There were quite a few Castlevania titles that were being considered for development when Hideo Kojima pitched his idea for Castlevania: Lords of Shadows. Luckily, Konami decided to use his idea, and Lords of Shadow was born.
In Castlevania: Lord of Shadows, you play as Gabriel Belmont, who is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights whom protect the innocent from supernatural creatures. Earth has been threatened by a mysterious force known as the Lords of Shadow. Gabriel’s wife was murdered by a supernatural creature and her soul was trapped. Gabriel soon realizes that he must find and use an item known as the God Mask to resurrect his wife and relieve her of the dark spell which has influenced her. Unfortunately for him, getting the God Mask won’t be easy; he’ll have to destroy three factions of the Lords of Shadow in order to retrieve the pieces. The cast is filled with well-known voice actors, with Patrick Stewart serving as an in game character and also the narrator of the story.
For fans of the Castlevania series, players will be delighted to see some of the previous characters make a return in this game. The combat is reminiscent of God of War—there are several quick time events, plat forming sections, and an RPG aspect of experience points, which can make the player stronger as they progress. With a sufficient number of experience points, they will be able to purchase new abilities or strengthen the ones they already have, using the in game travel book. There are also large, titan-like interactive boss fights, similar to Shadow of the Colossus. Players will be able to utilize light and dark spells which can be used for defense or offense, respectively. While you acquire new abilities to reach certain terrain, there will be areas inaccessible that you will have to come back to later if you seek the treasure. There is also a bestiary for the enemies you encounter, which lists strategies you can utilize the defeat them. Players will also be able to travel via horseback riding.
Despite Lord of Shadow being a third person single player experience, you will at times be aided with AI controlled companions. While the usual vampires and werewolves make a faithful return in this game, players will also have to defeat trolls, giant spiders and goblin like creatures. As Gabriel, your primary weapon of choice is a pyro kinetic chain whip called the Combat Cross. You will be able to utilize secondary weapons however, such as daggers, staves, holy water, and other environmental weapons. You can do light or heavy attacks, grab your foes and toss them into others or senselessly pummel them until their inevitable death.
So far Castlevania: Lords of Shadows is looking great. Many of its fans are growing skeptical with its transition to 3D, but it seems that Konami and Mercury Steam, the Spanish developer of this game, are looking toward expanding the series and having it appeal to a casual audience as well. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, we’ll soon find out. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is expected to be released this Fall.
