Castlevania: Harmony of Despair PlayStation 3
Metascore
68 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
view
per page
  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]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Games Master UK
    Dec 17, 2011
    78
    Combine powers for a vamp-squishing blast of energy. [Jan 2012, p.91]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. GameSpot
    Oct 16, 2011
    75
    It doesn't give a good first impression, but Harmony of Despair delivers new and exciting gameplay opportunities for an old series.
  4. IGN
    Sep 28, 2011
    75
    Castlevania fans will definitely have fun with Harmony of Despair. It's basically a six-player time attack mode with all your favorite characters, and there isn't anything else quite like it on PlayStation Network. If Konami ironed out the kinks, a follow-up to this could be really great.
  5. PSFocus
    Nov 15, 2011
    72
    Harmony of Despair is a great and above all challenging game, especially when played with a friend. The lack of a story and the slow controls, however, are major let-downs.
  6. 3DJuegos
    Oct 31, 2011
    69
    Harmony of Despair is a game for fans of the franchise. The gameplay works great although we had our hopes set on a little bit more innovation.
  7. Play UK
    Dec 1, 2011
    67
    A commendable departure from the well-beaten track. [Issue#212, p.102]
    All this publication's reviews
  8. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 3, 2011
    60
    Unresponsive controls. [Christmas 2011, p.111]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Nov 26, 2011
    60
    Still, a great selection of familiar characters, weapons, and abilities make the grind semi-rewarding for those willing to stick with it. [Holiday 2011, p.78]
    All this publication's reviews
  10. GamePro
    Oct 4, 2011
    60
    Playing side by side with some friends did yield some fun moments at times -- tag-teaming enemies with combos of physical and magical abilities, working together to solve puzzles, or the flustered excitement of teamwork-under-duress that's only possible in local multiplayer made me really wish the game wasn't quite so gimped. But in the end, the series' rep for punishing gameplay is intact, leaving this competently flawed experience as an oscillation between fleeting enjoyment and agitated boredom.
  11. TheSixthAxis
    Oct 16, 2011
    40
    Nothing more than a brilliant idea gone horribly wrong. The chapters are relatively short, uninteresting, and the gameplay just isn't exciting enough to keep you coming back for more. Adding co-op for the sake of having a multiplayer component does not automatically make for a fun game. Harmony of Despair is proof of this. Konami's halfhearted effort does not deserve your money.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. BoogieMan1980
    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 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.    … Full Review »
  2. Fickelbra
    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 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.… Full Review »
  3. darkblades
    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    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »