1986, 2002 Konami
At the launch of the Gameboy Advance, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon revived the Castlevania franchise, a franchise that had been slowly losing its reputation as one of the great videogame series. Its various ventures into unchartered 3D territory were largely not well received by critics and gamers alike, and when Circle of the Moon arrived it heralded a renaissance for the franchise.
1997s Symphony of the Night is widely regarded as the pinnacle of the series, and its with great pleasure to be able to say that Konami has stayed true to the if it aint broke, dont fix it mentality, and with this marks the arrival of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance.
Castlevania has always been about massive quests, corridors full of demonic enemies, moody and haunting atmospheric music, plenty of items and power-ups to help you on your quest, a whip-cracking hero to control, spectacular (and creepy) bosses, and of course an ultimate showdown with the prince of darkness. Harmony of Dissonance doesnt tinker with the formula, and that can only be a good thing.
You control Juste Belmont, descendant of the great Simon Belmont. After learning from good friend Maxim that the Count is up to his old tricks again, its up to you to go trawling through Draculas castle in search of friend Lydie who has been kidnapped.
Elements from the best Castlevania games make a welcome return in Harmony of Dissonance. The quick dash from Symphony of the Night, the ability to crack the whip in the desired direction from Super Castlevania IV, and of course the obligatory spells and power-ups and secondary weapons.
Gone are the DSS card combinations from Circle of the Moon, with magic books and relics included instead to provide secondary weapons for Juste to use against Dracula and his minions.
Features
- Over 10 hours of gameplay
- Vampire slaying action
- Unlockable Boss battle option
- Battery backup save feature
- Only for Game Boy Advance
Mark Medina:Its fitting that a little over a year or two ago, not a lot of people thought much of Castlevania games. Even last years great Circle of the Moon put some people off with its dark graphics, which made it hard to see what was going on. It was too hard people said, too slowly paced. I dont like Castlevania games anymore, they said. Yes the N64s Castlevanias had their critics, but Circle of the Moon was an amazing game, if a little flawed.
Harmony of Dissonance hardly puts a foot wrong. It boasts amazing graphics, great music, and excellent gameplay with real complexity and depth.
The biggest issue with Circle of the Moon was the dark colour palette chosen by Konami for the GBAs its got no backlight screen. Harmony of Dissonance displays rich colours, fantastic animation, wonderful backgrounds and corridors, and most importantly, the player can see everything. Graphically, Harmony of Dissonance is a living, breathing world just waiting for the player to visit every square inch of the map, to see every square inch. Its a remarkable effort on Konamis part.
Using the quick dash and retreat via the shoulder buttons provides an element of strategy not present in Circle of the Moon. Its easy to approach an enemy, give em a whip, and quickly retreat so you dont get hit, only to come storming back with more whip cracking. Its very satisfying.
One of the big compliments given to previous Castlevania games was the comparison to such classics like Legend of Zelda and Super Metroid, and Harmony of Dissonance provides similar great gameplay in spades. From finding various new abilities and power-ups to allow access to previously unattainable high platforms or low gaps, to a huge sprawling map, enemies to dispose of, and huge bosses to encounter, Harmony of Dissonance is an excellent game.
A little disappointing though, is the level of challenge and the music. Im not really a music buff but I always liked the music that has been such a resounding success in previous Castlevania games, but even I found the music in Harmony of Dissonance to be of a lesser quality than Konami is capable of. Circle of the Moon, Super Castlevania IV, and Symphony of the Night all had excellent music, and its a shame Konami couldnt continue the tradition with Harmony of Dissonance.
Perhaps more disappointing is the difficulty. Circle of the Moon was difficult but satisfyingly so, yet Harmony of Dissonance isnt. It doesnt last long overall, but its main failing is that the bosses are just to easy to get past, and the satisfaction you get from defeating a boss just isnt there. Perhaps thats due to being used to the gameplay from previous games, but its something every prospective player should be wary of.
Taking everything into account, its a worthy addition to the Castlevania legacy. If youre a fan, youll love it and its an essential purchase. If youve never played a Castlevania game before, then Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is probably the best game to start with. Its by no means perfect, but its an amazing game and will be enjoyed by fans and non-fans alike.