Castlevania - GameOn Magazine

Transcription

Battlefield 4 Review
Issue 50 • December 2013
1 • GameOn Magazine
Welcome
Welcome
W
elcome, dear readers, to another special
edition of the GameOn Magazine. In this
free one-off special, we’ll be celebrating the hugely
successful Castlevania franchise.
Starting with the original Castlevania in 1986, the
series has been entertaining gamers for nearly
28 years, with over 20 games, on a range of
home consoles, handhelds and on the PC so we have had plenty to write about!
Yes, we have loads of Castlevania-related
content to share in this issue. We preview the
upcoming Lords of Shadow 2, reflect on our
review of its predecessor, explore the history
of the franchise and interview David Cox,
Producer of the Lords of Shadow series. This
is just a snapshot of our offerings, and we have
much more Castlevania content crammed into
our virtual pages.
We hope you enjoy this free special edition, and
if you do, please check out our regular monthly
magazine for reviews, previews, articles and
opinion pieces. You can find us on the following
links: -
Contributors
UK Amazon Kindle
US Amazon Kindle
Full Colour (for iOS and Android)
Please enjoy this magazine, because we do it
all for you! If you’d like to get in touch please
email us at contact@gameonmag.com.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Edition
The Editor
Chief Editor - Steve Greenfield
Editor - Kris West
Games Critic - Ross D. Brown
Games Critic - Neil Hetherington
Games Critic - Matt Leslie
Games Critic - Matt Young
Games Critic - Joe Pring
Graphic Design - Steve Dawson
Graphic Design - Kris West
Research & Proofing - Emsey P. Walker
About
About
The GameOn Magazine
Konami
G
ameOn Networking Ltd was founded in 1997 with the aim of providing “lag free” gaming
solutions for dedicated online gamers. Online connectivity in the late 90s was such that realtime
gaming was beyond the reach of the average gamer, and so GameOn began hosting LAN parties
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For more information, please visit www.gameonmag.com
E
stablished in Osaka, Japan in 1969 by Kagemasa Kozuki, Konami is one of the video game industry’s
biggest success stories. From its beginnings as a jukebox hire and repair shop, Kozuki-san - who
is now Chairman of the Board of Konami Corporation - entered the field of entertainment and
amusement arcade machines four years later.
By 1984, Konami had opened successful offices in the
US, UK and a Key German subsidiary and extended into
home formats. It enjoyed huge success on the Nintendo
NES format, extending its market share with a wave
of well-received titles. Konami’s successful initial public
offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange crowned the 1988
business year. As the business grew, Konami also listed
to London, Singapore, and New York Stock Exchange.
Konami now has worldwide operation throughout
Europe, Asia, North America, and has widened its
business line to Health & Fitness, and Gaming.
For more information, please visit www.konamieurope.com
Contents
Articles
24
40
ia
n
a
v
e
l
t
s
a
C
f
o
y
r
o
t
s
i
AH
Character Biographies
32
s
e
m
a
G
ia
n
a
v
le
t
s
a
C
5
p
o
T
Lost in Japan: R
ondo of Blood
18
e Night
th
f
o
y
n
o
h
p
m
y
S
:
ia
lg
ta
-s
Non
34
Discovering Castlevania 64
Top 5 Hardest Castlevania Bosses
The Rambling
s
16
A History of
Castlevania
Non-stalgia: Interview with Lords of
8 Symphony of
Shadow Producer,
the Night
22 Dave Cox
32
Character
Biographies12 Discovering Castlevania:
Lords
Castlevania 64
24 of Shadow Review 34
Top 5 Castlevania
Games16 Top 5 Hardest
Castlevania: Lords Castlevania of Shadow 2
Lost in Japan: Rondo
Bosses28 Preview
40
of Blood
18
The Ramblings of a
Castlevania: Lords of
Castlevania Fan
30 Shadow 2 Review 46
of a Castleva
nia Fan
Interview with Lords of
Shadow Producer, Dave Cox
Articles
Articles
A History of Castlevania
Ross gives us a brief run down of how Castlevania originally rose to fame
and, more importantly, how it has stayed such a successful franchise.
By Ross D. Brown
C
astlevania is something of
an institution. It’s hard to
believe that the first game
was released in 1986, which
makes it a mere three years
younger than me. Castlevania
has very much been there as I’ve
grown up, and given the sheer
number of franchise entries
it would be a small miracle if
anyone who has picked up a
game controller in the last 27
years hasn’t at least heard of,
if not played, the Castlevania
series.
Several long-running Konami
series had their debut in the midto-late 80s, most notably Contra
and Metal Gear. While both of
these series have a multitude
of game releases and have
benefited from positive critical
reception, the Castlevania series
has more titles under its banner,
and has covered more platforms
over the years.
The
plot
of
most
Castlevania games typically
revolves around the Belmont
family of vampire killers, who are
destined to combat the vampire
lord Dracula. Every century or
so, this powerful nemesis will
be resurrected and it will fall to
a descendant of the Belmont
family, the player, to defeat the
dark lord once again.
so long when many, previously
successful series, have faded into
obscurity in that time is Konami’s
ability to constantly reinvent the
series over the years.
The series continued in the
style of a traditional 2D actionplatformer for several years,
occasionally making tweaks to
the basic structure but following
a recognisable formula, and
garnered mostly positive critical
opinion during this time. The
next major change in direction
came just before the turn of the
millenium, when Castlevania was
released on the Nintendo 64.
to 3D, which not only changed
the feel of the platforming but
also allowed for a substantial
increase in depth for the combat
mechanics. Like Castlevania II,
a day/night cycle is featured
and this affects many aspects
of the game, including enemy
composition and NPC behaviour.
However, the game does revert
to a more linear structure,
with no player choice in level
order and no ability to replay
In a radical change of direction, previous stages. Despite a linear
this Castlevania was the first in progression, the transition to
the series to make the transition 3D did increase the scope of the
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
(1988) immediately departed
from the linear level-by-level
structure of its predecessor.
While still a 2D platformer at
heart, it incorporated several
Over the next few years,
Castlevania titles were split
between 3D and 2D titles;
largely focussed on 2D handheld
titles and 3D console releases.
Console titles such as Lament
of Innocence and Curse of
Darkness, released in the mid-
elements more common to RPG
games in its design. There was the
bare-bones of a levelling system,
the ability to select missions in
varying order, villages with shops
and NPCs, a day/night cycle and
even featured multiple endings.
Reception to this revamp on the
N64 was rather a mixed bag. The
game received largely positive
critical attention, with reviewers
praising the bold new direction
and transition to 3D. Fan reaction
was, however, mixed. While most
series fans shared the critics’
opinion that the modernisation
of the franchise had been mostly
successful, a significant and
vocal minority criticised the
game’s departure from its roots,
as well as citing poor graphics,
camera problems and issues
with the targeting system as a
disappointment.
Castlevania on the N64 will
always be a divisive point in the
history of the franchise, but is
undoubtedly a landmark point
as well, representing the first
time the series truly broke away
from its 2D trappings.
"The series continued in
the style of a traditional
2D action-platformer
for several years"
Looking back at that first linear
2D platformer on the old
Nintendo Entertainment System
and comparing its mechanics
to the modern gameplay is like
comparing chalk and cheese. The
reason Castlevania has survived
individual stages and provided
the opportunity to engage in
some in-level exploration.
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Articles
"Lords of Shadow chose
to focus on complex
and combo-heavy
combat mechanics"
decision to give the franchise a
much needed reboot and start
from scratch.
As with previous 3D titles, Lords
of Shadow chose to focus on
complex and combo-heavy
combat mechanics, but also
saw an increased emphasis
on platforming and puzzling
compared to previous forays into
3D action-adventure territory.
