2 new Castlevania games

Go for it! I don't think there is any game that rivals it, besides God of War for the ps3. Its got an amazing narrative, immersive story, deep combat and everything else you would want in an action/adventure platformer game. Plus it takes 20 + hours to finish.
 
Go for it! I don't think there is any game that rivals it, besides God of War for the ps3. Its got an amazing narrative, immersive story, deep combat and everything else you would want in an action/adventure platformer game. Plus it takes 20 + hours to finish.

God of war inspired many great takes on the hack and slash genera. This reboot just happens to be my favorite spin off (gameplay wise) and I'd recommend LOS to anyone I can. the story alone is the reason I considered this a triple A title. :p
 
God of war inspired many great takes on the hack and slash genera. This reboot just happens to be my favorite spin off (gameplay wise) and I'd recommend LOS to anyone I can. the story alone is the reason I considered this a triple A title. :p

I have full faith that Lords of Shadow is stelar. I am just getting sick of everyone saying that every action game is ripped off of God of War.
 
I have full faith that Lords of Shadow is stelar. I am just getting sick of everyone saying that every action game is ripped off of God of War.

The gameplay Is exactly the same with a few minor changes. What all castlevania games excell in (imho) is story. And not every "action game," but just about every hack and slash game has copied something gameplay wise from God of war. Especially Dante's Inferno. To be fair though GOW1 got it's play style from DMC1.
 
The gameplay Is exactly the same with a few minor changes. What all castlevania games excell in (imho) is story. And not every "action game," but just about every hack and slash game has copied something gameplay wise from God of war. Especially Dante's Inferno. To be fair though GOW1 got it's play style from DMC1.

I heard Dante's Inferno was crap after the first three levels. I never played Devil May Cry and I know they weren't the first ones to make the hack-n'-slash genre. Why can't people just talk about the genre of the game, not the game they think it is all copied off of?
 
I wouldn't say the gameplay is exactly the same as GoW. Both have light and heavy attacks with chained weapons and for me the similarities end there. In LoS there is a much more emphasis on combos, each and every combo is unique and useful and you will find yourself using all of them throughout. In LoS, there is a greater emphasis on studying your enemy to beat it, you can't button mash and expect to win. Also you will find yourself dying alot of times if you don't dodge, block or time block, you will have to study enemy attack patterns in order to do it. Time block can be a life saver since it gives you time to turn the tide in your favour but it requires acute precision to pull it off, but with a bit of practice it can be performed. All this coupled with the focus meter, the defensive light magic, the offensive shadow magic, the secondary weapons and their unique properties in each of the magic makes this the deepest hack and slash game I have played.

Although it seemingly did borrow some ideas from games such as GoW and Shadow of the Colosus, LoS borrows much more heavily from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. Actually I think even GoW borrowed a lot from that game.
 
Looks like the fourth playable character in castlevania mirror of fate is most probably going to be

Spoiler:
Gabriel. No solid proof yet but Ill post the source when its available. Not sure if we get to play as Dracula Gabriel, or regular Gabriel before he became a Dracula. So there you have it, the playable characters are Trevor, Simon, Alucard and Gabriel. I was hoping for Sypha though, Trevor's wife who is a sorceress, it would have added alot more variety since she is a female character and her powers/fighting styles are radically different. Im satisfied nonetheless. :)
 
New interview.

www.siliconera.com/2012/06/18/castl...or-of-fate-interview-on-designing-the-castle/

Keypoints.

-Both MoF and LoS2 will have an increased focus on exploration and be less linear. The deep and challenging combat from LoS will also return.

-Alucard is a playable character in MoF and has the power to turn into mist to travel to certain locations.

-Dracula won't sparkle :rofl:

-MoF and LoS2 will be more darker than LoS in every aspect, visually, narratively and with more serious characters.

-There is a lot of stuff in the first LoS which seems insignificant now or missed by many, will have a lot of meaning once the saga is complete.

