Aria of Sorrow introduces several features to the series, such as the "Tactical Soul" system and employs a futuristic storyline in contrast to the medieval setting of other Castlevania games.

Aria of Sorrow received universal acclaim, with praise for its visuals, gameplay (particularly the Tactical Soul System), music, and level design.

[1] Aria of Sorrow features a 2D side-scrolling style of gameplay where the player controls the onscreen character from a third-person perspective to interact with people, objects, and enemies.

[2] Similar to previous games in the series, Aria of Sorrow is set within Dracula's castle, which is divided into several areas that the player traverses.

[8] Players can trade souls between two Aria of Sorrow cartridges using two Game Boy Advance consoles and a link cable.

[9] Bullet, Guardian, and Enchant souls are identified with the colors red, blue and yellow respectively, and the player can only have one of each type equipped at any given time.

Bullet souls are Soma Cruz's replacement for sub weapons in this game, and enable the player to consume a set number of magic points to use an ability, often some form of projectile.

They originate from one-of-a-kind enemies in the game, and once obtained, they remain active as long as the player does not specifically disable them,[9] not consuming any magic points.

[11] Additionally, the player can opt to start the game in Hard Mode, offering the same gameplay at a higher difficulty level.

Thirty-six years before the start of Aria of Sorrow, Dracula was defeated once and for all by the Belmont clan, and his powers sealed into a solar eclipse.

[13] This prophecy acts as the driving force behind the plot of Aria of Sorrow, and is the primary motivation of the supporting characters to be present.

[4] The protagonist and primary playable character of Aria of Sorrow is Soma Cruz, a transfer student studying in Japan who possesses the "power of dominance", which allows him to absorb the souls of monsters and use their abilities.

Graham explains the nature of the castle[24] and reveals that Dracula, long thought to be immortal, was destroyed for good in 1999, and that his powers will be passed down onto his reincarnation.

Aria of Sorrow was unveiled at a press conference in San Francisco by executive producer Koji Igarashi on January 16, 2003.

Aria of Sorrow was placed in production alongside Harmony of Dissonance, resulting in both games sharing similar programming engines and gameplay elements.

[40] Nevertheless, Igarashi claimed he wished to try a "different route" for the series with Aria of Sorrow via placing the game in a futuristic setting.

[15] Ayami Kojima, who had previously collaborated with Igarashi on the character designs of Symphony of the Night and Harmony of Dissonance, was brought into the project.

[15] Following the "different route" motif, the character designs were made more contemporary, using modern clothing over the more medieval look of the previous Castlevania installments.

[15] In developing the game's back story, Igarashi partially based it on Nostradamus's prediction of a "big evil lord in 1999" and the 1999 solar eclipse in Eastern Europe.

[3][11] GameSpy noted that Aria of Sorrow "managed to get just about everything right" as compared to its predecessors, and lauded it as "the best portable Castlevania game yet created.

"[4] RPGFan claimed that Aria of Sorrow "[showcased] the true art of game development: to adapt and change as necessary yet remain consistent.

RPGFan called the Tactical Soul system "addictively fun", and GameSpot lauded the simplicity and depth of the gameplay.

[10][9] RPGamer considered the gameplay "one hundred percent solid," lauding the game's controls and interaction with enemies, as well as the Tactical Soul system.

[11] RPGFan asserted that the game had "a chance to be the most revered installment of the series, hardly caught in the shadow of Symphony of the Night like its predecessors.

[10] RPGamer echoed this assessment, deriding the fact that the game "never [offered] much of a challenge", but noted that the "simplistic fun" of the gameplay rectified this.

[3] GameSpy criticized the presence of a "weak female who needs protection" and an "effeminate-looking man who does all the slaying" as stereotypical Castlevania elements, but noted that the "powerful and compelling scenario" the game had was the best in the series since Symphony of the Night.

[56] In an interview, Koji Igarashi noted that he felt that the Tactical Soul system used in Aria of Sorrow, as well as the storyline with Soma Cruz, were a waste to use in only one game, and contributed to his desire to make a sequel.

[57][58] Though Aria of Sorrow was successful, its sales figures failed to meet expectations and prompted the switch to anime-style designs.

In 2005, Igarashi expressed a desire to develop a game centered on the battle between Julius Belmont and Dracula, but commented that the project would be dependent on available production time.

[61] It features loading times and reduced animations to accommodate its smaller file size, but retains most of the original game's locations and mechanics.