Castlevania makes its 3DS Debut - Preview
by Alex St-Amour , posted on 10 June 2012 / 3,478 Views
One of the biggest upcoming Nintendo 3DS titles is without a doubt Konami’s latest entry into the fabled Castlevania franchise - Mirror Of Fate. Set 25 years after the events of the original Lords of Shadow, the game follows Trevor Belmont on his quest to stop an unknown evil. So how does the series' first foray on the Nintendo 3DS play? Read on to find out.
The game features a blend of classic 2D platforming mixed in with some 3D flare for good measure. While the demo I played only featured strictly 2D movement the camera did pan around Trevor to reveal the size of the environments and also hint at new gameplay possibilities. At its heart though Mirror Of Fate is a pure Castlevania experience; the way you explore and battle is most reminiscent to Order of Ecclesia on the Nintendo DS, definitely one of the more memorable titles in recent series history.
Aesthetically the game is based directly on Lords Of Shadow, with the environments, graphics and character design all echoing that title. I know some of you must be worried that bringing such a detail-rich game to a portable may result in a game that doesn’t look all that remarkable, so let me put those fears to rest: Mirror Of Fate features some of the smoothest and most detailed animations I have yet seen on the Nintendo 3DS. The game just oozes with the dark, eerie personality that has defined the Castlevania series for the past few decades.
In my run through of Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow: Mirror Of Fate I battled skeletons, platformed onto chandeliers and used my whip to reach new areas; all things that scream Castlevania. While a lot of the attention at the Konami booth was directed to the (other) new Castlevania game for consoles, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, it’s clear that Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow: Mirror Of Fate will be one of the 3DS’ marquee titles going forward.
