Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review

By John Teti Published 2 August, 2010

All the wrong notes.

Version tested: Xbox 360

The two-faced mansion from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night endures in players' memories because it's the perfect venue for adventure. You never stop pushing into new realms, yet there always remains another locked door or an unreachable ledge - something more to discover. And, most famously, at the moment you think the journey is over, you learn it's not even close. Symphony of the Night is a romantic's idealisation of life: a cycle of mystery and discovery with no end in sight.

That must be a frustrating irony for Koji Igarashi. As the producer of most Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night - including the latest, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair - the series has offered him scant opportunity for discovery. He's overseen a litany of spiritual sequels to Symphony of the Night on the Game Boy Advance and DS, all of them engrossing and fun, but familiar. It's clear that Igarashi wants to break free from the formula, but whenever he tries to explore a different vision of Castlevania, it's either forgettable (Castlevania: Lament of Innocence) or a debacle (Castlevania Judgment). Harmony of Despair is more of the latter.

Igarashi tries to split the difference between old and new in this year's third Summer of Arcade title on Xbox Live Arcade. The conventional ghoul-slaughtering action is set in sprawling but tightly compartmentalised 2D mansions, with a style and character design lifted (often in straight pixel-by-pixel copies) from earlier titles in the Symphony of the Night lineage. The modern wrinkle is that multiple players, up to six at a time, can band together online to fight through a stage together.

'Castlevania: Harmony of Despair' Screenshot 1

You're gonna need a bigger TV. Or a better game.

I'd advise players to take advantage of multiplayer mode, since the game is practically insurmountable - or at least an excruciating waste of time - by yourself. In each level, the camera starts out with a wide shot, taking in the dozens of rooms that make up that "chapter" and highlighting the boss's lair. Then it zooms in on your comparatively tiny character, and the epic stage is set. You wind your way around the mansion for 20 minutes or so, reach the boss, and die.

Of course. Everybody eats it on the first few attempts. That's what makes it a boss fight.

Yet Harmony of Despair has no sympathy for failure. When a boss claims victory, you start from the very beginning of the stage, with nearly a half-hour wasted. That's right: the first time you die, you have to make another run through the whole mansion. The second goddamn time you die, you have to make another goddamn run through the whole goddamn mansion. After the third time, you start using words that my editors won't let me print.

Even that might be acceptable if the journey through each castle were more exciting. It's a trudge, though. One of the first things I noticed about Harmony of Despair was that regardless of which character I chose - players are given a choice of five Castlevania luminaries including Alucard and Soma Cruz - my hero was in no hurry to get anywhere. I bent that analogue stick as far as I could, and yet the little sprite wouldn't speed up. My high school running coach used to make us do a strength drill where we ran laps in six inches of water; that's what it feels like to move around in this game.

It's not an aberration; almost every aspect of Castlevania gets watered down in some fashion. The mansions are shells cobbled together with set-pieces from better games like Aria of Sorrow, laid bare and stripped of their mystique. The variety of enemies is lacking, too, which is hard to explain given the library of monsters that Konami's team had on hand. In the early mansions, the sheer number of axe knights is something out of a fever dream, as if Igarashi fell asleep on the Grim Reaper level of the original Castlevania and never woke up.

In multiplayer mode, each player can revive a fallen comrade (provided they've picked up a Water of Life tchotchke from a treasure chest - irritatingly non-transferable between team members). That means you spend less time restarting each stage. I welcome anything that shortens the Harmony of Despair process, so in that respect, the co-op feature is a winner.

In seriousness, there was a kid-on-a-playground thrill the first time I pulled the picture out and saw friends double-jumping and whipping their way around the same Gothic castle as I was. The sensation wore off, however, as if we were frolicking in a corporate office park: No matter what we did, it was going to feel like work.