-Oscar Arujo, who did the music for the first LoS (which also won an award for the best video game music) will return to do the music in the coming two games. He composed the music for the LoS2 trailer and will also be doing his own version of classic castlevania tracks. The music in the LoS2 trailer was recorded by the biggest orchestra used in a video game (227 musicians) and is attempting to enter the guiness book of world records.

-Mercury Steam's take on Castlevania is likened to Christopher Nolan's take on Batman.
 
More details on Castlevania: Mirror of Fate from the latest issue of Nintendo power magazine. Some details we already know and some are new, here is the summary.

The latest details have been posted after the break.

- Team is excited about the 3D tech
- Wanted to re-create a miniature interpretation of the Lords of Shadow universe on a handheld
- Enemies include skeletons, axe-wielding undead knights, morning-star-equipped armored warriors
- Platforming-driven exploration
- Polygonal environments
- Didn’t want to use Lords of Shadow visuals exactly since “it would have involved significant compromises”
- Mirror of Fate was influenced by press/fans who said that Lords of Shadow should have a greater exploration aspect
- David Cox believes Mirror of Fate is a deeper experience than with previous Castlevania handheld games
- Think about how to take down every enemy and what abilities/items are best for each one
- One treasure chest power-up increases Trevor’s health bar
- Acquire magic-meter boosts
- Trevor is like Gabriel in temperament
- He’s cool, calm, and collected
- Simon is the complete opposite, quickly becoming angry and is an aggressive fighter
- Difference in character comes from their different upbringings
- This is explained in the story
- Environment will see changes over time, so you won’t be retreading old ground with each character
- Mostly takes place in the castle, but there are some dark forests and underground caves to explore
- Robert Carlyle is back as a voice actor
- Some new actors
- Team is promising variety, secrets, hidden areas
- 15-20 hours of gameplay expected to see everything
- Mirror of Fate shows characters visions of the future and their destinies
- Similar themes are represented through a character known as “the lost soul”
- This being plays an important role in the story
- Each character must face his fate and either overcome it or be a slave to it
- Travel book shows all combos and items
- Bestiary shows enemy strengths and weaknesses
- Both of these can be accessed on the touch screen

Gameplay section example 1

- Take out some man-sized vampire bats that ambush you in a chapel
- Chunk of wall that was broken during the fight gives a handhold that allows players to ascend to the chamber’s upper reaches
- Climb the ledges, jump on chandeliers, use the Combat Cross to snag grapple points and swing across unjumpable gaps
- You’ll reach a crank connected to the room’s central chandelier
- Activate the crank to send the light fixture crashing down to the floor
- This smashes open a new path

Gameplay section example 2

- Door blocks you from proceeding
- Need to descent deeper into tunnels
- These are partially carved by ancient tree roots
- Defeat enemies, crawl through some passages, swing from a cave ceiling to reach a distant ledge
- Then activate a level to open the locked door
- A telltale tick informs you that there is limited time before the door shuts
- Quickly retrace your steps
- Skeleton will come at you
- After going through the door, pull another level to keep it permanently open
- Next destination will be shown on the touch-screen map

Commentary from David Cox

“Beefing up the exploration element was key. This automatically meant the platforming was going to have to be considered and we have tried to make this much better than it was in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. We have incorporated the platform style from that game with the more-traditional platforming seen in the older Castlevania titles to really make it a lot more fun and familiar. We have added some new elements to the platforming, such as the safe-fall ability – this allows players to use their weapon to break their fall in particularly steep descents – and there is the ability to jump from wall to wall. Combat can occur while platforming for more variety and a greater sense of danger.”

“…we felt that traditionally Castlevania games had done well on handheld and indeed found a home there to a certain extend, and the whole team really felt we could do something special and memorable on the format that would immerse players totally. The N3DS has allowed us to create something totally unique and exclusive to the format that we think players are going to absolutely love.”
 
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DLC for LOS2?

