Castlevania Double Pack Review

By Tom Bramwell Published 23 February, 2006

Harmony of double.

Version tested: GameBoy Advance

Dracula's interior designer.

Not a job to be taken lightly, I imagine. Therefore I wonder why, if we're taking the Castlevania series at face value, Dracula ends up with such wildly bizarre abodes. Is it simply the case that Dracula can't help himself and has a nibble on each designer before they finish their grand vision? Or is it perhaps that Dracula, as an immortal symbol of pure evil, is stark raving bonkers and makes nothing but lunatic requests?

"What I would like," Dracula would start with a coquettish grin, "Is for my dining room to be really high in the sky, probably in that huge unsupportable spire. And I'd like the only way to get there to be through a ruined chapel. Oh! And I'd like to make sure I could only get there if I was so hungry I was prepared to put some extra effort into my jumps."

Imagined situation or not, fighting winged skeletons on the way to your grub is probably a better step to good health than inviting quack nutritionist Gillian McKeith round to poke through your poo. Yes, I imagine that Dracula's average home having hundreds of rooms and only being navigable by forcing you to do more jumping than a night spent playing Dance Dance Revolution is how Dracula keeps his svelte figure.

That and his diet consisting mostly of blood.

'Castlevania Double Pack' Screenshot 1

Despite looking like the kind of asexual goth that you'd avoid on a crowded Saturday afternoon, Juste does at least have a defined, manly chin...

Unless you rushed out to buy them on release day, the chances are that you've missed the titles reissued in Konami's first GBA double pack - Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Either due to a criminally low print run or that it's obviously far more important for your local videogame emporium to have a full second hand DVD section over GBA titles, they haven't been seen on the shelves since, ooh, their day of release. So it's a victory for common sense that not only has Konami seen fit to reissue games that people want to buy (rather than just complaining about the second-hand market, or something) but it has bundled them on one cart in a tip-top extra value pack.

For devotees of the series, these titles mark the return of Koji Igarashi to the helm as producer, the man responsible for reinventing the series in its current action exploration format in the PS title 'Symphony of the Night'. In what could be considered homage to the Metroid series, you explore complex castles with your progress marshaled by the requirement that you find skills or items in order to reach new sections. A double-jump, perhaps, to get out of a ruined chapel into the dining hall.

'Castlevania Double Pack' Screenshot 2

The same can't be said however, for Soma, who looks like a thirteen year old Japanese girl who's a bit miffed with her dad.

Unlike Metroid, however, a RPG-lite leveling system is in place and in Harmony of Dissonance rather than the player controlling a butch woman in space armour, they control an incredibly fey, white-skinned dandy.

Set 50 years after the NES Castlevania II, Harmony of Dissonance stars Simon Belmont's grandson, Juste Belmont. Perhaps the black sheep of the family, Juste's fashion style can only be described as 'Lawrence Lewellyn-Bowen, if he was a vampire'. Indeed, true to his look, one of the side quests on offer in Harmony of Dissonance is to decorate one of the rooms within the castle with found furniture. I'm deadly serious.

Despite not being one of the most tightly designed Castlevanias, with a sprawling pair of interlinked castles decorated in a screamingly absurd fashion, it's easily the most fun to control. Juste has the benefit of a dash move that allow him to perform quick strikes against enemies through abuse of the L and R buttons, and can make the occasionally longwinded navigation of the castle lightning fast.

'Castlevania Double Pack' Screenshot 3

The décor of this room infers that Dracula is a big fan of geodes.

The game's difficulty however takes a hit from a save system that allows you to save almost anywhere and reload the game with full health and mana at the last save point. The mana is used in a combination of the Castlevania series' traditional secondary weapons (axes, holy water, etc.) with elemental spellbooks to create 'smart bombs' that can be easily abused to make the boss encounters criminally unchallenging. If you resist this temptation, the feeling of control makes Harmony of Dissonance a joy to play. The game just flows.

