Publishers: Konami
Developers: Konami Digital Entertainment, KCET
Genres: Action, Platformer
Platforms: Wii U, Game Boy Advance
Released: 2002-09-16
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is a platform-adventure video game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. Belonging to 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. It was the first Castlevania game to be called "Castlevania" in Japan instead of "Akumajō Dracula".
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 and did not become a "huge hit in Japan". Critics praised it as an entertaining game with improved graphics as compared to its predecessor Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, but criticized its soundtrack. In January 2006, Harmony of Dissonance was re-released in North America and later Europe, along with Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, as part of the Castlevania Double Pack.