JBoc924
Only hours remain before Konami’s pre-E3 show which is set to air/stream at 10:30PM (pst)/ 1:30AM (est). We’re going to be shown trailers for both Mirror of Fate and the actual home console sequel, Lords of Shadow 2.
Thanks to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, we already have information for the 3DS title, as well as scanned images. However, we really don’t have anything but theories for the home console sequel (and the “Dragon Returns” teaser site). So keep on reading to see what I hope we’ll see in Lords of Shadow 2, as well as what my fears are.
*Again, please be warned that spoilers for Lords of Shadow may follow!*
What I want:
Simon Belmont as the main character
I love Gabriel, his story was very engaging and truly tragic, but I would love to see Mercury Steam give the lead role to another protagonist in the upcoming sequel. Perhaps a character that’s already in Mirror of Fate? If so, I would love to see none other than Simon Belmont take the spotlight.
We already know, thanks to Nintendo Power, that after 15-20 hours of gameplay, Mirror of Fate will have an ending that will directly lead into LoS 2. So here’s what I think. Despite having four playable characters, Trevor Belmont and his journey to destroy Dracula will be the main focus of the handheld game. Players will also visit other time periods when they take control of the other three characters, Simon being one of them. I’m sure Simon’s story won’t be restricted to just MoF. He deserves to be the star of his own game due to his importance in the franchise (even if this is a reimagined version of the iconic hero). And then there’s the bit about the dragon.
In the original game’s epilogue, Gabriel refers to himself as Dracul, which translates to Dragon in Romanian (correct me if I’m wrong!). He sees himself as the dragon on Earth that will make Charizard proud by spitting fire all over humanity (OK, maybe Charizard isn’t that mean…). Now let’s take a look at Simon’s attire in the art above from Mirror of Fate. That piece of armor around his waist looks like a Dragon’s head, which goes along nicely with his overall red color scheme (Chronicles hair ftw!). So the “Dragon Returns” could be referring to both the return of Gabriel (this time as the main baddie) and the classic red-haired hero, Simon, making a come-back after the events of MoF.
Remixes of classic tunes
Despite being called generic and too Hollywoody (heh, woody) to fans, I really, really loved Lords of Shadow’s soundtrack. I also loved how we got a track that beautifully remixed the “Waterfall” theme from Super Castlevania IV. Having said that, I truly hope we get to hear more classic tunes remixed by Oscar Araujo in the sequel. Oh, and how can I forget about “Vampire Killer” playing in the music box!
There’s a big selection of songs for Araujo to choose from in the series that boasts some of the best soundtracks in all of gaming. Bloody Tears and Simon’s theme are amongst the list of songs I would love to see Aruajo use his talent to remix. How epic would it be if one of those songs graced the game’s reveal trailer?
More time in the castle
Now that Gabriel is residing in the Bernhard castle (where Carmilla used to called home before being offed by him), I would love to see the next game spend a lot more time in the titular edifice. Exterior areas are fine and all, but a good chunk of the game has to take place within the eerie castle. To go along with that, I’m hoping we get a more gothic atmosphere in LoS 2 as well.
The original game was basically Dracula Begins, and it let us follow Gabriel on his journey to save his wife– which, of course, failed. He ended up becoming Dracula as we saw in the epilogue, obtaining the powers of the Forgotten One, too. Now all the pieces are set, so it’s time to have things be a bit more closer to the classic games, in terms of atmosphere and the amount of time spent in the castle, which I hope will be absolutely huge. Oh, and I would just cry of joy to see a shot of the sequel’s hero like the one above, standing in front of the menacing castle, whip in hand. It would also be quite awesome to see some of the series most notable classic monsters return as bosses, hell, maybe Carmilla is still hanging around, in spirit form, looking more like her classic (skull-riding) self as she haunts the confines of her former home. Oh, and we HAVE to fight Death in the Clock Tower. And, please, Mercury Steam, put good ol’ Slogra in there this time!
Going back to exterior areas, I would still love to see those included towards the beginning of the game. Caves and dark forests are areas I would love to traverse as the game’s protagonist (hopefully Simon) makes his way to the castle. But what if LoS 2 takes things to the modern time period we saw in the epilogue? Uh oh…
What I don’t want:
A full modern setting
The original game’s epilogue instantly made me think of the as-of-yet unplayable story of Julius fighting Dracula in 1999. I really was expecting a vampire hunter to come bursting through the door while Zobek and Gabriel were talking, or at least some tease of the man us classic-vania fans would know as Julius Belmont. That didn’t happen, but the epilogue was amazing nonetheless. Amazing, yes, but not indicative of a setting and time period I would like to see the sequel run with.
We know that eventually we’ll be playing a game within the Lords of Shadows universe set in modern times, but I don’t want Lords of Shadow 2 to be that game. It’ll be way to early to make such a big jump. And then there’s the notion of playing as Gabriel yet again. Don’t get me wrong, I love Gabriel (he’s become one of my favorite video game characters), but I think his story as a protagonist is over, now it’s time to have him working the antagonist job full-time. Again, if we do end up playing as Gabriel again, I wouldn’t be upset, I’m just hoping we get to play as another character to fight G-Dracula.
And if we do get a modern setting sooner rather than later, then please, Mercury Steam, put us in the role of Julius so we can at least play through some version of the 1999 battle. But, with Satan having such a big role in this universe, and Zobek speaking of his return, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a modern game where we play as Gabriel once again, going up against Satan and his acolytes, while the handheld games stick with telling the story of Gabe’s actual descendants. Hey, it could happen.
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What do you guys want to see in Lords of Shadow 2? We’ll get the reveal trailer in a few hours, but let’s use this time left to do some last-minute speculation!
