Castlevania has been capturing the hearts and minds of gamers throughout the globe with many of its titles rolling out for the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and even mobile devices. Now Konami Digital Entertainment unveils Castlevania Harmony of Despair. According to the company, this is the first Castlevania game unleashed for the Xbox Live.
Castlevania Harmony of Despair is noted to be one of the five titles packed into Microsoft’s third annual Summer of Arcade program which is scheduled to start next month. The latest game in the acclaimed franchise is fashioned by Koji Igarashi, producer of the Castlevania series. The title is packed with 2D side scrolling action and a new six-player multiplayer mode.
“As a Konami flagship title, it was important for Castlevania Harmony of Despair to represent the merging of traditional platform gaming with the expectations of today’s tech savvy consumer. By offering Castlevania Harmony of Despair exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360, we wanted to stay true to the origins of the game while presenting special downloadable content to both long time fans of the franchise, as well as new entrants to the series,” stated Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment Inc.
The story sees vampire hunters plucked from across the series joining forces in order to defeat Dracula and send him back to his eternal slumber. Up to six players can slide through the massive levels via online co-op play. The levels and environments are inspired by the scenes from Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Order of Ecclesia and Portrait of Ruin. Players are aided in their quest by utilizing special items and equipment in order to perform devastating attacks and fight the forces of evil.
Castlevania Harmony of Despair also incorporates a competitive Survival Mode which can be enjoyed with friends. Gamers can even upload ghost data and share them with others. The company reveals that follow-up downloadable content for new levels and characters can be expected to further heighten their gaming experience.
Castlevania Harmony of Despair is scheduled to release by summer 2010 exclusively on the Xbox Live Arcade for a price of 1200 Microsoft Points.