Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

The player character Gabriel can use the Combat Cross to swing across gaps.

Lords of Shadow is a third-person action-adventure game in which the player controls the main character, Gabriel Belmont.[6][7][8] The combat involves a retractable chain whip called the Combat Cross. The player can perform up to forty unlockable combos with it.[7] The commands consist of direct attacks for dealing damage to single enemies, and weak area attacks when surrounded by them. It is also capable of interactions with secondary weapons, such as knives, holy water and other items which can be upgraded.[7] In addition, the Combat Cross's melee skills can be combined with the Light and Shadow magic system, which are spells aimed at defense and aggression, respectively.[7][9] The whip is upgradeable[9] and can also be used to guard against an opponent's attack.[7]

The developers attempted to reach out to new audiences by distancing Lords of Shadow from previous Castlevania games, but kept some elements intact to not alienate franchise fans.[10] For example, vampires and werewolves are recurring enemies in the game, but other existing enemies include trolls, giant spiders and goblin-like creatures. The enemies can be defeated for experience points, which can be used to purchase combos or to augment the player's abilities further.[11] Lords of Shadow has large-scale bosses known as titans. The Combat Cross can be used to grapple onto their bodies and navigate them, and break the runes that animate the titan.[7][10]

Similar to the original Castlevania titles, platforming and puzzles are a key component and are featured in fifty levels.[6][7] The player can control Gabriel to jump most distances, dash or hold his balance above fatal pits.[7] The Combat Cross can be used for exploration purposes like scaling walls, rappelling and swinging across gaps.[12] Some sequences of the game require the player to solve physical puzzles or brain teasers. Alternatively, moving certain objects can set off chain reactions and open paths to new areas. Activating switches can also assist against traps.[7] The player can explore the levels in order to find hidden items, which can increase health or magic abilities. These items are "gems"; there are three types, including life gems, light gems and dark gems. These can increase life endurance, light magical ability and dark magical ability, respectively.[7][11]

Castlevania was rebooted due to the Konami's concern over the poor sales of contemporary Castlevania games. The team wished to expand the franchise's fanbase with this installment.[28] A number of prototypes in parallel development competed to become the next Castlevania title. Konami told MercurySteam the game would be an original intellectual property (IP) when it was first greenlit as a Castlevania title.[29] Konami eventually asked them to cease work on Lords of Shadow while it was still in its early stages, until David Cox showed the Japanese senior management the game and was offered help by video game designer Hideo Kojima.[30] Konami then chose the pitch for it as the next Castlevania entry.[9][16] The original concept for the game was to remake the first Castlevania starring Simon Belmont, but it was later decided to make a reboot of the franchise.[31] Lords of Shadow still drew inspiration from earlier titles in the series, most notably Castlevania for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Castlevania IV.[10]

Kojima's input included advising Cox's team to redesign some of the lead character, Gabriel, who he felt needed a "more heroic face".[32] Originally, Gabriel's design resembled a classic barbarian,[29] before Kojima then advised the staff to refine him into a character that was more relatable for the player.[33] Cox mentioned that the voice acting provided by Robert Carlyle helped humanize Gabriel's character.[34] Kojima also oversaw the Japanese localization of the game, employing a number of voice actors from the Japanese versions of Metal Gear Solid.[35] Cox stated that Kojima otherwise allowed MercurySteam a lot of freedom with the project.[10] MercurySteam wanted to depart from the art style of the other games in favour of one that was darker. Cox said, "The old games had this boyish depiction of vampires and monsters and we wanted them to have a darker edge this time around."[18] VideoGamer.com drew comparisons between the art style and Guillermo del Toro's work.[36]

The developers claimed to avoid the use of quick time events during combat, stating that they distracted the player from the action, but the game features many instances of them.[18][37] When the game was 60% complete, MercurySteam was aiming for 30 frames per second performance, as opposed to 60 frames, which the company said was not a priority at that stage.[10] The game reached gold status following an announcement on Twitter made by David Cox on September 9, 2010. The game's two downloadable content (DLC) episodes, Reverie and Resurrection, were released in February 2011 and June 2011 respectively to explain the twist from the story's ending.[38][39] David Cox referred to these DLC chapters as "a mistake."[28]

A port for Windows was announced in June 2013 with the subtitle of "Ultimate Edition". The downloadable content chapters are also included within the game. It was released through Steam on August 27, 2013, and in retail on August 30, 2013.[5]

During its development, Lords of Shadow was placed on several lists for most anticipated video games. GameTrailers ranked it at number 7 for "Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2010."[66] GamesRadar+ placed Lords of Shadow at number 26 for 100 Most Anticipated Games of 2010, stating that "This could be a megaton release." 1UP.com's top 50 most anticipated games of E3 2010 ranked Lords of Shadow at number 17.[67] Despite the heavy anticipation, Cox noted there was still a small number of fans who did not like the game's transition to the 3D format. He stated, "Fair enough, some people aren't going to like what we're doing and we accept that but generally what we're trying to do is bring the fans with us ... there's no point in going back and making the same game again – the point is to make a clean break and move forward with the series."[61]

Reaction to Lords of Shadow was highly positive.[62] 1UP.com's review praised how the game took elements from other series and executed them well.[50] GamesRadar+ drew favorable comparisons to other action games it has given a perfect score, including God of War III, Bayonetta and Dante's Inferno, while praising it for being "huge in scope, length, and depth, and it's polished with obvious love and passion".[58] Official Xbox Magazine lauded the size of the game's content, writing "... [it] is big. Actually, big's too little a word. It's monolithic... From the Resi 4 mood of the scarecrow puzzle to the unexpected oddity of the music box level, this is a game that seemingly hasn't heard of DLC – and decides to offer you immense value for money instead." The publication concluded it was otherwise a success.[63] Other reviews noted that it was derivative of other games and that it was unlike the classic Castlevania series.[60] GameSpot's review calls the game "a good start for a series in need of some new blood – so to speak – it's just unfortunate so much of it comes from other games and not an original source."[56] IGN found the combat repetitive but felt the puzzles and platforming provided good pacing.[60] Game Informer's Tim Turi praised its boss battles, its magic-based combat system, and its story.[68] GameZone ranked it as the sixth best Castlevania title. The staff praised the developers' success at bringing Castlevania to 3D.[69]

Xbox World 360 awarded the game the "Star Player Accolade" in 2010.[65] GamesMaster also gave it the "Gold Award."[65]

The game was a commercial success. By November 2010 Konami had shipped one million copies in North America and Europe. Despite not achieving a high rank on the sales chart, Konami was satisfied with the game's sales considering the budget it had and the staff's intentions.[70] The game also became the best-selling Castlevania game, which resulted in Konami's request to produce more titles.[71] Because of the game's success, Lords of Shadow is seen as the start of a possible second golden age of Spanish software.[72][73]

On May 29, 2012, Nintendo Power magazine revealed a sequel to Lords of Shadow for the Nintendo 3DS was in development by MercurySteam, titled Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate. The game takes place 25 years after Lords of Shadow and features 2.5D gameplay. It follows Trevor Belmont, Simon Belmont, Alucard and Gabriel Belmont at different points in history.[74]

On May 31, 2012, Konami announced the sequel at E3 2012, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. The game stars Gabriel as Dracula while he seeks to regain his lost powers in order to fight the Belmonts and the return of Satan. Mirror of Fate has a climax that sets up the events of Lords of Shadow 2.[75]

• Official website