Konami really didn't expect Castlevania: Lords of Shadow to sell as well as it did, and with the unexpected success came impromptu DLC, which producer Dave Cox now refers to as a "mistake."

While Cox isn't discounting the idea of using DLC as a means of continuing a game's story, he explains that the add-on content for Lords of Shadow wasn't planned. The idea came after the game was released and received critical acclaim -- not to mention promising sales. As such, the team at Mercury Stream had to really rush the follow-up Reverie and Resurrection add-ons, neither of which were particularly well-received.


"The problem was that the game's success caught everyone by surprise. It caught senior management by surprise and they wanted us to do DLC. We never planned to do DLC, so we ended up doing DLC after the fact and in hindsight that was a mistake. It was rushed. We had to rush it to market.

"I think we enriched the story that we wanted to tell, but I think if we were going to do DLC again it would have to be planned right from the get go. And it wouldn't be something that would try to build upon an ending—it would be something that's perhaps a side story that enriches the original story. If we were going to do DLC again it would be something much more carefully considered."


That's not to say Cox and the team were forced into making the DLC, but they definitely felt the pressure. He's hoping to learn from these mistakes but won't confirm whether Lords of Shadow 2 will have any DLC after launch. Interestingly, he's not "a big fan" of most DLC coming out these days.

"I'm not a big fan of most modern day DLC. I think if DLC is going to be done it has to compliment the main game—not be a continuation of the main story but more of a side story.

"It should add to the experience, not take away from it."
 
I just bought and played through both DLC chapters last night... it was disappointing but i don't regret buying it, just wish it was better scripted The Forgotten One VO sounds really lame and the platforming sections IMO were the worst part.

Can't wait to play as Dracula though! :gr_devil:
 
I just bought and played through both DLC chapters last night... it was disappointing but i don't regret buying it, just wish it was better scripted The Forgotten One VO sounds really lame and the platforming sections IMO were the worst part.

Can't wait to play as Dracula though! :gr_devil:
 
The two DLC chapters of LoS were actually planned to be a part of Gabriel's story arc in mirrors of fate. But I think it was good that it was done in LoS since now we get to play as Dracula Gabriel.
 
Some awesome new artwork and screen shots for MoF!

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featu...of-fate-screens-show-off-magic-and-menus.aspx

Spoiler:
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I'm loving the looks of Gabriel, Alucard, Simon and Trevor. Also looks like each character will have a good number of sub weapons. What do you guys think?
 
New interview at gamershub.

http://thegamershub.net/2012/07/castlevania-mirror-of-fate-qa/

Q.) Why did you choose the Nintendo 3DS for Mirror Of Fate? Who approached who or was it simply something you guys were intrigued by from a development standpoint?

A.) We were asked to consider a handheld version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and we looked at the available formats and decided 3DS was the most exciting technology for us to bring a 2.5D side scrolling game using 3D assets.



Q.) Why is it called Mirror Of Fate?

A.) The Mirror of Fate appeared in the original game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. You might remember Pan stepped through it in Carmilla’s Castle? This mirror plays a central role in the game because each character must make a choice regarding their fate and the mirror is able to show their ultimate destiny.



Q.) Do the ‘mirrors’ have anything to do with the different characters we play as, similar to Portraits Of Ruin?

A.) No. No connection with any previous Castlevania games except Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.



Q.) Will each character have more than one set weapon? Furthermore, will there be customization equivalent or like of Harmony Of Despair?

A.) Each character uses one weapon and multiple sub weapons like Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and the original Castlevania games.



Q.) Will the gameplay be Metroid-vania like or will it be a more linear experience?

A.) It is more like Dracula Curse with multiple branching paths and character specific areas. Although it does borrow some elements of the Metroidvania games in that you can go back and re-explore the castle if you want.



Q.) Considering there is four different characters will there be co-op?

A.) There is no co op in the game.