The resulting product managed
to hit that fine balance that the
previous titles had been lacking,
and as a result Lords of Shadow
was received with open arms by
both series fans and newcomers
alike.
2000s, continued to move the
direction of gameplay away from
platforming and towards more
complex combat mechanics; with
Curse of Darkness abandoning
the platforming elements entirely
to focus purely on combo-based
fighting.
well received by the majority
of the audience, but those
seeking
a
more
familiar
Castlevania experience were left
disappointed by the diminishing
focus on platforming and puzzles
that the series was previously
known for.
As with the N64 titles, these
console-based 3D Castlevania
games met with a more mixed
response than the traditional
2D platformers. Combat was
generally highly praised, and
the games as a whole were
In response came Castlevania:
Lords of Shadow in 2010 for
the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Rather than continue what was
now becoming a very saturated The reboot, which focussed on
storyline over two decades Gabriel Belmont’s struggle to
of games, Konami made the defeat and claim the power of
the Lords of Shadow, is entirely
disconnected from previous
series lore. This allowed the
series to break away from the
world set by the older games,
and enabled a fresh story arc
to break through - with a few
unexpected twists and turns
along the way.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
- Mirror of Fate brought the
rebooted universe to a handheld
device, the Nintendo 3DS, for
the first time. Once again, the
game returned to its 2D-side
scrolling roots (albeit presented
with 3D visuals). However, the
emphasis on combat remains a
central part of this adventure, in
which the descendants of Lords
of Shadow’s Gabriel Belmont
set out to destroy the vampire,
Dracula.
Konami is now set to build on
the success of Lords of Shadow
with the new, upcoming game.
2 is a direct sequel, continuing
the story of Gabriel Belmont and
closely linked with the events
of both Lords of Shadow and
Mirror of Fate. The sequel is set
to build on the success of the first
game by further developing the
successful gameplay mechanics
with an updated game engine,
and by moving away from linear
progression to an open world.
With the original Castlevania
franchise attracting fans for over
20 years, the fact that the series
has been successfully rebooted
with such positive reception is
a fantastic sign for the future.
If things continue on course,
it’s perfectly possible to expect
Castlevania will still be with us
another 20 years from now.
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Articles
Ultimately
defeating
Satan
and sending him back to the
underworld, Gabriel uses the
mask to see his beloved Marie
one last time, but realises the
mask cannot bring back the
dead. Victorious but alone, the
holy warrior slumps to his knees
in despair, unaware of the even
darker future that lies ahead.
Joe gives us a detailed look at some of the main characters
from the Castlevania franchise.
By Joe Pring
Gabriel Belmont
I
f ever there was a contender
for the most tragic fictional
story, Gabriel Belmont would
undoubtedly be near the top of
that list – even rivalling Anakin
Skywalker’s transition from
Jedi to Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Abandoned at birth, Gabriel was
discovered by the Brotherhood
of Light, a holy order dedicated to
vanquishing evil and protecting
the innocent. Mentored and
cared for by the order, Gabriel
proved to be their shining light,
showing unparalleled combat
prowess and quickly rising to the
top of their ranks.
However, Gabriel
was prone to wild mood swings
and sinking into dark thoughts, a
side to him that only Marie – his
beloved wife – could draw him
out of. Prior to the events of Lords
of Shadow, Marie gave birth to a
son, Trevor. However, this birth
was kept hidden from Gabriel
and, knowing of her husband’s
darker side, Marie left the child
in the care of the Brotherhood.
The events of Lords of Shadow
follow, and Gabriel sets out to
defeat all three lords for the
purpose of obtaining the God
mask – a powerful artefact that
"Gabriel sets out to
defeat all three lords for
the purpose of obtaining
the God Mask"
is said to revive the dead. On
his quest to avenge his wife,
Gabriel learns from the Lords of
Shadow themselves, the history
of the order he belongs to and
how each lord is a dark remnant
of three holy warriors who
ascended to heaven only to leave
their corrupted bodies behind.
His faith in the order shaken but
his quest for revenge still burning,
Gabriel eventually defeats all
three lords and completes
the God mask. However, the
mastermind of Gabriel’s entire
journey is revealed. Satan
himself manipulated one lord
– the Necromancer – into using
the Devil mask on Gabriel,
forcing him to kill his own wife.
In his lust for revenge and to see
his wife again, Gabriel gathers
the three mask parts, ignorant
of the fact that Satan wants his
disciples killed so he can have
the mask for himself.
residence in the castle where
Carmilla once ruled. As father
and son battle, both slowly come
to realise – through use of the
titular mirror – their lineage, and
as Trevor lies gravely wounded,
Dracula attempts to save his son
by imparting his blood to him.
Unsuccessful in his attempt,
Dracula buries his offspring in a
tomb engraved with the name
Alucard.
The bloodline continues however,
and Alucard’s son, Simon, learns
of his heritage. With his newly
After the events of Lords of
Shadow, Gabriel learns that the
defeat of the three lords has
freed an ancient demon, the
Forgotten, from his prison, and if
it reaches the human realm, then
Earth will be destroyed. Venturing
back to the castle where he once
defeated Carmilla, lord of the
vampires, Gabriel again meets
Laura, one of the last remaining
vampires, who informs Gabriel
that in order to reach the
Forgotten, he must drain her of
all her blood – for only a darkhearted individual can enter the
demon’s realm.
Slowly losing his humanity,
Gabriel faces off against and
defeats the Forgotten, absorbing
his power of immortality in the
process, finally setting him on
the path of becoming Dracula.
The events of The Mirror of Fate
follow, in which Gabriel now calls
himself Dracul, and has taken up
Articles
Articles
reborn father, Simon attempts
to defeat Dracula one final time.
Somewhat successful, Dracula
disappears in a red light, with his
son remarking that the likelihood
of his father still being alive to
be high. However, centuries
pass, and the present day comes
to be. Dracula, now withered,
weak and hiding in darkness,
is approached by his former
comrade and necromancer lord
with the news that Satan’s return
is imminent and his first port of
call is revenge on the man once
known as Gabriel.
Zobek
A founder of the Brotherhood of
Light and a supposed friend of
Gabriel’s, Zobek was originally
one of the three holy warriors
who ascended to heaven, leaving
his earthly body behind in the
process. Throughout Lords of
Shadow, Zobek encourages
Gabriel to retrieve and assemble
the pieces of the God mask to
resurrect his beloved Marie,
knowing all too well that the
mask never had the ability to do
so.
himself resented. However,
unbeknownst to him, Zobek was
being manipulated by an even
greater evil – Satan – whose idea
it was to use the Devil mask’s
power to manipulate Gabriel
into killing his wife.
Thinking himself victorious,
Zobek is presumably destroyed
by Satan before he can utilise
the God mask’s power, with
Lucifer claiming it for himself.
The traitor isn’t seen again until
the epilogue of Lords of Shadow,
where we learn that the former
lord has been seeking out the
At the climax of newly reborn Gabriel to warn
Lords of Shadow, him of Satan’s impending return
Zobek
reveals and quest for revenge after the
his real identity former defeated him centuries
to
Gabriel, ago.
informing
him
that his entire Trevor Belmont
quest has been a
ruse so he could Gabriel’s only son, hidden from
obtain the God him due to the foreseen darkness
mask.
Whilst in his future, Trevor Belmont
the three lords makes his first appearance
had formed an in Mirror of Fate as a human
uneasy alliance and father of Simon Belmont.
after their better Knowing that his father is none
halves
had other than Dracula, Trevor sets
ascended, none out to destroy his now inhuman
of them wanted parent in order to restore the
to part with their Belmont name to its former
piece of the mask, glory.
a truth that Zobek
However, unaware of the true
circumstances surrounding his
father’s descent into darkness,
Trevor walks blindly into the
castle once belonging to Carmilla
not knowing that he will fall
in battle only after learning
of Dracula’s tragic history. As
father and son do battle, Trevor
reveals to Dracula that he is the
monster’s son, a fact that the lord
of darkness doesn’t believe. As
Dracula fatally wounds his son,
Trevor uses the mirror of fate
to reveal not only that he is in
fact the vampire’s child, but also
learns the truth of his father’s
past.
