Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Message Board

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is an interesting experiment. While it looks just like the 2D Castlevania games we've grown accustomed to since Symphony of the Night, it's actually very different than any previous entry in the series. This is a multiplayer adventure designed for up to six vampire hu...

We've known since July that Castlevania: Harmony of Despair would be coming to PlayStation Network. We just didn't know when. Released in the summer of 2010 as an Xbox Live-exclusive, we now know a release date for Harmony of Despair on the PSN, and it's sooner than you may think...

Konami confirmed this morning that Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is coming to PlayStation Network this summer...

Step back in time to the Origins of Castlevania in the playable in Harmony of Despair!

Alright, it's official -- America's got vampire fever. Why not channel your friends and families' unswerving love for romantic bloodsucker fiction into something a little healthier? Maybe turn them onto Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Harmony of Despair, which are half-price on XBLA this week.

If you and your fellow vampire hunters are looking for a new monster to tell that it doesn't belong in this world, some new DLC is now available for Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. "Extra Stage: The One Who is Many" is the DLC pack recently announced for Japan. It's priced at 320 Microsoft Points ($4).

Even if you hadn't read up on it in the past, Castlevaniacs could probably guess from the title that this DLC pack will feature Legion. Unlike most other Castlevanias, you'll actually be able to gather more bodies of your own (in the form of your friends) to fight this pile of bodies.

Konami's multiplayer, side-scrolling dungeon crawler Castlevania: Harmony of Despair already looks very, very familiar -- a phenomenon which can be attributed to its re-using of sprites from previous entries in the series. According to the game's official Japanese site, that policy isn't being reversed any time soon: In January, the game will see the addition of an eighth level, based off the underground area from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- a stage which culminates in a fight with the creepy, spherical corpse-monster, Legion.

The downloadable level -- as well as another titled "Lord of the Flies," which is either hinting at a level featuring Beelzebub or possibly a level where you drop rocks on island-bound children -- will cost 320 Microsoft Points ($4). It's unclear whether the January release window listed on the site for this DLC is applicable in the States; we've contacted Konami for confirmation. And to ask about the whole "dropping rocks on children" thing.

If you and your band of vampire hunters have completely mastered everything Dracula has to throw at you in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Konami has the cure for your terminal success: DLC! This week, a new pyramid-themed level is available from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points. And if you were concerned that the game wasn't gothy enough, more good news! The level is called "Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire."

Konami also announced that more playable characters would be forthcoming as DLC. Seasoned whipmaster Julius Belmont, magic user Yoko Belnades, and animal tamer Maria Renard will be added to the game at an unspecified later date. They'll be a sacred gift when they arrive!

#dlc Two months back we scented the rumor that Castlevania was due for downloadable content, specifically a new map set inside a pyramid. That's confirmed with today's availability of "Beauty, Desire Situation Dire," for 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live Marketplace. More »

Though the game received some middling reviews, it seems Xbox Live Marketplace browsers couldn't resist the appeal of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair's retro charms -- or it's status as a Summer of Arcade title. The multiplayer monster slayer placed first on the Arcade purchases charts for the week of August 2, though it only claimed the number 15 spot for overall online activity.

To see how the rest of the Summer of Arcade contenders did, just check out the lists posted after the jump.

#rumor It looks like the recently released Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is set to expand (and soon) with a new downloadable chapter and at least one Belmont ready to join the team. More »

Just a few short days after the game launched on Xbox Live Arcade, a GameFAQs forumite by the name of Bonovox_40 claims to have discovered a few pieces of DLC planned to expand Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. This content includes two additional characters to be added to the game's roster -- Maria Renard from Rondo of Blood and Julius Belmont from Aria of Sorrow -- and a new level inspired by Portrait of Ruin's pyramid stages.

The poster's proof comes in the form of a handful of off-screen pictures and two videos showing Maria in action. These photos also include a look at the DLC files, which show up individually on the hard drive, possibly indicating they'll come as separate downloads rather than a smaller bundle. We've contacted Konami to get a comment on these potential newcomers.

#review The heroes of a handful of 2D Castlevania games come together to tackle old foes in a new way in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Can the normally solitary, exploratory experience of recent "Metroidvania" games make the double-jump leap to multiplayer? More »

Since we've already reviewed Castlevania: Harmony of Despair -- check it out! -- there won't be an XBLA in Brief preview this week. In its place is this giveaway, in which five entrants will receive a code.

To enter:

• Leave a comment telling us your favorite Castlevania game ever.
• You must be 13 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
• Limit 1 entry per person.
• This entry period ends at 6:00PM ET, Thursday, August 5th.
• At that time, we'll randomly select five grand prize winners to each receive a download code for Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (ARV $15). [Code requires an Xbox Live account to redeem.]
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition.

For more info on our policy, click here.

I'm pretty sure that if I could get a peek at Castlevania: Harmony of Despair director Koji Igarashi's Netflix queue, I'd find that his most recent rental would be the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day.

Much like Bill Murray's Phil awakes every morning in Punxsutawney, PA to find that it's (spoiler alert) Groundhog Day, the characters in Igarashi's latest game -- a cast from 'Vanias past -- find themselves repeating the same trek through the same six castles over and over and over again in an attempt to find or buy better items and beat the bosses faster. Sometimes, they won't even be able to find the boss before the timer runs out. Virtually nothing is explained, it reuses background tiles and sprites from years-old games and is, frankly, not fun at all if you intend to play it alone. Save your $15. Buy this, this or this instead. (But not this.)

Played with friends, however, Harmony of Despair is actually ... kinda fun.

Konami dates new downloadable title for Xbox Live.

Though Konami's co-op vamp-slayer, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is now being touted as a proud participant in the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade promotion, a PSN version of the title may not be out of the question. In an E3 interview with Destructoid, producer Koji Igarashi explained "there might be a possibility with that. I hope this one sells, and then we can think about PSN."

So, there you have it, PS3 fans. If you want the best chance of getting Harmony of Despair on your platform of choice, all you have to do is first buy it on XBLA. Easy enough, right?

#e3 One of the coolest things at E3 2010 was the zoom function for Xbox Live Arcade game Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. I had to see it. You do too. More »

#e3 A multiplayer Castlevania? Series designer Koji Igarashi's latest off-the-wall idea for the 23-year-old vampire slaying franchise might just be crazy enough to work. After playing Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, I'm on board. More »

#xbox360 I shot this image of Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair from the new game's E3 trailer. Harmony of Despair includes many characters and supports multiple players. But does it really ever look like this? Or is this a trailer trick? More »

Gameplay goodness.

#e32010 This clip, promoting Microsoft's Xbox Live Summer Of Arcade, has footage of every game that'll be coming out over a five-week span beginning next month. You're probably here for the Castlevania footage, though. More »

Harmony of da what? New pictures of Despair.