This Week In Retro: Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (Patreon)

November 1, 2005: More like Corridor of Darkness

by Diamond Feit

I suspect every kid who's ever loved video games has imagined what they would do if they got an opportunity to design a new entry in their favorite series. I know my middle school notebook had multiple pages full of poorly drawn maps because I dreamed about creating a Mega Man game built around Super Mario Bros. 3-style worlds.

As an adult, I've never worked in a studio environment but I've heard enough anecdotes about the process to know that making a new game for an established franchise is no childhood fantasy. Even if you're working on a project with a decent budget and you've got a successful track record, the number of demands and opinions coming your way must boggle the mind.

I'd wager that things are even more complicated when it comes to Castlevania, a name known the world over but also one that never quite took off in Japan like it did abroad. After Symphony of the Night revamped (lol) the series formula back in 1997, I just assumed we would immediately see more games featuring that same exploration-based action. Instead, a sudden identity crisis took over as Castlevania ping-ponged between linear and open-world games—all while continuing to experiment with 3D releases vs traditional 2D graphics.

One thing that publisher/developer Konami did settle upon was selecting Koji Igarashi to oversee the series across all platforms. Igarashi, a Castlevania fan who joined the company in the early 90s, played a major role in creating Symphony of the Night by writing the scenario and serving as assistant director. Igarashi would produce a dozen games in the series from 2001 through 2010 before Konami opted for a reboot.

If you've followed my writing on this topic, you know how much I loved Igarashi's Castlevania games for portable consoles. These titles followed in Symphony's footsteps by dropping players into a crumbling castle and letting them find their way to the big boss waiting somewhere inside. Yet alongside these celebrated handheld masterpieces, Konami and Igarashi kept trying to translate the Castlevania experience into three dimensions with mixed results.

2003's Lament of Innocence on the PlayStation 2 turned into an origin story for the entire franchise as it depicted the very first contact between the heroic Belmont family and the vampire Count Dracula. As producer, Koji Igarashi brought in artist Ayami Kojima and composer Michiru Yamane—both well-regarded for their work on 2D Castlevanias—to add their distinctive talents to this 3D game.

Critics responded positively but also lamented its failure to recreate the best elements of the 2D releases. Igarashi incorporated internal and external feedback in order to take a second swing at crafting a 3D Castlevania. 20 years ago this week, we saw the results as Curse of Darkness launched on the PS2 and Xbox in the United States. 

Like Lament of Innocence before it, Curse of Darkness begins with our protagonist running towards a dark castle seeking vengeance. The drawbridge lowers to allow him entry as the object of his rage stands inside the courtyard waiting to greet this lone visitor. In a twist, we learn that neither of these parties is named Belmont or Dracula; the two men once served under the vampire lord but now oppose one another. Hector—the angry one who stormed the castle—declares his intent to avenge "the death of Rosaly." Issac—the apparent master of the castle—laughs at these threats.

Hector and Issac's brief yet emotionally charged exchange establishes the stakes in a hurry, telling the audience that both these men aided Dracula with their knowledge of Devil Forging to supply him with monsters for his dark deeds. Hector renounced his abilities and chose to settle down with a wife, but Issac remained loyal to Dracula until the vampire fell in battle against Trevor Belmont. With his overseer dead, Issac wants to settle the score with Hector for abandoning the cause, but only after Hector breaks his vows and becomes a Forgemaster again. Say what you will about Issac's questionable morality, but the man draws the line at fighting a friend unarmed.

Issac withdraws into the shadows of the castle, daring Hector to chase after him for a proper showdown. Hector continues to fume with rage but sees no other option but to "reclaim that accursed power once more" so he can face off against Issac and put the death of his wife Rosaly behind him. With the premise stated aloud for the record, players take control of Hector and the game begins.

Yet the events of Curse of Darkness concern more than just two men holding grudges with one another, as Hector will encounter additional interested parties as he ventures deeper into Issac's domain. There's a priest named Zead who urges Hector forward in order to "purify" the land and an enigmatic traveller in a top hat named Saint Germain who warns Hector to turn back. Trevor Belmont—the man who successfully slayed Dracula three years earlier—also comes calling when he learns of Devil Forgemasters skulking around the castle ruins. With Hector's wife dead, there needs to be a new woman in the story for him to immediately fall in love with; her name is Julia and she exists to sell Hector items and offer him a happy ending.

Oh, and let's not forget Dracula who never let a little thing like death prevent him from appearing in a Castlevania game.

Curse of Darkness carries forward many basic elements of Lament of Innocence but tweaks them to better accommodate player choice. Instead of Light and Heavy attacks, Hector has Attacks and Final Attacks which he may string together in various ways. These change depending on the weapon he wields, as Curse of Darkness features a full range of swords, axes, spears, and more as opposed to just the standard Belmont whip.

Where does Hector find all these weapons? He makes them, naturally, from scraps of materials that enemies drop upon their defeat. You don't even need to find a workbench or a save room; he can whip up new gear from a menu and equip it immediately. Stronger arms require less common ingredients which necessitates seeking out more powerful foes. Hector also has a Steal command that lets him pilfer items from living targets, a maneuver that deals no damage but can yield exceptionally rare finds—especially from bosses. Go ahead, pick Dracula's pockets. You know there's something good squirreled away in that cloak.

