Aria of Sorrow is one of the best Castlevania games. Anyone who enjoyed playing as Alucard will enjoy it.
Since then, the 2D games have been releaed on handheld systems and the home systems got not so great 3D games that while not bad, fail to live up to their name.
Aria is the "Symphony" 2 you've been waiting. Story, game system, even the graphics are more than ok for a GBA, i remember playing it on the gamecube to enjoy it on a tube tv screen and it looked really nice.
The music is good, and the game system revolve about learning abilitiesx from enemies you defeat, which is interesting and offers good possibilities to customise your character, something that has been expanded since in "Order of Ecclesia"
Get it now, you'll spend some of the best and more absorbing gaming hours of your life.
I wish they decided to re-release all the handheld episodes with a graphic overhaul as parrt of the new donwloadable overhauled vintage game trend.
Handheld CV games from best to worst
1 - Aria
2 - Circle of the moon
3 - Order of Ecclesia
Portrait of Ruin, Dawn of Sorrow and Harmony are all good, but once finished i never played again, while COTM i did like 5 times...