Q.) How will the cross compatibility work with the Wii-U LOS2 to Mirrors Of Fate?

A.) There is no Wii U version of the game Mirror of Fate or CVLOS2 for that matter.



Q.) Trevor and Simon have been announced for Mirror Of Fate as two of the four playable characters. Alucard was seen at the end of the Nintendo 3DS conference trailer, does that mean he is the third character? Also is the fourth Richter Belmont?

A.) Alucard is a playable character in the game. No, Richter is not a character in this game.



Q.) Is Kojima Productions having any involvement in Mirror Of Fate as they did in the original LOS?

A.) No.



Q.) Why did Mercury Steam and Konami decide to re-write the history of Castlevania?

A.) The series was in decline and we at Konami were looking for a way to bring Castlevania back as a mainstream title. In order to do that we on the team felt we needed to start again and re-boot the franchise. So we decided to do that by re-imagining the Castlevania mythology in a new separate universe and tell the story from Dracula’s perspective.

We are not rewriting the history of Castlevania. We are telling a different story outside of the existing timeline that old timeline still exists.
 
MercurySteam has said it intends to stop developing Castlevania titles following the launch of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.

Producer David Cox explained that the studio wishes to leave the series by delivering a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy via the sequel.

"Our intention is to tell our story and then move on to other things. We have a very interesting tale to tell – a story about Dracula. Our intention was to tackle the story from his perspective and give players an angle on his viewpoint.

"We have no intention of milking the series any further than that. I believe that any story worth telling should have a satisfying ending. This one has exactly that, and once its told I hope our audience will enjoy the saga as a unique and interesting take on the Castlevania mythology."


Cox had previously stated that MercurySteam did not want to be known solely as "the Castlevania team", with the developer keen on other "projects and other ideas".

Source: neoseeker
 
New and interesting interview

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featu...dow-2-and-mirror-of-fate.aspx?PostPageIndex=1

We've already discussed our thoughts on the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow trilogy. Now it's time for the man producing them, Dave Cox, to answer more of our burning questions. We asked the producer of Lords of Shadow 2 and the 3DS title Mirror of Fate our burning questions about the new Castlevania games. We talk about everything from the Belmont bloodline, to new gameplay, to what the essence of a Castlevania game is. Beware, some spoilers for the original Castlevania: Lords of Shadow are present.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate

Will the concept of playing through multiple bloodlines be similar to Infinity Blade, in which descendants die and pass on their skills and gear to their heirs?

I haven’t played Infinity Blade, so I cannot make the comparison. The way that this game works is that you play through as a particular character and some of the abilities you obtain along the way are carried over to your descendant, though not all. Each character has specific abilities that are unique to that particular character, for example Alucard has the ability to change to mist which is unique to only him.

Although you play as four specific characters, the player does not choose which character he/she plays and you don't necessarily play those characters in chronological order either.

How much will one era vary from another? Will locations change or will Dracula’s castle always be basically the same?

The castle basically remains the same throughout the game though some things that are done in one era will affect another. Characters also will be able to explore unique areas of the castle specific to them based on their unique abilities. This will also expand the story elements for that specific character.

As I said, Alucard can change into mist and that allows him access to new areas of the castle. Likewise Trevor has double jump which means he can access certain areas of the Castle that Simon cannot etc.

How long has Mirror of Fate been in development?

The game has been in development since the end of 2010.

What is it like balancing development of Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2? Did Mercury Steam expand after Lords of Shadow?

The original team on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was pretty small at around 60 people. We expanded the team now to just over 100 people working across both games. A core team of 25 people are working on just Mirror of Fate with some cross over on certain tasks between the two teams. For example, the art department is covering both games.

It’s likely that as we continue the development, the team size will continue to increase to around 120 people, which is still quite small relative to other high profile releases.

The post-credits cinematic in Lords of Shadow reveals that Gabriel becomes Dracula and lives in modern day. If Mirror of Fate takes place before the end of Lords of Shadow, does that mean Simon and Belmont’s attempt to kill Dracula is ultimately in vain?

