Si Lament of Innocence pecaba de ser lo mismo durante todo el juego pues este también pero mejor.

Crear Armas, conseguir nuevos demonios, descubrir nuevos ataques, descubrir secretos y los bosses 100 veces mejores que su predecesor hacen que sus deficiencias sean detalles menores.

Quien porongas es Trevor?, no le se a la saga del castillo del chocovampiro.

I was going to wait until I finished the game to write a review for it as I've done with every other game in my profile so far, but I don't care anymore. Curse of Darkness is a game that had me smiling from cheek to cheek thanks to its soul.

It has issues, like areas that are very flat with long corridors since the team insisted on trying the 3D search action thing again, combat not being as polished or versatile compared to its contemporaries, or the story just being kinda there; but man, it does. not. matter.

This is a game where you can tell the whole team was having fun in the process. You can use your Giant familiar to play bowling with some statues and clear a secret path, you need to sit on every chair in the game in order to achieve 100% completion and there's an entire room dedicated to showcasing said chairs, you can craft a special weapon that QUITE LITERALLY lets you become Bomberman, dozens upon dozens of joke weapons that may not be very useful but BY GOD they're there! They're there. The world of modern gaming NEEDS more joke weapons, please.

The soundtrack is easily one of the best in the franchise, the voice acting and cutscene direction got a huge upgrade from Lament, the stealing system adds a nice layer of interaction with enemies that rewards you for approaching fights in different ways... There's so much soul here. So much love and ambition. Even if it's not the most carefully designed game ever, it has a burning passion that you'd be hard pressed to find in so many other titles, old or new.

And that ultimately decides how you'll feel about Curse of Darkness. If you're looking for a polished action-exploration game with deep, intricate mechanics and a compelling narrative, you won't find it here; but if you just wanna sit back, relax, button mash your way through hordes of demons with your pet buddies, checking off all sorts of silly shit from the crafting and chair lists, all while listening to some of Michiru Yamane's most underrated compositions? This is absolutely the game for you.

Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go back to working my way to 100%, god damn is this game fun.

Little update (18/10): 100%'d it! All I'll say is: Pumpkin for life.

Eu coloquei expectativa nesse jogo, imaginei até que seria melhor que o Lament of Innocence mas não imaginava que poderia ser pior!

Fui com expectativa de um level design melhor, mais bem criativo, mas simplesmente aproveitaram tudo do Lament, corredores imensos e se duvidar maiores que o jogo, a história não me prende, é simples, o que mais gostei foi a aparição de Trevor isso foi interessante se esse não fosse um dos problemas do jogo

Trilha sonora é boa se não fosse repetida, a cada 1 minuto se repete quando entra em salas, eu joguei esse jogo no mudo, de raiva por ficar escutando loops e loops.

E a câmera é algo inexplicável, é horrível só digo isso

O RPG deixa o jogo diferente, esse é o grande diferencial com combinações de armas isso deixa uma diferenciação interessante e demônios que te acompanham que lembra Pokémon, porque até evoluir eles evoluem é até esquisito vindo de Castlevania, suas bossfights são legais e emocionantes até e uma dificuldade considerável, são as únicas coisas boas que consigo tirar desse jogo independente de diversas críticas, tem seus pontos positivos

Tá na cara que prefiro o Lament of Innocence sem sombra de dúvidas, esperava ser um bom jogo mas aproveitar coisas de seu antecessor não é uma boa ideia, como eu consegui jogar 30% e 3 horas disso eu me pergunto até agora

Replaying and falling in love with Castlevania Curse of Darkness again. It's just so damn good and I love searching for weird chairs throughout the world. Wish we could have had a follow-up with more platforming and varied level design. The Innocent Devil idea should be revisited again too.

It's also got the best CV story imo and it's the best 3Dvania.
Need more of the vampire killer being used for magic attacks as well cus that shit is sick, just like everything about Trevor in this game. His theme SLAPS and should be used in a hypothetical Capcom vs Konami.

If we could get a followup to it one day somehow that gives us less corridor-styled levels and with added platforming (good platforming ofc) like in the 2D Metroidvanias.

