The RPG Fanatic Review Show - ★ Castlevania Curse of Darkness Review ★

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Published on October 7, 2011 9:00:23 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6jMcJ6uYqU

Game:

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005)

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Review

Duration: 5:00

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https://rpgfanatics.com Castlevania: CoD is a PS2 sequel to the NES classic Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (known in Japan as Devil's Castle Legend). I consider this one of the better 3D Castlevania games but admittedly the 64 games didn't set the bar very high to begin with.

This review discusses the gameplay of the game, which uses the same engine as Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. And of course, there is occasional humor and funny jokes!

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, 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?, lit. "Devil's Castle Dracula: Dark Curse"), is a console video game developed by Konami for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. Despite that it was released for Xbox and PlayStation 2, Japan was only able to see a PlayStation 2 release. However, an Xbox version was released throughout Asia under the NTSC-J Format, but was still in the English language. A manga adaptation has been published by Tokyopop.

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 (much like Alucard and Soma Cruz) 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). However, 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. The battle system is somewhat similar to that of Dynasty Warriors, whereas 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 2-D Castlevanias. Furthermore, a noticeable 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 will be also 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're similar to Alucard's Familiars in Symphony of the Night, however they level up and evolve together with Hector.

The Innocent Devils (commonly referred as I.D.'s) come in 6 different types. Each I.D. gives specifics bonuses to Hector's stats.
Fairy Type (Aids Hector with healing and can cure magical ailments.)
Battle Type (The physically strongest of the I.D.'s. Has the most Heart points.)
Bird Type (Flying I.D.'s that fight other airborne monsters.)
Mage type (Attacks with long-distance magic.)
Devil Type (The ultimate type of innocent devil.)
Pumpkin Type (Add high bonuses to all stats, but possess no offensive skills)

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 all 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 Castlevania 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 fellow 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.

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