Not necessarily.

I don’t recall hearing about Gabriel and Marie having a son, did I miss something?

This was something we were going to include in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, but in the end we decided it wasn’t necessary at that time and would have been another story twist too many for most.

Will there be any female Belmonts?

Having a female character to control is something we are interested in exploring, but not for Mirror of Fate.

How exactly does Mirror of Fate fit into the Lords of Shadow timeline? Will the ending lead directly into Lords of Shadow 2?

The original game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is about Dracula, and so indeed is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. We very much see them as Dracula begins and the end of the Saga respectively. Mirror of Fate sits between them as a companion piece, but this time focus is on the Belmont’s and their relationship to Dracula.

The Castlevania series has a notoriously convoluted chronology and story, which Lords of Shadow rebooted and simplified. How will Mercury Steam avoid the same storytelling missteps moving forward?

Our intention is to tell our story and then move on to other things. We have a very interesting tale to tell – a story about Dracula. Our intention was to tackle the story from his perspective and give players an angle on his viewpoint. We have no intention of milking the series any further than that. I believe that any story worth telling should have a satisfying ending. This one has exactly that, and once its told I hope our audience will enjoy the saga as a unique and interesting take on the Castlevania mythology.


Will the magic system work similarly to the Lords of Shadow’s light/dark duality?

In Mirror of Fate, Trevor uses a similar magic system to that of his father, Gabriel. Actually, our fans told us this was an aspect of the game they really enjoyed. The strategy of combat and the fact this was not a button masher but a game where the player was required to think about combat situations and react accordingly. This carries over into both Mirror of Fate and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, but it’s not necessarily the same either.

In Mirror of Fate for example, Simon uses summonable guardian spirits to augment his combat abilities. What we have tried to do is develop the combat further to retain the features and style that people liked, but to also offer a deeper and more satisfying combat system that builds upon that which appeared in the original game.

What is “focus,” and how does it incorporate into combat?

Focus is a state that the player can achieve by playing well. By not taking damage and by executing combos that do major damage, the player can become focussed. When this happens the enemies drop more neutral energy than normal. Remember, neutral energy is what powers your magical abilities. If you have more access to this energy you can sustain your magical abilities for longer thus giving you an advantage in combat. Therefore, we reward players who play well by giving them more chances to take down their enemies quicker.

In Mirror of Fate, we have simplified the focus system. The principle is the same but the player does not have an onscreen representation of focus. You simply just get neutral energy given to you at key stages of the fight dependent on how you are playing. Players also will be able to grab enemies at key moments to finish the fight quickly, if they prefer, and this is directly related to the damage they inflict in a given amount of time.

In a nutshell, inflict maximum amount of damage in the shortest amount of time and you will receive more neutral energy during fights allowing you to sustain your damage over time.

How will the upper and lower screens of the 3DS be utilized? Will the stylus be used at all?

The top screen is to view the game world and your character within it. The bottom screen is used to manage your travel book. On the bottom screen you have a map of the castle which clearly shows you areas you have explored and areas yet to be explored.

You can leave post-it notes on the map, to mark specific areas of interest, for example, a life font location, a save point or indeed areas you cannot explore because you don’t have an item or ability yet, to remind yourself to come back later.

Players mange their inventory here and can access the games bestiary which also contains information on the games many enemies and their respective strengths and weaknesses. Players can purchase abilities and combos using their EXP points through the travel book interface too.

Also magic and spells are triggered using the touch screen and stylus.

Next we dig into Lords of Shadow 2 and what constitutes a Castlevania game.
 
Lords of Shadow 2

When exactly does this game take place in relation to Mirror of Fate and the first Lords of Shadow?

