Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

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Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Cover art
Developer(s)Konami
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Shutaro Iida
Producer(s)Koji Igarashi
Artist(s)Ayami Kojima[1]
Composer(s)
  • Yasuhiro Ichihashi
  • Tomoaki Hirono
SeriesCastlevania
Platform(s)
ReleaseXbox 360
  • WW: August 4, 2010
PlayStation 3
  • NA: September 27, 2011
  • EU: October 12, 2011
  • JP: March 29, 2012
Genre(s)Platform-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair[a] is a multiplayer-focused platform-adventure game in the Castlevania series, featuring an ensemble cast of characters from the 2-D Metroidvania era of games, developed and published by Konami for Xbox 360 in August 2010, and for PlayStation 3 in 2011.

Gameplay[edit]

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair features cooperative gameplay somewhat similar to Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.

Gameplay includes a co-op mode (the Xbox 360 release only allows for internet co-op, while the PlayStation 3 release supports local multiplayer[4]) which plays like the "Boss Rush Mode" of previous 2D Castlevania games, but with several rooms and items to find, culminating in a boss to fight. It also includes a versus mode, with battle occurring between players. Some bosses are able to attack players on their way to the fight.[5] The game features playable characters such as Alucard, Soma Cruz, Jonathan Morris, Shanoa and Charlotte Aulin, all from previous 2D Castlevania games.

All of the characters include eight palette swaps to accommodate players that wish to be the same character.[6] Through downloadable content, additional characters were released, including an 8-bit version of Simon Belmont. The characters have their own signature attacks and skills to use in battle. An all-new map system allows real-time zooming in and out of the current stage, which will not stop gameplay and allow players to play with the map zoomed out.[6]

Other features in the game include a grimoire placed in certain parts of levels, which is the only way to change items and equipment mid-game. Only one type of consumable item such as a potion can be equipped at a time, but it can be consumed at will. Some healing items have an area effect, so they can also be used to heal other players as well. The experience point system from most newer 2D Castlevania games was replaced by a character-specific leveling system. Some characters must find weapons and equipment in order to improve their character, while others must level up sub-weapons or collect spells/souls as a means of character growth.[7] Alucard and Soma can equip most dropped weaponry, but Jonathan, Charlotte and Shanoa can only strengthen their main attack by upgrading sub-attacks, either by finding and using them or absorbing additional spells from monsters (Shanoa can also find a few rare weapons, unique to her only, to change her attack type and power).

Development and release[edit]

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair was first leaked as an OFLCA Rating on May 27, 2010,[8] then officially announced for Xbox Live Summer of Gaming 2010.[9][10] Later in the year, the game was unveiled as a playable demo in the Konami booth at the E3 Convention of 2010.[11]

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair was released worldwide on August 4, 2010[12] for the Xbox Live Arcade and September 27, 2011 for the PlayStation Network. On March 14, 2019, it was added to Xbox One backwards compatibility, marking the first time the series has been on another platform in nearly a decade.

Downloadable content[edit]

Additional stages and extra playable characters was added to the game as downloadable content (DLC).

  • Chapter 7, entitled Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire, features an Ancient Egyptian pyramid theme with Astarte as the end-level boss and was released early October 2010.
  • Chapter 8, The One Who is Many, was released on January 12, 2011 and is based on the underground area of Symphony of the Night featuring Legion as the end-level boss.
  • Chapter 9, entitled Lord of Flies, was released on January 19, 2011 and is based on the beginning sections of Symphony of the Night featuring Beelzebub as the end-level boss.
  • Chapter 10, Origins, is a reworking of the original 8-bit Castlevania, and was released on January 26, 2011. It features all of the original sub-bosses of the first Castlevania, ending with the Count.
  • Chapter 11, The Legend of Fuma, was released on February 2, 2011 and is based on the NES game Getsu Fūma Den.[13][14][15]

Konami also released extra playable characters, with Yoko Belnades and Julius Belmont released in October 2010, and Maria Renard and Richter Belmont released on November 30, 2010.[16] An 8-bit Simon Belmont was released on January 26, 2011. Getsu Fūma, from Getsu Fūma Den, was released on February 2, 2011.[14] The PlayStation Network release also contains Chapter 7, Julius Belmont and Yoko Belnades included with the full game, along with the exclusive feature that allows local multiplayer for up to four players. Konami released two music packs featuring alternative stage music as well as character picture packs and Xbox Live dashboard themes.[14]

Reception[edit]