Lamenting the fact that his father
resigned himself to his fate whilst
he tried to fight his, Trevor slowly
succumbs to his injuries in front
of his father, now stricken with
grief. In an attempt to save his
son, Dracula imparts his blood
to Trevor but is subsequently
unsuccessful in trying to save his
life. Not knowing his son’s true
name, Dracula buries him in a
tomb engraved with the name
Alucard.
after witnessing the apparent
murder of his parents when he
was six years old. Aged 35 when
the events of Mirror of Fate
begin, Simon enters Dracula’s
castle, unaware that his real
father - now reborn as Alucard
- resides within. Battling his
way through demons and other
Simon Belmont
dark entities, Simon encounters
Alucard
numerous
times,
The youngest of the Belmont unaware of their connection,
clan, Simon, like his grandfather, and continues on his journey
embarked on a quest of revenge to a confrontation with Dracula.
Upon finally reaching the throne
room, Alucard, now fully aware
of his own history, joins his son
in battle against the dark lord,
achieving victory.
Alucard however, remarks that
Dracula’s death was typical of a
vampire’s demise, implying that
their foe still lives, cursing the
fact that his descendants want
nothing more than to destroy
him.
Articles
Articles
Top 5 Castlevania Games
and powers, allowing you to twat
the evil denizens out of your
way with consummate ease .
The game does have a brutal
difficulty level but thankfully,
due to the RPG elements in the
game, this curve balanced out as
you levelled up.
Neil has a look back at all the games within the franchise and picks
his top five of all time, listing them in no particular order.
Certainly a game to have a crack managed to vanquish Dracula
at if you haven’t done so already. for good in 1999. 36 years later,
2036 to be precise, and the soul
Aria of Sorrow (GBA) of Dracula is looking for a new
vessel to inhabit so that his legacy
Aria of Sorrow took players way can resume.
into the future, to a time where
the Belmonts and Alucard have
By Neil Hetherington
Symphony of the
Night (PlayStation/ S u p e r
Xbox Live Arcade)
Castlevania IV (SNES)
W
idely regarded as
the pinnacle of the
franchise, the game
took elements from Metroid
with the open plan game stage
and item searching and moulded
it with the classic monster
slaying that we’ve grown to love.
Featuring arguably the greatest
soundtrack of all time, Symphony
of the Night won the hearts of
gamers around the globe and to
this day, players still attempt to
beat the game with speed runs
or out of sheer nostalgia for their
beloved franchise.
A personal entry for myself due
to the title being the first game
that introduced me to the series.
Super Castlevania IV took me on
a wonderful journey through a
rich and enticing world, slaying
monster after monster, I was
instantly hooked.
The whole Mode 7 spinning
room sections blew my mind as
a kid as it was something I hadn’t
seen before in a game and the
soundtrack is something that
even to this day, sends shivers
down my spine upon hearing it.
"The most recent of
the Castlevania games
took the franchise
from 2D into 3D"
Lords of Shadow (Xbox
360/PlayStation 3/PC)
The most recent of the
Castlevania games took the
franchise from 2D into 3D and
bolstered the game with an allstar cast to voice the characters.
While this game set the tone of
the Castlevania storyline before
the emergence of Dracula, it
quickly became a fan favourite
due to its amazing gameplay.
This is certainly a game everyone
should put on their bucket list.
Order
(NDS)
of
Ecclesia
This cracking little title was a
joy to behold, it was like having
Symphony of the Night’s little
brother on your handheld
Nintendo. Introducing a glyph
system allowing players to
augment their characters abilities
Articles
Articles
Lost in Japan: Rondo of Blood
game and everything, but it’s
not as good as Rondo of Blood,
not that it should take that as an
insult.
While Western gamers enjoyed Super Castlevania IV and Bloodlines, little did they know
that the truly coolest 16-bit Castlevania of all was hiding away on the shelves of Japan.
By Matt Leslie
I
f you polled people on what
Castlevania
game
they
associate with the Super
Nintendo the vast majority, if not
all of them, would respond with
Super Castlevania IV. There’s
little mystery to this: Super
Castlevania IV was among the
first batch of good games for the
console, is jacked up to the brim
with Mode 7 and it even has
“super” in the title. Quite frankly,
there’s not a lot of love for the
other Super Nintendo entry to
the series, Castlevania: Dracula
X, but this is sort of a shame.
Dracula X still boasts amazing
graphics, sound and atmosphere
and retains that traditional
Castlevania feel and movement
from the original trilogy. Even if it
does kind of let itself down with
patches of irritating level design
and poor enemy placement, it’s
still a fantastic addition to the
Super Nintendo library.
The
real
reason
Castlevania: Dracula X on
the Super Nintendo gets a
mixed reaction is because it’s
considered to be a somewhat
butchered port of a game on
the TurboGrafx-16 released only
in Japan. The Japanese title for
this game is Akumajou Dracula
X: Chi no Rondo, which literally
translates to “Devil’s Castle
Dracula X: Rondo of Blood”, and
this article could probably stop
right here because a title that
awesome basically speaks for
itself.
You can tell Konami meant
business just by the fact there’s
an X in the title; in the 90s an
X in a videogame title was
basically unofficial shorthand for
“RADICAL”. However, since the
Super Nintendo version was also
radical enough to have an X in the
title this article will refer to the
TurboGrafx-16 version as Rondo
of Blood to avoid confusion.
Rondo of Blood is the true 16bit successor to the original
Castlevania trilogy on the NES as
it takes all the assets from those
games, polishes them a little and
cranks the dial up to eleven.
You see, Super Castlevania IV
simply spent too much time
faffing around. Every other level
seemingly focuses on utilising
Mode 7 as much as the Super
Nintendo could handle without
its innards melting, and the
game has one of the most
pointless features ever, allowing
you to hold a button and flail
the whip around aimlessly.
Super Castlevania IV loosened
up character movement and
allowed you to attack in eight
directions, sacrificing the tension
of a true Castlevania game
to become a more audiencefriendly action game. It’s a good
need to approach every single
situation constantly thinking
about whether you need to flee
or fight. It’s difficult to stress
how absorbing this element is
"You need to know
where you are and
what you're doing at all
times or the game will
punish you every time."
The key difference between
Rondo of Blood and Super
Castlevania IV is there’s no
wasted motion allowed with
Rondo of Blood. You need to
know where you are and what
you’re doing at all times or the
game will punish you every time.
Jumping gives the player a little
more control over the jump arc
than the original Castlevania and
you can now jump up the stairs,
but you still commit to these
lengthy leaps and impatient
players are liable to take a hit for
unnecessary movements.
and how vital it is to an action
game: every movement you
make matters because every
movement an enemy makes
is equally important. Rondo of
Blood is hard, it’s crazy hard,
but pretty much any hit the
player takes is their own fault
because the game never throws
an obstacle or an enemy at
you without letting you see its
movement and attack patterns
first. Rondo of Blood gives you
the tools, and more importantly
the information, necessary to
handle any situation it throws at
you.
However, it’s not just the
gameplay;
it’s
basically
undeniable that Rondo of Blood
is just freaking cool. When
Richter Belmont takes a hit from
a large enemy he does a huge
backflip and slides back on his
knees; when the player leaves a
screen with enemies on it they
all explode; when the player
kills an enemy and gains points,
rather than just having the points
This control style is a big
part of Castlevania’s tension
and atmosphere that Super
Castlevania IV just sort of threw
away: your movement is limited
but your whip can absorb
most enemy projectiles, so you
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Miscellaneous
added to the total, the numbers
on the score spin round like a
slot machine. All of these things
are in the game for no reason
other than the fact that not
having them would make the
game marginally less awesome.