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 takes place directly after the events in Mirror of Fate. It's worth noting that each game in the saga can be played by itself. Each has a unique story that has a conclusion and can be enjoyed without having played any of the other games. If you remember in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow the story was about Gabriel bringing Marie back from the dead and obtaining the God mask. That game had an ending to that particular story. Same for Mirror of Fate and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.

Of course, the underlying story arc means that by playing all three games you are getting a deeper understanding of the characters and the main arc that runs throughout each game.

Will we see exactly how Gabriel becomes the notorious vampire?

Yes.

Is the scale of the battle in the trailer anywhere close to the types of battles we can expect in-game?

Yes, but most battles will be with smaller groups or one-on-one like the previous game.

Will the game revisit the modern day setting seen at the end of Lords of Shadow? Will you be in urban environments at any point?

The game will conclude Dracula’s story and we will have a very satisfying conclusion to the Lords of Shadow saga – that's all I can say at this point. Make of it what you will.

Some longtime Castlevania fans were upset that Lords of Shadows just didn’t feel like a Castlevania. Will you be doing anything to address these concerns?

The problem is one of perception. I grew up on the classic Castlevania games in the eighties, and to me they represent what Castlevania is all about. Whilst I really loved Symphony of the Night, it was a departure from what people up to that point thought Castlevania was.

Of course, this new formula proved very popular and attracted many fans to the Castlevania brand and indeed set the tone for Castlevania games for the last decade and a half. If you grew up with Symphony of the Night and those games, I can quite easily see that what we did was a big departure for you but, if you are of a certain age and grew up with the classic games, I think you would see that our take on the Castlevania mythology is closer to those classic games I grew up on.

One thing I have learned in working on this game, and indeed being fortunate enough to have been involved in Symphony of the Night way back in 1997, is that Castlevania means different things to different people. Our Castlevania was the most successful Castlevania ever released in the series history, and so whilst I can accept that to some it wasn’t for them, for most others it did feel like their Castlevania.

I can tell you that with the enormous success we achieved with the game, we do feel a sense of vindication for taking this risk and following this direction, and it's to those fans who have accepted our take and who have supported us that I say, I want to deliver to you something that will totally exceed your wildest expectations, because at the end of the day we have a huge fan base that we have bought into this and we want to satisfy them in every way. I for one do not want to let them down.

I don’t want anyone who loved Castlevania: Lords of Shadow to feel any disappointment with these sequels. I accept that there is a small minority of fans who don’t like what we have done but, I accept you cannot please all of the people all of the time, and you would be a fool to attempt to do so.

One thing I will say, however, is that as a story on the origin of Dracula we felt we needed to show the character before his transformation. We needed to show his world before the darkness. We needed to show the day before the night, so to speak. We couldn't just set the game in a castle, we had to show a world and him within it. I think when people take all three games in the trilogy together they will see the big picture and recognize that the journey of Gabriel to Dracula is a profound one, and certainly we intend to go to a very dark place, indeed, and once all is said and done, this will feel much more like what people expect from a modern retelling of the Castlevania story.

What do you think are the essential elements of a Castlevania game?

I think a dark gothic setting is essential, and the feeling of being a lone warrior battling supernatural enemies with a whip. For me the whip is the iconic weapon synonymous of the series and something I wanted to bring back. The game has to revolve around the Belmonts and Dracula has to be a major component of the game, too.

We set out to tell Dracula’s story and his relationship with the Belmonts. We wanted to take a declining series and make it popular again with today's audiences. I think we have taken a big step in achieving that, but I feel with Mirror of Fate – and even more so with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 – that we will at the least have given Castlevania a new lease on life and a deep hope that the future of the series will be assured.

I really hope that people will look back on our take fondly as I do to those classic games of yesteryear that inspired me to work in the games industry all those years ago. I hope others will take up the challenge and bring their vision to the series, too so that Castlevania will never die for future generations to come.

What is the most exciting thing about Lords of Shadow 2?

You are going to play as the ultimate vampire lord, Dracula – a series first. What could be more exciting!?
 
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