Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance - Successor of Fate

[DBoyNasty]

Tears of nostalgia. This was one of my favorite tracks from this game.

The soundtrack was criticize and it was often said -by reviewers- they felt that the game's graphics were a highlight; however, they felt that the soundtrack was compromised. I don't feel that way at all. The game boasted a stellar soundtrack that was very much suitable for this game.

[robhartjr1993]

They were obviously just paying homage to the bit music of the NES Castlevania games.

[ultramegaunknown]

Most underrated opening sequence in ANY Castlevania game.

Everyone loves Simon Belmont's theme, as well as the opening of Symphony, but I think this has more soul to it. It's triumphant AND melancholy, just like the beautiful game it's based off of.

There really is no other game in the series like Harmony of Dissonance. It has its own feel to it.... may be the best Castlevania ever.

[blasphemer14]

my favorite song of videogames

[TheNekochu]

I luv this song :3

[blasphemer14]

great soong!!!!

[Desoletexe]

"The songs i this game made it such pleasure to play"

[martooxxx]

it is a great theme but i didn't find the music in harmony of dissonance as memorable as other games of the franchise. of course, it's a gargantuan task to stand up to masterpieces like sotn or sciv in terms of music but this is much worse than the franchise's standards. the quality doesn't help either. circle of the moon had much better quality and it was released earlier, what happened?

[jojean789]

@martooxxx shared cpu for both sound and gfx, HoD had better gfx at the price of sound quality

[martooxxx]

@jojean789

does this mean they couldn't have used the same soundfont?

[Supermariofan14]

@martooxxx Many people complained about that. I think that the ones who worked on its soundtrack didn't have as much experience in the GBA, so that's why it sounds like a game boy or NES.

[Lietuvis0000]

@Supermariofan14 bullshit this is better thean most gba songs

[blasphemer14]

hermosoo, beautyful

[IlMoonlightlI]

The worst part of this game is the music

I'm not saying that music is bad, I've listened to the original composition and it is fucking awesome like every castlevania song, but they should have put some more espace for the music, the bso in CotM is way better and CotM is older

[Damauveropolis]

LOL if it wasn't for the label in the left, I would have never guessed that this was GBA game, not a GBC game.

[KT1keytee]

@atilla11

and live with it.

i love this quality of sound and, i think, HoD have most epic OST ^^

[Technomari]

I'm listening to this while working on a castlevania-like dungeon, thanks for the upload!

[TheKrustaceox]

@atilla11 Only true lovers of music can hear through quality

[MrBe0ez]

@atilla11

dont be a dick. this is a classic and one of the best cv themes

[2daynan]

had this in my head, had to stop to hear it good stuff.

[0PyramidHead]

This is the most underrated Castlevania song in existance.

[FireZtarDS]

This Song is the best in any videogame I have played...

This song ROCKS!!!

[StormZephyr]

There he stands, the latest in a long and battle-worn line of Vampire Killers, steadfast and fearless, ready to face whatever dreadful fate awaits himself in the House of Dracula. Welcome, Juste Belmont.

[divinidadoscura]

1 person likes metroid

castlevania=ftw

metroid= wtf

[NewAgeRetroGamer]

@divinidadoscura wrong

Metroid is an awesome game just like this one

the one who disliked this no one else than Dracula itself.

[divinidadoscura]

@NewAgeRetroGamer dont say im wrong, cause im not, its just my opinion instead of saying wrong say "i dont think metroid is a bad game" btw im not being offensive towards metroid, i just think castlevania is better overall, however maybe i shouldnt say it the way i did, sry for my english

[dss103]

@divinidadoscura also, Castlevania got this open-world castle idea from Metroid so you can't just bash on Metroid

[popimpi]

fuckin amazing

[superlordcesar]

0 peoples dont like this music.

[Rocky183]

This song unfortunately is in one of the least visited areas; the very beginning, and it's so much better than the rest. I can't progress like this!

