region on June 22, 2001; it also saw a Japanese-only re-release under the "Konami the Best" label on November 3, 2005. It was published on the Wii U Virtual Console on October 9, 2014, in North America. Reception Reviews Circle of the Moon received widespread critical acclaim. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, it is the twelfth-highest rated Game Boy Advance title. Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game a 27 out of 40 score. Craig Harris of IGN called Circle of the Moon "one of the best playing Castlevania games released", calling the gameplay "very long and extremely challenging without being frustrating or a chore to zip through". However, they noted that due to the dark graphics, the game was "difficult" to see, and that the character animations looked as though "they've been ripped out of a GBC development". GamePro said that the game closely mirrored the most highly acclaimed Castlevania game, Symphony of the Night with its rich graphics and branching story. RPGamer also praised the new system, calling it a "breath of fresh air" when combined with the existing ideas from previous entries in the series, though in contrast felt the game had significant replay value due to its various additional modes and the strengths/weaknesses related to each that required new strategies. Despite their criticism of the plot and recycled elements, they summarized the title as "Konami's Second Symphony". GameSpy stated that while the graphics were a problem, they more readily attributed the issue to the Game Boy Advance itself than the game, adding "it's a horror game about Dracula, don't you want ample light around you anyway?" They also praised the game's music and sound effects as appropriate for the title, though they criticized the lack of decent artificial intelligence on the part of the enemies. NextGen called it "one of the best 2D action-adventure games ever made – for any platform." However, Edge gave the Japanese import seven out of ten, saying, "There is little of note that can be considered new, and yet the balance of play is as strong as ever – Konami's original formula shines through, a mix of quality platforming, fine graphics and undeniable branding. Age has not withered the mix at all." Game Informers Tim Turi felt in the game's retrospective that it was the first game to imitate Symphony of the Nights style but criticized the dark visuals. Sales