I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING
APPROACHINGGGGG
....This game is my personal DMC5, I hope you understand the gravity of this sentence. And I'm not even into DMC lol

Ah Curse of Darkness, I fucking love this game simply put, it goes so goddamn hard and all the notes just hit so well for me...the characters...the banter between Hector and Isaac, Julia just being Julia, Zead, Saint Germain being a whole enigma...huh now that I think about it...there isn't that many of em...but y'know what? It makes the game work so damn well with only a handful of characters and ain't that always so damn strong when it's done? (SH2 is a good example that comes to mind).

I really enjoy the story, even if most of the significant backstory was in a manga...which I intend to check. The idea to tie this into Dracula's Curse was really sweet with some pretty cool retcons and this whole concept of the titular curse being explored further. Tying the game into Castlevania III also meant an awesome apperance by Trevor Belmont himself! His boss battle (even the first "gotcha!" one) is pretty tough, I always love how they don't cut back on Belmont boss fights in these games, they keep the immersion intact, they never weak these legendary hunters for the sake of gameplay, a lot of respect. Wish we could've seen or atleast hear about what's Sypha and Grant are up to...also the scene Trevor got...y'know...was done a bit weird, like they had to wrap up some plot points and do some scenes pretty quickly near the end, wouldn't say the game feels rushed or anything there though. Tho Trevor's exit is really weird...I wish we atleast head one more ending scene to show him again but no? Could've been better there.

Gameplay is massively improved from Lament, you got an actual proper 3D camera for one, no more shitty platforming or whip grabbing (not being a Belmont and all). Actually using the items in the menu and not having to do it in real time. XP system is finally introduced and makes the game so much better...tho enemies don't drop money which makes it a bitch to keep high and use wisely in this game tbh. I feel they had a lot more cool twists to the bosses compared to Lament. Cutscenes are also a huge improvement, they were simply recorded in-game in Lament, here they seem to be dedicated CG animations...yet still resemble the in-game models, I imagine they used those or higher poly variants (not unlike how 3D GTA did it with its Cutscene models) in the CG enviroment and also dolled it up with effects, better lighting etc, they also look much better now than how Lament's FMVs aged. Less quality clash when you play in an emulator with enhanced graphics.

Now let's talk about a big thing, SOUL, this game has so much fucking soul, this is one of those games you can tell the people working on it had a lot of fun with, for one not only it's stacked up with content but you also have things like going around and sitting on all sorts of wacky chairs with all sorts of wacky poses...like...an office chair, a teacup theme park ride, a GODDAMN TOILET to give you a few examples and there's a side quest where every chair you sit on gets copied to a dedicated goofy room.

One of my besties made a realization the other day, did you notice all the masterpiece Castlevanias have the ability to sit?...think about it, some of the best / most beloved in these games allow you to sit (SOTN, Soma Cruz games etc). Well this game takes it to a whole another level with all these chairs, sooooo...!

Ah what else...combat is pretty fun as it is with the last game, I really like the introduction of weapon combining, it helps to be a Devil Forgemaster! I also really like the introduction of Innocent Devils, they basically took the concept of Familiars and evolved it more with these Pokémon ass evolution lines, using Devil Seeds to make new ones to try all the evolutions, leveling, unlocking powers, using some to progress. Very very awesome stuff.

I also like how they handled Map Completion. In Lament, it was a bit weird as every map counted as part of the overall 100% (a bit weird in a 3D setting like this)...where here every map has it's own percent (not unlike say...Portrait of Ruin)...BUT! It all adds to the overall Map completion percent rate...which itself is maximum 100% (for example, let's say you got 100% on one area, that would make about...say 10% of the overall game map completion). I wish Portait of Ruin handled it like that cuz 1000% sounds way too overwhelming...even if it's pretty much the same thing this game does but with a different label...go blame psychologhy ig lol. I also like the optional battle tower place does not count as part of that percent...why didn't Circle of the Moon and Portait do this?! I don't enjoy these and it's stopped me from getting 100%/1000% in those games! Where here it's no problem! Gah!

I also love the insane amount of weapons! (even stuff like the staff Isaac uses and fucking Death's Scythe!) And oh man the fucking joke weapons! The Frying Pan! The Air Guitar, complete with all the guitar playing moves and even sliding on the floor! That Bat you can do a homerun on everyone with! God, please PLEASE bring joke weapons back! Games nowadays seriously need to have fun sometimes and I'm talking about THIS kind of fun...now at most Spider-Man will get in his underwear, only for that to be taken away in the sequel. Gah! To hell with your perfect visuals! You can have both like this game!...anyway. I really like the Bomberman bomb lol.