Every level is filled with crazy
scrolling
backgrounds
and
settings, as well as these
incredible sprites that a ridiculous
amount of work and love went
into. After an anime style intro
and a “storming into the castle”
opening level the following
three stages have great remixes
of music from the first three
Castlevania games. The message
is clear; this is Konami’s heavy
metal remix of Castlevania itself.
It’s the first Castlevania all over
again but wearing sunglasses
and jumping the Grand Canyon
on a motorcycle.
everything that’s awesome
about traditional Castlevania
mechanics, and there is one hell
of a strong argument for it being
the best Castlevania game ever.
If you’ve never played it, there’s
a remake of it on the PSP which
also allows you to unlock the
original Rondo of Blood once
you’ve beaten it, and there’s also
a perfectly emulated version
available on the Virtual Console
for the Nintendo Wii.
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Kindle UK
For the sake of some balance
here are a couple of nitpicks.
Rondo of Blood really enjoys
throwing a ton of enemies out
at once and there are occasions
where this causes the framerate
to chug a little. Also the recovery
time after getting hit is a little
too brief and it’s possible to get Rondo of Blood is packed with
utterly destroyed by one enemy memorable bosses and cinematic
if you panic.
elements, it’s incredibly difficult,
soundly designed and completely
Alright, now that’s out of the engaging. In other words, it’s
way, Rondo of Blood sums up 100% Castlevania.
Kindle International
Full Colour
Other Special Editions
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Non-stalgia: Symphony of the Night
Having never played a classic Castlevania title, Matt explores whether the series stands
up under scrutiny, in a retrospective that’s free from any rose-tinted nostalgia.
By Matt Young
N
ostalgia. It carries a lot
of weight in the games
industry; a game can
often ensure a huge chunk of
sales because it’s supported
by a franchise that you played
to death back when you could
barely wrap your tiny hands
around the huge, angular chunks
of plastic they called controllers.
people have numerous happy
memories of playing it in the
past, they refer to it as a ‘classic’
and use it to describe other
games. Castlevania IS nostalgia.
But guess what? Until writing
this article I HAD NEVER PLAYED
A CASTLEVANIA GAME. So what
I want to know is - without that
warm fuzzy feeling - do the oldNostalgia gets you right in the school, side-scrolling action
heart because it harkens back adventures still hold up?
to an age when your spare time
was a blank slate, relationships For my academic study into
weren’t an issue as the opposite vampire slaying badassery, I
sex were gross and you played decided to try out Symphony of
that one beloved game to death the Night - my in-depth research
over and over because you (Yahoo Answers) uncovered that
could only afford one title a most considered this the best of
year (or you owned a Nintendo the early games. So through the
64 and that was all you got, combined power of my PSP and
whether you had the money or the Playstation Store I was taken
not). Those times were good. back in time to 1997. Press Start.
Having been around since 1986
Castlevania is clearly something Upon booting up the game one
of a nostalgic franchise: many of the first things that caught
me off balance - roughly around
the time that the opening
boss
Dracula
disappeared
in a barrage of explosions (I
thought vampires sucked blood
not petrol?)- was how hokey
the whole thing was: the god
awful voice-acting; the badly
written script (‘What is a man? A
miserable little pile of secrets!’);
the cringeworthy, gothic-infused,
power metal soundtrack... It was
almost hateful. Yet for some
reason I wasn’t offended by the
whole thing. Truth is, despite
attempting a nostalgia free
playthrough of a beloved game,
I found myself experiencing...
nostalgia. The hokeyness was
forgivable because it reminded
me of the cheesy games of the
90s I’d grown up with: Resident
Evil, Metroid and Konami’s own
stalwart franchise, Metal Gear
Solid. The game was cheese
personified. But that was ok.
Hard. My playthrough of the
game was hard with a capital
HAAAAAARRRRRD. The opening
few areas posed little threat but
only a few minutes in and I was
dying. Frequently. Symphony
of the Night, like many games
of the good old days, was
unforgiving; a few smacks and I
was down and upon biting the
dust I was banished back to my
last save game (and if, as was
often the case, I hadn’t saved
for a while at specified points,
due to my modern gamer’s overreliance on forgiving autosave
mechanics, well... that was just
tough). I didn’t mind though, I like
a challenge. Playing areas over
and over again did, however, give
me time to reflect on the game’s
many retrospective downfalls.
My character, Alucard, moved
slowly, like a man slogging
through water (or blood, to stick
with the theme), he ran slow and
jumped slow and though his dash
move left behind afterimages to
suggest speed, I wasn’t fooled.
The stages were dull, art design
was lacking and my character
model was simple, plain, ugly. At
least the monster designs were
cool, which was good, because it
was they that I was smacking in
the face.
I waded through it though,
determined to discover the
gem that has so many in awe
of the series. As my character
strengthened, boosting his stats
and upgrading his equippable
weapons, I eventually found it.
For me, the thing that sold oldschool Castlevania as a legit
gaming experience was that it
had the molten, beating heart
of an RPG and carried with it the
best feeling when dealing with
RPGs: progression, the feeling of
becoming one bad ass-mother.
Areas that tore me to pieces
over and over early on could
suddenly be flowed through in
a bloody, vicious dance of grace.
Exploration was a blast as well there’s no set path through the
titular Castle of Castlevania so
there was a satisfying sense of
progression as I unlocked abilities
(bat, smoke etc) that allowed me
through previously impassable
areas, slowly unveiling more and
more and more of that damn
map until I accidentally stumble
into a boss fight that turned me to
organic mulch sending me back
in time...because I’d forgotten to
save.
Aesthetically it hasn’t dated well
but for me gameplay is what
counts and I can safely say that
my non-stalgic look back on
this game has instilled in me
a reverent respect for a game
series that I’ll be exploring in
more detail for (I’m sure) years
to come.
Articles
Articles
Matt plays through the first hour of Castlevania on the Nintendo 64
and reports back on his findings through the eyes of hindsight.
By Matt Leslie
D
uring the 80s and the
90s, Castlevania played
a vital part in Nintendo’s
early home console days. The
series offered a dark, highly
atmospheric and essentially
more mature gaming experience
to counterbalance Nintendo’s
more wholesome and cartoonish
coin
collecting
products.
Castlevania had big hits with the
very first game hitting the NES
in 1986 and later spawning two
sequels, and Super Castlevania
IV first arriving in the initial
launch window for the Super
Nintendo. Konami spread the
series around with releases on
other consoles like Castlevania
Bloodlines on the Sega Mega
Drive and Castlevania: Dracula X
on the PC Engine, but fans of the
series knew one thing for sure;
if you went Nintendo, you would
get Castlevania, and it would be
awesome.
It’s no surprise
t h a t
people would be hyped for
Castlevania on the Nintendo 64,
which is sometimes mistakenly
referred to as “Castlevania 64”
as was the fashion at the time,
but Konami really were irritating
enough to simply give it the exact
same title as the first game.
There was a lot of excitement
for the game, not only was it a
new Castlevania game on a new
Nintendo console, but it was
going to be the first Castlevania
game in 3D! What could go
wrong?
Well, Castlevania fans are split
on the issue; many fans consider
it one of the lowest points of
the series, but the game did
receive a fairly respectable
critical reception on arrival and
still has its defenders to this day.
However, all of this is coming
from someone who has never
played it, but I’m going to change
that and delve into the world of
Castlevania (on the N64) and
keep a log of my thoughts as the
game goes along. Is Castlevania a
poorly aged mess of a transition
to polygon graphics? Or is it an
under-appreciated classic from
the early 3D gaming era? Let’s
dive in right now and find out.