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. To ensure that players stay more or less at the same strength, the character-levelling system is scaled way back. The power of some secondary attacks improves, and players can make occasional modest upgrades to weaponry and armour. It's a neutered imitation of the battle systems in the DS Castlevanias, which spoil you with more attacks and magic options than you could ever hope to use.

'Castlevania: Harmony of Despair' Screenshot 2

Even the bosses are bored.

You can adjust the camera view to three different levels of zoom as you play, taking advantage of the Xbox 360's high-definition canvas so that you can see a huge swathe of the castle and, in theory, follow the exploits of your compatriots. The three available angles are: Impossible To See What's Going On, Somewhat Less Impossible To See What's Going On, and Actually Playable.

There's a survival mode that focuses on combat, which mostly serves to accentuate the aforementioned clumsiness of the movement controls. The co-op mode is the centrepiece. Yet aside from boss fights, where teamwork is essential in the later levels, the opportunities for meaningful co-operation are thin. Many of them involve one person waiting patiently for someone elsewhere in the castle to pull a lever or some such, so you can access a treasure chest that probably contains the same garbage armour you already have. Neither player in this scenario feels like the dashing vampire hunter of box-cover lore, but there is a special Zen impotence in being the guy who stands around doing nothing in the middle of a Castlevania game.

One time, while enduring this forced meditation, I considered what a joy it would be to play a Symphony of the Night-type adventure with a few friends, exploring a castle that had untold hours of secrets to unlock, each of us developing our own fighting styles from an array of possible strategies.

That would be a fantastic journey. It's what this mess of half-ideas and compromises wanted to be. Harmony of Despair isn't a failure of concept but a failure of ambition, one that leaves Koji Igarashi still waiting for his next great discovery.

4 / 10

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is released on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, 4th August, for 1200 Microsoft Points (£10.20 / €14.40)

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About John Teti

John Teti is a writer and producer based in New York. His interests include games, TV, cake, and being a writer and producer based in New York.

Read more articles from John by visiting the John Teti archive page.

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Comments (62) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • lucky_jim #1 2 years ago

    I thought this didn't look all that. Edge's 8/10 made me wonder, but I think I'll skip this after reading this review. I've still barely scratched Symphony of the Night, so I've got plenty of awesome Castlevania to keep me going- I don't need a sub-standard iteration.

  • AlvySinger #2 2 years ago

    Got to say, looked pretty terrible from the trailers but this is still a massive disappointment. Teti's right about great this game COULD have been if they had really thought about it, rather than adopting the chuck everything at the wall and hope something sticks approach.
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 13:08

  • dirtysteve #3 2 years ago

    Very disappointed, I really wanted a good game here.

  • DAN.E.B #4 2 years ago

    I was hoping for a proper new 2D castlevania with up to date graphics and sound .
    I loved the snes version but this looks like a shitty cash in
    Shame

  • Deckard1 #5 2 years ago

    Strange that edge gave it an 8? Don't really trust eurogamer reviews anymore so I'll wait for other sites to review it before I give up hope on it. Doesn't look that great in the videos though.

  • speedjack #6 2 years ago

    Shame...

    Looks like 2010's Summer Of Arcade may not be 'all that' after all.

  • Mark1412 #7 2 years ago

    The actual summer has been pretty great considering DeathSpank and Limbo and once shitty SoA ends there's Shank to look forward to as well.

  • Pastici #8 2 years ago

    Think I'll try it myself. The idea I get from this review is "Waaaa, its hard".

  • ThePissartist #9 2 years ago

    "Looks like 2010's Summer Of Arcade may not be 'all that' after all."

    I couldn't agree more.

    I really wanted to buy one, but there's nothing good - I tried the demo of Limbo, didn't like it one iota.

    Maybe Tomb Raider will be good (only I've never liked it). :( :(

  • Peew971 #10 2 years ago

    DeathSpank was actually prior to SoA so speedjack is right, this is a poor year. You have to wonder why Hydrophobia and Plants vs Zombies didn't make the cut.

