Until now
Castlevania was the last big 2-D platform franchise yet to be made into a successful 3-D adventure (ignoring the two rubbish 3-D
Castelvanias on the N64). Before the arrival of the next-generation consoles there was just no way to replicate the highly detailed artwork the series is famous for in 3-D. But an extended preview of the almost finished
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence makes it clear that this time Konami has got everything right.
Going right back to the origins of the series, the game sees Leon Belmont taking on Dracula himself in the 11th century (not that Konami is much of a stickler for historical accuracy). The Castlevania games are action-based platformers with a role-playing element, so that every enemy you defeat increases your abilities and powers. Your default weapon is a huge whip but you can pick up many more along the way, including sub-weapons such as throwing knives and a boomerang-like holy cross.
Lament of Innocence also includes 10 action relics that allow access to even more powerful weapons and abilities. Each room in the game is viewed from a single rotating camera view, which helps to keep some of the 2-D sensibilities of the series intact and allows you to accurately target the huge range of undead monsters the game throws at you. This is definitely a game to watch out for, for fans old and new. --David Jenkins
This preview is based on an incomplete version of the game; features or problems mentioned above may not appear in the finished game.