Stealing system is really really cool, kind of a shame it didn't return for the other games, just bam. Time it right, use some skill and get some cool shit. I also like the inclusion of modern food as usual...I love the wine that was brewed to celebrate Dracula's Death in 1476 (Castlevania 3's setting year). It's the little things like that, man.

Legion is a really cool extra boss, let alone the second form they made for him!

Now...last but definitely not least...HOLY FUCK HECTOR, I fucking love this guy, he's a goddamn gigachad. Just a delight to play as and see on the screen, much like Lament, the voice acting is absolutely stellar and doesn't break the theatrics so that definitely helps. I love the whole "YOU SON OF A BITCH ILL KILL YOU" vibe he and Isaac has...I kinda expected that to be more extreme and on MGR levels before playing but thats okay, the game and these guys still go so goddamn hard. On Isaac real quick, I love how he's just this ruthless bad guy with that BDSM ass design, holy shit. We seriously need more designs like this man...also when's the last time you seen a guy with a design like this? Especially in a mainstream game? I understand his insanity came mostly from the curse but I love this insane ass evil for the sake of evil Isaac we have here hooo boy. Back to Hector...he doesn't have to be super complex now that I think about it...he's mostly on a revenge plot but they conveyed very well how he found himself despite the circumstances during both Dracula's Curse and here, he's a genuinely good person but he had a rough childhood and wasn't always given choice but in spite of this, in the presence of clear evil, he was able to wake up from it and make his own decisions, showcasing his strong will and royalty to his own principles. It also carries the message of "your origin doesn't define you, you have a choice" this is why it wouldn't excuse a bad person from doing bad things and it's why someone like Hector can be redeemed. I quite like these "not defined by their origin", movie version of Hellboy has the same thing where it seems like everyone has their (mostly evil) ideas of what he should be but he still chooses the path of the hero that he carved for himself, it's beautiful. They also did the "Revenge is bad" plot really really well..I didn't expect it but I was quite pleased with what I saw...so, only after he accomplishes his goal Hector realizes that this is not who is nor what he wants and here it's an effect of the curse..revenge can be compared to a curse so this is a great way to do this....THIS is how you do a revenge bad plot, Last of Us 2, and keeping it satisfying while you're at it!

Hector is...just his presence is a goddamn chad, visual wise, audio wise, movement wise...just a protagonist I quite enjoy playing as...if this series didn't die and was owned by someone normal maybe there'd be a game where he returns or we see an ancestor of him...but alas. Or he could be in an actually high effort crossover...but again, alas. Anyone else get reminded of Scanty and Kneesocks (from Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt) when they look at Isaac? I definitely realized that after grinding with "I Want You" playing lol. And please games, media in general, give me more cool BDSM aesthetics...this game did it, Thrill Kill did it, PSG did it, and I love to see it. And I'd love even more to see more of it, so please, bondage on!

I was given a Moai bonus for having a Lament save, nice! Which either gives a lotta health or can be sold for good cash.
I went for 100% Map and completed the first tower, only decending to around 31F on the second tower, but that was to grind for Dracula mostly.
You can go even more 100% with every item...ID evolution...ID moves..I dunno...but I'm not insane so lol.

Oh yeah, and the Netflix "adaptation" can't even be the toenail of this game.

THIS GAME FUCKING RULES!!!

Curse of Darkness is a game that tries a little bit of everything. A hack-and-slash metroidvania with rpg and pet raising elements. Individually, none of these mechanics really blew me out of the water but altogether they made for a solid and unique experience that works much better than it has any right to.

