Some things transition well into new dimensions. “Super Mario 64” flourished in 3D, a soul group from Los Angeles got funky as The 5th Dimension and Buckaroo Banzai traveled across the 8th Dimension. Other things like “Jaws 3D,” not so much.
“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” from Konami makes a chasm-spanning leap from a 2D platformer to a 3D platformer, or is it a colossus-killer or could it be an RPG-epic, or perhaps a button-masher? The development team at Mercury Steam tossed in all the above in the latest saga of the Belmont Clan and their war against the forces of darkness.
The latest “Castlevania” game puts you in the buckle boots of Gabriel Belmont, a member of the Brotherhood of Light. He is on a quest to find out who murdered his wife and why. Along the way, her soul guides him from mission to mission.
At your disposal is a Combat Cross. This steel cross on a chain will allow you to swing, dangle, grapple, rappel along with vanquish the forces of evil. Throughout the game, the player will unlock combos and upgrade methods of attacking enemies. You can also use silver daggers, fairies and holy water to slay your foes. The game really throws a lot of ways to dispatch your enemies, almost too many ways.
As mentioned earlier, “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” tries to take the 2D platforming action of previous “Castlevania” titles and convert it into a 3D world. You'll travel inside, outside and underground. Most of the combat action works as long as the enemy stays in the background or to the side of you. Because you can't control the camera position, if enemies get into the foreground, they can disappear at the bottom of the screen and are still within striking distance. This can also be a little frustrating since some of the exits or entrances are hidden by the current environment's flora.
One of the pleasures of the game's combat is being able to saddle up a warg, giant spider or troll to accomplish that creature's unique ability (and crush a few enemies while you're at it). The game will move from button-mashing combat to a climbing platformer to colossus fight to puzzle quest. It usually keeps the game modes separate. You will also utilize Light and Shadow magic and a Focus meter in your combat which can be a tad overwhelming in the heat of battle.
Since this is the first time that a “Castlevania” game has entered the third dimension, the designers want you to see all of their hard work. A few times during the game, gameplay would stop while the camera took a “beauty pan” around a new area of the world. The pan didn't really accomplish much other than to force you to stop and smell the roses. Certain areas like the Castle interiors or some of the forest areas show the graphic love. Some of the creature graphic like the wolves are a little plastic looking.
The game features the voice talents of Robert Carlyle as the protagonist, Patrick Stewart (looking like a pony-tailed Sean Connery) as fellow Brotherhood of Light warrior Zobek, Natasha McElhone and Jason Isaacs. You've heard people say, “I could listen to (actor/actress) read me the phone book.” Patrick Stewart is one of those people. And in “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow,” he does read to you. Before new missions, Stewart will move the story along with a few paragraphs of information. Carlyle, on the other hand, says little. A little underutilized, but such is the strong, silent type. The music by Oscar Araujo gives the game a “Lord of the Rings” feel. There was a twinge of geek joy at hearing the “Castlevania” theme.
The 2D incarnations of the “Castlevania” series are known for whipping and jumping. It's nice that the developers didn't let the game be just that, but in a 3D world. If you're not a button-masher by nature, don't worry, in a little bit you'll be solving a puzzle or fighting a titan. The game does have an epic vibe to it, and that may be due to some of the lengthy cut scenes.
“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” is a single player game and doesn't have a multiplayer component. It does offer a little re-playability as you'll have to go back to completed levels that have areas you couldn't enter due to a lack of strength or ability. The single player game will keep you questing for more than six hours, though.
This game tries to offer various types of gameplay but doesn't dominate any one kind. “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” rates a 7 out of 10. But because of the extensive amount of Patrick Stewart's voice work, the game gets a +1 for a final score of 8 out of 10.
-Matt Davenport
Senior Tech Specialist, KPVI
“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” is available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and is rated “M” for Mature for blood and gore, nudity and violence.
No comments:
Post a Comment