Of course, if you thought Juste was bad, Aria of Sorrow's Soma Cruz takes the fairy cake, metrosexually spectacular in what appears to be a fur-lined dressing gown, walking like he's doing the locomotion. The only possible sign of normality is that unlike the Belmonts, he isn't toting a whip. Probably a good thing considering he's a Japanese high school exchange student in the year 2035. However, Soma at least has a wide variety of blades at his disposal, including my personal favourite, a speedy combat knife I've taken to calling 'stabby'.

'Castlevania Double Pack' Screenshot 4

Stab! Stabby... Stab! STAB!

Aria of Sorrow is the tightest refinement of this 'Metroidvania' style yet seen. Better, in fact, than its DS sequel, Dawn of Sorrow. Despite the lack of that oh-so-helpful map on the second screen, this game is worth a 9 on its own, featuring a beautifully designed castle with interesting (if admittedly often incongruous) backgrounds and a variety of monsters that are visually improved over Harmony of Dissonance. The monsters' souls can be captured to perform special moves and more, a system sadly underutilized, though it does foster a 'gotta-catch-em-all' mentality. The only downside is the Soma's inability to dash forward and the game's relative brevity and ease.

Indeed, taken as separate entities it's the games shortness and lack of challenge that are their ultimate undoing, with neither clocking in anywhere near even 10 hours for anyone with working thumbs. However, as a pair, they offer far more pleasure than you could expect for the money, and are the perfect kind of games to while away an evening with, time you'd only spend watching 'Changing Rooms' or something. You've got more common sense than that. Now if only Dracula did...

9 / 10

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (39) Latest comment 5 years ago

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

  • Genji #1 6 years ago

    Wow... so is this one actually coming out or what?

  • Genji #2 6 years ago

    Not here it didn't! Maybe it will soon.

    Australia gets routinely shafted, even moreso than you guys.

  • mentat #3 6 years ago

    It's probably been banned in Oz, on the grounds of having links to the occult or something equally silly...

  • Blerk #4 6 years ago

    Wot, no frod?

  • Zero_ #5 6 years ago

    So, better than SotC then?

  • djchump #6 6 years ago

    This cart is now firmly embedded in my GB Micro - I'm playing through HoD first then gonna go onto AoS.
    :-D

    Gotta say that DoS on the DS reinvigorated my love of platform games - I've never really "clicked" with 3D platformers, but I love 2D stuff like Metal Slug, Castlevania, Astroboy etc. :-)

  • Carlo #7 6 years ago

    /cough up again by the looks of it :/

    Jaysus! If I'd know there'd be this many Super-quality games, I'd have applied for that credit-card insted of tearing up the letter when i got my DS.

    Oh and quit my job or something so I'd get time to play them all.

    Does anyone else just feel a little sad that there are so many games, you'll never get to play them all? Oh to be a teenager in school again and 35+ hours spare a week!

  • erp #8 6 years ago

    awesome! i've never played a castlevania properly before, but have often had the urge to. looks like this bad boy is gonna be the one.

  • Genji #9 6 years ago

    "Does anyone else just feel a little sad that there are so many games, you'll never get to play them all? Oh to be a teenager in school again and 35+ hours spare a week!"

    Yeah... that's an argument for shorter, cheaper games if I ever heard one.

  • Carlo #10 6 years ago

    So Frod & Genji, I take it you two are very enthusiastic about this title then? ;)

    /just had a quick count-up of the number of posts so far in this review...

  • itamae #11 6 years ago

    Excellent games, both of them. Not quite as good as Symphony of the Night, but easily among the best games on the GBA, especially Aria.

  • Fodder #12 6 years ago

    I got a lot more than 10 hours out of both of these games. Sure, if you rush through and don't care about getting the full endings, you'll do them in less time than that, but I'd be surprised if anybody got the full ending on Aria in less than 10 hours first time through. And then, you've got the additional modes that are unlocked after playing through, which change the game a fair bit and offer quite a bit of replay value.

