Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (gba: 2002): Reviews

> Switch to Advanced Search

Games Homepage
Best of 2007 | 2006 |2005
Advanced Search

PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox 360 | Xbox

Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64

PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance


9.2

based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 10 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

GAMES:

Official Game Site

Unravel the mysteries of a shrouded castle in a world populated by menacing monsters and bloodcurdling spirits, against a relentless army of monstrous foes.

PUBLISHER:	Konami
DEVELOPER:	Konami
GENRE(S):	Action, Adventure
PLAYERS:	1
ESRB RATING:	T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE:	September 17, 2002

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

GMR Magazine

One of the best reasons to own a Game Boy Advance. [Feb 2003, p.97]

100

GameNow

One of the best handheld Castlevania games ever produced. Enthralling from start to finish, it's easily on par with "Castlevania SotN" for the PSOne. [Oct 2002, p.52]

100

G4 TV

A title that further refines the portable "Castlevania" lineup to perfection.

100

Play Magazine

The epitome of what a handheld title can aspire to - a game you pray as you play it will never end. [Aug 2002, p.72]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

And I thought "Circle of the Moon" was good. HoD out classes it (and every other GBA game to date). Konami condensed everything that's so great about "Symphony" into a hand-held game. [Oct 2002, p.206]

Pocket Games

If it weren't for the crummy music taking away from the experience, this might be the best 2D Castlevania yet. [Spring 2003, p.26]

Game Informer

Harmony isn't a title any GBA owner should miss. [Oct 2002, p.94]

Game Over Online

Dissonance, in its detail, execution and style truly transcends its platform and for now, it's the best seat in the house for a trip to eerie Castlevania.

GamingTrend

You could certainly play through this game again and get a good bit of fun out of a repeat, despite the fact that it takes roughly 12 hours to beat the game.

IGN

This game trounces the original in almost every way, making the adventure a much more fun and ultimately more satisfying adventure.

Into Liquid Sky

The best game for the GameBoy Advance? Absolutely.

TotalGames.net

The feeling of satisfaction when everything locks together like a giant jigsaw puzzle is enormous. Despite its flaws, this is a fantastic slice of gaming.

Yahoo! Games

Clearer, brighter visual presentation is the biggest difference between Harmony of Dissonance and "Circle of the Moon." Although the graphical quality is pretty much the same, Konami made everything bigger and went with a brighter colour palette.

All Game Guide

It’s like being able to play "Symphony of the Night" in the back seat of your parent’s car, but with all new levels and some nifty new features.

Nintendojo

Valid proof that "coming up short" can still translate into "a hell of a lot of fun."

GameSpy

Does a good job of capturing the basic flavor of "SotN's" gameplay. Indeed, almost all of the special moves you can obtain have been lifted directly from Symphony.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Thankfully, the whole thing is also infinitely better-lit than previous outing Circle of the Moon, which means that playing it without industrial-strength lighting overhead is now an option. [NGC]

netjak

Plays like a second rate Symphony of the Night unfortunately. Still a must though!

Nintendo Power

The system is simpler, but the action is just as exciting and the areas are even larger. [Sept 2002, p.168]

GameSpot

Boasting better visuals and lots of gameplay, Harmony of Dissonance is not just a fine Castlevania game--it's also one of the better GBA games to come around in a while.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Beautiful graphics, special effects and a compelling storyline inspire the latest "Castlevania" adventure for the Game Boy Advance.

My Gamer

A worthy successor.

Nintendophiles

A very, very good game and definitely worth a purchase. It’s just a disappointment compared to the sheer greatness that was "Circle of the Moon."

GamerWeb Nintendo

Not as good a game as "Circle of the Moon" when all is said and done. Yes, it's generally easier on the eyes, but the somewhat dull level layouts, constant backtracking, awful music and colorful style hamper the Castlevania experience.

GamePro

You’ll likely beat the game in a matter of hours, and while there are some cool unlockable modes to explore afterwards, the low challenge factor is really kinda disappointing if you’re a diehard fan of the series.

Thunderbolt

Falters where others have persevered, the weak link in the trio that make up the Castlevania GBA series.

N-Insanity

Konami really put too much effort into “improving” the graphics engine (and ruined it in the process) while ignoring the other, possibly more important aspects of the game.

The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Shay T. gave it a10:
Don't listen to the critics: this game has a great, well designed castle and a whole lot of fun hours to spend. It's not too easy (play Pokemon if you want something maddingly easy) and it's got so much fun packed into it I dare say it is a must own for a GBA owners.

Simon B. gave it a7:
The weak link in the GBA trilogy. If you're a big fan, then pick it up, but if you're a casual gamer I'd recommend AoS or CotM. What is most annoying is the convoluted level structure, ease of every enemy in the game (bosses are jokes) and the quality of sound is noticeably worse than in the other titles. The music reminds me a lot of Shining Force on the Genesis, but not as good. It's still a good game to kill some time with, just don't expect the same good quality of CotM or AoS.

Jeff S. gave it a10:
Simply a great game. I've been a die hard fan of the Castlevania series since I was a child. It all started for me, when I played Simons Quest. I fell in love from that point on. I'm thankful to own all the GBA Castlevanias. I look forward to Aria of Sorrow 2 for DS in Fall 2005. As I'm sure many other fans do as well!

Raphael Louis R. gave it a 9:
very nice game and good graphics great gameplay and it really does have some cool magic but its not that many.Castlevania:Circle of the Moon was a little better.

Tak N. gave it a 10:
I think this game is worth to buy because I dont like to play castlevania game, but when I played it I can't just quit playing this awesome game.

Fran F. gave it a 10:
It's like Symphony Of The Night? Well, SotN is to this day the best game ever! Does that answer your question?