Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Hands-On Preview for Xbox 360

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Hands-On Preview for Xbox 360

Let’s Try This One More Time

As we all know by this point, Castlevania has had an extremely tough time making the transition to 3D over the past decade or so. It’s old genre rivals (namely Zelda, Metroid, and even Prince of Persia) have long since made the jump into the third dimension and have seen incredible success (both critically and financially) doing so.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screenshot

For a while it has been harming the good name of the series, a good name that took decades to establish. If Konami can’t come through soon with a solid 3D entry, then it’s likely that fans will give up any expectation for a good 3D Castlevania experience.

Konami clearly thinks they’ve found a winning combination this time around though. First they’re planning to start with their classic, trademark gothic visual aesthetic. Then they’re adding a heaping does of God of War slasher gameplay. And finally they’re tossing a heap of money into making those graphics look absolutely gorgeous.

And for now, well, it seems like it may actually be working. To begin with, the graphics are really quite gorgeous. Maybe it’s the incessant low-lighting and the omnipresent shades of black and darker black, but everything in the demo was lavished with care and looked on par with just about anything else on either system. To be fair though, it’s not that difficult to make something look awesome when the lights are turned off and it’s slathered in black paint.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screenshot

In order to accomplish their goal of making something – anything – worth playing in the mode of a 3D Castlevania, Konami seems to be taking the safe route. This may prove to be the best conceivable choice. The “safe route” I’m referring to is the God of War clone. Obviously, Castlevania is absolutely nothing like ancient Greece so you can expect tons of original content, but the slash-em-up combo brawler game mechanics seem to mimic that classic PlayStation series rather closely.

As I said previously, it may not be very exciting, but this is probably the best choice Konami could have made. After all, nobody would have liked to see them keep bashing their heads against the wall failing to translate Symphony of the Night into 3D.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screenshot

Rather this game will probably have quite a bit more in common with Dante’s Inferno than any other game on the market. In our demo we even saw quite a few quicktime events thrown into the mix.

The problem with this series in 3D has always been that it’s really hard for players to understand their environment when its as complex as a 3D Castlevania dungeon. A Zelda dungeon is similar, but comparatively small. In Castlevania you are asking the player to memorize every nook and cranny, only now you have to do it in 3D. Moving the series towards a more linear action-based experience side steps that issue.

The other issue, of course, is combat. The 2D versions kept combat very simple. This way you could focus on the complexity of the dungeon, enemies serving as merely a passing distraction (something to do while you traveled to the next area.) This is also hard to do in 3D, and so hopefully by taking out all of the backtracking, then upping the complexity of fighting, Konami can find something that’s interesting again.

We’re actually glad that Castlevania is getting the reliable God of War treatment. There’s almost no way it’ll be a bad game, and while that might seem like a back-handed compliment, that’s exactly what the series needs right now. If there was another screw up with this series there’s no way that it would have continued to have the relevance that it enjoys now. Even right now this game will not get the press that one would have expected from a Castlevania game six years ago. I wholeheartedly hope (and expect) and expect this to be a first step for this series. Think of it as a reboot.

If this game can get out onto the market and do fairly well with critics, fans, and sales, then Konami will probably use this as a launching point to push Castlevania further into 3D. Then they can use the rebooted popularity to get back to the basics of what makes Castlevania great.

I question whether this is exactly what Castlevania fans want right now, but realistically this is a good move for the franchise overall. It could potentially mean great things for Castlevania down the road.

Game Features:

  • A whole new type of Castlevania gameplay. They’re taking the series in a whole new direction with intense combat and quicktime events.
  • Explore worlds based on the same gothic architecture and aesthetics that fans have come to love in the Castlevania series.
  • A new action-heavy approach to the classic Castlevania formula. Experience action like you’ve never seen in a Castlevania game before.


  • Castlevania for the Next Generation

    April 26, 2010 – The Castlevania series has been enthralling fans around the world since before the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System. This action-platformer has always been a premier franchise regardless of era, however, the series has never made the transition to 3D with very much luck. While Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness broke the well-formed Castlevania mold, they weren’t able to capture the magic the 2D predecessors had in spades.