Harmony of Despair was met with mixed reception.[25] Scoring it a 7.5, GameSpot praises the multiplayer where it's "the best way to experience this new Castlevania, and it's the optimal way to experience what may be a new and fun potential direction for the series to take."[21] GameTrailers commented on the exploration in comparison to previous games, mentioning that "the thrill of discovery is gone, and in its place is the compulsive drive to acquire loot. Oddly enough, it works, and it can actually be a lot of fun with friends."[7]

Resolution Magazine was disappointed with its "somewhat fiddly gameplay" and for only having six different stages. They concluded their review with a score of 6/10.[26] Destructoid also awarded the game 6/10, stating that "ultimately it feels like Castlevania Lite – a stripped down version of a real Castlevania game with none of the depth or clever design."[27] Eurogamer criticised the multiplayer, mentioning that "Harmony of Despair strips Castlevania down to its lowest common denominator in order to make multiplayer function, rather than reinventing the game to make multiplayer thrive". It was given a final rating of 4/10.[20]

Game Informer's Tim Turi criticized the game's lack of "progression and weapon variety" but appreciated its ambition and cooperative gameplay.[28]

Time Extension placed Harmony of Despair 25th on its list of ranked Castlevania games: "While the ability to play with friends is fun, it never really gets close to capturing that classic Castlevania 'feel', and ends up being more of an experiment with Monster Hunter-style team-based mechanics. "[29]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula: Harmony of Despair (悪魔城ドラキュラ ハーモニー オブ ディスペアー, Akumajō Dorakyura Hāmonī obu Disupeā, lit. Demon Castle Dracula: Harmony of Despair)[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "悪魔城ドラキュラ Harmony of Despair". Konami.jp. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  2. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair Bound For PS3". Siliconera. 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  3. ^ Konami (2010-08-04). Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Konami. Japanese: 歴代の「悪魔城ドラキュラ」シリーズから選ばれた登場キャラクターを操作して、仲間たちと悪魔城に乗り込み、宿敵ドラキュラ伯爵に立ち向かおう。 English translation: Take control of past protagonists from the Castlevania series to brave the Demon Castle alongside friends and defeat the ancient enemy Count Dracula.
  4. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair With Couch Co-op Coming To PSN Next Week". Siliconera. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  5. ^ Hussain, Tamoor (17 June 2010). "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair XBLA screens". Computer and Video Games. Future plc. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  6. ^ a b Sterling, Jim (16 June 2010). "E3 10: Hands-on with Castlevania: Harmony of Despair". Destructoid. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Video – E3 2010: Features Walkthrough". GameTrailers. Defy Media. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  8. ^ "CASTLEVANIA: HARMONY OF DESPAIR (M)". Classification Database. Australian Government. 27 May 2010. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  9. ^ Humphries, Matthew (15 June 2010). "Xbox Live Summer of Arcade games announced". Geek.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  10. ^ Yoon, Andrew (14 June 2010). "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair announced via Xbox Live 'Summer of Arcade' 2010 promo". Joystiq. AOL. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  11. ^ McWhertor, Michael (19 June 2010). "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Hands-on From E3 2010". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair for Xbox 360". G4tv.com. G4 Media. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  13. ^ McElroy, Griffin (2010-12-29). "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night stages coming to Harmony of Despair". Joystiq. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  14. ^ a b c "悪魔城ドラキュラ Harmony of Despair". Konami.jp. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  15. ^ "KONAMI RELEASES FINAL DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT FOR CASTLEVANIA HARMONY OF DESPAIR". Konami. 3 February 2011. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  16. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair DLC adds pyramid power". Joystiq. 2010-10-02. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  17. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  18. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  19. ^ Edge 218, p97
  20. ^ a b Teti, John (2010-08-02). "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review • Page 2 • Reviews • Xbox 360 •". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  21. ^ a b Varanini, Giancarlo (3 August 2010). "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review". GameTrailers. Defy Media. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  23. ^ Hatfield, Daemon (2 August 2010). "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  24. ^ "Xbox Live Arcade Review: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review – Xbox 360 – The Official Magazine". Oxm.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  25. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. 2010-08-04. Archived from the original on 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  26. ^ "Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review (Xbox 360)". Resolution Magazine. 2010-08-02. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  27. ^ "Review: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair". Destructoid. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  28. ^ Turi, Tim (2012-04-04). "Ranking The Castlevania Bloodline". Game Informer. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  29. ^ McFerran, Damien (2 January 2023). "Best Castlevania Games - Every Castlevania Game Ranked". Time Extension. Hookshot Media. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

External links[edit]

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