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It seemed like it took Konami forever to release a follow-up to the acclaimed Symphony of the Night, but within a short matter of time the Gameboy Advance became the home to a few successors.
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In Harmony of Dissonance, the Belmonts return to action as players take control of the legendary Simon Belmont’s grandson, Juste Belmont. Two years ago, Juste’s friend Maxim left on a training expedition. Maxim suddenly appears one day, severely wounded and with only a vague recollection of the past two years. Though his memory is vague, he informs Juste that their friend Lydie had been captured. Despite his wounds, Maxim leads Juste to Castlevania, where he’s sure Lydie has been taken...
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The biggest complaint with Konami’s previous Castlevania game, Circle of the Moon, was that it was too dark for the Gameboy Advance’s dim screen. Konami took note of this and gave Harmony of Dissonance brighter colors and larger sprites than its predecessor, decreasing the strain on the eyes and making the game easier to play on the original Gameboy Advance. Even with the brighter colors, the atmosphere still has the same dark tone you’d expect of a Castlevania game.
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The graphics themselves are just as nice as a Castlevania veteran would expect. The sprites and backgrounds are on par with, if not surpassing those of Circle of the Moon. The castle’s inhabitants are bigger than before with a nice amount of detail.
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As expected of a Castlevania title, Harmony of Dissonance features a solid soundtrack fitting of the mood. It’s not particularly memorable, but it does the job. The sounds are nothing special, featuring the usual collection creaks of doors, snapping whips and haunting cries. Although rarely heard, there are a few spoken lines and words (in Japanese), a nice touch for a Gameboy game.
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If you’ve played a previous Castlevania game, then you know what to expect from the gameplay. Initially, Juste can jump, dodge forwards and backwards and whip. Taking a page from Super Castlevania IV on the SNES, Juste can also let his whip “hang loose” and waggle it around to smack enemies in awkward directions. Hidden in the castle and generally guarded by a boss are items that will allow Juste do things like leap a few stories high and bust open walls.
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Along the way, players can pick up secondary weapons, ranging from the classic Castlevania weapons like axes and boomerangs to new toys like holy fists and bibles. These items are fueled by hearts found throughout the castle. Each use of a secondary weapon drains a specific amount of hearts, so players won’t be able to chuck the powerful boomerangs at everything in sight. Conservation is the game to play, because these secondary weapons can be pretty darn helpful against more powerful bosses.
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Spells are also present, but in a different form from previous games. There are five books in total - fire, ice, wind, earth, and summon - which alter the effects of secondary weapons. For example, using the ice book with a boomerang equipped will create a whirling star that floats behind Juste and flings icicles at enemies. Each usage decreases Juste’s Magic Points, but no biggie: they replenish themselves fast enough. Although it’s a simple system, the spell books add just a bit more flare and strategy to the game.
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Also new to Harmony of Dissonance is the ability to collect furniture and decorate a room. No, I’m serious: furniture and decoration, ranging from beds, curtains and chairs to a tea set and a phonograph, are scattered throughout the castle. Players collect the items and take them to a specific room in the castle, where they are displayed (unfortunately, players have no say where things go - the room is arranged automatically). By the time the collection is complete, players will have a completely furnished room. While it sounds silly that Juste would take time to decorate while his friends are in danger (he actually comments on the sparseness of the room before deciding to decorate), it does add incentive to scour the nooks and crannies of Castlevania.
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Better still are the rewards earned from beating the game. In addition to several different endings (including a few secret endings), players earn the ability to play as Maxim instead of Juste, play a “Hard Mode” version of the game and play the Boss Rush mode, which pits players against all the bosses in the game in succession. Castlevania veterans should really get a kick out of utilizing the Konami Code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, and Start, remember?), which allows players to play as the original Vampire Hunter, Simon Belmont (well, alright, chronologically the first Vampire Hunter would be Sophie Belmont, but Simon was the first character featured), in Boss Rush mode, complete with graphics, music and sound effects straight from the NES Castlevania.
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Unfortunately, Harmony of Dissonance’s major detractor is its low level of challenge. The Castlevania series, long known for its solid difficulty, takes a step back in the challenge department. In particular, the bosses are incredibly easy and generally involve little more than repeated whipping. Only the occasional attack requires any sort of dodging, and the predictable patterns make it easy to know where it’s coming from. Even the “hard mode” isn’t significantly better. Harmony of Dissonance should only take about four or five hours for a first play through, unless you get lost...
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...and that brings me to my next point: the hardest thing players will encounter is the navigation. The layout of the castle isn’t as smooth as in Circle of the Moon, and oftentimes no hint of the next destination is given, leaving players to wander around and backtrack till they can find their way. This tends to be frustrating more than challenging.
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Harmony of Dissonance has some significant shortcomings: it’s a short, easy adventure with the only main challenge being deciding where to go next. Even with the short adventure, Harmony of Dissonance does feature some nice replay features, like the Boss Rush mode and a second character to play through the game with. It also features that classic Castlevania gameplay that will make it worth owning for any Castlevania fan, and a worthy addition to anyone’s library.
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Pros
- Classic Castlevania gameplay
- Brighter graphics that still fit the mood
- Beating the game offers nice rewards
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Cons
- Short and exceptionally easy
- Oftentimes no clue is given as to your next destination, leaving players to wander
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