JBoc924Dracula is synonymous with the Castlevania franchise, so it’s no surprise that he’s in Castlevania Lords of Shadow, even though the game’s producer Dave Cox seems to always dodge that question in interviews. In one form or another, The Prince of Darkness will make an appearance in the game, releasing next Tuesday. There are rumors that perhaps Gabriel Belmont, the game’s protagonist, will take on the form of Dracula by game’s end. Many clues are provided that lend themselves to this conclusion, but we’ll just have to wait and see. Tonight’s article will look at this very possibility. Could Gabriel become the sworn enemy of his own descendants?
Without going to deep into the mythology, for simplicity’s sake, Dracula as we have come to know him was born out of the loss of his love. He turned on all humanity and englufed himself in a life of darkness, become the Lord of Darkness we all know him as today. We’ve seen this tale beautifully adapted in Bram Stroker’s Dracula.
In the Castlevania franchise, Dracula has always been the main threat and the source of all the evils facing the many protagonists. Here’s an excerpt from his character entry in Castlevania Wiki:
The Dracula of Castlevania is loosely based on Bram Stoker’s character, which was in turn based on the infamous Vlad Tepes of Wallachia. TheCastlevania Dracula draws some history from both, but instead of preying on maidens this one threatens whole realms with his armies at the least, and at worst is presented as the very embodiment of evil.
Dracula did not receive much characterization in the earlier games of the Castlevania series, but in later games he is depicted as arrogant, disdainful of humanity (whom he regards as petty and greedy), and somewhat abusive towards his own minions.
His right-hand-man, so to speak, is Death most of the time. And as the above excerpt indicates he unleashes whole armies of creatures of the night. There wouldn’t be need for a Castlevania game is this wasn’t the case. And it all makes for quite an entertaining experience regardless of which title in the series you play, you’re bound to have a memorable time. This will most likely be the case once players reach him in Lords of Shadow. But what form will he take?
Seeing as how this is a reboot, he might look different than versions of him we’ve seen before. Below you’ll find screen-caps that I’ve taken of every glimpse of Dracula we’ve gotten, including ones from tonight’s 11 minute gameplay video.
The hooded figure in each of the above images is without a doubt, Dracula. But, is it Gabriel? Gabriel lost his love, and is on a quest to finding the means to resurrect her. There’s also the lingering prophecy that “a pure hearted warrior will claim the power of the Lords of Shadow as his own” . Everything seems to fit. My opinion? Yes, Gabriel will in fact become Dracula himself. And it’ll be interesting to see how this changes things in the timeline, perhaps a follow-up game will be released with Simon or Trevor serving as the protagonist? What do you guys think? Please leave you theories below on the comments or on our facebook page. Have a good night!
