Full Review

At the 2001 edition of E3, Konami did something rather stupid. They only had one system set up to show off "Castlevania: Circle of the Moon," which has since gone down in history as one of the all-time best launch titles for a video game system. Yes, it did have some issues with lighting outside of the Davis Square T station in Somerville, Massachusetts, but it was an incredible game. And Konami learned their lesson - the sequel, this game, was set up at several stations at E3 2002.

All that said, though, does it stack up to some of the classic games that have also gone under the franchise's name? Well, while I wouldn't quite call it an unqualified success, it does manage to pull out some fun things for you.

The game starts 50 years after Simon Belmont, the hero of the first two Castlevania games (the first was way back in 1987, for those of you who were still pre-verbal at the time) takes out Count Dracula for the second time. His descendant, Juste Belmont (given the time frame, I'd suspect we are talking grandson) has found that his childhood friends, Maxim and Lydie, are mixed up with the dark and foreboding castle that has just arisen. Maxim, injured and amnesiac from his recent journeys to strengthen himself, tells Juste that Lydie is inside.

Honestly, the story itself is a bit drab. If you have any experience in playing video games, then you can probably guess the story as it comes along. You know, betrayals, kidnappings just when you find the person you are looking for, discovering you really are back in Dracula's home, the titular Castlevania... I really shouldn't need to give you the rundown. For the most part, the plot is the decerations for you to nod at when you aren't busy beating on things.

However, for long-time Castlevania players, this game is noteworthy becuse this game, for the first time in a while, heavily connects to the series' origins. Simon Belmont is heavily mentioned, especially in regards to his doings in the second game of the series. Late in the game, there is even an enemy called the Simon Wraith, which fights in a similar manner to the whip-wielding vampire hunter. Much better than in "Circle of the Moon," where I spent the entire game wondering how Nathan and Hugh were related, if at all, to the Belmonts.

Of course, that is way too much time to discuss the story - we play Castlevania to whip bad guys silly. And indeed, Juste is very much like Simon, especially as he was in his last appearance, the fourth game of the series. He picks up his special weapons like before, and when the attack button is held, the whip goes slack, and can be quickly lashed by pressing any direction. I honestly prefer this to the ridiculous spinning maneuver done in "Circle of the Moon" - have you ever tried spinning an 8 foot strip of leather rapidly? Not easy, even for strong people. The quick lash makes more sense.

One thing that didn't change, though, is the smooth movements the series has had in recent memory. Jumping is precise and quick, and Juste, like the heroes in all of the recent Castlevania games, moves and attacks smoothly. The big appeal for all of these games is that Konami has the 2-D action game format down solid, and this game clearly shows it off. Of course, it isn't simple - skill is, as always, paramount - but any troubles you may have will not be the result of poor design.

The game does suffer in the new wrinkle they added for this game. Experimenting again with the magic system, Konami now gives out summon books, which combine with the subweapons for special spells. It is a clever idea, and a bit more feasible, at first glance, than the DSS system in "Circle of the Moon." However, you quickly find out that you are limited, at most, to 5 spells at a time. To use the others, you have to ditch your subweapon, and I'll be darned if I'm giving up the Cross in a Castlevania game. Not for all the tea in China. While the spellbooks are given out much more fairly than the cards were in the previous game, the spell system just is flawed by the limited choices.

What is more batty is that several spells aren't worth it. For example, the Fire Book combined with the Cross is utterly inane, and many similar examples like it exist. On the flip side, there are combinations like the Wind Book combined with the Cross, which basically gives you a shield that rapidly wails on any foe nearby. You almost have to look for excuses to not use it. Heck, I beat several bosses by just using that and avoiding their attacks. The spell system needs to be refined - with the measured pace of this game, but the flexibility and evened powers given out in "Circle of the Moon."

One nice touch, though, is that the shoulder buttons have been turned into quick dash buttons, which are absurdly useful for dodging enemy attacks. It took me some time to get used to them, but they are invaluable, and I wish they had incorporated such a move into earlier Castlevania games. It would have made life so much easier.

All that said, though, the game is clearly a worthy successor in terms of game play. Everything that Konami has ever done right with the Castlevania games is done in this one. From the special moves, like double jumping, to the incredibly responsive controls for jumping in general, this game is fun because the challenge is totally due to the enemies, and not from overcoming poor programming.

