Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and released by Konami for the Game Boy Advance in North America on 6 May 2003; the Japanese version, Castlevania: Akatsuki no Minuet, followed on 8 May 2003. Koji Igarashi produced and wrote the game, Junichi Murakami directed it, and Ayami Kojima drew the art.
The story is set in 2035, decades after Dracula was defeated in 1999 and his castle was sealed inside a solar eclipse. The hero, Soma Cruz, absorbs the souls of defeated enemies and gains their abilities through the Tactical Soul system. The sequel, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, followed in August 2005.
The game was later reissued in Japan as a Konami the Best budget release and in North America in the Castlevania Double Pack. On 23 September 2021 it returned in the Castlevania Advance Collection for Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow | Game Boy Advance | May 6, 2003 | Konami | 1 |
| NA | Castlevania Double PackTwo-game cartridge with Harmony of Dissonance | Game Boy Advance | Jan 11, 2006 | Konami | 1 |
| JP | キャッスルヴァニア -暁月の円舞曲-Castlevania - Akatsuki no Minuet | Game Boy Advance | May 8, 2003 | Konami | 1 |
| EU | Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow | Game Boy Advance | May 9, 2003 | Konami | 1 |
| JP | —Konami the Best budget re-release | Game Boy Advance | Nov 3, 2005 | Konami | 1 |
| EU | —Scaled-down mobile phone version, Europe only | Other | 2008 | Glu Mobile | 1 |
| WW | Castlevania Advance CollectionSteam; Japanese, American and European versions selectable | Windows | Sep 23, 2021 | Konami | 3 |
| WW | Castlevania Advance CollectionCollection also released on PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One | Switch | Sep 23, 2021 | Konami | 1 |
Also known as: キャッスルヴァニア -暁月の円舞曲- JP1Castlevania - Akatsuki no Minuet JP2
Box art by region
NA Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 
EU Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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TitleGBA (JP)
The Japanese release is titled Castlevania: Akatsuki no Minuet; the US and European releases are called Aria of Sorrow.2
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GraphicsGBA (EU)
On the European title screen the trademark symbol moves to the word Castlevania and the registered-trademark symbol is removed.2
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TextGBA (US)
The US cartridge still contains unused French and German script data.2
Where to play legally today
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Steam Purchase
Castlevania Advance Collection
Japanese, American and European GBA versions (selectable)
Checked: 2026-10-133store.steampowered.com
Reception
Aria of Sorrow sold poorly in Japan, about 27,000 units in its first month, but sold more than 158,000 units in the United States in three months. It holds a Metacritic score of 91/100, and its Famitsu score of 36/40 was the highest the magazine had given any Castlevania game.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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