[Vengeance19]

This sounds pretty nice, but i still think that they should have spend more time making a OST that fits the lower sound quality from scratch instead of just downgrading the original OST they planned into a LQ version of it, which is what happened i suppose.

(But correct me if im wrong here. Later on, I heard that the sound was sacrificied for better graphics, so i presume they had other versions in mind for it first)

[supersteelpokemon]

This song is so amazing, it has no dislikes

[vergatiesa]

This song needs a remix in any new castlevania game.... Lords of Shadow DLC Please!

[andfinable]

The music from this game is awesome. I don't know why people dislike. And it's so original and unique, that no one can do a better arrangement.

[Sasukev]

Might sound low-rez, but it's still better than Lords of Shadow soundtrack...

Great game too! Juste is awesome =)

[GAP120GAP]

This is my fave castelvania song. :D

[FeRcHoXSS]

Oh good moments =')

[shadowXchaos1]

00:30- 00:32 konami reuses that piece in a couple other castlevania songs like iron blue intention, dissonant courage, and draculas castle.

[ripwfdopplr]

this song is incredible!

[Jhonka411]

Wasn't this song in another in another castlevania after Dissonance?

[krusta111]

But there's a song in this game that is the worst thing i ever heard in castlevania series. The Luminous Caverns...just made me wanna puke....

[mikevmpr3]

@krusta111 

[FeRcHoXSS]

GOOD MEMORIES T.T

[krusta111]

A perfect example that quality tells nothing if the music is good.

[FeRcHoXSS]

epic + nostalgic = sad.

[MouseKeysDesk]

It's funny because when I used to see people hate on HoD's OST, I thought I could understand why they might dislike it. Listening to these tracks now though and thinking back to the game, I can't find any track I dislike and I'm surprised that I can actually hum along to all these songs. I guess the OST was more memorable than I thought.

Fun game. Maybe a bit too easy, but I still enjoyed it. Ah, Juste and his love of interior decorating...

[Aisua]

@MouseKeysDesk He enjoys it so much he decorates a room in Dracula's Castle.

I guess he had to do SOMETHING to remain sane.

[MouseKeysDesk]

@Aisua I think it's pretty ballsy he even did that. Claiming a room in Dracula's castle and stealing Drac's furniture to decorate it? That's hardcore. But I guess that's a Belmont for you.

Or maybe Juste just knew his OP magic would take care of anything that would try to interfere with his dream of becoming an interior designer.

[Aisua]

@MouseKeysDesk

"Oh...Before we start the boss battle and I banish you into the darkness once more and save the world along with my two best friends...I did you the favor of redecorating one of your rooms. Your taste in interior decorating is abominable---so I decided to make at least ONE of your rooms worthy enough to at least be used as a guest room. I mean really...you didn't even have a futon.

That's all I wanted to say."

"What is a FUTON but a miserable waste of space!? Have at thee!!"

[MouseKeysDesk]

@Aisua And then the great Belmont v. Dracula Furniture War of 1748 commenced. Instead of throwing fireballs and meteors like he usually did, Dracula attacked Juste with distasteful furniture and Juste was forced to defend himself with the items of his wonderful room. It was then Juste discovered the ultimate spell fusion techniques of wind book + silverware, fire + king-sized bed, ice + closet, and summon + that creepy raccoon statue thing.

I think we've just found the new HoD spinoff game.

[afrojayjay]

@MouseKeysDesk What I'd like to know is how he was able to carry all of that furniture.

[MouseKeysDesk]

@afrojayjay How does anyone in RPG Castlevania games carry 123983 weapons and sets of armor? I agree though, it's kind of hard to imagine Juste fighting off zombies while dragging around that four poster bed or that huge ass painting. He his the mage of the Belmont clan... maybe he's got magic for that. Or maybe he used the furniture as sub-weapons (wind + bookshelf = OP shield à la wind + cross?) as he made his way back to the furniture room, but they never got around to putting that in game.

[terrareus13]

People bash this game for having bad music. To those people I ask: do you have ears?