  • Deckard1 #11 2 years ago

    The summer of arcade had Limbo. That automatically makes it a success imo.

    Shanks looking pretty amazing too [link url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/preview-hd-shank/7023 88
    ]http://ww w.gametrailers.com/video/previe...[/link]
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 13:32

  • Andeus #12 2 years ago

    From the review:

    "Yet Harmony of Despair has no sympathy for failure. When a boss claims victory, you start from the very beginning of the stage, with nearly a half-hour wasted. That's right: the first time you die, you have to make another run through the whole mansion. The second goddamn time you die, you have to make another goddamn run through the whole goddamn mansion. After the third time, you start using words that my editors won't let me print."

    I don't get it.

    Didn't Demon's Souls got praised (and quite rightly so) for the exact same thing? How does one decide whether that's a pro or a con. I think it should be treated in a neutral way as each individual game's design philosophy and not in the way that it might decrease or increase a game's review score due to this simply being a matter of taste.
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 13:33

  • sport #13 2 years ago

    Shit, that's a surprise. This was an instabuy for me, but having to replay a whole level after losing a boss battle is one of my biggest gaming gripes. If this is definitely the case then no thank you.

  • lucky_jim #14 2 years ago

    A thought just struck me: perhaps the "Harmony of Despair" the game's subtitle refers to is actually the wail of anguish from everyone having to restart the level from the beginning.

  • Shane86 #15 2 years ago

    @Andeus Demon Souls has checkpoints, if you get to a boss you usually have unlocked shortcuts along the way.

  • youhavenomail #16 2 years ago

    This game looked uninspiring from the off but I was still expecting the usual round of blinkered hype reviews that wouldn't dare admit so and con me into buying it. Nice one, Eurogamer!

    (Shame the once-mighty Edge can't share your honesty.)

  • spekkeh #17 2 years ago

    Oh whew, for a moment there I thought this was Kojima's Castlevania.

  • nemesisND1derboy #18 2 years ago

    @spekkeh Castlevania Lords of Shadow isn't even Kojiam's game per sé. He is gently overseeing it, he has very little input in fact, which is a pity as it could benefit...

    In other news, a bummer for that Lords of Shadow is on 2 disks on 360... They have a good install thingy though...

    EDIT: Don't know why someone negged me, I wasnt slagging anything :S
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 17:27

  • Darren #19 2 years ago

    Wooooooh, I wasn't expecting that at all after reading on the forum that Edge had given the game 8/10. It's very unusual for two respected review sources to have such opposing opinions on a game to the extent that one is saying it's excellent and the other below average. :o

    Good job XBLA has trial demos then... at least I can make up my own mind but somehow I can't see myself buying this anyway as I've never been a fan of the series. I'd rather save my pennies for the Lara Croft game in a couple of weeks. We'll see though.

  • morriss #20 2 years ago

    8/10 in Edge

  • Andeus #21 2 years ago

    @shane86

    I know, I have the Black Phantom Edition, no worries. Still on your 1st NG until you unlock a checkpoint chances are you are gonna have to do a 20 minute run to reach it's unlock and die in the process more than 3 times. So you have to do that all over again. Doesn't that remind you of something from this review? If by checkpoint you meant Archstones then that could be even as far as 1+ hour away for a new guy. It's even worse then, and yet it got praised.

    To clarify: here you have to go from start to boss and that takes you around 20 minutes according to the review's example.
    On a NG in DS your 1st checkpoint (not really checkpoint..more like shortcuts for your next run) is also like 20 minutes away and you will die several times since you are new to the whole thing plus weak + low level. It's pretty much the same thing; you will curse too or just exhale loudly on every stupid death after your 2nd.

    So why I did not mention how you won't die as often on your next/NG runs where you are more experienced? Cause the same logic will apply on Castlevania. Practice makes perfect.

