The first part of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate's subtitle should be enough to tip you off that this is very much part of the series' modern lineage, linking as it does to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on PS3. Series supremo Dave Cox has told Siliconera while there's plenty of exploration, the new title isn't the "Metroidvania"-style adventure we've come to expect from Nintendo handhelds.
Cox said the 3DS game borrows most from NES classic Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, with branching paths lending the element of exploration. Cox explains the decision:
We didn’t want to do a Metroidvania because one of the things about the Metroidvania series is the games start out bloody hard because you haven’t gotten anything. By the end of the game, you have everything and are super powerful. We really want to have a game that starts out really easy and gets tougher, tougher, and tougher. Exploration has been beefed up for sure, but we don’t want to have a game where you run around collecting loads of things. We want to tell a story. We want players to enjoy the adventure.
Would you enjoy it more if there were more things to collect?
[source siliconera.com]
Comments 43
...Yes, I would. My favourite thing about portable Castlevania games is collecting stuff and beefing up my character. I loved completing the bestiary, including finding out the rare drops.
This is disappointing news, to say the least.
this is disappointing. I really enjoy the metroidvania style of castlevania games so bit of a shame that this doesnt follow on that formula. It still looks good so Ill still probably pick it up though.
aww... I like metroidvania...
we need a new "sorrow" game. those were the best IMO. I loved collecting rare souls
If this is oriented more towards the 'Classicvanias' then I'm all for that.
Well, I've been attempting a kind of portable Castlevania marathon, and after playing Dawn of Sorrow on the DS, Harmony of Dissonance on the GBA, and now Aria of Sorrow also on the GBA, I can say that maybe the Metroidvania formula was a bit overused. It would be very nice to play a different kind of portable Castlevania for a change and I'm glad the developers chose to give the Metroidvania style a rest.
Well mr.Dave Cox I agree with you 100%!
Day 1 for me then!
I would still buy it if it was metroidvania, but I just prefer the old ones, the true classics!
Well at least they're being honest.
Well thank god they said it out loud before I wasted £40. There is no greater joy for me than the Castlevania Series, but the recent reboot left a bad taste in my mouth, and although there has been plenty of similar games in the recent handheld series, to outright dismiss the 'Metroidvania' entirely comes across as short-sighted, as well as limiting what Castlevania can or cannot do.
I love the Metroidvania type of games but I also loved Super Castlevania 4 on SNES so my hopes are still high..besides I can't pass up getting to play as Simon Belmont again!
I haven't really liked Castlevania since the classics. Take me from point A to B smashing skeletons along the way and just make it harder as i go deeper into draculas castle lair. This is looking good. Thanks Dave.
Ummmm ... Mr. Cox ... you're aware that the term Metroidvania contains the name of a game no vampire hunter ever starred in?
If so you probably realize that in said series you can neither level up nor get potions or RPG-like weapons. Hats off if it works like that.
i love castlevania. i like old school and metroid style
Still want it.
Well, of course I wish it was a "Metroidvania" and thus had some collecting (I might need that plate of foie gras later!), because that's my favorite method of getting Castlevania into my gaming bloodstream. But I like classic-style Castlevania too and Mirror of Fate clearly wasn't going to be built like SotN - granted, most of the cues that would indicate that it could be a SotN-style game wouldn't necessarily have made for exciting trailer and press conference material for most people - and I'm sure I could still enjoy it on its own merits if Cox and MercuryStream don't drop the ball.
@fchinaski
I agree. I loved Aria, grew tired of Dawn, and I'm currently going through Portrait (which I remember not really liking but I'm enjoying it more so far).
This is great news,i'd much rather play a classic styled game than metroidvania.
@Stargazer I still have to buy me Portrait and Ecclesia. Still working on those GBA iterations tough (seriously late to the party).
Like the old style thats linear rather then MetriodVania style, Hope they bring Castlevania 1 on the 3DS vc around the time this game releases, that would be the best.
This game looks pretty crappy all around IMO. Not all that excited for it.
@fchinaski "Portrait of Ecclesia"???? Do you mean Portrait of Ruin or Order of Ecclesia??? XD
This are good news for me, actually I love Metroidvania style but a classic style it's awesome too! And if it's based somehow in CvIII:DC couldn't be better! I loved that game!!! Can't wait
I actually really appreciate this.
The original Castlevania games (1, 3, IV, bloodlines, X) were incredible. Metroidvanias are really drawn out and super padded.
Ecclesia was an interesting mix of the two.
However, this game still looks shoddy.
@metafaniel I mean both. I wrote Portrait AND Ecclesia in response to Stargazer. Read more carefully.
Symphony of the night with it's 'Metroidvania' game mechanics is what dragged the series from fondly remembered, to massive sensation. Can this man really be so clueless?
