LogFAQs > #960945647

Lemme make a defense of Harmony of Dissonance though, 'cause I really love it (not as much as AoS tho).

HoD's music, graphics, and map design, when looked at individually, are pretty abrasive, dissonant maybe even.

BUT, I dunno, when you put them all together, I really like it!

Sometimes, I kinda want to get lost in a complicated castle with a lot of dead ends and keys--it's why I didn't really like Dread which always locks you into two rooms to make sure you don't have to worry about the entire map.

And I kinda like the feeling of being in a part of the castle where the visuals and sound are a little unsettling, off-putting. A lot of the underground parts of Castlevania 3 feel this way too, I think, especially some of their absurd color palette choices (flourescent colors mixed with super dull colors).

I genuinely find the story pretty creepy too; when I think about this game, Maxim's scary unpredictable behavior is one of the first things I think of, and how in most of the endings of the game, he or Lydia just friggin' die.

So I think that's where the Harmony comes in, sometimes it's cool to make a game where all the pieces are a little displeasing to experience. I think to really be gothic horror, you gotta be a little ugly.