  • Genji #13 6 years ago

    "So Frod & Genji, I take it you two are very enthusiastic about this title then? ;)"

    Hey, I was being serious in my response to your post. I really do want shorter, cheaper games that don't require me to dedicate my life to them for weeks at a time.

    I *am* enthusiatic about this, but know that it's going to be nigh on impossible to get a copy at retail. I preordered Dawn of Sorrow months before it came out, and do you know what happened? When it came out, the store I ordered it from got 5 copies. FIVE COPIES. I didn't get mine. They told me to wait for the next shipment.

    I was still waiting for it two months later. I eventually gave up, cancelled my preorder, and imported it from Hong Kong.

    Maybe I should do that with this as well.

  • Tejstar #14 6 years ago

    How does these compare to Circle of the Moon (the only GBA Castlevania game I've played)? I thought CotM was an excellent game and wondered if anyone who's played them all had any thoughts in terms of comparison?

  • Genji #15 6 years ago

    @blizeH

    Dawn of Sorrow is a DS game. The other one is a GBA game, but isn't in this pack.

  • Carlo #16 6 years ago

    Genji, I'm not sure if the solution is to make the games shorter and cheaper (for me), although this makes a lot of sence now you mention it (Forum topic maybe?). I would welcome games costing less, and short enough that I can 'realistically complete' them (as well as never-ending titles like Zoo which you can play until you're bored).

    My problem is *still* just not having as much time to play them as I used to, and Nintendo seemingly having released games that are just f**king great, month after month. :)

  • Genji #17 6 years ago

    I'm not saying make ALL games shorter. Maybe just some. You have to cater to a variety of tastes.

    I know that a lot of games would be really improved story-wise if there wasn't a need to artificially create a longer playing time through lots of filler crap and level crunching. I'm looking at YOU, Tales of Symphonia!

    /glares at Tales of Symphonia.

    EDIT: You can create a forum topic for it if you want. I'm going to see a movie now.
    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 09:58

  • Decoded #18 6 years ago

    Had this lodged into my GBA and my GBA welded onto my hands all week and I'm absolutely loving both games. Glad I waited and got them for £18 rather than £50 though :D

  • #19 6 years ago

    I've one left over and I'm getting it tonight. Can't wait, what a bargain.

    /hugs DS

  • dave3x #20 6 years ago

    Is this better then Dawn of Sorrow???

    I''ve never tried a castlevania game before (except an old nes game) and this looks intresting....

  • Lagto_Soa #21 6 years ago

    Any recommendations on the cheapest place to get it from? As a rule I don't do full-price games, but I need this, so I'm prepared to compromise by getting it new as cheap as possible. What's the actual RRP?

  • Decoded #22 6 years ago

    RRP is £25; Play have it for £18.

  • captain-future #23 6 years ago

    I've preordered it for 29 EUR at Play.
    Fair price.

    \o/
    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 11:54

  • rinoaMW #24 6 years ago

    so are they like metroid then? i love the metroid series - and if this is anything like that then ill run out and buy it at lunch!



    Edited by 1 at 23/02/06 @ 12:28

  • myiagros #25 6 years ago

    i've never really got into the castlevania series, it always looked a bit boring, but for £18 i might give this a go.

  • SlackMaster #26 6 years ago

    Although I have the original games I brough the double pack over the weekend... I recently found that my original Aria of Sorrow cart wouldn't retain save information anymore so I needed a substitute plus it's great to have 2 metroidvania's on one cart. Great space saving especially when used in a Micro.

    @ Tejstar - Yeah I loved CotM as well but apparently that wasn't made by the team behind the castlevania series and has been removed from the castlevania timeline *sorry for that geeky bit of trivia there*

    The problem with the games that followed it on the GBA was that they were far too easy. Although it was a good game I consider Harmony to be the worst title of the GBA Castlevania and the music was really piss poor on it which is usually one of the halmarks of castlevania games for fans IMO.

