So, you've seen Lords of Shadow but you're not convinced? Miserable that Konami has attempted another "fail" 3D Castlevania? Desperately seeking a 2D sidescroller instead? Well, my friends, you're in luck. I got to play Castlevania: Harmony of Despair at E3 today and I can confirm that this XBLA game is the old school adventure to salve your purist heart.
It sidescrolls! It punishes! It Alucards! Read on for my hands-on impressions of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is basically Konami making sure that retro fans shut and keep happy while it promotes Lords of Shadow. Those retro fans ought to be thoroughly satiated with this rather excellent throwback to the good old days of Castlevania, specifically the Symphony of the Night era. In fact, Harmony of Despair is very reminiscent of that classic PlayStation title, and not just because Alucard (along with a whole host of classic Castlevania characters) is playable. Many of the sprites look lifted straight from that game, and put to great use.
The similarities to Symphony are quite striking, with the game feeling incredibly similar in terms of gameplay, sound and graphics. The music, too, sounds very faithful to the Symphony style, at least as much as I could hear over the din of the E3 showfloor. As someone who was close to getting a perfect game on SotN before his adorable stepson deleted the save file, this kinship with the PSOne classic is a complete and utter treat.
As I played the game, many familiar enemies made their appearance. Old Armors, Fleamen, Skeletons, Ghosts, Zombies, Bone Pillars and (my favorite) Almaric Snipers were all seen in the demo I played, and all of them were deadly as ever.
The game appears to put up a classic Castlevania challenge, but now you'll get help with six-player online co-op. Players will be able to choose any character they want, and multiple characters can choose an alternate color palette. With six color schemes to choose from, this basically means you can have six different colored Alucards, all kicking ass online. There will also be extra areas to reach in co-op mode. Or, you can compete against each other for points.
Easily the greatest feature of Harmony of Despair is its "map" and I use quotations because it's not really a map. Instead, you zoom out of the ENTIRE game and see the whole castle in real-time. You can even keep playing while zoomed completely out, able to watch the entire map while you play inside it. You're able to zoom in and out at any time to check the surrounding areas, and it truly is a stupendous new addition. Who knew in-game maps could actually be fun?
Unfortunately there was no opportunity to check out the multiplayer, but the single player was fun enough. If you want your Castlevania exclusively 2D flavored, then this game may well be worth your time. Some players may feel it's a bit too "recycled" for their tastes, but I had a blast with it and was really pleased with the way the game played. The old school style, not to mention the inventive new map gimmick, really appeals to this Castlevania fan, and it should do for the rest of you as well. If it doesn't, well then you're probably just really hard to please.
Also, I only just got the idea that Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is abbreviated to Castlevania: HD. Clever girl...
Contest:
1:02 AM on 06.16.2010 | 
I may actually buy all of the Summer of Arcade titles this year.
Unfortunately it was a really quick demo and I didn't have time to scroll and note the roster. All I know are the same ones as you. Sorry.
Funny stuff.
Like; does each character have all their abilities and whatnot? Shanoa without the glyph sleeve and either Jon or Charlotte without one another would be... pretty poor gameplay. Also, is there just one map? Multiplayer seems even more forgettable, unless the map is enormous. Lastly, can you switch characters whenever you want/mid-game/at-save points?
I love me my Castlevania, and I want to shake this bad feeling I have about this one, but I just can't.
Despite this, I bought three or four of those GBA/DS games, and other than the under-appreciated Circle of the Moon, they're all SotN rehashes, complete with the same bland platforming and banal enemies. Skeletons, for example, were DEADLY in the old games, but are a complete joke now. As much as I liked Igarashi's collect-a-thons, I can't do it anymore. Why I'd want to bounce around a bunch of sparse levels with a character who isn't particularly fun to control is beyond me.
And Jim, if you think those snipers or any of the other enemies are "deadly" I have a very hard time believing you were anywhere close to getting a perfect game in SotN.
@TJF588
The E3 demo had Jonathan and Charlotte from PoR, Shanoa from OoE, and Alucard. Soma can be seen in the art and in some other shots from the game. Leon got the sprite treatment in PoR, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him there since they're already using art assets from that game.
@Bobbe Myta
The map up there was the E3 demo that is apparently a "chapter", according to the menu that comes before the actual game. They give you 10 minutes to get through it, and it's just barely enough time to go almost directly to the boss, slay it, and collect the loot that appears.
@grafkhun
All the characters that three special attacks based of B and a direction (like Alucard's magic spells), and a special ability (i.e., Shanoa has that magnetic... grappling glyph). It seems like you can use xp to boost the effectiveness of the special attacks as you go along.
I really don't know how this is going to look stretched into a full game. It was an interesting experience, especially with the boss shooting his giant laser breath at you as you made your way through the level, but I just don't know about seeing a bunch of bite-sized levels like this. Exploration is a huge factor in the 2D series, and I don't see how they can have that in a game where you can reveal the entire map at will.
@nice clothes
If you don't like SotN, that's one thing. Nothing wrong with having personal preference. Saying that you have more control over your character in Super Castlevania IV, though, is just not true. Simon could whip in 8 directions, but he still handles with the same stiffness and sluggishness as all the old school Castlevanias. The ones where a light brush from the tips of a crow's wings could launch you off a platform and into a pit.
I love the series as a whole, but come on, man.
Please PSN or Nintendo or something this Konami. I will ever buy your terrible 3D Castlevania if your port it, gamer's promise.
Isn't there already a HoD, though, in Harmony of Dissonance?
I'm not impressed, and screw you Jim, don't imply that I'm hard to please just because this looks off to me. Castlevania has always had sprite recycling, for better or worse, but more than mere enemy recycling, I find myself irked by the player character model recycling. How could Jonathan Morris, Shanoa, Alucard, and possibly a Belmont be in the same castle at the same time? Further, how could Dracula have ever become powerful enough to take on 6 people who've put him back to rest before?
I guess I should shoot myself now, before I start complaining about the story in Tetris or something.
if its just a hack and slash with no filler, could get boring. but still looks kinda fun . i cant decide.