Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate - tons of d...

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate - tons of details, returning characters
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- direct sequel to Lords of Shadow
- gameplay is reminiscent of Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia
- polygon-based graphics
- primarily plays in 2D and 2.5D
- occasional shift into a fully 3D environment
- Mirror of Fate encourages nonlinear exploration and discovery
- developed by Mecurysteam

“We felt that traditionally Castlevania games had done well on handheld, and indeed found a home there to a certain extent. 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.” - Dave Cox, producer

- picks up 25 years after the end of the events that played out in Lords of Shadow
- Trevor Belmont steps up to stop Dracula

- this is not the same Trevor we know
- gameplay stretches across time
- players will eventually be able to control Trevor’s descendent, Simon Belmont
- there are two other unnamed characters are in the game as well
- switch between the four characters at predetermined points
- work through Dracula’s castle during different time periods
- each warrior boasts different abilities
- explore the same castle with marked differences between each character
- some paths may be blocked off due to characters not sharing the same abilities (like double jumping)

- Simon wields the Vampire Killer whi
- Trevor utilizes the Combat Cross that made its debut in Lords of Shadow
- Sims can use throwing axes and burning oil
- Simon can also summon mystical guardians to fight for him or protect him
- use the touch screen to leave notes for yourself
- mark places that you might like to re-visit later
- SpotPass and StreetPass will come into play

Link

[motherbra1n]

sounds interesting.

[Mario1234567]

Soma Cruz please!

[Mazzle]

A traditionally Castlevania on a handheld?
Sorry, but Metroidvania isn't a traditionally Castlevania. They should take a look an the NES, SNES, Genesis and PC Engine games of Castlevania.

[keyz]

- polygon-based graphics
- primarily plays in 2D and 2.5D
- occasional shift into a fully 3D environment
- Mirror of Fate encourages nonlinear exploration and discovery

Love it

[GeneticRepoMan]

This makes me feel slightly better. I'm not too enthused to have Mercurysteam working on this, but I'll reserve judgement till I see videos.

[MoldyClay]

So basically, this sounds like the best game ever.

@Mazzle

You misunderstand.

He's saying "Traditionally, Castlevania games have done well on handhelds". As in, Castlevania does well on GBA, DS, etc. He wasn't talking about "Traditional Castlevania games". It's a matter of reading it wrong (or not being punctuated properly).

@GeneticRepoMan

I honestly didn't see the problem with how they handled Lords of Shadow. But I guess that's just me.

[TheLastBlade]

Ehhh... I was hoping that it wouldn't do the "Symphony of the Night" thing.

[Shaanyboi]

sounds good to me.

[keyz]

@MoldyClay

Pretty much yes.

[JJOR64]

Interested to see how this new Castlevania timeline plays out.

[DARKflame34]

Alright... This sounds a little more promising than what we thought it was before.
Not too keen on what sounds like a focus on GoW-style combat or the flip into 3D gameplay, but I'll try to leave my opinion neutral on that until we get to see it in action, or even see reveiws.

I'd still prefer the game to NOT take place in LoS's continuity, but I guess there's nothing that can be done about that at this point.

[MoldyClay]

I'd also like to point out that I love that this is a great belated 25th anniversary game from the sounds of it.

I would have loved a Zelda or Mario game that did what this is doing and Sonic Generations did (with crossing over different playstyles/eras/past characters). D:

@TheLastBlade

Still doesn't really sound like SotN. It sounds like it's just got some influences. I mean, Trevor sounds like he's going to play like Gabriel did in Lords of Shadow.

@JJOR64

Me too. I like the new direction that Lords of Shadow took and I am curious to see how the future created by that ending will turn out.

@DARKflame34

Personally, I think the original/old timeline got extremely convoluted and confusing as the games went on. I'm not sure which ones are supposed to count and which don't. There was tons of retconning going on and all that. And it was tied to Bram Stoker's Dracula at one point.

I like the idea of a fresh take and building a new continuity that seems independent of the old series with a new origin for Dracula and so on.

Also, it sounds like the games does *not* have a focus on the "GOW-Gameplay" at all. Just Trevor Belmont's parts. And it seems like the game is mostly 2D action, but with some parts that go into a free-roaming 3D.