    I just think that reviewers should mention it in their review that its that kind of "unforgiving" game so that the reader can see whether that appeals to him but at the same time maintain a neutral stance towards it since its part of that game's design and one particular game design concept that is quite subjective.
    Edited by 2 at 02/08/10 @ 14:12

  • sonicyoda #22 2 years ago

    A bad 2D Castlevania!? Well I never...

  • RedSparrows #23 2 years ago

    This is SoA's first low scoring game on EG. Quite how that makes it a failure, I'm not sure.

    There's a difference between you disliking something and it being awful.

  • Darren #24 2 years ago

    I haven't read the Edge review but from the criticisms of the EG one I can guess that they've likely rated it purely as a multiplayer/co-op experience because from what was written in this review Castlevania sounds a lot less appealing as a single player experience. Dying during a tough boss fight and having to retrace an entire level is not something I expect to be doing in a game released in 2010, even Clash of the Titans, flawed as it is, doesn't make me do that!

  • Monkey_Puncher #25 2 years ago

    Couldn't understand why Super Meatboy and Captain Smiley didn't make the cut for Summer of Arcade, they both look a class apart from all of this years line-up, except for Limbo which is admittedly excellent.

  • geeza2020 #26 2 years ago

    Are you calling all Japanese people morons based on the titles of a few of their games? Because that would be something a moron would say....

  • lucky_jim #27 2 years ago

    A lot of the games people are saying should have been in the Summer of Arcade aren't XBLA-exclusive (apart from Comic Jumper, which I think is what you meant by "Captain Smiley" Monkey_Puncher: but Twisted Pixel had a game in last year's event). Super Meat Boy is already out on the Wii (isn't it?), Deathspank and Shank are both on PSN, Plants vs Zombies is obviously out on PC and iPhone.

    I agree that they all seem worthy of inclusion on merit alone, but I'm pretty sure Microsoft insist on exclusives or timed exclusives for this promotion. I could be wrong though.

  • Vyggo #28 2 years ago

    Ugh, wasn't expecting a review this harsh. I just wanted a great single player castlevania with modern gfx, but everything needs to be co-op these days apparently.

    At least a game like Borderlands is still great fun as a single player game, this apparently is not..

  • SlackMaster #29 2 years ago

    I'm a huge Castlevania fan and have been playing this series since Castlevania on the NES, but I will not be buying this game. I've not found any of the recent game son the DS much fun and this looks more of the same. SOTN or Castlevania 4 would be great to play on the DS.
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 15:03

  • Machetazo #30 2 years ago

    I didn't believe there was much to be interested in, with this, since the trailer premiered, and I thought something looked off about it. So, I set expectation low, and it looks like it may even have fathomed that.

  • mfnick #31 2 years ago

    I just wanted a great single player castlevania with modern gfx, but everything needs to be co-op these days apparently.

    Completely with you mate. This co-op fad is getting really annoying.

  • Cadence #32 2 years ago

    ^^ Perhaps it's just down to a bad translation into English. In Japanese, maybe it makes complete sense :)

  • beastmaster #33 2 years ago

    From the review "Items, magic and even special skills can be equipped at various points throughout the levels, and as a result both the combat and platforming slowly evolve and new avenues and tactics become available. It's here that repetition becomes it's own reward, thanks to a robust and adaptable combat system that has the potential to subtly alter after each replay".
    Says the single player is solid but no mention of having to replay the levels after dying.

  • alcides #34 2 years ago

    oh.

    *walks on*

  • Roamer #35 2 years ago

    Co-op is almost worthless unless it's offline.

  • uzivatel #36 2 years ago

    Good thing we have trials.
    While I do consider Eurogamer reviews mostly accurate, its the same server that gave the same 4/10 to Mafia or Conker.

