Introduction
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is yet another addition in the Castlevania Series. The main character is Hector, a devil forgemaster. Devil forgemasters work for Dracula and summon entities using dark power. However, after the death of his true love, Rosaly, and Dracula's senseless killing of humans, Hector betrayed Dracula and fled. The other devil forgemaster, Issac, is the main antagonist. He is trying to restore Hector's dark powers. There are other characters as well. Julia, Issac's sister, is a witch that is the shopkeeper of the game. She also takes care of I.D.s (Innocent Devils), the entities that Hector summons to fight alongside him. There is also Zead, a mysterious priest that supplies Hector with info. Saint Germain is another mysterious character, whose true intentions are unknown. Of course, like most Castlevanias, there is a Belmont member. The one in this game is Trevor Belmont. Whether he helps Hector or not is completely unknown. Until you play the game.
Graphics |
 |
Graphics are fairly decent in Castlevania. All scenery, trees, walls, etc., look well-rendered. The main characters and enemies are quite detailed. Some of Hector's weapons are awesome to look at; others are lame. There are no "stunning cinematic scenes", as one would see in other games, like Final Fantasy. While this is not too big a deal, it certainly hurts it's score. The most fake looking thing in the game is blood, as it is too red and does not obey the laws of physics. Overall, however, graphics are solid.
Sound |
|
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness has some pretty interesting soundtracks. The backgroundmusic enhances the effect of whatever environment Hector is currently in. All of the music creates a certain mood: peaceful, eerie, suspenseful. Sound effects are also quite good. The voices of the characters fit how they look. I have to admit, however, that the music played at the credits is one of the worst songs I've ever heard to end a game. Even so, the BGM of every area outweighs this brief downside.
Gameplay |
 |
I would have to say that playing the game is simple and fun. Battles are, of course, real-time. You control Hector's movement and attacking, as well as blocking or dodging enemy attacks. Controlling your I.D.s is also easy. You can set them to automatically attack and use abilities, or have yourself control their abilities. You can also tell them to guard, and run away/block attacks. As for weapons, Hector creates his own using materials dropped from enemies. This is a nice feature that adds to the uniqueness of the game. The game can get pretty hard, and potions are not cheap. Getting money is a pain since money is dropped in increments of 1, 5, 10, and 20 gold. Still, a skilled player shouldn't need potions in the first place, so money isn't a big issue. Gameplay overall is veyr good.
Lastability |
|
This game gets a nine for a couple of reasons. Although the actual main game is not overextensive, there is still quite a bit to it. After beating the game, you can replay the game as Trevor Belmont, which is sure to entertain many players. You can also play again on Crazy Difficulty (which, by the way, is VERY hard), which keeps the hardcore gamers busy as well. Of course, there are other side things you can do. Getting Death's Scythe, the strongest weapon in the game, can take a long time, even if you know where to get the materials. Also, there is a "chair sidequest". The game has an assortment of chairs placed at various locations in each area. Finding each and every one could be distracting, adding to lastability. The biggest (and worst) reason that the game lasts so long is that getting from place to place takes a LONG time. Running is not that fast and there is no way to speed up. I can still guarantee that this game will last a while.
Overall |
|
Overall. This game gets an 8 out of 10, which is pretty decent. Castlevania fans are sure to love this game. What's more satisfying than defeating Lord Dracula, Lord of Darkness? Not much. Castlevania games are known to be some of the best, and this game sure meets those expectations.
Final Score : 84 %