Anyway, I’m going for Normal
difficulty and the game presents
a choice of two characters:
Reinhardt and Carrie. I have
no idea who either of these
characters are so I go with
Reinhardt as he has the
funnier name. What follows is
a hilariously clichéd text scroll
which explains that Reinhardt
is the heir to the Belmont clan
and basically he has to go fight
monsters because he just sort of
does. Alrighty.
The actual game starts with
Reinhardt looking manly (or
as manly as a pile of cubes
rendered by the N64 will allow)
in a bit of random wasteland
outside the castle that seems to
The First 10 Minutes
Almost immediately there’s a
bit of culture shock as the title
screen is introduced by some
guy playing a violin animated in
the most disgusting 3D polygons
the N64 is capable of. This was
probably considered impressive
at the time and given a pass, but
it has to be said the fifth console
generation has aged worse than
any other because of things like
this. There’s no real way around
it, it looks awful.
have no visible entrances to it
whatsoever. The only reasonable
explanation for this is Reinhardt
went straight to the castle, got
spooked and ran away like a little
player. It’s that special kind of
bad that’s a little difficult to
explain, but while the camera
follows you around reasonably
well enough while wandering
"There only seems
to be one sound
effect for walking"
girl into the woods to calm down
and this is where the game starts.
Either that or the level design is a
bit uninspired.
A cutscene triggers and Reinhardt
gets into his first fight with a
bunch of generic skeletons, and
it’s already apparent this game’s
camera isn’t going to be a team
about, when action kicks off it’s
never where you want it and
it’s like the enemies are coming
out of the screen towards the
character.
Also, this may be a weird thing to
mention, but there only seems to
be one sound effect for walking
which is way too loud and plays
on every step. This might
just be because there’s no
music yet, but if I’m getting
annoyed by something like
that this early it’s probably
going to be a real problem
later.
Another
10
Minutes Later
I got stuck briefly as there’s a
huge gate blocking the only
path and it’s not really clear
what you have to do to get
past it. Being a dumb gamer
I tried just hitting it with my
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Articles
whip to see if that would work,
and since this is a dumb game of
course the gate burns into flames
and a huge skeleton boss jumps
out to play. He’s really easy, but
his trick is he pulls extra smaller
skeletons out of the ground to
fight you which shows another
one of the games’ huge issues:
the targeting system.
to the boss (as the game proudly
boasts by having the words
BOSS VIEW in the bottom left
hand corner for no reason) so it
sort of confuses your brain when
Reinhardt will suddenly start
whipping in opposite directions
at nearby flies or something.
Also, keep in mind the giant
skeleton is pulling little ones
out of the ground, constantly
It’s always difficult to tell why creating new targets to auto lock
these things don’t work when to and further confuse you.
they don’t work, but I think it’s
because the game will always Another issue with the camera
auto target the enemy closest has cropped up as well; it always
to you regardless of threat or tries to get directly behind you
logic. This is a major problem when it locks on to an enemy.
here for two reasons. First of all This is a good idea in theory, but
the camera is constantly glued it moves in a way that makes
Reinhardt obstruct your view
of the whip when you make an
attack, and I’m having issues
telling how far away I am from
enemies and how long my whip’s
hit box is.
Consider me an expert on this as
I am someone who has beaten
literally two Ratchet and Clank
games; these targeting issues
combined with this game’s
camera are going to be what kills
it for anyone.
Another problem that’s cropped
up is the enemies were dropping
little jewels and other items and
I couldn’t figure out how to pick
them up. I tried crouching but
kept accidentally doing a Mega
Man style slide and dropkicking
skeletons in their knee caps.
After trying literally every button
it suddenly dawned on me that
you have to be standing still on
items and hit the right C button.
Perfect, nothing could be more
beneficial to the game’s flow, it
would be just flat out silly if you
could say, just walk over the
items to collect them. Maybe
there was a memo sent out at the
time by Nintendo to third party
developers demanding they use
every single button to try and
justify the N64 controller’s weird
design.
A
Further
Forty
Minutes of Failure
or try to tap the jump button
to climb up, as a lot of people’s
instincts would force them to do,
This isn’t really the game’s fault he will just fall off.
as much as it is mine, but I’ve
now realised if you tap the jump Wrapping
Up and
button fast and play around Conclusions
with the analog stick Reinhardt
does strange little bunny hops in As my time with Castlevania
random directions that seem to passed and I continued to take
defy physics. I can’t stop doing notes on things I started to realise
it, and it is starting to have a that this game was suffering
slightly derogatory effect on the from more problems than it has
atmosphere.
polygons. Considering there’s
only about six polygons in it
Speaking of jumping, there’s a that’s not as bad as it sounds, but
major issue with platforming in Castlevania has aged horribly and
this game as well. There are a lot has a lot of nagging issues that
of jumps that Reinhardt can only make it largely unplayable today.
make by grabbing a ledge and However, I have played enough
climbing up, but again it took me of it to sum it up and comment
about a dozen attempts of trying on it as part of the series.
everything I could think of to get
it to work. It should be pointed Really, the issue is it just doesn’t
out that part of these issues are feel like a Castlevania game at all,
because I’ve been spoiled by especially not a traditional one.
modern games which usually The level design and graphics
have some sort of mechanic that are brown and muddy, which
grabs ledges automatically, but it is largely due to the hardware
should also be pointed out that of the time but it still hits the
this doesn’t make Castlevania’s atmosphere of the game hard. A
shortcomings any less annoying. lot of the game has no music and
Basically, what you do is hold the music that is there is generic
forward and the jump button and forgettable. Even if you
through the entirely of the jump dubbed Bloody Tears over some
and Reinhardt will climb the footage it still wouldn’t resemble
ledge for you, keeping in mind a proper Castlevania game.
that if you let go for a second The tight sophisticated action
gameplay has been replaced
by bumbling around brown
polygons, getting lost while
button mashing to kill enemies
that could be replaced by a
bunch of students in Halloween
masks which would actually be
more threatening.
It actually has a lot more in
common with the Metroidvania
style of Castlevania games than
the classic linear ones with its
opened up levels and constantly
respawning enemies. However,
instead of a focus on exploration
and levelling up and the things
that people like about those
games, it’s more like a pointand-click adventure game with
awkward platforming and action
bits. 3D games just hadn’t been
figured out enough at this point
for something like Castlevania
to make the leap with the same
amount of confidence that Mario
did.
In fairness, Castlevania might get
better later on, but the nagging
issues were far too irritating to
soldier on with it. It’s certainly not
the worst game ever or anything,
but another thing it certainly isn’t
is a game we can recognise and
cherish as a true Castlevania
experience.
Articles
Miscellaneous
Do
you
like
games?
of course you do. You’re reading a gaming
magazine. That was a silly question.
Neil takes us through his top five hardest and most
annoying bosses from the Castlevania series.
If you live in the United Kingdom, we would like to inform you of an event
our community runs which will give you the opportunity to meet, game,
and chat with some of the writers and editors for GameOn magazine.
Dracula - Castlevania
(NES)
attacks due to this boss
punishing your slightest mistake;
AH, this is un-fucking-real, coupled with random fireballs or
I know old console games laserbeams you were literally in
were harder than what we a world of hurt.
gamers have to encounter now
but Dracula is a top class Charlie Slogra
Super
Uniform November Tango with Castlevania IV (SNES)
several master’s degrees from
the University of Bastard.
Take one part Ridley (Metroid)
I can safely say that I have and six parts random jumpy
died more times to this boss bullshit. Mix in a bowl thoroughly,
than I have died in every other bake at 180 degrees Celsius and
Castlevania game to date. He the result is this boss which I
is a complete and utter horse’s had numerous rage inducing
phallus.
moments with.
