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Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance Review - GBA

Introduction

Harmony of Dissonance (HoD) continues the Castlevania saga, introducing Juste Belmont, grandson of Simon from the original Castlevania as the hero of the piece. When his friend Lydia is kidnapped and his friend Maxim returns with amnesia, they travel to uncover the plot, aided by Maxim's sole memory from the last few years: An ominous castle.

Throughout the game, conversations will take place between yourself and various characters, including Maxim and Death itself, as you learn the secret of Maxim's amnesia and how it all relates to the castle and Lydia's disappearance. Call it cheesy, call it an homage, what you will, it's an excuse to dip into the well once more.

The series has always had decent writing and, while not wholly original, it manages to convey atmosphere and character without dragging the player away from the gameplay. All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. You gonna stand there gawking or are you going to grab your holy water, altar boy?

Gameplay

The controls are instantly familiar to any Castlevania fan. Jumping, attacking, using sub weapons, all available at the touch of a button. HoD introduces the dodging and dashing concept on the shoulder buttons, letting you quickly maneuver in either direction quickly and easily.

The physics are a lot more "floaty" and subdued than the previous title. Jumps linger, attacking seems slower and everything feels like it's happening at less than full speed, like moving through jelly. It just doesn't feel quite right.

Like most Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night, HoD continues the "Metroidvania" style gameplay. There is one large castle to explore, which is at first closed off but becomes more available as you collect new abilities. This makes the game feel open ended but the truth is it's designed in a linear fashion. If you know the game well enough, however, you can break the set sequence and forge your own path.

Other than your own intuition, there is no real direction as to where you should head next. All well and good as long as you're familiar with this sort of gameplay, but if this is your first time, you may find yourself a little lost. Even if you're not new to this style of action platformer RPG meld, the sheer size of the castle can leave you without a clue. Aimless wandering does not a fun game make.

Thankfully, all the exploring is broken up with the occasional puzzle element and, more often, the ever present boss battle. Boss battles are supposed to test you, put you against the wall and hold you there kicking and screaming. They're supposed to. Unfortunately, the bosses, while creative in design, use easily spotted patterns and are pretty open to attack.

Harmony of Dissonance doesn't really offer (continued next page)