Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

A sequel to the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Hector, a devil forgemaster that fled Dracula's service, seeks revenge and must stop Isaac, another forgemaster still loyal to Dracula.

PlayStation 2

Xbox

Overview

Taking place after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, when Trevor Belmont and company defeated Dracula. Immediately upon his defeat, Dracula used the last of his power to spread a curse across the land, inhabiting it with vicious monsters and turning the people to heresy and violence.

Among the people affected was a man named Hector, who once was employed by Dracula as a devil forge master, a sorcerer who created and conjured monsters. Having left Dracula's employ after falling in love with a human woman, Hector's life was undone when a mob accused his wife of witchcraft and subsequently murdered.

It was not long after that Hector learned his wife's murder was directed by his former fellow forge master, Isaac, who still remained loyal to Dracula. Seeking revenge for the heinous deed, Hector began his chase to destroy Isaac and end the curse before others suffered as he did.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Curse of Darkness is very similar to the previous iteration (Castlevania: Lament of Innocence), but with several key differences. In the ways that it is similar, the player is able to traverse a series of large rooms and corridors, each inhabited by enemies that respawn after a short time.

Combat plays out in the same style as games such as Devil May Cry and Onimusha, where the camera stays fixed and cannot be controlled by the player. However, it will move to accommodate player position. The more that Hector fights, the more he will learn new techniques to use as well, just as it was with Leon in Lament of Innocence.

As far as differences go, Curse of Darkness offers many new features that make it unique from the previous entries. There is an experience-based leveling system, where Hector will be able to become more powerful the more enemies that he defeats. There is also a forging system, where Hector is able to take different materials to craft new weapons, items and armors.

Stealing from enemies is also a tactic that Hector is able to use. During special circumstances, enemies may open themselves up to this technique and relinquish items that range from common, rare and unique.

Most notable of all is the devil forge system. When special materials are interacted with, Hector is able to create monster familiars, which will assist him in both combat and exploration throughout the game. Most of the familiars, called innocent devils, have the ability to unleash attacks. Others are able to offer support by healing Hector, or turning him invisible. Others still are able to use their abilities to open doors or access distant areas. Throughout the game, the Innocent Devils are able to evolve into different forms, granting them different abilities, depending on what form they take.

Items

The game offers many different items to consume or equip.

Consumables

Image	Name	Description
	Potion	Restores 50 HP
	High Potion	Restores 200 HP
	XS Potion	Restores Full HP
	Serum	Cures poison
	Uncurse Potion	Cures curse
	Magical Ticket	Transports Hector back to Julia's shop
	Memorial Ticket	Transports Hector back to the last save point he visited
	Moai Statue	Sells for a high price
	Lollipop	Restores 1 HP
	Wine	Restores 5 HP
	Shortcake	Restores 15 HP
	French Fries	Restores 20 HP
	Hamburger	Restores 20 HP
	Ice Cream	Restores 20 HP
	Hot Dog	Restores 35 HP
	Milk	Restores 50 HP
	Tomato Juice	Restores 50 HP
	Rice	Restores 75 HP
	Pizza	Restores 90 HP
	Cheese	Restores 100 HP
	Ramen	Restores 100 HP
	Napoletana	Restores 125 HP
	Sunnyside Up Egg	Restores 150 HP
	Sushi	Restores 150 HP
	Pork Bowl	Restores 200 HP
	Borscht	Restores 250 HP
	Curry	Restores 250 HP
	Piroshki	Restores 250 HP

Instant Use Items

These items are used upon collecting them.

Heart: Restores 5 hearts.
Big Heart: Restores 10 hearts.
Small Meat: Restores 29 HP.
Large Meat: Restores 290 HP.
Rosario: Instantly destroys all enemies who are onscreen.
HP Max Up: Increases maximum HP by 30.
Heart Max Up: Increases maximum hearts by 10.
Money: Cash pickups with values of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000.
Evo Crystals: Crystals that allow Innocent Devils to evolve into different, more powerful forms. The type of crystal dropped depends on which weapon is used.

Materials

The items that are used to create more powerful items. Some can be found in the environment. Most are dropped by enemies. Some rare materials can only be stolen from enemies.

Adamantine
Aluminium
Ancient Memory
Angel Halo
Aquamarine
Beelzebub's Seal
Bronze
Carbon Steel
Ceramics
Ceremonial Tool
Damascus Steel
Dark Crystal
Dark Matter
Death's Pulse
Devil Iron
Devil Vein
Dragon Scale
Ether
Forgotten Memory
Frenzy of Wind
Galtite
Holy Man's Vein
Immortal Fragment
Indigo Steel
Jade
Jet Black
Knight's Vein
Lightning Stone
Midas's Gold
Miracle Egg
Orichalcum
Phlogiston
Purple Glitter
Red Steel
Spirit of Fuji
Steel
Sun Tears
Vampire Blood
White Steel
Wild Memory

Weapons

Weapons in this game have various categories, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Some have more reach, are faster but weaker, slower but stronger, and other combinations of balance.

Swords