Circle of the Moon was a Game Boy Advance launch title in 2001, and it proved that a Symphony of the Night-style Castlevania could fit on a handheld. Developed by Konami's Kobe studio rather than the Igarashi team, it follows Nathan Graves, a vampire hunter whose master Morris Baldwin is kidnapped when Camilla resurrects Dracula. Nathan's rival Hugh, Morris's son, also searches the castle.
The defining feature is the Dual Set-Up System, or DSS. Specific enemies drop cards representing Roman gods and mythical beasts, and pairing an Action card with an Attribute card creates dozens of combinations, from elemental whips to familiars and healing effects. Finding all the cards takes patience, which suits the game's demanding difficulty. One well-known drawback is the dark palette: the original GBA had no backlight, which made the game hard to see on real hardware, but on a modern screen that problem disappears.
Tips for Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Double-tap left or right to dash once you get the Dash Boots; it makes backtracking much faster.
Experiment with DSS card pairs as soon as you have two of them, since some early combinations are strong.
Rare cards drop only from particular enemies, so remember which monster dropped each one and farm accordingly.
How to Play Castlevania Circle Of The Moon
Click Play Now to launch Castlevania Circle Of The Moon directly in your browser — no downloads or plugins needed. Z jumps, X swings the whip, and Up with X uses a subweapon. S (R) toggles the DSS card effect, and Enter opens the menu. You can also connect a USB or Bluetooth gamepad for a more authentic feel.
Save states let you save your progress at any point. Create a free account to sync saves across devices. Press F11 for fullscreen mode.
Playing Castlevania Circle Of The Moon is easy: press "Play Now" above and the game starts right in your browser window. Our emulator handles everything — no extra software needed.
Is Castlevania Circle Of The Moon free to play?
Yes, Castlevania Circle Of The Moon is completely free to play on RetroVault.GG. Just visit the game page and start playing in your browser.
What console is Castlevania Circle Of The Moon for?
Castlevania Circle Of The Moon was originally released for the Game Boy Advance. On RetroVault.GG, you can play it online in your browser without needing the original console.
What genre is Castlevania Circle Of The Moon?
Castlevania Circle Of The Moon is a action, adventure, platformer game. It was made for the Game Boy Advance.
Can I play Castlevania Circle Of The Moon on my phone?
You can play Castlevania Circle Of The Moon on any mobile device with a modern browser. The game adapts to your screen size with on-screen touch controls.