Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD (XBLA)

Out of all the series that Konami has released none has captured my undivided attention as much as that of the "Castlevania" series. From it's humble beginnings as an 8-Bit NES game to it's more noteworthy recent releases such as that of "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" the Belmont's struggle against Dracula, and his minions has gained a cult following like none other in the history of gaming. Perhaps it's the dark theme of it all, or the horror icon known as Dracula who continues to draw gamers into the fray that is "Belmont vs Dracula". Whatever the reason may be it is one series that we all hope will never end, and I'm fairly certain you'll all agree with me on that.

While the first few games in the 'Castlevania' series, and the numerous spin-offs that followed did little in the way of explaining the Belmont clan's origins it was no doubt the Metroidvania style gameplay applied to it that has kept the series afloat long enough for that tale to finally be told. Earlier this year, or perhaps a few years back 3DS owners were privileged to finally bare witness to the story behind the famous Belmont clan. It is this 3DS release of "Castlevania: LoS - Mirror of Fate" that brings the tale full circle just in time to make way for the final chapter of 'Lords of Shadow'. Thankfully we console gamers can now also enjoy the game in all it's glory via the PS3, or the Xbox 360. As you play through this newly enhanced HD version of "Mirror of Fate" you'll get to witness what 3DS owners experienced earlier on. Through your playthrough you will come to understand why the Belmont clan's struggle against Dracula is a personal one, and why they must at some point put an end to Dracula's Tyranny, even if it means sacrificing their own lives in the process.

Mirror of Fate HD (as I'm going to refer to it) is basically an HD upgrade of what 3DS owners got to play earlier on. It in essense is your typical 2D 'Castlevania' experience with hints of "Lords of Shadow" features as well as some visual flair thrown in for added effect. When the game opens up, after you get past all the menus you will be treated to an interesting cell-shaded cinematic sequence showing Gabriel Belmont parting ways with his unknowingly impregnated wife. The intro cinematic is vague, and is possibly kept that way so that gamers will choose to play "Lords of Shadow" to better understand Gabriel Belmont's involvement in the 'Castlevania' saga.

Once you get past the Gabriel Belmont intro the story continues on through a couple more brief cinematic sequences with voice-overs that eventually end up shedding light on Simon Belmont's origin story. It is Simon Belmont who you'll first play as as you try to unravel the mysteries leading up to Gabriel Belmont's current predicament in the "Lords of Shadow" story arch. Being the Castlevania game that it is you'll find yourself immediately thrust into action not far from Castle Dracula. You'll make a short journey forward as you fend off Dracula's lower minions as well as a Boss, or two that is blocking your path before you finally get to the actual castle area. Your goal in this adventure is simple. You must traverse the 2D/3D layout of the castle, and the castle grounds using your abilities while you gather clues as to what happened before your arrival on the premises. As Simon Belmont you'll also find that your aim is to ultimately avenge your Mother's, and Father's deaths should you find the one responsible. Clues found along the way come in the form of hidden scrolls, and cinematic intermissions following specific boss battles. You'll even unlock new whip combos as well as new attachments for the infamous Belmont whip. There's even different obtainable throwing/projectile weapons that will help you in your fight against evil.

Following Simon's story arch you'll be taking on the role of two other Belmont clan members who also play an important role in the plot leading up to the final chapter of "Lords of Shadow". These two characters with an oddly intertwining past include the vampire known as Alucard ("Dracula" spelled backwards), and Trevor Belmont. Like Simon's Playthrough you will be spending a lot of your time traversing the 2D/3D castle grounds in a Metroidvania sort of way as you collect the items, and things necessary to access, and get past previously inaccessible areas. Any fan of the 'Castlevania' series will be familiar with the backtracking elements contained within this game. They are exactly as they were when the RPG elements were first introduced into the more recent 'Castlevania' releases. Once you've played through all of the acts included within the game you will gain access to harder difficulty settings as well as a "Boss Rush" mode in which you can show of your vampire hunter skills via the accompanying leaderboard. In total there are several difficulties to playthrough with the final difficulty setting being that of "Nightmare". As such the replay value is decent, especially when you factor in the hidden "Bestiary (monster bios) items", and the castle completion percentage associated with each playthrough. Should you get a 100% completion in any playthrough you'll be handsomely rewarded with the game's "True Ending " animated sequence!

To m what sets "Mirror of Fate" apart from previous 2D 'Castlevania' releases is it's visual style. Some would call it a 2.5D game, meaning that it features mostly 2D style gameplay with 3D elements thrown in to make it stand out. Not only is it a 2.5D experience, but the developer has also added certain elements from the console release of the 'Lords of Shadow' game. These features include unlockable whip combos, health fountains for restoring health, magic fountains for restoring magic, the ability to block/block stun, an upgradeable health meter, an upgradeable magic meter, an upgradeable ammunition counter for carrying more projectile/throwing weapons, 3D kill animations, and an upgradeable whip with a variety of different functions. You'll find that even the former sword toting Alucard also uses a whip in this game making the unlockable whip combos just as important in his playthrough as they are with the other Belmont's.

When it comes down to in-game content "Mirror of Fate" seems more like a story being told than the traditional "whip first, ask questions later" experience that fans of the older installments will be familiar with. Unlike "Symphony of the Night", for example the enemy count seems to be drastically lowered, and replaced with fewer yet stronger enemies. Even the bosses seem to be fewer in number. With these obvious changes in place though I found that they were the least of my concerns. The story was thorough enough to shed much needed light on the Belmont's history, and additions like the challenging boss fights made for an overall fun time. The only true downside to the game that I found was that Alucard's act was overshadowed by a lot of puzzle solving instead of the badass death dealing that "Symphony of the Night" fans will know him best for. The occasional bits of humor involving Alucard, and the hunchbacks also kind of ruined the mood on a couple of occasions. In the end would have preferred a lot more fighting, and a lot more areas to explore. Being left with a castle playthrough that seemed less than the size of previous Castle Dracula builds just didn't cut it for me. With that being said though I fully understand that they had to sacrifice content for visual improvements, and seeing that it was initially a 3DS game the actual size of the game was smaller than it would have been if it had been a console release first. What can you do? The game is already made.

As far as recommending this game goes I'm gonna have to say go ahead, and get it. Play the heck out of it! Regardless of it's shorter length the plot material included as well as the decent amount of replay value will keep you preoccupied until "Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2" is released. The HD console upgrade definitely made the gameplay enjoyable enough to get lost in for hours at a time. The fact that it looks absolutely stunning on the Xbox 360 is icing on the cake. Not only that, but that fact that it's easily playable on current-gen consoles is a huge plus. I just hope to the gaming gods that Konami doesn't abandon the series after "Lords of Shadows 2". I'd like to see many more 2D Castlevania releases in the future. I'd gladly shell out top dollar for another 2D experience like "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night".