When rumors of a new XBLA Castlevania first began to circulate a month ago, I was interested. When those rumors turned to word of a new six-player multiplayer XBLA multiplayer, I was intrigued. Now that I’ve had hands-on time with the new six-player multiplayer XBLA Castlevania, I want more!

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is a Symphony of the Night-styled downloadable Castlevania hitting XBLA later this summer. The idea might sound a bit far-fetched, and maybe a little too ambitious, but in reality is not as complicated as it might seem. Though styled after Symphony of the Night, much of the heavy exploration has been removed. The six castles are still large mazes stuffed with enemies, traps and shortcuts, though you can see everything right from the start.

The version on hand at Konami’s booth dropped players into a giant, twin-towered castle and challenged them to a ten-minute run to search the castle for Gergoth, a giant two-legged demon residing somewhere in the castle. A simple click of the Analog Stick presented a zoomed-out version of the castle, offering a view of everything it had to offer. It revealed enemy and item positions as well as a good idea of where the Gergoth’s liar was. It also showed the path would not be easy. Even though you can see exact locations, the castle still presented a tricky path in the spirit of recent Castlevania games.

Another click of the stick brought the camera back into a normal Castlevania view. At the start of the demo, you are given the choice of multiple protagonists from past games, including Alucard, Soma and Jonathan Morris. As of E3, only five characters have been announced, though more are unlockable as you progress through the game.

All characters have their own unique skills, like Alucard’s transformation abilities. These abilities translate into different play experiences within levels. By virtue of their abilities, certain characters will be able to take paths that may be inaccessible to others. Additionally, characters can collect equipment during their adventures, including armor, weapons and health items. The catch is, in order to equip items you need to hunt down safe rooms to equip them. Character progression is persistent, however, so you’ll get to keep anything you earn during your various play sessions.

Multiplayer comes in both co-op and competitive variants. In co-op, players help each other get through the castle in the allotted time. The E3 show floor tends to be an every-man-for-himself deal, so I wasn’t able to experience co-op with a buddy. However, as I made my way through the castle, I noticed numerous areas where player cooperation could come into play. In Survivor mode, players complete with each other to see who can earn the most points in a play session.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair looks to offer plenty of replay value based on its E3 showing. Hopefully the full game can deliver when it releases this summer.