|
The long-running series makes another 3D appearance. The Castlevania series is enjoying a lot of success on Nintendo’s handhelds. The last 3D Castlevania game was a marked improvement over Konami’s first attempt on the Nintendo 64. With Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, they have continued the improvement, providing solid gameplay that will please fans of the series.
In Curse of Darkness, you’ll play as Hector, one of Dracula’s previous lieutenants who renounced his affiliation and consequently ditched his powers. Hector needs to get his powers back in order to get revenge on another forgemaster, Isaac, who killed one of Hector’s loved one. While this is going on, the world of Valachia is full of monsters after Dracula’s death. The story in the game is decent; it is enough to keep you playing but probably won’t reel you in.
The gameplay in the game is similar to previous Castlevania games. Essentially, you’ll be exploring, fighting enemies, gaining experience for doing so, upgrading your weaponry and skills, and taking on the bosses and using the “innocent devils.” You’ll be exploring many different areas in the game including mountains, swamps and temples since the typical Dracula’s castles can get a bit repetitive after a while. You’ll spend some time making your own weaponry because Hector can make his own equipment from materials taken from defeated enemies. This helps make combat a little more interesting.
That isn’t to say that the combat is bad. The fighting in the game is pretty varied since Hector can use many weapons and combos, which allow for diverse finished to these combos. The game allows you to use some invulnerability maneuvers, which prove to be essentially to the combat. Additionally, you can steal from your enemies, usually during a given timeframe which changes depending on the enemy you’re currently facing. The combat is responsive and feels natural. The innocent devils are creatures that help you in the fights. They also gain experience points and can be made stronger with new abilities to use. They are also useful outside of fighting since different creatures have different abilities like being able to slip in through walls or move heavy doors.
The game’s visuals are pretty good, though they never reach great status. The character models in the game are fairly good, although the enemy designs are sometimes bland and don’t appear all that different from one another. Hector is detailed, though, and looks good. The environments are typically somewhat stale although some of the scenery is very impressive. The game’s framerate maintains its fluidity through the adventure which is definitely a plus though.
The game’s audio package does much better. The background music is evocative of previous games in the series. Although it is new, it lends itself easily to the Castlevania world. It sounds excellent causing your excitement to increase for the battles. The sound effects are also well done, though they aren’t quite as memorable as the music.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness nails the gameplay mechanics and packages it with a pretty solid presentation. There are a few things in the game that will definitely impress you, but for the most part everything included is good. With a solid foundation, the developers can aim for making a great game with the next iteration. -- Jake Wilson, PGNx Media
---- Nov 29, 2005
|
