Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Last updated

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
CurseofDarknessCover.jpg
North American PS2 box art
Developer(s) Konami
Publisher(s) Konami
Director(s) Takashi Takeda
Producer(s) Koji Igarashi
Programmer(s) Shuichi Hirohara
Artist(s) Ayami Kojima
Writer(s) Koji Igarashi
Composer(s) Michiru Yamane
Yuka Watanabe
Series Castlevania
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release
  • NA: November 1, 2005
  • JP: November 24, 2005
  • EU: February 17, 2006
Genre(s) Action role-playing, hack and slash
Mode(s) Single-player

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness [a] is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. It is the fourth 3D Castlevania title, following Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003), and was released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in all regions except Japan, where the game was only available on PlayStation 2.

Contents

Curse of Darkness received mixed to positive reviews, with praise for its combat system, music, content, and replay value, while criticism fell towards its story, characters, repetitive level design, and gameplay.

Gameplay

Being a 3D game like Lament of Innocence before it, Curse of Darkness differs from its predecessor in a number of ways. It includes a more complex, action-adventure style of gameplay, much like Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow. Hector is not a member of the Belmont clan, so he does not use the "Vampire Killer" whip; instead he has the ability to equip a variety of different weapons ranging from swords (both one handed and two handed), spears, axes (also both one handed and two handed), brass knuckles and an extra type called special weapons (which varies from tonfas to gatling guns). There is an extra gameplay mode after finishing the game that allows players to play as Trevor Belmont, equipped with the "Vampire Killer" and the subweapons which are the knife, axe, holy water, cross, and stopwatch. One button is used for standard combo attacks, and a secondary button is used for stronger "finishing attacks" after a singular standard attack or a combo of standard attacks. As the player acquires progressively stronger weapons throughout the game, the number of standard and finishing attacks the player can perform increases accordingly. Each different weapon type has a different set of combos that can be performed.

Departing from the central hub level layout of Lament of Innocence, wherein the player chooses from a number of distinct stages all accessible from a central hallway, Curse of Darkness features a more complete game world with a complete castle map as in Symphony of the Night. However, the game still uses the same map engine as Lament of Innocence, rather than the square-based grid of 2D Castlevania games. A difference in level design is that much of the game does not take place in Dracula's castle, but rather exploring forests, mountains, temples, aqueducts, ruins, and villages in Europe. The player is aided by Innocent Devils, which are demonic creatures developed by Hector himself through the Devil Forgery skill, in order to defeat enemies and solve puzzles within the game. They level up and evolve together with Hector.

Plot

Setting

Curse of Darkness is set in the year 1479, three years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse . Though defeated by vampire hunter Trevor Belmont, Dracula's curse continues to ravage the European countryside, spreading disease, mob violence, and heresy in its wake. Amidst this devastation is Hector, a Devil Forgemaster who had formerly worked under the employ of Dracula but betrayed him sometime during the events of Castlevania III. Eventually growing disgusted with Dracula's brutal methods, Hector leaves Dracula's castle and relinquishes his powers to live amongst humans, settling down to live a peaceful life. When Hector's fiancée Rosaly is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, Hector learns that her murder was directed by his rivalrous Devil Forgemaster, Isaac. Seeking revenge, Hector chases his former colleague back to his old home, and back to the demonic life he believed he had left behind him.

Story

When the game begins, Hector arrives at an Abandoned Castle to confront Isaac. The latter scoffs at his desire for revenge and dares him to regain his powers so they can settle their score in a satisfying way. Hector reluctantly accepts the challenge, and starts hunting his former friend across the Transylvanian countryside. During his quest, he encounters several people: Julia Laforeze, a young witch in exile who turns out to be Isaac's sister; Trevor Belmont, who distrusts him for being a Devil Forgemaster; Zead, a kindly holyman who provides him with reliable information about Isaac's whereabouts; and St. Germain, a mysterious time traveler who presses him to abandon his quest, but eventually leaves him alone with some cryptic comments about a "new destiny" having emerged for him.

At one point, Trevor decides to trust Hector, and uses his own blood to unlock a parallel world called the Infinite Corridor, where Isaac is supposedly hiding. However, when Hector fights a Dullahan there, an evil glyph channels his energy and uses it to summon a new incarnation of Dracula's castle. Isaac, who intended this all along, cruelly stabs Trevor and leaves him for dead.