Of course, the biggest question people will have is about the graphics. "Circle of the Moon"'s greatest flaw, by far, was that its graphics were too dark, and not only could you only see the full effects of the graphics in a very select few places (seriously, fellow residents of eastern Massachusetts - take the subway out to Davis Square in Somerville, and play it there. It is amazing), but more often that not, you couldn't even follow the action. "Harmony of Dissonance," thankfully, never has that problem. For one, Juste is apparently an albino who loves to wear bright red. This makes it incredibly easy to track his movements on the screen. Plus, Dracula has started to decorate his castle in more colors than simply dark. So enemies and all the action is much more easily discerned.

However, the game clearly goes overboard with it. The most obvious example is the glowing blue aura that surrounds Juste for the entire game. I can see him just fine, honestly, without having my main character be tracked by an aura. I'd like to point out that one of the biggest idiotic moves in sports history had to be when Fox decided, for their NHL coverage, to put a similar aura around the hockey puck. I said it was annoying then as a hockey fan, and I'll say it's annoying now as a video game fan. Though it does make it easy for Death and Dracula to pinpoint the Belmont running around - it's not like everyone is glowing blue around here, thank heavens.

What you won't necessarily catch immediately, though, is that Konami really skimped all over on graphics. I understand that they wanted to make it easier to play the game, which is certainly commendable. However, they typically love making things in the game as detailed as they possibly can. This time, though, not only is there some detail missing, but the sprites look more blocky, like the designers for the game felt that we should just settle for something that looks vaguely shaped like an enemy. Even Juste could be rendered better - I'm not sure, but I think that either he decided to hunt vampires after football practice and left his pads on, he has a tumor on his shoulders, or he has the world's largest shoulder blades.

As you'd expect with a game with the word "Harmony" in the title, the game's music is superb. While obviously not on the level of the music on the Playstation version, the game is very solid with its backgrounds. They both remix some classic Castlevania themes (such as "Vampire Hunter," often considered the main theme to the series) and make some new ones for this game. Overall, the music choices are top notch.

One thing that does sting, though, is that the sound effects are less amazing. Vampire hunting is apparently very hard work, because Juste is constantly grunting. It's like watching Tim Allen's standup act, except all the violence is intentional. Well, unless my theory is right and that Tim Allen does enjoy torturing his audience. Then it will be just like watching the "Toolman" in action. Moreover, for the voices in the game, they just used the Japanese voice acting. Honestly, there wasn't much in the game. Couldn't they have found anyone who speaks English to do this? I landed in paroxyms of laughter when Lydie, being snatched away from me, yelled out, "Jusutto!" I shouted back "Sorry, he's not here. Will you settle for Juste?"

Of course, part of what makes the recent Castlevania games so great are the extra modes to play in. Compared to "Circle of the Moon," though, it isn't impressive. The first GBA Castlevania gave you extra quests with different stats and abilities, and it was fun trying to relearn how to do each part of the game with different skills. In this one, you do have one alternate character for the regular game, but this just isn't as interesting. While certainly more of a challenge, I think that they could have taken a cue from Nathan and had modes with several different styles of vampire hunting.

Of course, the other mode, unlocked after running through the game, is impressive. Called "Boss Rush," it involves you taking only your wits and one subweapon of your choice against a succession of boss enemies from the regular version of the game. This is honestly much more interesting for three reasons. First, it is legitimately a new play mode and adds alot more to the package. Second, it forces you to not rely on the magic books, since they aren't available for this mode. Finally, if you run through the game enough, you unlock the ability to guide Simon (Yes! The original Belmont!) through Boss Rush mode. Maybe it's the nostalgia talking, but it is good to see Simon back in the saddle, so to speak.

Ultimately, this game is easier to play than "Circle of the Moon," but is ultimately the inferior game. I do give Konami credit for trying something new with several points in the game, but many of them just fall flat. It is a testament to the designers, though, that such a flawed game can be so fun. Honestly, if they applied the lessons learned from both of the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games, Konami could produce a third game for the system which would then become one of the best ever for the system.

Until that day comes, however, picking up "Harmony of Dissonance" isn't that bad of an idea. While it certainly could do some things better, it still gives alot of game play. This may be more for the hardcore gamer, rather than the casual one, but even the casual ones can appreciate the work that went into making it fun. Now if only they could combine fun, easy to see graphics, detailed graphics, Belmonts, and great music. And add in a new and appropriately useful magic system. Then, we'd have a game for the ages. Until then, this is just a game for a half-birthday.