A Castlevania game that vastly improves over its predecessors even though it is still a little obtuse at times and gets a bit tedious at the end.
After playing Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance is a breath of fresh air. The movement alone is an absolute dream. Having a dash from the start is great and helps to make both combat and traversal feel much better. The combat and magic system is fun and more rewarding. The method of tracking collectibles is nicely fleshed out so it's easy to figure out what you're missing. It's a game I wanted to 100%.
That said, getting the 100% and getting the true ending was a bit of a chore. The map is quite large and while there are more fast travel points than Circle of the Moon, it still takes a really long time to get from one point to the next just so you can grab one or two missing items you need. And I legitimately don't even know how anyone would know how to get the true ending without looking it up.
Overall I had a really fantastic time with the game even if the end was a bit of a slog.
+ Fantastic mobility. The dash mechanic is aces
+ Combat and spells felt great
+ Excellent soundtrack
+ Good, fair difficulty
- Obtuse steps required to get true ending
- Getting around the giant map is a chore
- Merchant is kind of useless and hard to find
After playing Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance is a breath of fresh air. The movement alone is an absolute dream. Having a dash from the start is great and helps to make both combat and traversal feel much better. The combat and magic system is fun and more rewarding. The method of tracking collectibles is nicely fleshed out so it's easy to figure out what you're missing. It's a game I wanted to 100%.
That said, getting the 100% and getting the true ending was a bit of a chore. The map is quite large and while there are more fast travel points than Circle of the Moon, it still takes a really long time to get from one point to the next just so you can grab one or two missing items you need. And I legitimately don't even know how anyone would know how to get the true ending without looking it up.
Overall I had a really fantastic time with the game even if the end was a bit of a slog.
+ Fantastic mobility. The dash mechanic is aces
+ Combat and spells felt great
+ Excellent soundtrack
+ Good, fair difficulty
- Obtuse steps required to get true ending
- Getting around the giant map is a chore
- Merchant is kind of useless and hard to find