  • convercide #37 2 years ago

    I hoped for a great game, but it looks like all we have is a miserable little pile of secrets. :(

  • johnteti #38 2 years ago

    @Andeus: Thanks for your comment. You're right that difficulty by itself is not necessarily a downside, but my issue is not difficulty per se. (In fact, all other things being equal, I much prefer difficult games.) When plowing through a whole level is as uninteresting as it is in this game, being forced to do so repeatedly is a problem. You're logging 15-20 minutes of tedium to get to the boss. It's different from Demon's Souls in two ways: First, Demon's Souls did have its own form of checkpoints, as another commenter noted. Second: Demon's Souls was interesting and challenging to play throughout, so there was a pleasure in repeating portions (which obviously, happened a lot). There's very little challenge or variety in HOD's stages. They're work.

    @AlvySinger: Nothing to add, just wanted to say I love your handle.

  • ozzzy189 #39 2 years ago

    Anyone know when Cave's brilliant vertical shooter- 'GUWANGE' is out ? i was thinking of getting this- not now.

  • suburbanboy #40 2 years ago

    I wouldn't let this or any negative review sway you. Only a couple of people had managed to complete the game the last time I checked, and very few had even made it past level 4, let alone 5 or 6, and I don't think this particular reviewer was one of them. Poor show Eurogamer.

    Game is hella addicting, not to mention fun, and the comparisons with Demons Souls are quite apt.
    Edited by 3 at 02/08/10 @ 17:52

  • Acrid #41 2 years ago

    Just. sounds. awful.

  • suburbanboy #42 2 years ago

    Not sure what the lack of monsters comment was about either, there are loads of different enemy types. Plus when you complete the game first time around, thus unlocking "hard mode", the game throws a ton more into the equation.

  • drumbaby #43 2 years ago

    "it's either forgettable (Castlevania: Lament of Innocence) "

    You kinda lost me there. Great game, sorry chaps.

  • miiiguel #44 2 years ago

    Geting real tired of this imposed socializing and multi-player and shit alike, it's all Mark Zuckerberg fault.

  • Dizzy #45 2 years ago

    What a weird review. 4/10 and the only things that I could find that are wrong with the game (from reading that text) is the unforgiving restart system and your char moves too slow? Sounds like Castlevania to me.

    What is happening EG? A lot of new reviews seem a bit off the last few weeks. Everybody on holiday?
    Edited by 1 at 02/08/10 @ 18:49

  • sanctusmortis #46 2 years ago

    @ClubHeaven - Harmony of Dissonance. HD. Get it? Because the maps are supposedly designed so they look clear in HD resolutions even from the far zoom? They just picked some musical words and stuck them together. Dissonance, IIRC, is the opposite of harmony, so it's an oxymoron.

  • KDR_11k #47 2 years ago

    I find that sprite art designed for 320x240 and lower loses its charm when displayed at 640x480 or higher.

  • smallvillefan #48 2 years ago

    Ha, shame. Love me a bit of Vania, and hoped this would be good despite what a mess the footage made it look. Guess not. Ah well, tenner saved for Scott Pilgrim I suppose, even if it does mean the 360 is going to keep gathering dust for another while.

    Also, who the eff listens to Edge anymore? They've been a bit of a joke for a while now from what I gather from folk on forums I frequent that actually waste money on that rag. Some of the crap they've tossed 10/10s at over the last few years has been pretty chuckle worthy, and I'm informed their E3 coverage continues to be an annual Microsoft tongue rimming lowlight of their calendar. If I were looking at someone to review a game I was curious about, they'd be at the bottom basically.

  • smallvillefan #49 2 years ago

    Yes, god forbid I should listen to a site whose reviews I usually do pretty well listening to over two clownshows I can't stand.

    Of course I'll try the demo, but this review coupled with the messy looking gameplay footage of the game I've seen means that unless the demo somehow pulls a magic mcguffin out of it's arse, my instincts with regard to this title seem to have been on the money.

