“Circle of the Moon” was a decent game that brought the fun of “Symphony of the Night” to handhelds by giving fans a new experience and throwing in a unique card system that allowed for interesting combat. “Harmony of Dissonance” is the next installment and while fans were hoping for more improvement, what they got was almost the opposite.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Castlevania as much as the next guy -probably more. There is something about “Harmony of Dissonance” that strikes me the wrong way, though, and as a huge fan of the series I have to be willing to recognize that. Is the game fun? Absolutely. The exploration is every bit as satisfying as it is in all the other Metroid-Vanias, but with an unusually easy difficulty level and some other aspects, the whole package falls short in offering a truly memorable experience.
Let’s talk graphics. I hate using graphics as a reason as to why a game is sub-par, but in certain instances there’s no excuse for what is produced. Graphically, this game is a step backward from “Circle of the Moon.” Not only is Juste Belmont’s animation a bit choppy and lacking detail, but the creatures just don’t feel as detailed as they could be either. In fact, it is an instance that reminds me all too much of Super Nintendo’s “Castlevania: Dracula X” that followed the masterpiece that was “Super Castlevania IV”: dumbed-down gameplay and a huge step backwards in detail. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, but the game feels forced and unimaginative compared to the franchise’s history of great games.
While the other two GBA titles draw their base influences from “Symphony of the Night,” this one never really stops; for instance, (not to give too much away) there are two castles, the normal one, and the alternate, mirrored one. While it is common knowledge that Koji Igarashi (Assistant Director of ‘Symphony’) wanted to create a game like its Playstation counterpart, it was a little too similar. It was a fun idea – but the finished product didn’t offer much to diversify. It just takes too much from ‘Symphony’ and doesn’t give itself enough credit to tell a great tale. Had they added just a little more, it would stand out a bit better.
Now –and perhaps most disappointingly- we can touch on the music. Castlevania is renowned for its collection of scores and soundtracks to accompany each release, but something took a hard left turn at ‘Harmony.’ Composed by Michiru Yamane, (a fantastic composer, by the way) this music throws back to the days of NES in style and composure, but lacks the anthems and melodies that made Castlevania’s music some of the best in the industry. With the improvements of sound quality and the ability of the GBA, this is inexcusable. I can appreciate trying to bring back NES-based anthems, but none of these songs really hit the right chord – literally. It is perhaps THE most disappointing aspect of this game, and I hate to say that because Michiru Yamane’s other work is extraordinary and beautiful (Yamane was redeemed with “Aria of Sorrow”).
FINAL OPINION
All in all, “Harmony” is a fun game and gives fans another Castlevania to explore and play, but that’s about it. With nothing really new to offer by using dated graphics AND soundtrack, it’s just another shelved game to sit next to all the great Castlevania titles that both preceded and followed its release.
(6 / 10)
Above Average
(6 / 10)Rely on Horror Review Score Guide
