Castlevania is one of gaming's greatest franchises, being ever present since its first appearance on the NES 24 years ago. Traditionally the franchise was a single player left to right 2D platformer however it has since expanded into other genres such as 3D action games, fighting games and puzzle games however it's the evolution of the original 2D side scrolling formula that was the best received. The style, named MetroidVania by fans due to the similarities with the Metroid franchise, is traversing a huge map gaining new skills and items. You're not locked into one linear journey, exploration was the key. When Harmony of Despair was announced many fans thought of a HD MetroidVania game for the XBLA service and a great excitement grew however Konami decided to experiment with Harmony of Despair making it an arcade type multiplayer experience. Does it pay off? Read on to find out!
Harmony of Despair, HD for short, takes familiarity and does something different with it. In place of the long single player adventure and huge environments to explore are 6 smaller stages that you have to find the boss and defeat within 30 minutes. The stages will have a hint of familiarity to the Castlevania veterans. At your disposal is 5 very different characters from the Castlevania series: Soma Cruz; Alucard; Jonathan Morris; Shanoa; Charlotte Aulin. Who each have their own individual abilities. You can bring along friends for the ride, and trust me you'll need them, as the game features 6 player cooperative online play. There game also features a player vs player online mode called survival.