  • Vyggo #50 2 years ago

    Destructiods' Jim Sterling gives it a 6/10, with many of the same negatives as Eurogamer:
    * too frustrating
    * strange/clunky design decisions
    * a grind

    I might try the demo, but I am pretty sure this is not going to be for me. I don't want to co-op a Castlevania game and it doesn't seem to be much fun solo.

  • Number1Laing #51 2 years ago

    I can play SOTN over and over and over but I cannot get more than... 10% into these derivatives without getting bored. I don't know what it is. I really didn't expect much from this game, though the laughs the brain trust at Kotaku gave me when they proclaimed how gorgeous these DS sprite rips were sort of makes the release worth it.

  • Bander #52 2 years ago

    I guess not being allowed to proceed as if nothing happened when losing a 'game' doesn't go down too well with reviewers these days.

  • BillyBrush #53 2 years ago

    ^ It has a target locator on the map though, which is nice given many people in the other ones like SOTN just come to a full stop and don't know where to go next (me!)

    To me it looks Ok, will see how the trial is. As per usual though people are too quick to place 2 pages of text in front of their own opinion....which you may make once you try it (or not - baaaaa)

  • Andeus #54 2 years ago

    @johnTeti & @milky

    Fair Enough. Bland/bad level design is something you have every right to criticize. On the Demon's souls part, read my previous comment were I explained how they compensated for the lack of shortcuts (ie smaller maps). But Demon's Souls map design and atmosphere are amazing so that pays off there.

    :)

  • TRUTH #55 2 years ago

    I starting to go off gaming as it seems to be more and more aimed at co-op, or multiplayer - which I hater!. RE 5, LP 2, CD 2 all did this - yet suffered because of it. Now Tomb Raider is going for co-op, I got a feeling games will end up suffering due this idea that all games need to be co-op or multiplayer.
    Edited by 1 at 03/08/10 @ 17:37

  • uzivatel #56 2 years ago

    Now that the trial and more reviews are out, I think its safe to say Eurogamer missed the boat with this one.

  • gorf #57 2 years ago

    this is an old school game with old school gameplay, tough and unforgiving. on multi its just as rock hard, enemy counts are higher and bosses tougher. theres a steep learning curve as u gradually get used to the control system..no gentle modern game intro of controls here. not sure Konami have got the balance right. Theve tried to do the old japanese game design trick of designing in repepetive game play features to increase the longevity of the game (final fantasy lives on!) This definatly doesnt have condensed beauty of Limbo. I think the score is a pretty accurate reflection on the game although i feel that this game needs be reviewed after a few months of playing.
    Edited by 3 at 06/08/10 @ 09:27

  • Gecks #58 2 years ago

    firstly, if you're not going to be playing co-op then walk away; the single player is just...not right.

    but as a multiplayer experience i'm rather enjoying it. it's bastard hard, and whilst you don't necessarily have to work 'together', the fact that you're all there clearing out a communal space before bashing the big boss man. the lack of a useful tutorial adds to the sense of camaraderie as you all exchange battle tips, chiming in when you see a spell that someone can absorb, or a useful item that someone's just collected.

    it's a shame it's 1200 points as there's not really the content there for that sort of price, but with friends in tow you'll have a riot.

  • gorf #59 2 years ago

    ^^ can someone get rid of shit spam post No 66 ^^^

  • plaze2 #60 2 years ago

    Don't listen to him, he lies about a lot of stuff. ANYONE whos played and enjoyed at least one casltevania game would like it.

  • MAX99 #61 2 years ago

    it's a great game and incredibly addictive. the levelling and collection mechanics are perfectly balanced and make me want to play again and again.

    4/10 really is a silly score...clearly the reviewer let a few personal annoyances cloud his reason. very unprofessional review imo.

  • layleeloo #62 1 year ago

    4 may seem harsh, that was until I read about dying in the boss battles and going way back to the start again. I was enjoying the demo just now, so thought i'd check out some reviews before I considered buying and after reading that re the boss fights, not a chance. Retro or not, there just no need for it nowardays.