[mikevmpr3]

@terrareus13 THANK YOU, this game was epic for gba

[erickvso]

ahh, memories...

<3

[weazz]

One of the better Castlevania songs of the entire franchise IMO.

[SkellionPowalskiz]

@weazz It seems that the theme of eah character is usually totally badass, like Simon's Theme in SCVIV, lordy lord that stuff is amazing.

[ILoveVideoGames12]

I have to play this game again. NAO.

[wayne62682]

I have to admit while the sound is really bad because they spent most of their time on the cool graphics, the songs in this game are still very catchy.

[citizenhal]

@wayne62682 This musics quality is actually quite good for the GBA. The GBA can handle these kind of graphics and still have a good soundtrack, take Wario Land 4 for instance, good graphics and top notch quality sound.

[cucollins12]

its a fact... castlevania game means TERRIFIC MUSIC!

[GAP120GAP]

Agreed, one of the best.

[RCDeschene]

This sounds like a primetime show theme... ._.

IT'S CASTLEVANIA!!! HERE'S YOUR HOST, JUSTE BELMOOOOONT!!!

[toptenmaterial]

harmony of dissonance is such an awesome game in every respect, it introduced me to castlevania!!!!

[Ehal256]

top floor, clock tower, and julius' theme are great in AoS.

[nuclearneo577]

Most of this games themes sound like crap beacuse of the audio limations, but at least this is cool.

[kaampanita1675]

Zelda Oracles games are what these songs remind me of.

That just makes it all the more epic.

[zion1540]

but what I think happened is that IGA was trying to create a retro sound using a NES processor instead of using de GBA processor that its a little less powerful than the one on the SNES. Still, the music is awesome and it does feel retro it reminds me of playing an old NES game but with good drumming with great composition and metroidvania style gameplay.

[Erghest]

Actually if I remember correctly they used this chip because they scewed up while making the game and devoted to some much attention to the graphics, so they ended up using this chip. And out of that limitation was born art~

[sabremasterzero]

Very crappy quality compared to Aria of Sorrow and Circle of the moon, but this is my second favorite Castlevania song of all time, right after Battle of the Holy from Castlevania Adventure.

[Erghest]

The "quality" of the compositions in HoD far exceed that of Aria of COTM, and the musical instruments which are probably what you're referring too, are only being called "crappy" because they're not trying to emulate an existing instrument? Please.

[sabremasterzero]

That made no sense but I'll try to piece it out :/ What your trying to say is that Konami was trying to emulate a musical instruemnt (wtf) and that the crappy scratchy quality is actually better that that of AoS and CotM? And WTF do you mean by please?

[Erghest]

It made perfect sense.

What I was saying was, you were probably referring to the instruments they used here by the crappy quality" comment. Yes?

The instruments in Aria of Sorrow and Circle of the Moon are emulations of normal instruments, like strings and violins, processed through the GBA soundchip.

The instruments in Harmony of Dissonance, are not - they exist as their own instrument, perfectly suited for the compositions. Arguing on "sound quality" in this case is pointless.

[Erghest]

It's pointless, because they're not comparable. They're not even trying to be the same thing.

AoS and COTM try to emulate standard music using technology ill-fitted for the job, HoD created its own.

The actual quality of the compositions between the games are comparable, however, and in this regard HoD's are technically speaking, much better. They are more creative, more atmospheric, more expressive, unique and showcase an astounding amount of musical talent.

[OmgSuiseiseki]

@Erghest While I agree about the music being great, you realize IGA simply didn't know what the GBA soundboard was capable of?

[Erghest]

Prove that statement, because every source I've seen thus far has reaffirmed my position that the music was a result of focusing too much power on the graphics.

[OmgSuiseiseki]

Yeah, I can't find a source on it other than an uncited line on wikipedia. Not that it matters anyway, the music was fantastic whatever way they did it.