Combat is definitely not the most technical, especially by 2005. You have one button for your main attack and one for your finisher, which varies depending on which weapon you have equipped and where in your combo it’s pressed. Besides that, all the staples of your typical hack and slash: dodging, blocking, and parrying. Your enjoyment of the combat is going to vary depending on how much you’re willing to tolerate PS2 action games. It can feel somewhat repetitive with the lack of enemy variety but there’s enough fun to be had with the different weapon types. What really sets Curse of Darkness’s combat apart from your typical action game is through the addition of summons, called innocent devils. Throughout the game, you unlock several of them which can assist combat and unlocking new areas. Innocent devils level up and evolve depending on your weapon type, unlocking different abilities depending on the path they branch out to. Evolving these guys was a lot of fun and helped to shake up what otherwise would be extremely vanilla combat. Along with innocent devils, the crafting mechanic helped keep me invested in the game. As you acquire new materials, you can craft them with previous weapons and armor to unlock new ones. Instead of having to search out recipes, they’re automatically unlocked when you have the right materials for crafting. This mechanic was surprisingly addictive; every time I would pick up a new material, it was always fun to open up the menu and see what I could make with it. Beyond just the stat increases, stronger weapons in the game would have new finishers, making unlocking new weapons exciting. Some materials are dropped from enemies after killing them, others are found in the wild, and others can be obtained through another one of the game’s unique mechanics- stealing. Each enemy has certain windows of time where they can be stolen from by pressing the finishing button at the right time. It varies from enemy to enemy but typically happens after attacks. Even bosses can be stolen from for oftentimes unique and missable items. This this definitely helps to incentivize more aggressive tactics. The window of time for stealing can sometimes be pretty short, and if you’re keeping your distance you’ll miss the chance to steal from some enemies. I’m sure if the game was much longer, these mechanics would lose their novelty but for the game’s length it’s more than enough.

As far as the exploration goes, it’s fine. Compared to the series’ 2D counterparts or other series (the first 2 Metroid Primes were out at this point) the world can feel somewhat barren. However, each area still has little secrets scattered about. Discovering these secrets and filling in the map still gave me the same serotonin rush that more nuanced exploration-based games provided. None of the areas really blew me away but they all do still fit with the tone of the game. My biggest qualm is just how big these areas can feel with the speed that Hector moves around at. Backtracking through areas can sometimes feel like a total slog, especially when most areas feel like they’re just designed as big open combat arena spaces. Even with the ample teleportation rooms, I found myself dreading having to go back and forth through certain areas. Despite this, I still have to give the team props for ambition. They could have easily just made Curse of Darkness just a linear arena-based action game but they went out of their way to craft complex maps in a hack-and-slash, which I really haven’t seen done before or after.

Although Castlevania games are never really known for their stories, Curse of Darkness’s story really felt like a whole lot of nothing. You’re not really given much context to the conflict, other than that the protagonist, Hector is seeking revenge on some slutty red-haired emo guy. I’ve been told the manga provides more backstory but the game should really provide some sort of reason to care without having to seek out external media. Despite this, I did get a good amount of enjoyment from the cutscenes. They can be pretty cheesy but in a charming way that you’ll only find from this era of gaming. The story is definitely not the reason I played this game to completion but it’s there.

With all my enjoyment of this game, it is a tough one to recommend without several asterisks. Is it an essential game for any action game fan? Definitely not. Is it the best game in the franchise? Not even close. However, I really can’t help but admire the ambition behind it. Despite some pretty glaring flaws, I really did enjoy my time playing Curse of Darkness. While it’s not winning any awards for its combat or exploration, it’s a game that’s more than the sum of its parts and makes for a unique short and sweet experience. I wouldn’t call Curse of Darkness a masterpiece but I can confidently call it a gem of the PS2 and Castlevania series as a whole.

Curse of Darkness foi bem divertido, mas não foi algo tão incrível como eu vejo outros falarem.

É um jogo mediano mas tem seus pontos, como o sistema de criação de armas e Innocent Devils, e isso força o jogador a testar coisas novas e experimentar, eu só gostaria que tivessem armas que estivessem por ai no mapa pra recompensar o jogador por explorar, não que o sistema de crafting seja ruim, mas ter depender de drop de inimigo pra ter uma arma nova é foda.

É claro que os corredores gigantes iriam ser citados nessa review, vou falar o seguinte se retirasse essa extensão de corredores pouco charmosos o jogo iria durar menos de 10 horas, talvez até menos de 6, tudo isso porque eles estendem muuuito só pra martelar mais oque já tá pregado,
e esses são meus unicos problemas com o jogo de resto a historia dele não é ruim nem boa ao meu ver e os designs de inimigo são sem graça e repetitivo as vezes, até a ultima área do jogo tem os mesmo inimigos de perto do começo só que com leveis mais altos pra tu ter uma ideia.


Mas no fim dei sopapo no Dracula e enfiei ele de volta no caixão pra dormir por mais uns anos.

This game surprised me with how incredible it was. I have only very minor complaints with it, loved everything about it.

Music was phenomenal, combat was satisfying and never got old, and the bosses were great.

One day we will all crazy mode.