Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

1. 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, Ericthe 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… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
2. Icefang

   May 14, 2023

   10

   I’m a big castlevania fan. I’ve had alot of fun with this game playing with my friend. Takes some time getting into learning how to upgradeI’m a big castlevania fan. I’ve had alot of fun with this game playing with my friend. Takes some time getting into learning how to upgrade your character and what not, but once you do it’s a lot of fun. (You can change the zoom on the screen by using the R stick)… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. RealMcCoyViews

   Aug 10, 2015

   10

   Although it may be hard to get into, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is a fun and extremely addicting game. The first level is sure to get anyAlthough it may be hard to get into, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is a fun and extremely addicting game. The first level is sure to get any one frustrated with its difficulty, but as the player gains powerful items it becomes much easier to get through. Because of this, many players will likely beat certain chapters over and over in the attempt to get a good item. With the addition of many different characters to play as and level up, the replay value is quite high. The online multiplayer proves to be very smooth and requires teamwork to beat a level. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is therefore a hidden gem in the cluster of old Xbox Live Arcade games with great gameplay, replay value, and multiplayer.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
5. Toksyk

   Aug 1, 2013

   8

   Since this is a long post, I'll give you the short version, then read on if you'd like.
   
   Castlevania HD is extremely difficult to playSince this is a long post, I'll give you the short version, then read on if you'd like.
   
   Castlevania HD is extremely difficult to play strictly alone, but it is possible, even if you haven't beat the original or third game on the NES (THE ABSOLUTELY MOST DIFFICULT TWO). If you have XBL Gold, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS GAME, AND THE DLC. Just keep in mind, most matches will be with international players who, even if they do have mics, you couldn't understand. If you don't have XBL Gold, you better have beaten the first 3 Castlevanias on the original NES. Emulators don't count.
   
   Before you read, I'd like to say that I am a seasoned gamer; I've played thousands of different games. I have invested hundreds of hours in this particular game, and understand where some people are coming from when they write reviews, but most only judge it by the demo. Let the Vet tell it like it is.
   P.S.- I will have spoilers at the very end. There will be a note telling you when they start.
   
   Castlevania is a monumental series that everybody must play a game of at LEAST once in their life. This game in particular is very different from the others, which is why it's reviews are not good; because it's different from the norm.
   
   On the original 3 Castlevania games, you had to defeat difficult enemies on near-impossible stages. There wasn't much of a story (minus the second) but it was a game that you couldn't be taken away from. Most Castlevania games following were adapted to feature some form of story for the character you're playing as. The gameplay progressed by how much you leveled up, and maintained a balance. Now this Castlevania, the only way you could know the story is if you played the other Castlevania games. You are guaranteed to die a minimum of your first 5 times if you were to play alone, because each level is AN ENTIRE GAME. You get new armor and weapons, and eventually, you will progress to the next chapter in the game. I'm pretty sure this was also the first Castlevania with online multiplayer, so one could only assume the developers put majority of their effort into the multiplayer mechanics, as unfortunate that may be.
   
   Aside from the story and difficulty, there was one problem that stood out for most players. I don't even mind the lack of story or difficulty, but I can't get over this: There were truly only 3 characters that had effort put into them, INCLUDING DLC. These characters; Soma, Charlotte, and Jonathan, each have an overwhelming capacity of weapons and spells they can use. Read the previous sentence again. Now, I'm going to explain something:
   Soma and Alucard were supposed equivalents
   Charlotte, Shanoa, Yoko, and Maria (The spellcasters) were supposed equivalents (even though there is a mass diversity with Charlotte)
   Jonathan, Richter, Julius, and Simon (The whip users) were supposed equivalents
   Fuma is off topic, with a near-equivalency of Simon.
   No matter how weird that sounds, just go with it for evaluation purposes.
   Now when I say overwhelming, DLC included, I mean that Jonathan has near 30 subweapons with 6 martial art techniques, Charlotte has near 50 spells, and Soma has near 125 TOTAL spells, with at least 40 total weapons. The other 3 whip-using characters have about 15 subweapons, Shanoa has 7 spells with 5 total weapons (I think), Alucard has only 5 (Maybe 6) spells (but can use almost any weapon Soma can, at least), the other 2 spellcasters have 3 and 4 total spells respectively, and Fuma has 4 spells. There is a huge difference between charcters in each class. Most people will strictly use Soma because (just judging by his arsenal) is the most OP character in the game, but that is also good, because you can play as him to be your "training wheels" so you get better used to the game.
   
   I am big on story mode in games, but I don't think it's necessary if you got a friend or two (or five) to play with. This is my all-time favorite sidescroller co-op game (yes, I like it better than Terraria and Trine (although I don't think Trine actually has co-op, but anyway)) and I recommend it to anybody looking for a challenge, or that just wants to have fun with friends.
   
   That's that, so the spoilers and tips are about to start-
   
   Soma should be your first character, trust me.
   You can boost certain characters' subweapons' levels by playing Survival on Hard online with a friend. All you have to do is take turns spamming subweapons. You can die an infinite ammount of times, so I recommend taking all armor off so that you don't deal too much damage (subweapons level up per hit), but you should wear an Astral ring (Found on Chapters 6-8; Makes you waste health instead of mana while casting spells) and a Master Ring (in the Shop; makes you level up faster).
   Worst to best characters: damage w/ whips (maxed out):
   Jonathan (ironically)-Richter-Julius (but has a fun special move)-Simon
   ALWAYS HAVE A PUPPET MASTER AND YORICK SPELL EQUIPPED WHEN FOUND (Soma) … Expand

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6. Yakuul

   Aug 16, 2010

   7

   An interesting idea for a game. I give it a 7 versus a lower score due to it being a relatively novel idea and working well in what itAn interesting idea for a game. I give it a 7 versus a lower score due to it being a relatively novel idea and working well in what it attempts to accomplish (i.e. being a multiplayer metroidvania style game). However, it can feel sluggish at times, and the feeling of exploration and discovery is noticeably absent once you've finished the paltry 6 levels. Granted, finding new items is always exciting, but it seems like there is too much grinding to be done. Overall, I find HoD to be a positive experience and worth a try, but perhaps only for those who are fans of the series. Playing a game like this really makes you thirst for a real Castlevania 2-D adventure on an HD console, though...… Expand

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
7. storygamer

   Mar 16, 2022

   7

   As a hardcore Castlevania fan, I was a bit disappointed of Harmony Of Despair. It lacks the oldschool vibe, even if the 2D look is kind ofAs a hardcore Castlevania fan, I was a bit disappointed of Harmony Of Despair. It lacks the oldschool vibe, even if the 2D look is kind of charming. It´s not bad at all, but it lacks innovation and fan service...… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. neomoonsevin

   Nov 19, 2022

   3

   Rubbish I dont ever remember this game being zoomed far out to the universe back in the old days on old snes then i purchased this on xboxRubbish I dont ever remember this game being zoomed far out to the universe back in the old days on old snes then i purchased this on xbox digital and wtf is this bs the cameras zoomed out and i dont know wtf happening i tried to ignore the zoomed out view but it puts me off i hate it so it gets a hated score… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful

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