Castlevania: Curse of Darkness for Xbox Reviews by Gamers

Ladies and Gents,

I am here to tell you to not miss out on this Castlevania game. Sure it still falls flat of it's 2-D predecessors but as a 3-D game it goes above and beyond it's own expectations.

I'm one that thrives on creativity and how things work well in a game including tie-ins to the storyline.

One element I enjoyed was the Innocent Devils that you can conjure from Devil Forging. What's unique about it is that after you recieve your main IDs, you have the option of evolving them by attaining evo crystals. The IDs evolve dependent on which weapon you use. So lets say a mage type has the option of evolving to at least 5 of it's top level evolutions, depending on which tier of the evolution tree you want to go.

Another aspect is that Trevor Belmont makes an apperance in the game. After beating it of course you have the option of playing as him. If you don't know, just beat the game, start a new game and enter in @Trevor. The game is completly different from the other failed 3D Castlevanias.

Truley a solid game for fans and non-fans alike.
Graphically the game could use some sprucing and more interaction with the environment would be very welcomed. But there are some monsters that do make an apperance and give you a bit of nostalgia.

Other than that, I think Konami did a good job in making this game and preping us for their next upcoming Castlevania.

The Castlevania series has a long history of amazing games. From the epic adventures on the Nes, Super Castlevania IV and the SNES, Symphony of the Night for the PS1 and the newer GBA/DS games there have been some amazing additions to all things Castlevania. Having played almost all of the games in the series I was excited to see what Curse of Darkness was going to offer.

I'll be honest with you, I couldn't complete this game. The characters are beautiful, the weapon creation is clever and captivating and the demon buddy system is another fun addition to the game. The story is one that is intriguing, though I must say I'm getting a little tired of the hero with white hair that seems to be so popular in Castlevania titles as of late.

The major downfall of the game is Level Design. It starts out pretty good, but after 10 or 20 minutes you'll find yourself running into areas that look identical to each other fighting monsters that look the same, all for no real purpose. If you look back at the history of the franchise you'll find that level design is always top notch. Obviously someone didn't get the memo...

The audio tracks are pretty solid, until they start repeating over and over because the area that you're in is basically a series of square shaped rooms that seem to go on forever.

Some people may get a kick out of this game, but Castlevania shouldn't be a hack and slash in my opinion. Unless you're a die hard Castlevania fan, I'd say pass it. Then again, it may be better if you know nothing of the series' celebrated history of games.