Castlevania - Harmony of Dissonance

I am back from my semi-hiatus!! Just finished my exam today~ oh boy am I happy. Here is a game review for Castlevania only from my viewpoint. Reveal under the cut to check it out~ Appreciate any comments or feedback about this game.


Hmm...first off...for those who have played it, was it a hard game or what?? Since this was the first game that I had played, I wasn't sure of the logistics of this game....so in actual fact, I had to rely on the help files to help me get through what I needed to do!! It is a very simple puzzle game with an outstanding plot.

Plot
You are playing Juste. Maxim, a friend, has instructed that Lydie has been held captive in this castle. There is no way of getting out unless you defeat the evil that is emerging within the castle and later on, it is revealed that the castle belongs to Dracula and that there are 2 castles residing in this mystifying environment. You then have to venture out your way to collect items that will specifically add to your powers to stop Dracula. However, you are trying to recollect your memory for you had amnesia, and Maxim seems to act weirder every time you cross paths with him, plus you will have numerous encounters with Death in which you have no idea if he is on your side or not.

I reckon the plot is quite interesting! You just need to try it out to get the full story. I won't spoil it for the rest.

Mind you, even though I didn't manage to complete the game, the puzzle was addictive - one of the distinctive points of the game. So in this case...in order to win, you have to reach 200%.....the most that I could complete with the help files and ended up giving up on having to find my way through what I needed and where I should be at the moment.

...195.9% completion! It makes me want to add an extra 0.01%!

Gameplay
Duration: approx. 13-16 hours
Maximum level reached: 45-55
Mobility: It is very much to my liking! I do not like slow games where it takes you a while to walk across the screen haha! Plus it is easy to kill monsters after you level up so it doesn't hinder your progression to venture into the game.


Key features:

• It is clearly mapped out for you.
  
• There are differences between the 2 castles, the enemies and the items. It creates diversification yet sticks to the original castle floorplan.
• Collectable items are equippable and will add to your statistics.
  

The efficiency of the game (such as the 'dashing' mobility) is good.....at least it is not one of those slow/draggy games.

Issues:

• Equipping such items that you collect will allow you to solve a few puzzles...some were a little vague.
  
• Also, you need to press "up" in order to save in the rooms. I had trouble figuring where the save rooms are....or how to save for that matter.
• I didn't feel the need to buy anything from the shops because I have collected a lot of essential items or the fact that the armour was too expensive and way out of my capacity...so collecting money was in actual fact not very necessary because you discover the shops much much later into the game as well.
  
• Once you get stuck....where do you go?!

Music
It was actually pretty good considering that this is a simple visual gameboy game. Certain songs were exhilarating and gives you a sense of direction and movement. It makes you want to challenge yourself more. However, some songs were really silent and "dead boring"...kinda defeats the purpose of encouraging the gamer to play further or that they dislike having to continue the game because of this area. But since I am determined to solve the puzzle, I was not at all affected.

Overall, it is an effective game only when you have the patience to solve it out. I only managed to get towards the end...yet cannot bring myself to backtrack and carry on from there....but it is something that I would recommend if you are willing to have a go at it.