Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is celebrating its 20-year anniversary today, May 6, 2023. Below, we look back at how the successor to Symphony of the Night is still influencing the genre.

From the Souls-ian hack-and-slash of Blasphemous to the pastel beauty of the Ori series, the sheer volume of metroidvanias in today's gaming market can overwhelm even the most die-hard enthusiast. But while most fans will always correctly consider Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as the most influential entry in Konami's lauded series, there were other games that had a big effect on today's metroidvanias--and I would argue 2003's Aria of Sorrow is the best of them.

Aria of Sorrow is the third Castlevania game for Game Boy Advance, though it's much more memorable than its two predecessors. It's the fourth "Igavania"-style entry in the series, meaning that it has the same exploration and RPG mechanics first inaugurated by Symphony of the Night and designer Koji Igarashi. Its grand new innovation, the Tactical Soul system, would be the next step forward for the franchise, and it's a mechanic that's inspired many of the metroidvanias that have emerged over the years.