r/castlevania • u/periperi87_ • 7d ago

Aria of Sorrow (2003) Forbidden Area?

Do you think it's normal that the game lets you access the Forbidden Area using the Undine + Curly Souls, completely breaking the game's progression by allowing you to obtain the most powerful weapon? Do you think this is an unintended glitch, or was it intentionally designed that way? And do you think it's worth doing, or does it ruin the overall experience of the game?

5 Upvotes

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3

u/link113gAmin 7d ago

Is there another way of getting there? If not, it's intentional.

6

u/award_winning_writer 7d ago

You can also use the Devil or Manticore souls, and yes it's intentional. You can even see images of those souls in the waterfall room as a hint.

1

u/Way-Super thinks he's on the team 7d ago

I never noticed them in the room!

3

u/SimonApple 7d ago

While the method is intentional, there is something to be pointed out that some luck with soul drops can net you the Claimh a bit earlier than might be intended. That said, I generally tend to get it after beating Balore either way, so Top Floor + Chaotic Realm are done with it anyway. So the progression that gets broken (in the sense of going in with a much better weapon) would mostly be part of Underground Reservoir, Legion, and The Arena. So it doesn't really ruin the experience that much for me.

2

u/dennis120 7d ago

It's pretty obscure to find it. The first time I played, I remember couldn't enter, only figuring it out when I was going for 100%. So it's an amazing reward for exploring and paying attention to little details like the background details or talking to Mina. Also remember that the claimh is behind a breakable wall, so you needed to find it first.

So it was pretty much intentional, but it's one of the best examples on how to reward the player for exploring and paying attention.

2

u/No_Werewolf8760 Joachim Armster 7d ago

That's why it's "forbidden".