[fpaulusz]

You may be giving too much credit to the developers of HOD. As cool as the soundtrack for this game is, ''They're not even trying to be the same thing'' is inaccurate. The team working on HOD were not the same than for COTM. In fact, this new team had a hard time understanding the capacities of the GBA. So the nes-like sound to this game is accidental, not something that was meant to sound so old school.

[Erghest]

I mentioned that, actually. The usage of the chip was result of accidentally devoting too much towards the graphical power - it was after the music was established as using this chip that Soshiro Hokkai took over and composed the soundtrack - fully aware of what he was doing.

So yes, the two soundtracks still were not trying to be the same thing.

[ARKIsaurusRex]

@fpaulusz

Actually, the accidental classical soundtrack made me like this game even more. I dunno, it just has that certain charm to it. Overall, I think the OST was masterfully done.

[thedragoonknight]

@fpaulusz

this "new" team is the same team as Symphony of the Night. As for the crappy sound; part of it is that HoD started as a Playstation 2 game (still 2D) and that the graphical power was to much

[krazywalrus]

This and HoD's version of Vampire Killer are some of the best of all Castlevanias.

[NovaZengear]

I loved this song.

[DeinoSlashers]

I don't know if it's just me thinking this is weird, but does anyone notice in 2D Castlevania games in the artwork the Belmonts are holding leather whips,but in the the game they use chain whips?

[komakoma876]

It's always bothered me a little. Like how sometimes it seems theres some steel ball at the end. while sometimes there isn't. Circle of the moon is one of the ones that stay loyal to following the image. with a leather-like whip.

[mikevmpr3]

they use flails and if you would ever play the old ones, you need power ups to upgrade froma leather whip to a flail

[Erghest]

Such "loyalty" is only percieved; the original castlevania had a flail/morning star whip as well, as an upgrade to the original.

[IWillNotConceide18]

Yeah you're right!! I In the 2nd and 3rd GBA ones they had like chain whips. It's amazing that I never noticed.

[sibalnom]

the most epic castlevania ost... for me at least

[RandalfElVikingo]

You need to play SOTN....

[komakoma876]

Out of boredom I gave some of the Bgm some different titles. except this one. Marble corridor-Tears that soak the blade chapel of Dissonance-The Silky kiss luminous Cavern-A brush of death skeleton cave-fools celebration Castle top Floor-Arrival of the White sun Aqueduct Of dragons-Serpents melody Clock Tower-Mishief Epilogue 1- Foretold Tragedy Approach to Deplore-woken from unknown slumber Heh, i sure was bored.

[IWillNotConceide18]

lol nice. I do the same thing when I rip Japanese music off of youtube and download VG tracks, which often have no other titles besides "track 1" and so on.

[crazyiproshow]

lol, i think your names are better

[Sasuke1Roolz]

man, the level designs are so similar to castlevania sotn and you cant forget the music the music is damn good

[FleskhjertaROX]

Definitely Juste's Theme

[MasterBelmont]

This game wasn't true greatness, but it was pretty okay. This is one of the only two good songs in the game (along with the Chapel of Dissonance).

[maxsayo]

there's a remixed version of this song on the ending credits it sounds alot better which i like.

[somacruzfirm]

so true, badly the game turns boring after u reach Dracula D:

[BigBadBear9885]

I miss this game soooo much :*(

[cccristol]

...exactly

[druid54us]

Easy to find emulators and a good rom copy of the game should fix that. I love the game.

[FleskhjertaROX]

Ah... the good memories...

[streeterville773]

I love this song, it sounds like a kick-ass NES game :)

[crazykalu]

When I started to play that game, and when I first heard this music...Oh my god, it's Castlevania ! *stupid reaction*

[OnePieceisthecoolest]

Just to show you, you can always expect good music from a Castlevania game

[SkellionPowalskiz]

@OnePieceisthecoolest Except for Castlevania HD and their crappy remixes, after Dawn of Sorrow, their music started going down the drain in my opinion.