Later entries that strayed from the formula (and later console versions,) stunk.
If I want a story, I'll read a book. All I need is a brief motivation for my character's actions, a huge castle filled with nasties, goodies galore, a leveling system, and Dracula.
Seriously, dude. It's that simple. Stop steering the series away from what I love about it.
I'll stick with the previous hand held versions.
Thanks for trying, but no thanks.
Konami, you better make it real good. I like both Metroidvania and classic style Castlevania games. Mostly for the music and action. I DON'T case about the storydriven Castlevania games like Legacy of Darkness or the new ones.
Action or Adventure. Not story.
I'm suddenly more interested in this game.
Well at least it doesnt sound like its going to be a God of War ripoff. Might check this one out.
Oh and Lord of Shadows did also come out on the Xbox 360 as well not just the PS3.
I wanna see the battle of 1999! cries
I love side-scrolling-classic-style Castlevanias and Metroidvanias, but I found the PS2 3dvanias totally disappointing. The PS3 GodofWania seemed to have no relantionship with the saga and these portatile version looks like another Lord-of-Shadows-GodofWania again. Nothing against it, this will be a technique-pushing game with the better graphics that a 3ds can create.
I'll love to play new metroidvanias, with HD graphics, lots of effects,imagination, and that Hammer movie atmosphere, baroque and peculiar. I don't get tired of it, as I don't get tired of a new Mario or Zelda game, even if there are no combos or fatalities... There's place for all kind of games.
Welp, I'm out. Talk about not knowing your audience.
Collecting stuff is boring as hell. And this is aimed more toward the comments in the previous CastleVania article, but how about we just lay off and let them make the game before we bag on them.
Problem with the "vania" part of Metroidvania is that it adds a bunch of superfluous fluff. Metroid doesn't have piles of incrementally different armor and weapons like some of those Castlevania games. I dare say that the Castlevania series is giving the Metroidvania style a bad name.
I like Castlevania, and it can work, but the best Metroid games made each key to unlocking a new area a new fun ability to use at the same time. It made retracing steps more fun and opened up a ton of secrets as you went through old places. Plus, it didn't get easier, it's just that the new abilities gave you a faster way to get through the old places and find secrets but the new areas found different ways to be difficult. Metroid has been very influential but very few games get the balance right, imo.
Like I've said before, I am not buying this Castlevania due to the smug arrogance of the developers. They had a fluke of a sales hit with a D-List quality God of War rip off and they think they are gods now.
Konami has joined the ranks of Capcom of being damned insulting to their fan bases that helped build those companies.
Actually I'm kind of excited for this. A return to the series' roots is rather welcomed after having played the slew of Metroidvania titles on the DS. And if the DS' library is any indication, we'll likely see at least another Castlevania on the 3DS that will likely be (since Lords of Shadow 2 will be Mercury Steams' last Castlevania) in the vain of the Metroidvanias that many fans seem to enjoy so much.
I just hope the game is good and I can get into it.
I already expected this! But It could still be fun! We will see!
Definitely not buying.
Finally!! Now it's the Castlevania I remember! Don't get me wrong, I loved the Metroidvanias, but these were the games I loved the most!
love it but also like the classic castlevania's played all 26 titles and hand held to date. read a lot of people didn't like castlevania lords of shadow but i love castlevania never played one i didn't like may castlevania live for ever keep it up nintendo,konami, and mercury steam. like the fact they want to work on contra 3ds
Can't wait for this game.
Off topic I know, but I was wondering if you (nintendolife aurthor) can contact activision and nintendo to confirm or deny the existance of an upcoming call of duty this year please?
I also love the Metroidvanias. Apart from Zelda and Pokemon, those are the games that I have full heartedly completed to the last corner and secret and returned to every once in a while.
Although, the Lords of Shadow was so different from "real" Castlevanias that I didn't expect them to follow any existing trend of the 'vanias.
I couldn't have handled a metroidvania without cheesy eighties rock tunes.
Can't lie i enjoyed Dawn of Sorrow. But regardless this is a day one for me.
My favorite Castlevania game is Dracula X Chronicles for PSP, and I'm now really really excited for this game because while I found SOTN and later Portrait of Ruin fun, Rondo is still my favorite by far and I really like the linear Castlevanias. Hopefully by "branching paths" they mean something like Rondo of Blood (I've never played III)
I'm actually not disappointed by this. I love the Metroidvanias (with Aria of Sorrow being one of my all-time favorites), but the concept is really quite... specific, fixed, and the titles do feel very alike (apart from Order of Ecclesia). I guess you could argue the same for the classic Castlevanias, but it has been awhile. I really don't mind a return to form for now. It'll be refreshing. Looking forward to it.
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