Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

 PlayStation 3
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 39
  3. Negative: 5 out of 39

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  1. Guilherme02
    Nov 4, 2011
    10
    is true we need more DLCs with more characters I wanted to play with a albus of my favorite characters. could put more maps
    type some maps castlevania rondo of blood, some maps castlevania konami symphony of the night if you can do more to make DLCs for fans of the series
  2. darth
    Nov 4, 2011
    10
    the game is good because it keeps the classic gameplay and beyond to play with friends and new people. but I agree with the guys at konami should not to DLCs in precizamos many more characters and maps but even then my note is possitiva always been fan of the Castlevania series
  3. riley321
    Jan 22, 2012
    10
    This game rocks, make sure you get the dlc, if you are a castlevania fan you are gonna love this game it has just about everyone. Plus the 6 player co op is a ton of fun
  4. knightblack
    Nov 3, 2011
    10
    Castlevania Harmony of Despair is a good game with good gameplay and a good story. konami forced the door to the ps3. konami but do not stop with all the DLCs we want Trevor Belmont, Sypha belnundes, grant
    Albus, Hammer, John Morris, Eric Lecard, Christopher Belmont, Juste Belmont, Maxim and many others as well as maps new course.
  5. Tardisblue49
    Mar 7, 2012
    7
    This game is an absolute blast to play with a group of friends; however, by yourself it's not really all that interesting to play. When playing alone repetition sets in with figuring out which way to get to a boss room, whether it be finding the correct switch or beating enemies it can at times feel a little too hard. Playing in a group however increases your chances to get rare itemThis game is an absolute blast to play with a group of friends; however, by yourself it's not really all that interesting to play. When playing alone repetition sets in with figuring out which way to get to a boss room, whether it be finding the correct switch or beating enemies it can at times feel a little too hard. Playing in a group however increases your chances to get rare item drops, and helps you gain experience faster. It's imperative you get the most out of HOD by having a bunch of people willing to play the game with you. If you have a few friends who love Castlevania then by all means this is a worthy buy, but single player wise I'd wouldn't recommend it.… Expand
  6. BoogieMan1980
    Aug 14, 2012
    6
    Why does it show 1 player? For the PS3 version, it's up to 6 players online and I 4 locally.

    The game is pretty fun, for awhile, and worth playing, but I don't believe it has good longevity due to poor design. The goals and methods are those of an MMO, where you grind tediously for item drops and try to do speed runs. But MMOs get expansions and new content, this game does not. It has a    Why does it show 1 player? For the PS3 version, it's up to 6 players online and I 4 locally.

    The game is pretty fun, for awhile, and worth playing, but I don't believe it has good longevity due to poor design. The goals and methods are those of an MMO, where you grind tediously for item drops and try to do speed runs. But MMOs get expansions and new content, this game does not. It has a few DLCs, sure, but it does little to add anything to the game. In a game with very finite playability such a system makes little sense.

    There isn't much of an online community and there is very little variance in it. 75% of all players play the same character due to it being more fleshed out than the others and can be brokenly overpowered. One of the worst parts of the game is the requirement to get a low drop pair of boots that make you run much faster. If you don't have them, you'll be left behind everyone else with very little to do than pointless kill the odd monster that they avoided, and if you manage to catch up with them at the boss, you'll be more of a hindrance because the bosses are all designed purely around avoiding ultra powerful attacks, and being slower you have a much smaller margin for error.

    I really hope we see more complete, balanced Castlevania games based on this type of gameplay in the future, as it has promise were it to be more intelligently executed.

    So to recap, worth playing for awhile but it's cut off at the knees by it's short length and even worse balancing.    … Expand
  7. Binh
    Apr 1, 2020
    10
    It super awsome. The best thing is you can play as 8bit Simon Belmont, Soma Cruz, Alucard,... and play as tag
  8. Fickelbra
    Nov 17, 2011
    5
    I am a long time Castlevania fan, but.... they missed the boat on this one. It is by and far not the worst game I have played, but the fact that Castlevania is in the title adds an expectation of quality for me. The idea is a good one, and a very interesting twist on an aging but solid gameplay formula. Unfortunately, the content and length of the game doesn't quite satisfy, not even at aI am a long time Castlevania fan, but.... they missed the boat on this one. It is by and far not the worst game I have played, but the fact that Castlevania is in the title adds an expectation of quality for me. The idea is a good one, and a very interesting twist on an aging but solid gameplay formula. Unfortunately, the content and length of the game doesn't quite satisfy, not even at a $15 price point. Will you have fun? Probably, especially if you're a Castlevania fan. Will you get sucked in? I would wager a majority of fans would not. At the very least, double the levels and the customization of the characters, and then you would start to see more of an appeal.… Expand
  9. darkblades
    Nov 4, 2011
    10
    the game is very good. But where the Leon Belmont, Trevor Belmont, Sypha belnundes, grant, juste belmont, Maxim, Hector, John Morris, Eric lecard, albus, hammer
    We would have eleven characters and new maps. the game would be bigger and better please konami more DLCs. after all my note is also positive
  10. Thedukeofdude
    Jun 19, 2015
    10
    This game is absolutely phenomenal, and I would recommend it to all Castlevania fans, even if you are more a fan of the teeth grinding games of the earlier age, this game breathes life into the series in a way that I, personally didn't think they would do so. The game consists of six short stages (eleven with the dlc, which I will base this review on) and each stage has its own boss. TheThis game is absolutely phenomenal, and I would recommend it to all Castlevania fans, even if you are more a fan of the teeth grinding games of the earlier age, this game breathes life into the series in a way that I, personally didn't think they would do so. The game consists of six short stages (eleven with the dlc, which I will base this review on) and each stage has its own boss. The game is based entirely off of collecting loot to upgrade your character to be better at.. well.. playing the game. And the loot gets rarer and better as you go on, with the best loot on level 10, or 11, but having a low chance to drop. Personally, I like that innovation. I makes me want to go through a level a hundred or two hundred times so I can get the best loot, and feel like I achieved it, and I earned all of the items I found. But the game is extremely difficult if you are doing it on single player, which makes multiplayer all the more useful, because you can find someone that has good loot to help you on your journey, or you could just tag along with a friend and get better gear together. And I would pick this game up and play it any day, just because the levels are unique and fun to play through more than once. This is probably one of the best, most underrated games that has ever been released.… Expand
  11. FabioLV
    Sep 22, 2020
    10
    Muito divertido o gameplay, varios personagens, seria legal uma continuação.
  12. onetimeusereew
    May 11, 2021
    10
    If you're a Castlevania fan, this is the game for you. Play your favorite IGAvanias with different characters and new powers making your journey through levels easier with new abilities and powers. The only problem is that the game is a little too short without the DLC characters and levels.
  13. castlevaniacrap
    Aug 22, 2022
    9
    I absolutely love this game. It plays like SotN and you can play with your friends. With a good variety of characters and levels you won't get bored if you like Metroidvanias. The DLC is cheap and is more of what's good. The only complaints I have are the difficulty of Hard mode if your not ready your first time and how long the grinding could take, otherwise it's great.

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Feb 13, 2012
    80
    The amount of money a player has to spend in order to get all out of this game is ridiculous, especially when all of the content is recycled from older games. The multiplayer is pretty fun, though. [Feb 2012]
  2. Games Master UK
    Dec 17, 2011
    78
    Combine powers for a vamp-squishing blast of energy. [Jan 2012, p.91]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 3, 2011
    60
    Unresponsive controls. [Christmas 2011, p.111]
See all critic reviews »