Hector enters the new Castlevania, where he fights and defeats his nemesis. As he prepares to kill him in a fit of rage, he suddenly remembers Julia, who had warned him not to let the Curse take hold of him. Horrified, Hector realizes that his actions are being controlled by Dracula's curse. A triumphant Zead appears and confirms this, explaining that the Devil Forgemasters were supposed to fight to the death, with the blood-stained Hector becoming the vessel for the Count's reincarnation. Having secured Isaac's body for this purpose, he reveals himself to be Death and attacks, in vain. Hector proceeds to fight Dracula, who is unable to take full control of Isaac's body and returns to the afterlife. Hector then uses his powers as a Devil Forgemaster to lift the curse. Julia comes to his rescue, and they start a new life together. Meanwhile, St. Germain departs for the distant future, wondering how the struggle between mankind and Dracula will end.

Development

Curse of Darkness was produced by Koji Igarashi, who has worked on several other games in the Castlevania series, including Castlevania: Symphony of the Night , Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Lament of Innocence . Also returning are series artist Ayami Kojima and composer Michiru Yamane.

Audio

Michiru Yamane once again composed the music, and worked together with British singer Russell Watson to create the end credits theme "True To Your Words". [2] Guitars, which were omitted from Lament of Innocence's score, returned in Curse of Darkness. There was a sampler given away as a bonus to anyone who pre-ordered a copy of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness from supporting retailers.

Animaze has done the English language voicework for the characters.

Reception

Review aggregator Metacritic shows an averaged score of 74 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [14] The game generated mid to high review scores. Common praises often go to the game's battle system – which as stated by IGN "...can offer up a fairly wide variety of skirmishes and strategies..." -, the Innocent Devil system and musical score. Common criticisms of the game go to the game's environments, which have generally been considered dull and repetitive. X-Play gave Curse of Darkness a 3 out of 5 while IGN gave it a 7.8, or "Good" rating. [10] GamePro gave the game a 4.0 out of a 5.0 fun factor, stating that it was a game that got more intriguing as it goes on. GameSpot rated it 6.8, saying it looked good and had solid controls, but the level design was "monotonous". [7] Game Informer 's Tim Turi felt that it was "decent" but did not feel like it captured the "overall style and atmosphere" of other Castlevania games. [15]

In other media

Adapted and illustrated by Kou Sasakura, a two-volume manga adaptation titled Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (悪魔城ドラキュラ 闇の呪印, Akumajō Dorakyura: Yami no Juin) was published in Japan from 2004 to 2007. [16] Taking place between the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, the manga centers on Isaac and Hector. [17] Tokyopop licensed it for English-language release in North America. [16] The first volume, ( ISBN   978-1-4278-0053-4), was released September 1, 2008, and the second, ( ISBN   978-1-4278-0214-9), was published January 1, 2009. [18] It is also licensed in France by Soleil Manga. [19]

The manga was positively received by English-language readers. The first volume ranked 72nd on the list of the top 100 best-selling graphic novels in September 2008 with an estimated 1,564 copies sold. In December 2008, the second volume placed 171st on the list of the top 300 best-selling graphic novels with an estimated 720 copies sold. [20] However, it received mixed reviews from English-language critics—two of whom were fans of the Castlevania franchise. Criticism focused on Sasakura's artwork which tended to focus on close-ups and neglect the backgrounds, and the lack of fleshed-out characters. [17] Mania Entertainment's Nadia Oxford disliked having a child as one of the main characters, calling it "unnecessary pandering to a younger audience" and concluding that "It's disappointing to see Castlevania thrown to a kid like so many other great properties." [21] Conversely, another reviewer described it as "a fairly well done vampire comic book" with a "pitch perfect mood" and pleasant artwork, [22] and About.com's Deb Aoki ranked it fifteenth on her list of the twenty-two best vampire manga. [23]

Hector and Isaac were introduced in the second season of the Castlevania animated television series as recurring characters (with the latter being vastly different in terms of character design compared to the game). In the subsequent season, a loose adaption of Saint Germain was added to the cast as well. The events of Curse of Darkness were loosely adapted in the form of a few events, such as Death disgusing himself to trick someone into bringing Dracula back, and the concept of the Infinite Corridor. [24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula: Yami no Juin (悪魔城ドラキュラ 闇の呪印, Akumajō Dorakyura Yami no Juin, Demon Castle Dracula: Curse of Darkness) [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Castlevania</i> Video game series

Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is largely set in the castle of Count Dracula, the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.

