Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

The most noticeable difference between Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and its successful predecessor Circle of the Moon is that in the new game the castle will be a lot easier to see. Brighter graphics enhanced for the GBA's screen, as well as some new special effects, made this a favourite at US trade show E3. Harmony's story follows a descendant of Simon Belmont named Juste, who's on a quest for Dracula's relics; Konami says it's adding RPG elements that will allow characters to gain experience during the game. And the game has one cool feature that, in a perfect world, would come standard on all GBA games: a save-anywhere feature.

This preview is based on an incomplete version of the game; features or problems mentioned above may not appear in the finished game.

"A fantastic game... as playable as it is dark... 90%."

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance for Game Boy Advance brings players back into the world of Dracula, a place where unspeakable monsters lurk and powerful magic rules. Only 50 years have passed since Simon Belmont liberated the land from the menacing curse of Dracula. Now Juste Belmont--the latest scion in the legendary family of vampire hunters--must take up his whip and storm a mysterious castle in search of his childhood friend Lydie.

Developed by the team responsible for the PSone's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Harmony of Dissonance features beautiful graphics and amazing new special effects; a new Spell Fusion system allows for combining of weapons and spells to create more than 30 attacks. A new Quick Save option lets you save ay any point, and role-playing elements let you level up and become more powerful as you progress. Larger-sized characters and gigantic monsters intensify the action.