    Although the Aria games are good I never liked the direction they took Castlevania in although I like the soul skills and stuff. I think they need another game set in the past, possibly a remake of Castlevania 2 but using the Symphony of the night engine.

    Draculas Curse was a great game and is often forgot, it introduced a metroid style (if not slightly limited style) of play to the game, introduced some of the classic tunes we know and love as well as a night and day system where enemies were much tougher at night.
    Edited by 2 at 23/02/06 @ 13:11

  • Daryoon #27 6 years ago

    Surely "Pack of Double" would have been a more appropriate name for the set?

  • Tejstar #28 6 years ago

    @SlackMaster

    For me CotM is one of the best games on the GBA and it's difficulty is what kept me hooked. It never get frustratingly difficult, i always felt it was me who was at fault. However, saying that it was probably the hardest game I've completed on the GBA. Think I'll still go for this though, especially at £18!

  • SlackMaster #29 6 years ago

    @ Tejstar - Yeah it's well worth it and will keep you entertained for hours... I think in each one you can unlock additional play modes and a hidden character, so replay is quite high as well.

    But I do agree that CotM was the best Castlevania game on the GBA although Aria does come very close.

  • #30 6 years ago

    "Is this better then Dawn of Sorrow???"

    No, because Harmony of Dissonance is crap it is not. But Aria of Sorrow is pretty much as good, or better than Dawn of Sorrow. Yep. Both Sorrows are better than Symphony of the Night in any case. Go go.

  • Kami #31 6 years ago

    Harmony of Dissonance is OK, but I prefer Circle of the Moon in its stead.

    But Aria of Sorrow should be the main reason to buy this. Lovely game. You'll be soul-searching (ahem) for many many weeks and indeed, months...

  • tengu #32 6 years ago

    I remember I found a copy of Aria of Sorrow for 3.99 in Gamestation last summer, and I still haven't played it yet. Might do so as soon as I finish with my current handheld games.

  • Razz #33 6 years ago

    Buy Castlevania Double Pack.

  • twinbee #34 6 years ago

    ...I had no idea this already came out! I guess my purse will be even lighter than usual.

  • SlackMaster #35 6 years ago

    @ Vermin - I wouldn't say that the 'Sorrow' games are better than 'Symphony of the Night', and although 'Harmony of Dissonance' wasn't the best Castlevania it isn't a crap game, it's just not as good as the others.

    For me the best Castlevania games are Super Castlevania IV and Symphony of the Night possibly followed by Castlevaina II: Dracula's Curse on the NES. I never got to play Dracula X: Rondo of Blood for the PCEngine so I can't comment on that one but it's supposed to be the best game of the entire series, the SNES verison tho was an aweful game.

    Edited by 2 at 23/02/06 @ 20:04

  • Tejstar #36 6 years ago

    Bit the bullet - ordered!

  • neosalad #37 6 years ago

    yay about time this one came out, after the problem of not actually being able to buy the games , unless heading down the dodgy emulation or pir8 route!

    so £18 is a bargain, buy buy buy!
    i wanted theese but could never get them, but a similar fate seems to ahve happened to Dawn of Sorrow on the DS... tryign to find a copy is liek tryign to find some hens teeth!!!

  • Pastici #38 6 years ago

    like other people have said

    Buy this game

    I think they should have released all 3 GBA games on 1 DS cart, that would be heaven. I recently started playing Circle of the Moon again after 5 years. I still played it inbeween though, it had 5 different modes, yes 5!

    But this is still great just before I found out it was released I was looking for Harmony of Dissonance on ebay. Glad I got this, Harmony is the worst out the 3 but its not bad, just not as good.

    BUY IT!
    Edited by 1 at 26/02/06 @ 11:21

  • jonchoo #39 6 years ago

    Just completed Dawn of Sorrow.

    Buy AoS and then buy DoS.

  • yoshiegg #40 6 years ago

    I bougt this aria of sorrow is amazing!

  • famous_roy #41 5 years ago

    This came from the Americas today! Every GBA owner should get this, every Castlevania fan should also. Look just get it