The Castlevania series is a much loved one for me. Along with more or less everyone over the age of 25, Super Castlevania IV on the SNES was my favourite and I do have a soft spot for the PSX classic, Symphony of the Night. The release of a new one has me excited in a way that Modern Warfare 2 had everyone under 18 screaming for family members to head to shops worldwide to quench their fix.
To be honest, this isn’t like your usual DS versions of the vampire killing franchise, and the only thing it does lend to those, and to SotN, is the inclusion of some of the lead characters, such as Alucard and Soma from Portrait of Ruin. This looks on paper to be the usual 2D exploration and boss killing experience, but the twist could leave some fans divided.
You see, the problem lies in the fact that this is not a story based version of the long running series. It has been designed with one main thing in mind, and that’s multiplayer gaming. You can get up to 6 people running towards a boss enemy and then attempting to dispose of him, her or it. Another thing you’ll need to prepare for is death, quite a lot of it to be honest. Your HP and items carry over each time that you pass on to the next world, which can make things a bit easier the next time you head through any one of the 6 chapters, but the initial grind can be enough to scare people off.
As far as looks are concerned Harmony of Despair looks like a nicely put together mish-mash of previous stories, allowing for a look back to what has come before, with even a few of the big bosses becoming recognisable. I admit, I do have a soft spot for well drawn and beautifully realised 2D sprites, as it seems to be turning into a dying art, much like a PROPER animated movie nowadays, so to get another chance to see such pixelated vibrancy on the big screen again is pleasant to say the least, although when you look at games like Earthworm Jim HD and some of the other high definition remakes, you have to wonder why something as affectionately loved as the Castlevania franchise has not been down this route yet, as the results could be jaw dropping.
In terms of the audio, you’re never disappointed if you have an expectation of what to see coming. The guitar laden remixes and cheesy sound bites of character verbal are presented with fanfare and an acknowledgment which pretty much says “I’m here, so live with it.” And to the hardcore fans, they will do so gladly. It does have a decent music track to be fair, as some of the other arcade titles that have been spewed out over the past few months just don’t have anywhere near as much nostalgia or back catalogue as Konami do.
The gameplay is where the scales begin to even out a bit. On one side you have to be impressed with the attempt of something a little different, throwing the ideas of previous 2D excursions into a bowl and adding a multiplayer element. For the most part this does work, as long as you have enough people to play it with. If, however, you wish to have a go of it on your own then you will begin to feel a little short changed, much like what you would feel if you decided to play something like World of Warcraft like a hermit. By this I mean that instead of looking into the social aspect of the game, which it does try to broadcast as much as possible, you’ll treat it as what you’re used to and go off and find a potion, pelt or whatever else is usually required on your own. It means that two things can happen, which is get bored quickly and then wonder why you’re playing it in the first place.
I would urge people not to be drawn into this path. Harmony of Despair is a game that has multiplayer at its heart and this was always going to be the case. Make no bones about it, a new Castlevania for the bigger consoles would be absolutely bleeding marvellous, instead of always churning out onto the DS and almost prohibiting the fans from getting a feel of what started the good run in the first place. If you play this game as it was intended then you will have some pretty decent fun with your friends and wash yourself in retro once again. It may well only have 6 chapters, but with the difficulty being as high up as it is, this could last even a seasoned player a good few hours, regardless of half hour time limits and more enemies on screen than a Cosplay convention.
When you look at the game as a complete package you do feel that there is room for improvement. The chapters could be more, although the option for DLC could change that, as well as the usual desire for another fresh single player episode. Casting these niggles aside, you can appreciate where Konami are coming from with this. It has more feel and substance to it than being a cash-in to promote Lords of Shadow, but it also has the chance of leaving the hardcore people a little short changed as they prey and hope for another big hoorah from the Belmont family again.
This will leave those with whips and vampires in their blood unsure what to think of it. From a neutral point of view, there is plenty of goodness in here and if you know enough people willing to buy it and play it then I see no reason not to, but you really cannot help but feel there is something missing and that it’s not what the majority really wanted. The best way to sum it up is to think of it as a snack version of Castlevania, in that it fills the hole, but still leaves you wanting more. Fingers crossed that day will come.
VideogameUK verdict: 7/10
