Castlevania Drops to 2006
Yet another game joins the throng already slipped into the new year.
Eight years after its release, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for PlayStation is still considered the series' highpoint, so perhaps it's no surprise that this is the spiritual basis for Konami's next 3D outing - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.
Sadly, the company revealed this week that Castlevania: Curse of Darkness will miss its scheduled autumn release date. The game, due for Xbox and PlayStation 2, now joins the throng of delayed titles set to hit stores only after Christmas.
The game, once again under the guidance of long-time Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, drops most of the Dracula malarkey and instead embroils you in a tale of revenge and deception within the Belmont family.
The real story though is the new ally system, which lets you team up with more than 30 different demons in the game that evolve and steadily develop new powers to help you on your quest.
The developers cite the aforementioned Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as their inspiration, which is good news for those unimpressed with the series' 3D efforts so far. Fans of the PlayStation classic will also be pleased to hear that series composer Michiru Yamane is once again taking care of soundtrack duties.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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