[nightmoves17]

Man I love Harmony of Dissonance

[BaloreOTEE]

This particular song, to me, flawlessly and distinctively portrays a creepy atmospheric castle in the middle of nowhere, and I think the majority of the other Castlevanias in the series could learn a lot from this game's soundtrack.

[komakoma876]

The castle in Harmony was the most gloomiest of the castlevania games. the bird statue in the entrance creeped me out, specially in the other castle where its head was severed and blood was pouring out. also, in the marble corridor where theres a huge skeleton in the background in a crucifix like pose, with those two chinese dog-like statues on the ground. Some of the other castles were great, but it didn't really creep me out. they were either tidy, and not as forgotten as the one in Harmony.

[terrareus13]

@komakoma876 The HoD castle was pretty creepy...but in an awesome way!

[komakoma876]

@terrareus13 HoD had its flaws, but every segment of the castle stood out, the music fit it's unusual atmosphere. it had to be creepy in some way, which isn't easy for a GBA game, but they did it pretty well. Of course, when I was younger these aspects of the game did have it effect on me, but now I just enjoy it every time I decide to pop my copy in. :)

[dss103]

@komakoma876 Biggest problems for me were: 1. Game is brain-dead easy. You have to have reflexes of a rock to not be able to breeze through this game except 2. The castles were confusing as shit! Yes, both castles made no sense lol. Besides that, good stuff!

[popimpi]

@dss103 How can you criticize the game for being too easy, but then at the same time criticize the game for being too hard? Think before you type, one of your arguments invalidates the other.

[Dilbez]

@popimpi He said you have to have dead-terrible reflexes to not find the game easy. YOU are the one who should think before typing... Or rather, read more carefully.

[popimpi]

@Dilbez Who the fuck are you lol, mind your own business mate. I pointed out a contradiction so that he could see it. Your comment is pure a hominems, he doesn't need anyone to come to his defense, and please don't reply back because you will be ignored.

[Dilbez]

@popimpi Feel free to ignore my reply. I highly doubt an arrogant dick like you really could, though.

"Mind your own business"? This is the internet, buddy. And, again, what contradiction? He said the game was too easy, albeit confusing. I'm not coming to his defense, either. You pissed me off, and I was attacking you; you were right about that.

[Atstyle]

@komakoma876 had to be creepy which isn't easy for a gba, say again?? go play circle of moon and you'll see. just the intro requiem put you in the mood.

[somacruzfirm]

lol dude what Castlevanias have u played?

[BaloreOTEE]

I've played pretty much all of them. Why do you ask?

[somacruzfirm]

Because saying that the rest of the saga (or mostly) should learn from HoD its lame...

There are countless good and better soundtracks than this one.

U have the classics on NES like Aquarius, Bloody Tears, Heart of Fire, Big Battle, Evergreen and lot more

The beautiful soundtrack of Super Castlevania 4 and Belmont's Revenge (GBC)

The theme before the battle against Ortega in Legacy of Darkness

And the most creepy theme on Chronicles Etude for the Killer

YT doesnt let to write more D:

[BaloreOTEE]

Whoa, now! I wasn't trying to imply that the music from the other games were bad - they're all great, honestly. What I meant was that the low quality kind of made them sound older and I just thought that it helped to make them more fitting to the setting.

[somacruzfirm]

Mmm.. with low quiality ? well thats weird...

HoD has nice musice, but ppl doesnt like it since it has bad quality. So its weird to find that low quiality was a good point xD

[BaloreOTEE]

I just find the quality of the music seems to fit the setting of the game perfectly.

[somacruzfirm]

:S well its how u like the music, i think

[sh1th3ad2]

best song in the game

[retrojuegoschile]

same opinion

[professionalpoliwag]

@sh1th3ad2 but this game sucked i liked CotM better

[SkellionPowalskiz]

@professionalpoliwag They're both great games.

[professionalpoliwag]

@SkellionPowalskiz well i've only had them since friday so i don't know much

[Karuvitomsk]

I love this song. I think I love it too much.

[Norrec87]

No such thing.