Imagine if Nintendo, way back in the day, had decided that in making the transition from the 8-bit Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES to Super Mario World on the SNES that they decided to create a new main character. After all, people know Mario as a plumber who throws fireballs. In this new game, the main character flies around with a cape, so obviously it can’t be Mario. Now imagine Nintendo had done this with a series of Mario Bros. games, slightly changing the formula for each new game and subbing in a new main character every time.

This is roughly analogous to what Konami has being doing ever since the release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 1997. Each new Castlevania game introduces new main characters who must use whatever weapons or magic are in their arsenals to conquer the monsters and obstacles within Dracula’s castle and finally defeat the big vampire himself. I would be tempted to cry foul if each game weren’t so dang fun.

Finally, we get Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, which takes five main characters from four previous Castlevania games and allows them all to team up across five giant maps to do basically the same thing they all did in their original games. If you’ve played Symphony of the Night or any Castlevania game previously released on the Nintendo DS, you’ll know what to do immediately. For players new to the series, prepare to get a crash course in whip-slinging, axe-throwing, vampire-slaying history.

The meat of the game is co-op mode, in which you pick one of the five main characters and team up with up to five other players online to take on the dangerous gauntlet that is Dracula’s castle. Along the way you’ll earn money, new equipment and abilities, which all help your character become stronger. Maybe bashing skeletons and zombies on the first map seems easy enough, but that dinky sword you did it with won’t be holding its weight further down the line, when you’re fighting a giant animated suit of armor with a floating ghoul’s head.

There is a single-player mode for playing offline, but I found this mode to be all but impossible. The levels are clearly designed for large parties, and playing alone is only good for getting the lay of the land and looting what treasures you can all for yourself.

The playable characters, while all cut from roughly the same mold, have just enough distinctions to make each one a unique playing experience. First is Alucard from Symphony of the Night, who supplements his swordsmanship with dark magic powers. Being the son of Dracula does have its advantages. Soma Cruz, who last appeared in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, has the unique ability to gather souls from defeated foes to gain new powers. The soul from a zombie will grant you immunity to poison, for example, while other powers let you shoot lightning or fireballs.

Jonathan Morris, originally from Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, harkens back to the series’ roots. His weapon of choice is the legendary whip known as the Vampire Killer, and his secondary weapons (such as the knife, throwing axe and boomerang) are all inspired by the 8-bit Castlevania games of yesteryear. Rounding out the lineup are Charlotte Aulin and Shanoa, two characters with limited physical attack power but with strong magic. Finding and equipping new spells is the key to making them effective.

Since co-op Mode is, just as the name suggests, totally cooperative, it lets players easily work together. Each castle is split into several different paths, and the best plan often involves at least one player taking each. Players will inevitably run smack into a locked door, and the way to unlock it invariably lies on an alternate path taken by someone else. The bosses at the end of each level are also huge monstrosities that will make players thankful for the help. As levels get tougher and tougher, it’s heartening to know others have your back.

And if your character runs out of health, that isn’t the end. A gravestone marks where your character fell, and you come back as a skeleton (with the helpful addition of a halo above your head to distinguish you from the enemy skeletons). It’s a hilarious but balanced way to make death an obstacle but not a game-ender, as another character can revive you if they find a special potion on the map.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair only has six levels, but considering there are five main characters and multiple paths on each level, there’s definitely a lot of replay value. If you’ve never played a Castlevania game and aren’t sure if they’re for you, hunt down a copy of any Castlevania game on the Nintendo DS (a used copy should be pretty cheap by now), and try it out. Ask yourself if the experience wouldn’t be improved with the addition of five other people helping you. I’m sure you’ll find, as I did with Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, it definitely is.