One of the few surprise announcements coming out of E3 2009 was MercuryEntertainment’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. It was great to hear that the series would be getting a reboot, but the unexpected part was that legendary game designer Hideo Kojima would be involved in the project.
1UP has the information from a Famitsu interview about Kojima’s new role.
“Kojima Productions is playing more of a support role,” stated Kojima. “Castlevania is one of Konami’s most important brands, one that’s seen many releases since the original, and they’ve all been received warmly, but there’s never been a Castlevania created to really satisfy Western gamers. People like Dave were influenced by Castlevania to become game designers, and now they’re making titles like God of War. This has become a big project, one with the idea that we needed to make a Castlevania which had that same kind of feverish Western support, and that’s why Kojima Productions came in to help.”
Looks like Kojima was picked because the Metal Gear Solid series was popular in the West. He likens his role as an advisor to Konami Digital Entertainment Europe’s Dave Cox. “I think it’s safe to look forward to this title both as a Castlevania game and as an action game,” he said, adding, “It’s got great gameplay and great action, and the graphics are good even to Japanese eyes.”
I personally wish Kojima and MercuryEntertainment the best of luck in crafting a modern Castlevania for western audiences. The series could definitely use a revival.