With his trident that can shoot
Blackmore - Order of fireballs, jumps with flame trails
Ecclesia (NDS)
and even his beak of death, this
boss was a thorn in my side for
This guy was a pain in the ass, many, many attempts.
having hard-to-predict attack
patterns and damage values Dracula/Deathcombo
higher than a freight train. - Portrait of Ruin (NDS)
You had to have exceptional
execution with your moves and Holy shitballs this fight was
G
insane. You’re constantly under
a barrage of fireballs from a
teleporting Dracula as well as
being chased by Death around
the screen. Not only do you
have to deal with this but you
also have to face Dracula’s final
form if you survive fireball hell
in the previous phase. I’m sure
the developers sat around the
table and asked what kind of
encounter would the players
really hate, then implemented it!
From 11th to 13th April 2014, we will be holding our
90th LAN party with spaces for 50 players.
A LAN party is an event where you can bring down your PC or console for a weekend
and just link up with other like-minded gamers and play games with them.
It is based in the UK Midlands, and the prices is £55 for the
weekend (£10 if you just want to come and socialise).
For more information go to: www.gameonlan.co.uk or email
contact@gameonmag.com if you have any queries.
Dracula - Dracula X
(SNES)
Okay, I’m sure the devs were
taking the piss when they were
tuning this encounter. He has
an incredibly high health pool,
meaning you have to hit him in
a numerical total that matches a
small country’s population and
then to top it all off, he transforms
into a demon where his attacks
are almost impossible to dodge.
Issue 53 • March 2014
Articles
Articles
The Ramblings of a Castlevania Fan
Neil rambles about his time with the Castlevania franchise, starting out from the humble
beginnings to recent times. This is what happens to old people, they ramble about the past.
T
he first time I encountered
a Belmont was in Super
Castlevania IV on the
Super Nintendo. It was one of
the first games for my shiny new
SNES, and one that sent me on
a journey through this rich and
wonderful franchise.
I still get chills down my spine
whenever I hear that eerie music
during the start of the game;
a harrowing build-up before
the amazing stage music kicks
in, then the adrenaline starts
pumping as you can’t help but
tap your foot and bob your head
to the track while whipping those
nasties into shape.
Super Castlevania IV was a launch
title for the SNES so naturally the
game had to use the features of
the system. It was one of the first
games available for the console
to use the mystical Mode 7
capabilities. I cannot express
how
infuriating
it was
during the levels where you had
to swing Simon Belmont between
safe platforms while the entire
fucking room span round.
After I had completed this
adventure I felt prompted to
delve deeper into the history of
Castlevania and sought out a
NES with a copy of the first game
to play through. I knew at this
moment I was hooked on this
series, a series that to this day
still fills me with glee when a
new title emerges.
During my time with the NES
version of the franchise, I felt a
little frustrated but that was my
own doing. Going into the game
having played a more fluid and
up-to-date title, I tricked myself
into thinking that this early
blast with a Belmont would be
similar, only to be greeted with
punishing pixel perfect jumps,
fairly clunky controls (compared
to what I had previously played)
and a harsh difficulty curve.
However, this did not deter me
from continuing my adventures.
What nearly did put me off is
Simon’s Quest; just what on
earth went on with this game?
A non-linear path for the player
to take, NPCs who could bullshit
you with lies and put you on a
path of death, harder and more
frequent enemy encounters
at night. Gah, this just was not
for me; I preferred the linear,
twat everything in sight style
gameplay of the two games I
had already played.
working, studying and starting
down the path of becoming
a member of the glorious
PC gaming master race. This
changed when Symphony of the
Night hit the Xbox Live Arcade
and I delved back into my love
affair with this series.
Controlling Alucard instead of
a Belmont was a fun twist for
myself; instead of using whips,
this non-linear RPG-esque title
had you wielding a vast array
of weapons, magical power-ups
and even fireballs and shit! This
spurred me into visiting various
Castlevania games that I had
missed in my hiatus from the
series: Order of Ecclesia, Rondo
of Blood, Aria of Sorrow and
many more titles sated my blood
lust for some whippy stabby
action.
When Lords of Shadow came
around I very nearly creamed
myself with excitement, though
I was slightly apprehensive with
the series’ direction shifting
from traditional 2D gameplay to
3D. These apprehensions quickly
packed their bags and fucked
off after I managed to get some
hands-on time during gamescom
of 2010. The smoothness of
the combat coupled with the
fantastic storyline and acting
talent behind the characters just
made me salivate pure bacon
grease in anticipation, then when
I managed to get my hands on
the completed game I literally
became a recluse in my own
home.
My soul and free time were being
consumed by this tremendous
game, hanging on every word
from Begbie (Trainspotting) and
Captain Jean Luc Picard of the
U.S.S Enterprise as they marched
forward slaying demon after
demon in order to conquer the
lords of shadow themselves. Now
I sit here, waiting patiently for
the release of Lords of Shadow 2,
knowing that the game will blow
my bollocks off with ease and I’ll
enjoy every damn moment of it.
I have to admit that since Super
Castlevania IV, and the NES
encounters, it was a number
of years before I sampled the
delights of another Draculaslaying romp-a-thon, due to
Articles
Articles
Interview with Lords of Shadow Producer, Dave Cox
Ross managed to ask Dave Cox, Producer of the LoS Series some questions
about upcoming game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadows 2.
By Ross D. Brown
G: At 28 years
o l d ,
the Castlevania series has to
be among the longest lasting
and most prolific games series
of all time. What is it about
Castlevania that you think
gives it long lasting appeal and
staying power?
GameOn:
My
favourite
question, and one I ask
everyone whenever I get to do
an interview. For newcomers
and those unfamiliar with the
title, can you describe your
game in five words (or less)?
Dave Cox: Epic Vampire series’
stunning conclusion!
D: It’s a series that, at its core,
has a fantastic premise: ‘hero
with weapon fights vampires’.
From that germ of an idea, it can
be extrapolated into anything.
The worlds that have been
created over the years have been
inventive and the ongoing story
continues to intrigue. I’ve always
loved the series, so when the
opportunity came up to move it
forward I knew exactly where I
wanted to take it and what to do
with it in terms of content and
gameplay.
G: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
was a game that achieved
significant critical acclaim
and was well received by both
series fans and newcomers.
However, no game is without its
flaws. What criticisms did you
take on board based on Lords
of Shadow, and how have you
used the feedback from that
game to make improvements
to Lords of Shadow 2?
D: We are our harshest critics,
and as soon as work finished
on the last one, we knew exactly
what needed addressing. We
wanted a bigger sense of scale,
so hence the new free camera
was essential, we wanted to
remove the linearity s went for
an open world environment,
and we wanted to reduce the
QTEs. We also wanted the titan
elements to be more integral tot
he levels – part of them even –
which is demonstrated early on
with the siege titan, where you So in this game we play Gabriel
physically play your way up it.
Belmont, and he’s a vampire.
Specifically, he is Dracula, who
G:
Combo-based
fighting is generally seen as a bad guy.
games have proven extremely But, in the game, he’s fighting
popular of late, with several against all sorts of monsters
excellent titles such as God of and baddies. So - is Dracula the
War: Ascension , DmC: Devil bad guy in this?.. Or the good
May Cry and Darksiders II guy?... Or somewhere sort of in
being released over the last the middle?
couple of years. What does
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow D: Not everything is black and
2 have that makes it stand out white. Yes, you are the most
against these other titles and reviled Vampire of all time, but
appeal to players?
Lords of Shadow shows there
create this beautiful world and, a
lot of the time, the fixed camera
did it no justice. When we wanted
to move it to modern times and
a city that is tainted with evil, we
wanted the player to see exactly
what was at stake and what they
had to explore.
