Ever since it was officially unveiled last year before the start of E3 2012, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 has been building a good amount of buzz. And for good reason. It’s doing a lot of things differently than we’re used to in the series, including putting us in control of the bad guy – in this case, Gabriel Belmont, who is slowly becoming the next iteration of Dracula – and putting the settings in a more contemporary time, even though there will still be plenty of castle dwelling to go about. Other than that, the game is sure to utilize the same exciting 3D gameplay that the original Lords of Shadow produced, since the development team that produced that masterpiece, MercurySteam, is once again at the helm.
Unfortunately, aside from some cool trailer footage at the Spike Video Game Awards, we haven’t seen too much of Lords of Shadow 2 in action as of yet. This coming E3 – and maybe even PAX East and GDC before that – will provide some, we’re guessing, but in the meantime, we’ve decided to pull out our ol’ “wish list” and provide Konami with a list of things we’d like to see in the second go-around. Not all of these things will make it into the final game, mind you (it is a “wish list”, after all), but it’d be pretty awesome if they managed to make the cut.
If you feel there’s something we missed in our list here, feel free to sound off and let us know. We just might revisit this topic with a rundown of your suggestions.
More Weapons
Right off the bat, let me just say that there’s nothing wrong with the Combat Cross. It worked wonders in the original game, and the way Gabriel will mix its power with a new fiery effect (as indicated in the original trailer) is bound to be startling. But what would make Lords of Shadow 2 a bit more interesting is a mix-up of secondary weaponry. Why stop at daggers? The original Castlevania games introduced several helpful tools for the Belmonts to use, from boomerangs to flame bombs to the ability to stop time for a few precious seconds. Each of these would serve as a precious commodity over the court of Gabriel’s adventure, especially when it comes to facing off against a fellow Belmont.
Vampiric Powers Aplenty
As you could see from the first trailers of the game, Gabriel has grown into a beast with his new vampiric powers, and just as you saw with his abilities in the first through Dark and Light gems, it’d be great if MercurySteam could somehow incorporate his newfound abilities into gameplay. How cool would it be to teleport behind enemies and give them the shellacking of a lifetime? How about sucking someone’s blood to regain some lost health? And then there’s that cool “smoke bat” effect, where Gabriel charged at a larger enemy, fearlessly, with a huge boost of energy. Seeing these, among other vampire-like capabilities, blended in with the whip and weapons combat would definitely be worth checking out.
Bring On the Big Bosses
The original Castlevania: Lords of Shadow didn’t hold back when it came to epic boss encounters, including a huge ice beast that took a good amount of Shadow of the Colossus-style weak point hammering in order to bring it down. And, as the first trailer for Lords of Shadow II indicated, a monstrous castle-strength beast began walking towards Gabriel near the end, after he had run down a few hundred knights. Even with its modern-day setting, MercurySteam should find a way to involve large monsters to enter the picture, ones that would challenge Gabriel’s best abilities.
For that matter, it wouldn’t hurt to see a few old faces come back into the picture, including a large bat that comes soaring in from overhead and a Medusa-like monster that shoots stone-freezing gazes at the anti-hero. There is a way to be innovative and nostalgic at the same time – we’ve seen it in games before, and it would fit right in with this sequel.
Nods To Castlevania of Old
Konami obviously remembers how well previous Castlevania games have performed, and they no doubt love the franchise just as much as the die-hard fans. With that, they should continue to throw in nods to the series’ past, as they did with one of the teaser trailers for Lords of Shadow 2, where Gabriel muttered, “What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!” (In case you forgot, that’s a line uttered in the opening sequence for the PSX release Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.) We’re not talking huge additions that would change the scope of the story, just stuff that would make old-school fans say, “Hey, that was awesome!”
A Bit More Exploration
Although the Castlevania games are mainly built for action, it never hurts to throw a role-playing element in, one that will keep players busy for a few hours while they do some exploring throughout the castle. Look how well it worked for Symphony of the Night. MercurySteam could easily find a way to do this, with secret rooms and items scattered about, and perhaps a few more options to upgrade combos and items.
And Finally, the Awesome Voice Acting
One big highlight for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow when it came out over two years ago was the stellar voice acting. Robert Carlyle did wonders as Gabriel Belmont, a man torn by torment over the loss of his beloved Marie (Natascha McElhone). And who better to narrate such proceedings than Sir Patrick Stewart, with his noble and powerful delivery?
We already know that Carlyle will be returning as Gabriel, but here’s hoping that Konami brings back McElhone in Marie-based flashbacks, as well as Stewart for more awesome narration. It wouldn’t hurt to bring in some more quality actors as well…and no, we don’t mean the ones who delivered the cheese in Symphony of the Night. (“Die, monster!”)
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will release this year for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
