Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is the next Castlevania game, for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. It is developed by Mercury Steam and published by Konami. Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid) is an advisor, taking the Castlevania series into a new horizon according to the E3 Press Conference. The game is intended to be self-contained re-boot of the series, and thus not part of the previous games canon.

Story
The setting of Lords of Shadow is during "the end of days". The Earth's alliance with the Heavens has been threatened by a malevolent force known as the Lords of Shadow and a powerful spell has been cast, severing the connection between the two. The souls of the deceased are unable to move on and evil creatures inhabit the dying land, and attack living people.

The main character, Gabriel Belmont voiced by Robert Carlyle (Stargate Universe), is a member of an elite group known as the "Brotherhood of Light". The group are holy knights who protect and defend innocent people against these supernatural creatures. Gabriel's wife Marie, voiced by Natasha McElhone (Californication), was brutally murdered by one of them, and her soul has been "trapped for eternity". Because she is now neither alive nor dead, she realizes what is at stake and guides Gabriel towards his destiny to save the world. She contacts the old man of the forest, Pan, and Pan relays to the brotherhood that Gabriel's late wife wishes to speak with him. Gabriel is dispatched to the forest, with questions on his mind. He travels the destroyed land, meeting other characters such as Zobek, voiced by Patrick Stewart (X-Men Trilogy) and defeats numerous threats while searching for the three factions of the Lords of Shadow to defeat them. Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter Series) also lends his voicing talents to the game, most likely as a main antagonist, rumored to be the series antagonist Dracula. Two mysterious masks, the god and devil masks, lie at the centre of the plot with one of the mask's powers being able to supposedly resurrect the dead. Revealed characters with unknown voices include Claudia, The Sword Master and The Lady of the Forest.

Voice casting

 * Gabriel - Robert Carlyle
 * Marie - Natasha McElhone
 * Zobek - Patrick Stewart
 * Claudia - Emma Ferguson
 * Laura - Grace Vance
 * Carmilla - Sally Knyvette
 * Cornell - Richard Ridings
 * Abbot Dorin - Adrian Schiller
 * Baba Yaga - Eve Karpf
 * Pan - Aleksander Mikic
 * ??? - Jason Isaacs

Gameplay
According to a recent IGN interview, the game is currently running on a proprietry Mercury Steam Engine and has been described as a third person action adventure title with combat, platforming and puzzle elements. The combat will be similar to that of the God of War series, utilising a retractable pyrokinetic chain whip called, "The Combat Cross". The commands consist of short range and long range attacks, and interactions with other items in the player's inventory such as knives, stakes, holy water and other potential environmental weapons, such as a fragile wooden hammer. The whip is used not only for combat, but also for exploration purposes like scaling walls and swinging across gaps. The whip is supposedly going to be controlled by the right analogue stick with the camera being fixed at all times. The developers have tried to reach out to new audiences by distancing this game from previous Castlevania games, but have kept some elements intact as to not alienate current fans. For example, vampires and werewolves are recurring enemies in the game, but other existing enemies include trolls, giant spiders, goblin-like creatures and large scale, fully interactive bosses reminiscent to those of Shadow of the Colossus. This includes the large ice titan shown many times in trailers. As the game is now "60% complete", the developers are aiming for 30 frames per second performance, as opposed to the standard 60 FPS, which isn't a priority at this stage. The official game website displays the Xbox Live and PSN logos near the bottom of the page, suggesting some sort of online interaction or DLC possibilities.

Production History
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was originally announced during the 2008 Games Convention in Leipzig in August. It was announced to the public without the "Castlevania" title, however, so as not to upstage Castlevania: Judgment, which was being shown at the time. The game was later revealed to be a Castlevania title during the 2009 E3 Conference in June. An updated trailer shown at the 2009 Gamescom in August showed a clip which strongly implied that the antagnonist was in fact Dracula, however, this was not confirmed for certain in later interviews. Recently according to Dave Cox's twitter page Gabriel has been confirmed as a Belmont. He also stated that the Combat Cross would not replace the Vampire Killer that the Belmont Clan has used in previous games and as well as stating that the game takes place in 11th century 1047 predating the events of Lament of Innocence, though Dave Cox has stated that the game does not follow the established timeline. .

Press Releases
Konami unveils details of incredible new 3D action-adventure title from European Product Planning department

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has used Europe’s leading video game event, the annual Games Convention in Leipzig, to unveil a landmark new title for PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360 from its European Product Planning department entitled Lords of Shadow, which is due for release in 2010.

Developed by Madrid-based Mercury Steam, Lords of Shadow is a stunning new action-adventure IP, boasting an incredible level of visual detail and far-ranging gameplay. Set in Southern Europe during the middle ages, Lords of Shadow has beautifully-realised locales that play host to an epic battle between good and evil. This is a story of one man’s journey to discover the true meaning of sacrifice amidst murder and betrayal.

Best described as a dark fairy tale, Lords of Shadow casts the player as the mysterious Gabriel. At its heart it is a vast third-person-viewed adventure, but combat and puzzle solving also play a major part in the main quest, while dark artifacts can be used to enhance Gabriel’s powers.

Lords of Shadow also utilises a unique multi-functional weapon system called the Combat Cross™, wherein Gabriel’s favored armament can serve a multitude of purposes. For ranged attacks, an extendible chain can cause major carnage but also grip enemies, for melee the Combat Cross™ can be extended into a stabbing weapon, or changed into a heavier night stick style device for defensive capabilities.