<i>Castlevania: Lament of Innocence</i> 2003 video game

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is a 2003 action-adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 console. Part of Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the first installment of the series on the PlayStation 2 and the third to make use of a 3D style of gameplay. It was released in Japan and North America in late 2003 and Europe and Australia in early 2004.

<i>Kid Dracula</i> (1993 video game) 1993 video game

Kid Dracula is a 1993 action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy. It is a spinoff of the Castlevania series, as well as a remake and sequel to the 1990 Famicom game Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun.

Dracula (<i>Castlevania</i>) Video game character

Vlad Țepeș Dracula or simply known as Dracula, real name Mathias Cronqvist, is a fictional character from the Castlevania video game series created by Konami. A vampire and a sorcerer, he is the main antagonist of the series, the archenemy of the Belmont clan, and the final boss of almost every installment. In the series reboot Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Dracula is reimagined as an 11th-century holy knight named Gabriel Belmont and serves as the central character of the game and its two sequels. The Lords of Shadow series tells the story of Gabriel's quest to save the world, vampirism and redemption.

<i>Castlevania: Rondo of Blood</i> 1993 video game

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, originally released in Japan as Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, is a 1993 action-platform game developed by Konami for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² System directed by Toru Hagihara. Part of the Castlevania series, protagonist Richter Belmont goes to save his lover Annette, who was abducted by Dracula. It was first released exclusively in Japan on October 29, 1993. A direct sequel, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, was released worldwide in 1997.

<i>Castlevania: Circle of the Moon</i> 2001 video game

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, titled Castlevania in PAL regions, is a 2001 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance. Part of the Castlevania video game series, the game follows a vampire hunter named Nathan Graves as he attempts to rescue his mentor from the clutches of Dracula. The events of its plot were retconned by former Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, a move which was met with some criticism.

<i>Vampire Killer</i> 1986 video game

Vampire Killer, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a 1986 platform game developed and published by Konami for the MSX2. It is a parallel version of the original Castlevania, which debuted a month earlier for the Famicom Disk System under the same Japanese title. However, the MSX2 version was localized first in Europe and was published without the Castlevania branding that the franchise would start using abroad in 1987 when the NES version was released in North America. It was released on the Wii U's Virtual Console on December 17, 2014, in Japan.

<i>Castlevania III: Draculas Curse</i> 1989 video game

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is a 1989 action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in Japan in 1989, and in North America in 1990, and in Europe by Palcom in 1992. It was later released on the Virtual Console for the Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

<i>Castlevania Legends</i> 1997 video game

Castlevania Legends is a 1997 action-platform game developed and released by Konami for the Game Boy. The third Castlevania game released for the system, the story follows Sonia Belmont, a vampire hunter battling the first incarnation of Count Dracula. The game was conceived as a prequel to all other games in the Castlevania series; however, it later became recognized as non-canon.

<i>Castlevania: Dracula X</i> 1995 video game

Castlevania: Dracula X, titled Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss in Europe and Akumajou Dracula XX in Japan, is a 1995 action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second Castlevania installment to be released for the Super NES. It is a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, which was previously released in Japan on the PC Engine Super CD-ROM2 in 1993. While the plot is similar to Rondo of Blood and it uses many of that game's graphics, it features new levels and altered gameplay elements, rather than being a direct port because of the limits of the Super NES cartridge format and exclusivity agreements with PC Engine maker NEC. It was released on July 21, 1995 in Japan, in September 1995 in North America, February 22, 1996 in Europe, and on June 22, 1996, in Australia. The game received mixed reviews, with journalists considering it inferior to Rondo of Blood and criticizing its high difficulty.

<i>Haunted Castle</i> (video game) 1987 video game

Haunted Castle is a 1987 action-platform game developed and released by Konami for arcades. It is the second arcade game in the Castlevania franchise, following Vs. Castlevania, an arcade port of the original 1986 NES video game released in North America. Unlike the previous arcade title in the franchise, Haunted Castle is not a direct port of an existing console game, but a newly-developed arcade game running on custom JAMMA-based board. The game has the player controlling Simon Belmont, who embarks on a journey to save his wife Selena from the clutches of Dracula.

