Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

"You don't need garlic to repel Vampires when you could use this game."

If you're expecting the end all Castlevania game, you sure as hell are about to be disappointed. It's sad seeing what this game could have been, as it had vast potential. I usually enjoy all Castlevania games (even the Adventure), but no matter how hard I tried, I could not enjoy Curse of Darkness.

Gameplay (3/10): The game has easy to use controls, and nothing that can't be figured out within fifteen minutes. Combat is relatively simple; unfortunately button mashing can be effective in certain occasions. Enemy design isn't the greatest out there, and could have been a lot better. As a whole the battle system is great. The only things I would add are collision effects, being able to knock enemies off of cliffs, and more freedom when jumping (as in where you can land).

I personally was skeptical about the new innocent devil system. It looked dull and it looked like it would add very little to the game. I have never been so glad to be wrong. It was a great system to say the least, and a stroke of genius. Not only is it interesting to see what you're innocent devils are going to turn into; they have a lot of unique abilities that makes each one perfect for a specific purposes. There are six kinds of ID's; they range from magic users, to warriors, and even air support. You'll be tempted to see what they all turn into, and what each one does. It's a highly addictive system and should have been expanding upon.

That was not the end of the game's addictive qualities either. IGA's team also decided to create a weapon forging system. It too, seemed dull at the start. Only until I was halfway through the game did I realize its full potential. There are so many types of weapons, and so many possible outcomes, you'll find yourself seeing what all you can create. There are a vast array of weapons, ranging from spears, to axes, rapiers, katanas, shurikens, and even a broom.

Now here's the bad part. Take five thousand hallways, bundle them up, and you now got the games level design. No matter where you go, whether it's a forest, mountain range, or castle, you'll find an endless supply of hallways that are the exact same width and contain the same lack of inspiration. Occasionally there'll be hills and things like that, but they really add very little flavor to the game. There is essentially no platfroming to speak of, and it really begins to get on you. Each area feels like an extension of the last, just with different graphics and enemies. Areas are so empty that you almost get the feeling that Isaac and his buddies were moving just as the game took place. What the levels needed were tables, chairs, suits of empty armor, and that sort of thing. Not only does it add a lot of ambience, it sure as hell would be fun to knock enemies into. Yes, there is the occasional hidden chair, but that's about it apart from the numerous candles at each door. The area design is so bad; you'll have virtually no will to replay through the game.

The controls, ID system, and weapon forging had enough potential to make this game phenomenal, but were all plagued by horrible level design. Hopefully the same mistake won't be made again.

Graphics (3/10): I'm usually never picky about graphics, but in this case I'm willing to make an exception. The first thing you'll notice about is this game's horrible area graphics. It's so bad that it's almost painful to look at. Enemies aren't very well designed and as a whole aren't very interesting. The only real redeemable things about the graphics are the main characters and bosses. Their graphics are rather sharp and have no real problems. Eventually you will get used to the games most hideous graphics (which is probably when your finished with it).

Sound/Music (9/10): In short, sound effects are decent. They're aren't bad or great. Then you got the voice acting. Though the dialogue is quite humorous, the acting is well done. The game's composer is Michiru Yamane of Symphony of the Night fame. Needless to say, it's one of the best damn soundtracks you're ever going to hear.

Story (7/10): Hector, a servant of Dracula, abandons his master when he begins to unleash his hatred upon the humans. Ultimately Trevor and his companions come and defeat Lord Dracula. Isaac, who also happens to be a servant of Dracula, blames his lord's death on Hector, who left his lord vulnerable and weakened. He takes his revenge by getting Hectors wife accused of witchcraft and then burned. Enraged, Hector seeks out to destroy Isaac. Although the story isn't very gripping at the start, I can assure you it gets a lot more interesting.

Replayability (2/10): There is virtually no reason to come back to this game after you beat it the first time. Though the controls and stuff are fine, the area design is so bad that you won't want to. There is a hidden playable character, which is fun to play as, but has the same arduous task to trudge through the game's horribly designed areas.

Conclusion: This game I so bad that I wouldn't even recommend it to die hard Castlevania fans. It could have been so much more, and even if you didn't like it, you know that it could have been great. The key underlying factor to this games failure was level design, as IGA did very little else wrong. Maybe now this problem won't be overlooked on the next 3D Castlevania. Don't buy it, just rent it. Final rating, 3/10. I have faith that IGA can make a phenomenal game on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/05