    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screenshot

    With this in mind, Konami has decided to give Castlevania the 3D treatment once again, but they aren’t going to let the series get lost in translation. Konami has poured a lot of time and money into the development of Lords of Shadow. They’ve even taken a measured risk by handing the development reins off to a relatively untested developer, MercurySteam. Of course, Konami is ensuring success by having its legendary ace-in-the-hole, Kojima Productions, oversee the development process.

    Still, it makes you wonder why Konami would choose the unknown Spanish developer. Based in Madrid, MercurySteam has only developed a handful of titles; one for PC, one for the mobile market, and one next-gen title, Clive Barker’s Jericho, which only found lukewarm critical reception. Despite the apparent neophyte stature of the development studio, anyone who played Jericho will tell you that the game had serious potential, and that specific pitfalls such as constrained level design and less-than-satisfying boss battles held back what otherwise was an impressive next-gen console showing for the fledgling developer.

    Perhaps more importantly, Hideo Kojima fully backs the studio. From comments made by Kojima himself, both the game’s producer, Dave Cox, and MercurySteam are some of the best talents in the business. From what we’ve seen so far of gameplay demos and the astoundingly epic announcement trailer (click HERE to check it out), we’re sure Kojima is spot on with his assessment.

    That excellent trailer points out the attention to detail the team is undertaking and just how pristine the presentation will be. Graphically, the game will feature a host of cinematic cutscenes, but what is most impressive is just how clean the in-engine visuals look. The game will take players from snowy mountain tops to lush jungle environments to lavishly ornate, Gothic edifices. In addition, character and enemy designs look amazing; from werewolves to Gabriel Belmont himself, this game’s art direction is inspired.

    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screenshot

    Producer Dave Cox has also pointed out that the story being told in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is unencumbered by the narratives of past titles. The team felt it important to truly reboot the series, as the canon from the 20+ games in the franchise would likely serve to bog-down rather than ground this entry. Of course, the game is still very much a Castlevania title, so nods to characters, enemies, and some key story elements from before will be included throughout the game.

    The story of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow takes place on an Earth that’s on the verge of apocalyptic demise. Humankind is threatened not only by hordes of monsters running rampant, but the deceased are unable to make their way to heaven due to a dark oath that blights the land, inhibiting souls from ascension. The protagonist, Gabriel Belmont, member of the Brotherhood of Light, is set on a course to lift this dark spell after his wife, Marie, is eviscerated by one of the monstrosities roaming the land. Poor Marie is stuck in limbo and it is up to Gabriel to harness the power of the Lords of Shadow, by defeating their representative factions and by possessing two mysterious masks of power, the God and Devil Masks, in order to bring her back from death and return the world back to equilibrium.

    In order to bring this new story-arc to life, Konami has tapped into some serious voice talent. The development team really felt that actors with true chops were needed to make the brooding, dramatic plot seem natural and engage the player. Four actors, thus far, have been revealed, including Robert Carlyle (Gabriel), Sir Patrick Stewart (Narrator, Zobek the mentor), Natascha McElhone (Marie), and Jason Isaacs (role TBA, of Lucius Malfoy fame). Additionally, Lords of Shadow will use several classic Castlevania musical themes as well as feature a new score by composer Óscar Araujo.

    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screenshot

    Finally, gameplay will be reminiscent of the God of War franchise, as it will place a heavy emphasis on fast-paced, fluid combat sequences. One aspect of the game that has us particularly interested is the inclusion of Titans as boss characters. These Titans are immense creatures that need to be scaled, similar to Shadow of the Colossus, in order to find their weak spot and bring them down. For more mundane baddies, the use of the combat cross, which has properties similar to the Belmont family whip and Kratos’ Blades of Chaos, will be Gabriel’s primary weapon. The cross will be upgraded over time, as will Gabriel’s secondary weapons that include classic alternatives such as holy water and thrown daggers. However, combat isn’t the only aspect of Lords of Shadow. Because this is a Castlevania title, intense platforming will be featured throughout as well. Also, puzzle segments of various kinds will break up the action-heavy gameplay.

    Castevania: Lords of Shadow is shaping up nicely. The game is close to going gold, and we’ve been promised hands-on time with the title at E3 2010. Stay tuned for more info on our updated impressions in mid-June.

    Game Features:

  • The Castlevania series gets a complete reboot while still staying true to the franchise.
  • Taking action-platforming to the next level, unlock over 40 stunning combos.
  • A star-studded voice cast fuel an epic adventure filled with monsters and demons.

  • To top