With a play area that spans forest glades, underground catacombs and snowy wastelands, Lords of Shadow is a key title for Konami. It represents the most ambitious offering from the European Product Planning department to date, with the beautiful visuals married to fine-tuned gameplay that features a wide range of monstrous enemies and huge, screen-filling boss creatures.

“Lords of Shadow is a momentous title for us,” commented Dave Cox, Executive Producer and Head of Product Planning for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “Every element of the game pushes the host hardware to its limits, with Mercury Steam producing a game that has breath-taking visuals, incredible cinematic qualities, and varied and engrossing gameplay. It is truly an epic game but telling a human and emotive story. This is a title we hope will set a new standard for action-adventure titles.”

Lords of Shadow will be released for PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360 in 2010.

Konami takes the Castlevania series in a bold, new direction as European Product Planning team unites with Mercury Steam and Kojima Productions to deliver an epic fantasy adventure!

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has used the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) event in Los Angeles to premiere the first footage of a brand new Castlevania title: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Developed by Madrid-based Mercury Steam, the game also marks a ‘dream’ development collaboration with Konami’s lauded Kojima Productions studio, led by Hideo Kojima.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be released in 2010 for Playstation 3|PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360 and will open a new era for the Castlevania mythology. Konami has worked to take the long-running series in brave new directions with a fresh and radical re-imagining, and the result is an epic tale of love and loss that befits the series.

Shown previously as Lords of Shadow in summer 2008 with a short teaser, Konami has kept under wraps its intention to radically take the Castlevania myth in a bold new direction until now. Konami has used E3 to showcase what it considers one of its most ambitious and innovative titles to date and reveal how it will present Castlevania to a wider audience of players hungry for genre-defining entertainment.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow takes place at the end of days. The Earth’s alliance with the Heavens has been threatened by a dark and malevolent force – the mysterious Lords of Shadow – darkness reigns the world. Across this shattered land, the souls of the dead wander unable to find peace, whilst creatures of evil roam free wreaking chaos and death upon the living.

Gabriel is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who protect and defend the innocent against the supernatural. His beloved wife was brutally murdered by the evil forces of darkness and her soul trapped for eternity. Neither living nor dead she realises the horrific truth of what is at stake and guides Gabriel to his destiny – and hopefully salvation for the world… but at what cost?

Thus, Gabriel must travel the destroyed world, defeating the evil tyrants in order to use their powers to bring balance back to the world. Armed with the versatile Combat Cross™ – the world’s last hope must encounter the three factions of the Lords of Shadow and end their unholy rule.

Mercury Steam has created a rich, open game world that traverses snowy mountain ranges, Gothic castles, and undead-strewn wastelands in a devastated Southern Europe during the Middle Ages. The production is being overseen by the European Product Planning office with advice and support from Kojima Productions. This multi-cultural dream collaboration will move the Castlevania brand to a whole new level, with rich storytelling, innovative gameplay and state-of-the-art technical elements brought together to form a revolutionary new direction for a modern 3D fantasy action epic.

Konami is premiering Castlevania: Lords of Shadow with a stunning trailer detailing the expansive nature of the game and its unique combat elements. It will also introduce the game’s stunning voice acting cast, with Gabriel voiced by Robert Carlyle (Stargate Universe, 28 Weeks Later, Trainspotting, The Full Monty), and Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: Next Generation) as the mysterious Zobek. Natasha McElhone (The Other Boleyn Girl, Californication, The Truman Show) and Jason Isaacs (Black Hawk Down, The Patriot, Harry Potter series) round off the talent.

"Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will take the Castlevania series into brave, uncharted territories, and is a breath-taking adventure that boasts stunning aesthetics, deep and challenging game play, and a truly inspirational voice cast to deliver the games dramatic depth", commented Dave Cox, Producer on the title and Head of Product Planning for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. "We are also delighted to be working with Kojima Productions who have supported the development of the game and our intended goals with their keen vision and expertise," he added. "This is a world's first! A dream team up between a western development studio and one of Japan's most revered and innovative creators".

"We at Mercury Steam are pushing the envelope of today's technology. Our goal is to create an incredible piece that will answer many people's hopes and desires of what a next generation Castlevania game should be," said Enric Alvarez, Studio Head at Mercury Steam.

"Kojima Productions had learned the differences of western development teams and Japanese studios" added Ken Imaizumi, Senior Producer of Kojima Productions. "Mercury Steam is definitely one of the most talented studios in the world. We quickly agreed that we should work together and exchange ideas and knowhow across the board. We have full trust that the next generation Castlevania experience will deliver a high quality intense experience worthy of the Kojima Productions name and we are proud that this title will mark a new global direction for Konami as a company dedicated to breaking new ground in digital entertainment."

Related Products

 * Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Original Soundtrack - the soundtrack for this game
 * Castlevania: Lords of Shadow collector edition - collector edition of this game


 * Castlevania (PS3-XBox360) - Another Castlevania game (unnamed) for the Playstation 3 and XBox-360 featuring Alucard
 * Super Castlevania IV - The "Bible" for the development of this game

External Videos
thumb|left|300px|Castlevania Lords of Shadow trailer from E3 2009

thumb|right|300px|Castlevania Lords of Shadow trailer from E3 2010