Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is a platform-adventure video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. Part of Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the second installment of the series on the Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan in June 2002, in North America in September 2002, and in Europe in October 2002.
Harmony of Dissonance occurs in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series; the premise of the series centers on the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula. Set fifty years after Simon Belmont vanquished Dracula's curse, Harmony of Dissonance focuses on his grandson Juste Belmont and his quest to rescue a kidnapped childhood friend.
Koji Igarashi produced Harmony of Dissonance with the intent of "creat[ing] a game that was similar to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night", the critically acclaimed PlayStation game that he had worked on. Harmony of Dissonance sold 126,000 units in the United States in its first three months of sales, but it was not a success in Japan. Critics praised its graphics which was considered an improvement over its predecessor, gameplay, and return to elements from Symphony of the Night, while criticism was directed towards its confusing progression, story, and music.
The game was re-released as part of the Castlevania Advance Collection on September 23, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows alongside Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and Castlevania: Dracula X.
Harmony of Dissonance makes use of a 2D side-scrolling style of gameplay, similar to many of the previous Castlevania video games. The objective of the game is to lead the player-character, Juste Belmont, through the monster-filled castle as he searches for his kidnapped friend. The castle consists of two "layers": Castle A and B. Structurally, each castle has mostly the same room layout, but monster types, items, and other aspects vary between the two versions. Later, the player can use special warp rooms that can teleport Juste to other castle rooms and between castles. The two castles share a connection; for example, the destruction of a wall in one castle can cause a change in the other. The game further divides the castle into various, named areas: the Shrine of the Apostates, for example. Relics and keys found within the castle allow Juste to reach previously inaccessible areas. Harmony of Dissonance makes use of the forward dash move, which causes Juste to move forward with a short burst of speed. Unique to Harmony of Dissonance is the ability to collect furniture and collectables to furnish a bare room that Juste finds in the castle.
Juste primarily attacks at close quarters using the series' traditional whip weapon, the Vampire Killer. It can be brandished to deflect projectile attacks, reminiscent of Simon Belmont's usage of the weapon in Super Castlevania IV. A variety of ranged sub-weapons—holy water, a dagger, a holy book, a cross, a gem, an axe, and a thunder gauntlet—are available, one of which can be carried at any given time and combined with one of the five spell books—Fire Book, Ice Book, Bolt Book, Wind Book, and the Summoning Tome—hidden throughout the castle to create a magical attack. Casting a spell renders the player character invincible for a moment.
Harmony of Dissonance makes use of role-playing elements. Defeating minor enemies and bosses procure experience points for Juste, who levels up when statistical requirements are met. Leveling up increases his statistics: hit points, the amount of damage the character receives before dying; magic points, which affects how often he can cast a magical attack; strength, the power of the physical attack; defense, the reduction of damage taken from an enemy; intelligence, the strength of the magical attack; and luck, which determines the rate of items dropped by enemies. Certain relics affect his statistics: the Fang of Vlad increases his defense points, for example. Equipment in the form of weapon modifications, armor and accessories can be found scattered about the castle and contribute to his statistics. Occasionally, an enemy drops an item after being killed. Items can be bought with in-game money from a merchant who appears in various places throughout the castle.
Additional modes can be unlocked in the game. For Boss Rush Mode, the player is required to complete the game once and can fight the bosses from the game in order with the number of bosses depending on the level of difficulty selected. Maxim Mode requires the player to finish the game with the best ending and allows the player to take control of Maxim. Unlike Juste, Maxim cannot equip items and can only use his sword and giant shuriken (sub-weapon) as weapons. Maxim has the ability to triple jump and cast certain spells by inputting certain button combinations. Finishing with the best ending also unlocks an option to listen to the music of the game.
