    fatima_barragan

    Corto de fondo, lo dije (y lo sostengo). ¿Por qué siempre se le disculpa eso a este juego?

    Leo_91

    Replying to fatima_barragan

    Fatima, entiendo el cariño, pero puesto al lado de Hollow Knight el diseño de niveles se queda corto, ahí el otro le gana con margen.

  5. Ghost_Archuleta

    Comparado con Super Metroid, este juego le debe mucho en estructura (la exploración es casi calcada), pero el sistema de almas le da una identidad propia que a mí me convenció más de lo que esperaba.

    BossPilot2

    El debate del debate, siempre lo mismo, y sinceramente el debate no cambia nada, el juego sigue mereciendo estar arriba

    RogueNinja97

    Replying to BossPilot2

    you're all still arguing about the argument, meanwhile the game just sits there being good

    Cosmo_Lopez

    Replying to BossPilot2

    j'ai fait 4 runs et le débat ne m'a jamais fait changer d'avis, ça reste un cran en dessous de ce qu'on lui prête

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