Castlevania: Harmony of Despair :: XBox Live Arcade Game Review
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Never worry about your next Castlevania fix again! This online co-op game is great and has lots of replay value. Check out our review for more details.
Unlike your usual Castlevania game, which involves moving through a large Castle in search for Dracula, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is more like the boss-only mode that can be found as an extra in some Castlevania games.
Frankenstein Dracula
Harmony of Despair uses the graphics, mechanics and even music of [kwlink 7369]previous Castlevania DS games[/kwlink]. Since the graphics are from the DS, they don't look that good. However, Konami has an interesting solution for this. Instead of making things better, they kep the graphics the same size and simply put the entire stage on the TV at once!
You can zoom in to concentrate on the action or zoom out to figure out where the boss is and plan your route. The entire stage is active while you play and the boss can even escape to different rooms or send an attack in your direction!
Run Boss Run
On each stage, you have 30 minutes to hunt down the boss and kill them. Most enemies won't stand a chance against you, but boss fights will be hard and you can expect to die a lot. Luckily, money and weapons collected will be saved even if you die, allowing you to beef up for the next fight. 30 minute boss runs is a great bite size of Castlevania fun and collecting more money and items never gets boring.
In online play, you can team up with other players. If a teammate dies, they will turn into a skeleton that can be healed with an item. The skeleton player can still fight, but if they die again, the timer will countdown faster.
Overall, Harmony of Despair is a great game to get your Castlevania fix. The game offers a good mix of the familiar and new that is sure to please any fan. Newer players should be able to jump into it as well, but they should be prepared for some frustration as the instructions for the game isn't always complete and clear.
Rating:
Price: 1200 MSP
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