"We started this story
on the current gen, so it
is fitting it ends here!"
D: Evil is timeless. We wanted
to show that, no matter what
technology does or brings, evil
can infiltrate anywhere – and
gives evil forces better means to
do so. Vampires do not respect
progress, and we wanted to
show how the original castle has
tainted the modern world, with
its dark powers effecting the look
and feel of the modern world.
Plus, a good fish out of water
story, is always a great hook!
D: Because it doesn’t focus on
that one element. CVLoS2 is an
epic mix of combat, character
development, puzzle solving,
and exploration. It doesn’t tie
the player to one route, and
actively urges them to explore
to build up Dracula’s abilities
as they progress. This is not
a hack’n’slash game by any
accounts. There is combat, but
just mashing buttons will get you
nowhere – timing and not getting
hit bring their own reward.
G: So we’re a little confused…
is a tragic history there. He is
bored of immortality, but driven
by urges he cannot control. He
is offered redemption, though,
if he can take ion an arguably
greater evil...
G: What drove the decision to
move from the more linear
progression of the last game,
to the open world in this one?
What additional challenges
did this introduce to the
development process?
G: What drove the decision to
move the story into a modern
day setting, and in what way
does this impact on the style
and gameplay compared to the
first Lords of Shadow?
G: Any plans for Castlevania
on the new generation of
hardware? Can you tell us
anything about those plans?
D: We started this story on the
current gen, so it is fitting it ends
D: We worked really hard to here!
Reviews
Reviews
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Review
Release Dates
Publisher: MercurySteam
Developer: Konami
Genre: Action-advenuture
Platform: PC, X360, PS3
The following is our 2010 review
of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.
F
or the first time in 25 years
of Castlevania, the franchise
is wiping the slate clean and
heading down a path which is
unfamiliar for the series. Touted
as a reboot, Castlevania: Lords of
Shadow is a 3D action adventure
title, opting for more of a hackand-slash style of gameplay
rather than the 2D platformer
we’ve all become accustomed to
over the years.
As this is a brand new direction,
the storyline for this title has no
correlation or association to the
existing storyline of the eternal
struggle of the Belmont family
against the dark lord himself,
Dracula. Not even Alucard, the
star of what is arguably the
best Castlevania title to date,
Symphony of the Night, makes
an appearance in the fresh look
5 October 2010 (USA)
8 October 2010 (EU)
16 December 2010 (Japan)
By Gary Durston
of this game. So, all that you
may have learned or know of
Castlevania is best left at the title
screen, and this world should be
entered with a completely empty
mind. Gabriel Belmont is about
to take you upon an epic, epic
journey.
Gabriel is a member of the
Brotherhood of Light, a holy
order tasked with keeping the
order between good and evil;
protecting the world against
lycanthropes, trolls, vampires
for his love of mountains and
the high places of the World.
As well as being a member
of the Brotherhood, he’s on a
personal quest against the Lords
of Shadow to resurrect his slain
sweetheart, Marie.
Castle-Bayonetta-May-Cry-Of
War, sets you on a very linear
path of typical go here, fight this
and find that relic to complete the
level, with very little deviation to
explore. This means item hunting
will be very minimal indeed.
"Castle-Bayonetta-MayCry-Of-War, sets you
on a very linear path"
and annoying little devil-batthings that hurl fiery bombs of
irritation at you. Gabriel is not a
true Belmont; having been left
as an orphan child on the order’s
doorstep, he has took the name
Upgrades for your ‘Combat Cross’
(Belmont’s primary weapon) are
either part of the mission path,
or only available after revisiting
a level when you have gained
the appropriate skill to pass
an obstacle, while secondary
weapons are collected via items
dropped by defeated enemies.
While the levels do branch off
from time-to-time, they all lead
to the same end point to progress
further in the game. This may
deter hardened Castlevania
players, who may be used to
the open ended nature of older
titles - since Symphony of the
Night took the franchise into
the realms of RPG. However, the
linear mission structure actually
does an admirable job in driving
the story behind the reboot.
In an effort to break up the
‘Hack n’ Slash’ moments in the
game,
Castlevania
will have you scaling
walls, swinging over
crevasses and solve
basic puzzles. The
pace of at which these
sections have been set
out seems to have hit
a sweet spot, as you’re
not constantly battling
enemies or forever
wandering aimlessly.
You get a sense of true
progression through
levels and rarely have
moments of being
hopelessly lost.
will earn experience points, which
can then be used to purchase
new combo abilities for Gabriel.
These will give our protagonist
bigger combos, harder hitting
attacks, and generally make him
a force to be reckoned with.
Additionally Gabriel has access
to both Light and Shadow magic,
which further augments his
abilities.
While Light magic is active you
can regain lost health, as each
hit you perform on a monster
will steal some HP from him.
Also you can use Light magic to
unleash huge holy attacks which
stun groups of enemies, allowing
you some breathing space.
Shadow magic will increase
your overall damage with your
Combat Cross, as well as adding
an explosive element to your
throwing daggers. You can also
purchase extra abilities for your
Light and Shadow magic moveset, which really does become
necessary later in the game.
To replenish these magic meters
you have to absorb neutral
energy orbs dropped by slain
enemies. There are also fountains
in some levels that allow you to
fully restock on these magical
elements.
As
you
advance
through the game you
Reviews
Reviews
Lords of Shadow Concept Art
Scarecrow Concept Model
Reviews
Reviews
Additionally, if you are able to
chain together a number of
combo hits without receiving
any damage you fill up a
concentration meter. When full,
all hits made against enemy
characters will cause them to
drop the natural orbs onto the
battlefield. Successfully being
able to sustain this meter will
allow Gabriel to either constantly
use Light or Shadow magic, as
there will be an abundance of
raw materials to absorb.
For a 3D game of this style, it’s
unusual to have a fixed camera
which cannot be altered by
the player. While this works
reasonably well on the most part,
there will be times when you just
wish you could pan around to
spot that grappling point, or that
hidden passage to some loot.
This fixed camera also confuses
the controls, particularly when
it changes angles while you are
still moving.
featuring beautiful architecture
and gorgeous design overall.
Each level has its own distinct
feel and look to it, making sure
that you will never be bored
by the visuals. The further you
travel along Gabriel’s storyline
the more your jaw drops at the
their beloved soundtrack is not
present in this title, opting for a
completely new musical set to
accompany this new reboot. The
soundtrack does really add to
the atmosphere of Castlevania,
yet a little part of me wished
to hear Dracula’s Castle theme
from Symphony of the Night in
this new title.
"Unfortunately
this level of visual
nerdgasm takes its
toll on the Xbox 360"
However, this is a fairly small
annoyance in what is such
a beautiful game. Belmont’s
path will take you through
absolutely
stunning
vistas,
scenery, and there is no denying
that developers, Mercury Steam,
have done an outstanding job
here.
Unfortunately this level of
visual nerdgasm takes its toll
on the Xbox 360, and you will
notice frame-rate issues during
cutscenes or moments of intense
fighting against a high number
of opponents. That being said
it does not drop to unplayable
levels of stutter, and since it’s
mainly during cutscenes when
this is noticeable, it is not really
a game killer. No doubt this will
be another tool in the Xbox/
PS3 wars, as this title does run
noticeably better on Sony’s
hardware.
Now, an epic game such as
this would not be complete
without some epic voice talent
behind the roles of the various
in game characters. Our
protagonist, Gabriel Belmont,
is voiced by Robert Carlyle
(Begbie - Trainspotting), while
fellow Brotherhood member
Zobek has the talents of Sir
Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean
Luc Picard - Star Trek), who also
does the narration for the game.
