Like the previous game, Harmony of Dissonance is a solid game that's one little issue cripples the overall experience.
I hated the castle design in this game, more than any other Castlevania I've played yet. I think there are memorable elements to the level design. I'll outright defend the way the castle looks (and the color pallet in general). Navigating around the castle isn't even that bad in theory, with how nice the movement feels in this game (it's a very good thing I played CotM first, it would have been very hard to go back).
This game just doesn't respect the player's time in terms of navigation. Even with a map, I was constantly lost, hitting a dead end, and mashing my head against every wall I could trying to find the one rock I didn't turn over in order to progress. I don't think that, even with double the amount of warps around the map, the lack of signposting and flow would have been acceptable. It cheapens every unique location that the game has because either:
1) You've ran through it twenty times trying to find a different colored keycard in order to progress.
2) The thought of having to hike across the map to check it out will give you indigestion.
It's still a sizable improvement over CotM, and while it's probably on the "too easy" side of the spectrum, that's still preferable compared to the inexcusable difficulty spikes of the previous game. Harmony of Dissonance's issues seem unique to itself, and what it refines would be welcome going forward. It's just not a game I'd like to return to anytime soon.
I hated the castle design in this game, more than any other Castlevania I've played yet. I think there are memorable elements to the level design. I'll outright defend the way the castle looks (and the color pallet in general). Navigating around the castle isn't even that bad in theory, with how nice the movement feels in this game (it's a very good thing I played CotM first, it would have been very hard to go back).
This game just doesn't respect the player's time in terms of navigation. Even with a map, I was constantly lost, hitting a dead end, and mashing my head against every wall I could trying to find the one rock I didn't turn over in order to progress. I don't think that, even with double the amount of warps around the map, the lack of signposting and flow would have been acceptable. It cheapens every unique location that the game has because either:
1) You've ran through it twenty times trying to find a different colored keycard in order to progress.
2) The thought of having to hike across the map to check it out will give you indigestion.
It's still a sizable improvement over CotM, and while it's probably on the "too easy" side of the spectrum, that's still preferable compared to the inexcusable difficulty spikes of the previous game. Harmony of Dissonance's issues seem unique to itself, and what it refines would be welcome going forward. It's just not a game I'd like to return to anytime soon.