One major perspective shift in Curse of Darkness hands control of the camera to the players after Lament of Innocence relied on fixed viewpoints. In a 2005 interview published in the official Japanese strategy guide—later translated by Shumplations—producer Koji Igarashi says he felt "because Castlevania was originally a 2D game, a fixed camera was fine" but he relented after hearing concerns from fans around the world. An automatic lock-on command keeps Hector's attention focused on a single enemy and jumps to new foes as needed. Tapping L1 also instantly recenters the camera behind Hector should he end up in a corner or other blindspot.

As a once and future Forgemaster, Hector summons friendly creatures called Innocent Devils as he progresses in the game. These beings serve and support him in battle, either directly by fighting monsters or indirectly via spells that heal or buff him personally. Innocent Devils have their own experience points and leveling system which Hector can influence by collecting special crystals. While only one Devil can coexist with him at a time, players can call or dismiss these assistants whenever it suits them.

The new combo system, a wider array of weapons, a new crafting feature, and the customizable creature mechanic go a long way towards making each playthrough of Curse of Darkness unique. Whether you want to lumber about with slow two-handed armaments or prefer close-quarters combat with Hector's fists, you can have it your way. Innocent Devils likewise follow your lead; players get to guide their growth and have full control over their actions in the field or you can leave them on autopilot and grant them full independence.

As much as I loved Castlevania in 2D, I viewed each new 3D outing with suspicion and trepidation. I ended up passing on both PS2 adventures, preferring to stick with my DS-vanias which paired fantastic pixel art, rocking tunes, and the power of portability to dominate my free time. Two years ago for its 20th anniversary, I gave Lament of Innocence a second chance and found it exceeded my expectations, so seeing this sequel on my work calendar piqued my curiosity.

Curse of Darkness makes a fantastic first impression. The bleakness of the initial castle ruins juxtaposed with the raw emotion of Hector and Issac spitting venom back and forth inject a fresh energy into these proceedings compared to Leon's ho-hum introduction in the previous game. The two men's clothing and general demeanor also radiate a sinister vibe befitting their mutual history as Dracula's servants. Issac's look in particular screams "early 2000s goth" with straps across his bare chest, copious tattoos on his back, and the lowest of low-rise trousers.

Michiru Yamane, always a welcome sight in a game's credits, laces her music with modern electronic instruments—incongrous with the medieval setting but exhilarating none the less. In that aforementioned interview she says she also took feedback seriously and added more guitars to Curse of Darkness after hearing from fans at E3.

Unfortunately, the more time I spent pursuing Issac, the less enthusiastic I became about completing my quest. The best Castlevania games feel like an odyssey into another world packed with danger but also wonders. Curse of Darkness presents little more than a series of bleak hallways to traverse as each level connects to the next in a virtual straight line from beginning to end. There are alternate pathways but most simply rejoin the critical path after a brief detour.

"Linear" isn't a dirty word in action games but each area needs architecture or color or some distinctive element to differentiate it from the rest of the environments. Even the classic Castlevanias which took place entirely inside Dracula's domain made sure to send players through marshes and ballrooms and of course a clock tower to mix things up. Curse of Darkness never manages to create any sense of place; these levels simply exist as a series of tubes and they get old fast.

Critics praised Curse of Darkness’ charms but couldn't look past its failings. In a review for 1up.com, Sam Kennedy wrote the game "becomes tedious as you fight wave after wave of the same enemies -- borderline a chore at times" even as he settled on a B rating. For GameSpot, Greg Kasavin complained "you'll be running through the same corridors and boxlike rooms over and over and over" and rated it a 6.8 out of 10. In a less-than-complimentary retrospective, writer Kerry Brunskill compared the game unfavorably to its far simpler antecedents, declaring "Curse of Darkness’s level design just can’t match, let alone beat, a Game Boy platformer from 1989."

Here in 2025, over a decade removed from any proper Castlevania games, I feel myself drawn towards Curse of Darkness despite its worst features. I enjoy messing around in combat with different weapon and Innocent Devil pairings. I find the melodramatic cutscenes and acting entertaining; I first met Hector and Issac in the Castlevania animated series so I delighted in seeing their debut.

But let's not mince words: Michiru Yamane is the real CoD MVP. In a series already loaded with some of the best soundtracks ever recorded—thanks to her own stellar output time and again—Yamane outdid herself when she sat down at the keyboard and started plinking away. Going back to that 2005 interview, Yamane says "I like that the world of Castlevania will keep changing and evolving, because it forces my music to change and evolve with it."

20 years later, Castlevania has changed and evolved into a stagnant intellectual property that Konami licenses out to other companies. It's a moneymaking strategy that leads to wonderful collaborations sometimes; the last 12 months alone have given us Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania, a kickass season of Castlevania Nocturne, and even a live-action musical adaptation. Yet I do wish we still got new games even half as fulfilling as Curse of Darkness because you can't keep mining a series for material when there's nothing original coming down the pipeline.

Writer/podcaster/performer Diamond Feit lives in Osaka, Japan but xer work and opinions exist across the internet.