Xbox 360 PS3

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is a multiplayer-focused platform-adventure game in the Castlevania series, featuring an ensemble cast of characters from the 2-D Metroidvania era of games, developed and published by Konami for Xbox 360 in August 2010, and for PlayStation 3 in 2011.

PlatformAdventure

Time to beat: about 9.4 hours

Overview

Gameplay includes a co-op mode (the Xbox 360 release only allows for internet co-op, while the PlayStation 3 release supports local multiplayer) which plays like the "Boss Rush Mode" of previous 2D Castlevania games, but with several rooms and items to find, culminating in a boss to fight. It also includes a versus mode, with battle occurring between players. Some bosses are able to attack players on their way to the fight. The game features five playable characters, consisting of Alucard, Soma Cruz, Jonathan Morris, Shanoa and Charlotte Aulin, all from previous 2D Castlevania games.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair was first leaked as an OFLCA Rating on May 27, 2010, then officially announced for Xbox Live Summer of Gaming 2010. Later in the year, the game was unveiled as a playable demo in the Konami booth at the E3 Convention of 2010.

Game Informer's Tim Turi criticized the game's lack of "progression and weapon variety" but appreciated its ambition and cooperative gameplay.