Sounds like Other M's gameplay, but presumably better.

[HylianHeroLOZ]

Nice new details, this makes the picture a bit more solid on what we will end up getting.

[xxbrothawizxx]

This sounds VERY interesting.

Can't wait to see gameplay footage of all types (2D, 2.5D, and 3D). This really sounds like it's going to be an amazing game.

I'm also interested in seeing what the graphics look like. The images looked pretty nice (better than many other 3DS titles), but I'm hoping they really go all out on this graphically.

[GeneticRepoMan]

@MoldyClay
I hate jumping on gaming bandwagons and bashing companies when they do something new and different with an older franchise, I was actually pretty excited for Lords of Shadows when it was announced. I finally got around to picking it up a few months ago but unfortunately found it to be boring. I'm about 30% in and have no interest in completing it (though I do intend to sometime soon, hoping to be proved wrong).

But to mirror what you said, that's just me. I had great hope for it and it just didn't do it for me. I know it certainly did for others.

This however, sounds more in league with what I like best about Castlevania so I'm optimistic, but I'm just going to keep my expectations realistic.

[The_King_Up_North]

All right, I'm liking how it's sounding. I just wonder what the game will look like in motion.

[ChaosJohnson]

well im feeling much better about this than earlier. let's hope they can deliver on the 2D front. does anyone know if MercurySteam has done any side scrollers before?

[DARKflame34]

well im feeling much better about this than earlier. let's hope they can deliver on the 2D front. does anyone know if MercurySteam has done any side scrollers before?

Unless members of their team have experience before they formed the company...

NNNNNOPE!

Oh well. Let's see how this one plays out.

Also, it sounds like the games does *not* have a focus on the "GOW-Gameplay" at all. Just Trevor Belmont's parts. And it seems like the game is mostly 2D action, but with some parts that go into a free-roaming 3D.

There's no way to know for certain whether or not, even with the Vampire Killer, that the other characters will not play similar to GoW. It would be pretty neat if they all played significantly different from each other, but only time will tell. As I said, I'd prefer to stay neutral on the gameplay until I can see some footage or hear impressions.

[Aiddon]

Call me when Iga comes back and Konami stops being ashamed of being a Japanese studio. I'm getting the dreadful feeling they'll try to shoehorn in Alucard and screw him up too.

[melbye]

Simon Belmont is in the game also?

[HylianHeroLOZ]

@Aiddon

Yet judgment didnt do that already?

[AceofKnaves]

Sounds extremely promising.

Cannot wait for the trailer.

[redhatdrawler]

Sounds awesome

[MoldyClay]

@ChaosJohnson

Nope. But none of their games have been the same genre, so it will definitely be interesting.

They made Lords of Shadow, a 3D American McGee game called Scrapland (not sure what it is though), Clive Barker's Jericho (an FPS where you play a ghost and possess team mates with different control styles) and a zombie game for Nokia phones.

@GeneticRepoMan

It's been a year since I actually *started* Lords of Shadow, so I can't remember my feelings in the beginning, but I know I mainly got it because I was a huge Castlevania fan. And it looked *really* good graphically.

Personally, I thought it got much better as you gained upgrades and powers from the Lords and stuff. It's a little repetitive at times (but honestly, that's what most Castlevanias are like), but I still enjoyed it a lot.

But I can understand people not having fun with it. I still think that they did as good a job as they could have with attempting to bring Castlevania to 3D and actually be a decent game.

God of War comparisons are expected (but if I recall correctly, Lament of Innocence had whip combos and jazz as well, and that came out *before* Lords of Shadow), but I don't really see how else it could have been done without being more boring/repetitive. Or simply not using a whip character.

But yeah, I enjoyed it a lot. You didn't enjoy it yet through what you've played and have low expectations of fully enjoying it and that's understandable.

Worth considering, I have played games that I gave up on after a few hours because I was just not having any fun and then went back to them months later and approached it differently and wound up having a blast. But people have different tastes and some are easier to please. That's just how it is.

@DARKflame34

I took "plays like the DS Metroidvanias" as being less Gabriel-style, but you're right. We don't know.

Presumably we will find out on.. I think Friday? Is that when Konami's Pre-E3 show is? Excited to see footage.