<i>Castlevania Chronicles</i> PlayStation video game

Castlevania Chronicles is an action-platform game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo for the PlayStation. Released in 2001, it includes two distinct game modes: Original Mode and Arrange Mode. Original Mode is a direct port of the 1993 game Akumajō Dracula for the X68000 home computer. This version of Akumajō Dracula is itself a remake of the original Castlevania, which was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. Players control Simon Belmont, a vampire hunter who has entered Dracula's castle to defeat him and save Transylvania.

Akumajō Dracula is the Japanese name of the Castlevania video game series, as it is known worldwide. In Japan, several games within the series share the Akumajō Dracula name:

<i>Castlevania Judgment</i> 2008 video game

Castlevania Judgment is a 2008 fighting game developed by Eighting and published by Konami for the Wii. The game is based on the Castlevania series of games, and is the series' first fighting game.

<i>Castlevania: The Arcade</i> 2009 video game

Castlevania: The Arcade, released in Japan as Akumajō Dracula: The Arcade, is an arcade game, part of the Castlevania franchise by Konami. The game was announced on July 23, 2008. The game was released in Japan on October 2, 2009. A European release was announced for 2009 but only appeared at test locations in 2008.

<i>Castlevania: Harmony of Despair</i> 2010 video game

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.

<i>Castlevania</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a 1986 action-platform game developed and published by Konami. It was originally released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System in September 1986, before being ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in March 1987 and in Europe in 1988. It was also re-issued for the Family Computer in cartridge format in 1993. It is the first installment in the Castlevania series.

<i>Kid Dracula</i> (1990 video game) 1990 video game

Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun is a platform video game released by Konami in Japan for the Famicom on October 19, 1990. It is considered a parody of the Castlevania series. A version for mobile phones was released on 30 June 2006 in Japan.

References

  1. ↑ Konami (August 4, 2010). Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Konami. Japanese: 歴代の「悪魔城ドラキュラ」シリーズから選ばれた登場キャラクターを操作して、仲間たちと悪魔城に乗り込み、宿敵ドラキュラ伯爵に立ち向かおう。 English translation: Take control of past protagonists from the Castlevania series to brave the Demon Castle alongside friends and defeat the ancient enemy Count Dracula.
  2. ↑ Abass, Amin (May 26, 2022). "Japanese composer and pianist Michiru Yamane shares inspiration". Arab News Japan. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Video Game Reviews, Articles, Trailers and more - Metacritic". Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness". Metacritic . Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100105180748/http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3145299&did=1. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ "Castlevania – Famitsu Scores Archive". Famitsu. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  7. 1 2 Greg Kasavin (November 1, 2005). "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness". GameSpot.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  8. ↑ http://gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=1733. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2010.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness Review - PlayStation 2". May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on May 9, 2006. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Roper, Chris (October 31, 2005). "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness". ign.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2006. Retrieved June 4, 2006.
  11. ↑ "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness Review (Xbox)". Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Video Game Reviews, Articles, Trailers and more - Metacritic". Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  13. ↑ "RPGFan Reviews - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness". Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness For PlayStation 2 Reviews, Rating, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  15. ↑ Turi, Tim (April 4, 2012). "Ranking The Castlevania Bloodline". Game Informer . Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Tokyopop Adds Castlevania: Curse of Darkness Manga". Anime News Network . March 12, 2008. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  17. 1 2 Haley, Ken (September 19, 2008). "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, Vol. 1". PopCultureShock. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ↑ "Manga + Comics: Book Catalog". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Castlevania Tome 1" [Castlevania volume 1] (in French). Soleil Manga. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness Review - PlayStation 2". May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on May 9, 2006. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ Oxford, Nadia (October 23, 2008). "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness Vol. #01". Mania Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  22. ↑ Douresseaux, Leroy (September 24, 2008). "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness". Coolstreak Cartoons. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  23. ↑ Aoki, Deb. "Best Vampire Manga—Best of the Bloodsuckers—22 Best Vampire Manga". About.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  24. ↑ Plante, Corey (March 5, 2020). "Who is Saint Germain? Castlevania Season 3's strangest new character, explained". Inverse . Retrieved March 8, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.