Voicing the Dark Lord himself,
Satan, is Jason Isaacs (Lucius
Malfoy - Harry Potter). Fans
of the Castlevania series may
be disappointed to know that
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is
a well rounded package, which
will offer hour upon hour of
enjoyment to those who pick
this up. From the epic vistas, to
the superb voice acting and the
20 hours or so of game-time
through its 12 chapters, each of
which vary between two and ten
levels, there is plenty to absorb
from an awesome reboot of
the franchise. Die-hard fans of
previous titles may find it a bitter
pill to swallow that their beloved
2D platformer has now gone 3D
and in a new direction, but I urge
you to leave your reservations
behind and at least give the new
game some time. I’m sure you
will not be disappointed.
9/10
Previews
Previews
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Preview
Release Dates
Developer: Konami
Genre: Action-Adventure
B
efore even beginning to
recount this hands-on
experience of Castlevania:
Lords of Shadow 2, it’s only fair
to begin with a spoiler warning.
As a direct sequel to Lords of
Shadow, its associated DLC
and its 3DS companion Lords
of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, the
story is so utterly interlinked that
the first sentence of the next
paragraph could prejudice the
story you’ll find in that game. If
you think you are going to play
either of those titles before you
consider Lords of Shadow 2,
then perhaps you want to come
back to this preview once you
are done. Don’t say you weren’t
warned.
25 February 2014 (USA)
28 February 2014 (EU/UK)
By Ross D. Brown
(LoS2) follows in the footsteps
of 2010’s successful Castlevania
reboot, placing the character
in the handsome shoes of
protagonist Gabriel Belmont,
who now goes by the rather
recognisable alias of ‘Dracula’.
Following on from the previous
DLCs, and as revealed in Mirror
of Fate, Gabriel is a lot more
vampiric than in the previous
game.
demo, however, took place in
events prior to this; during a
prologue in which his castle is
under siege by the Brotherhood
of Light.
The demo immediately thrust
the vampire into combat against
a large number of foes, which
provided the perfect opportunity
to get to grips with the game’s
robust combat system. The
fighting is largely combo-based,
and heavily reliant on switching
LoS2 will predominantly take between the various weapons in
place in a modern day setting, the player arsenal.
following Dracula rising from a
centuries-long period of sleep, The default weapon is the
as he fights to prevent the Shadow Whip: a medium speed
imminent return of Satan. The attack with a bit of range to
it. This weapon proved to be
effective against the majority of
the enemy types in the room, and
mixing it up with a combination
of light, strong and area effect
attacks proved relatively efficient
against large groups.
Stringing successful attacks
together, whilst dodging and
blocking enemy attacks, will build
up the ‘focus meter’. Once this is
fully charged, any further attacks
against enemies will cause them
to drop blood orbs which, when
collected, provide a source of
‘Void Magic’.
empty, it cannot be equipped.
However, if a player is skilful
enough and avoids being hit, the
focus meter can be maintained
even while using the Void Sword
and enemies will continue to
drop blood orbs, meaning that,
in theory, the weapon can be
used indefinitely.
These magic resources are tied
to the use of the second weapon,
the Void Sword, which is a short
range, fast attack weapon that,
when used, will drain health
from enemies and gradually fill
up Dracula’s own health meter.
Using this weapon drains Void
Magic and, if the magic meter is
Combining these two weapons
was sufficient to get through the
early stages of battle inside the
castle, but after a while tougher
enemies began to appear
with thick armour and shields.
This required the use of the
Chaos Gloves, the final weapon
available in the demo. Using
the Chaos Gloves felt slow and
clumsy compared to the other
two options, but the sheer power
was capable of smashing through
enemy defences, draining huge
amounts of health and stunning
opponents during combat.
All three weapons have their uses,
and their own combos to exploit,
but the strength of the combat
system is best demonstrated
when everything is tied together
at once; with weapon switching,
dodges, blocks, counters and
brutal, blood-drinking finishing
moves all flowing naturally into
each other.
"The demo immediately
thrust the vampire
into combat against a
large number of foes"
Previews
Previews
Dracula Concept Art
Dracula Concept Art
Previews
Previews
and control the camera angle;
something lacking from its
predecessor and one of the
few things to attract negative
critical comments in that title.
It certainly seems that such
criticism has been taken into
account and addressed during
the development of LoS2.
When
properly
controlled,
Dracula is an agile killing
machine. He leaps around the
battlefield, dodging enemy
attacks and seamlessly switching
between weapons mid-fight, to
exploit enemy weaknesses and
perform complex and deadly
combos. It’s a faced-paced and
elegant system that hits that
perfect sweet spot of being easy
to use, but hard to master.
After clearing the room of
invaders, the Dark Prince moved
further into the castle and
engaged in a bit of platforming
action, clambering through
the crumbling ruins, traversing
collapsing walls and leaping over
deep crevasses.
There was little danger of getting
lost in these sections, as the
route was clearly signposted
by swarms of bats, whose flight
patterns showed where to find
handholds and which direction
to travel in.
While it is true that this
does provide an element of
‘handholding’, it actually proves
to be a useful system that
prevents the false obstacles
that come with getting lost, and
therefore places the emphasis
solely on the player’s skill in
traversing the obstacles in their
path.
Following this section, as
Dracula emerged from the castle
interior, he had first glimpse of
the Siege Titan assaulting the
castle. This enormous mobile
fortress loomed over him, but
before any thought could be put
towards how to tackle this giant
robotic humanoid, a Golden
Paladin attacked. This dualsword wielding, armour-clad
behemoth put up quite the fight,
as he leaped around the area
delivering punishing attacks.
Following a short skirmish, the
Paladin retreated to the relative
safety of the Titan.
Unwilling to let the golden warrior
escape, Dracula gave pursuit
during a lengthy and actionpacked platform sequence, in
which he had to scale the mighty
Titan while it continued the
assault upon his castle. The climb
Worthy of specific note is that was made all the more difficult
these sections benefited from by the constant harassment of
the player’s ability to manipulate the Golden Paladin, who was
attacking from afar with explosive
arrows. Further problems were
caused by regular enemy battles
as they emerged from the Titan
itself, in an attempt to thwart his
ascent.
This sequence was notable for
its impressive cinematics and
special effects, as the ground
underfoot literally shifted and
altered as the Titan moved,
requiring quick reactions and
sending many enemies tumbling
to their deaths.
After a long climb, and despite
the best efforts of the Golden
Paladin and his explosive bow
attacks, the goal was finally
within reach. At the summit, the
pursuer decided it was time to
end the game of cat and mouse
and face the vampire directly.
On a personal note, it has to
be admitted that after being
hounded and frustrated by this
opponent for the duration of
the climb, I was eager to get my compliment that can be given to
hands on him and teach him a any game based on a preview;
lesson.
when
the
demonstration
ended there was genuinely
The Paladin landed with his disappointment,
and
the
swords in hand, ready for battle. desperate desire to continue
The dark protagonist readied his playing. If the demo played is
own weapons and prepared for indicative of the final product,
the final, epic, showdown… and then Castlevania: Lords of
that is where the demo ended.
Shadow 2 promises to be a
brilliantly realised game, and a
There may have been swearing. high point in the history of the
This is perhaps the biggest Castlevania franchise.
Reviews
Reviews
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Review
Developer: Konami
Genre: Action-advenuture
Release Dates
28 February 2014 (EU/UK)
We currently have a review
of Castlevania: Lords of
Shadow 2, however; it is under
embargo until 25th February.
We will add in and re-compile the
magazine once this embargo has
lifted so please check back at
http://gameonmag.com
for the updated version!
Brothers: The Thoughts of Two Gamers
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Release Dates:
28 February 2014 (EU)
28 February 2014 (UK)
Issue 48 • October 2013

Castlevania - GameOn Magazine

Transcription

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