Question of the Month

 

"How would you bring the series into the world of 3D?"

Answer #5 | Answer #6

Answer #5

By Sam Mills

Castlevania has been done in 3D coming up on 4 times in what appears to be 3 various ways. The never-released Castlevania: Resurrection appeared to be much like most traditional 3D games on the market at the time, as were the previous N64 offerings. Overall, 3D game-play is a pretty straight forward format, with only Castlevania: Lament of Innocence trying the rarely used “fixed” camera technique.

I suppose I would do a 3D game this is has a mix of both fixed and free-range camera work. Neither system works best for every scenario, but they both have their place in the 3D gaming world. It’s amazing that the camera position is still an issue in today’s games. It’s almost impossible not to have a flawless system. By integrating the appropriate system for the appropriate layout, perhaps this will help solve any issues.

But beyond the technical aspects of 3D, the question remains as to why it is necessary or how it can be used to improve the gaming experience in Castlevania, a series that has it roots in classic 2D and thrives in that format. Frankly, there is nothing incredibly unique about 2D Castlevania’s gameplay as opposed to other 2D games. The joy comes from the atmospheres and feelings, emotions and experience of the games. Even in its 8-bit days, when the controls were stiff and the abilities of the character limited, the games captured a spirit that the series continues to harness. It goes beyond gameplay, and 2D is simple enough for the spirit to overcome the technical aspects of the games.

To capture this spirit, I would keep the game-play intentionally simple. I’d start the game with little introduction. No opening cinemas, no story at all for a while. The character would be a Belmont on a typical quest. First thing they do? Enter a large, dark castle corridor, no music, dim candle light…just the sound of a strong breeze outside. They walk in a straight line for a while…then you hear something in the dark ahead of you...a flapping sound…you stop by a candle. When whatever is in the dark comes close enough for you to see, you see your foe…

Nothing I can describe of the foe could match what a creative artist can create. Sometimes, something scary cannot be described, it must be seen. I guess that’s the whole point. Overall, I think a simpler yet complex mission would be well suited to a 3D Castlevania. The focus is less on action, more on atmosphere. This may sound odd, but one game that comes to mind in terms of capturing what I imagine is Resident Evil 4. That game pits a lone character in a primitive, creepy place, where the fear of dying and the dread of the situation is very real, and very scary. Castlevania needs a hero that is afraid to die, and lets us as the players feel the same way.

Exploring the castle would lead to seeing things in a way that is actually intrusive to Dracula’s castle. These enemies are mad you are there, and they convey emotions. They don’t simply supply target practice. If 3D is meant to mimic the real world, then it needs to become more than just an over decorated electronic sprite gym. It must create a place to explore that terrifies. There has to be less action and more exploration as well. This is a very solitary experience, and the feeling of being lost and alone in a horrible place can almost create panic.

Not that action doesn’t have its place; far from it. Defending yourself is the main goal. Putting players on the defense is the whole goal, but being able demolish a ghoul isn’t the point. It needs to be an action of survival.

The game I would create would have great music, but not sweeping or majestic. It would be sad, calm, and creepy, though more artistic than the plodding music of Castlevania 64. The best Castlevania’s have great music, and I think the best tunes are the ones that don’t try to impress us, but can get into your head and penetrate your deepest of emotions.

I know I haven’t said much about 3D. But if you get the basics right, the forum doesn’t matter. It’s not important if you see the character from behind or from the side. What matters is where you put the character and what happens to them. What is their mission? The mission is simple. Get to Dracula or god-knows who. Create a big castle, one that is easy to get lost in.

Here’s an innovative idea. Instead of making one solid map with a bunch of barriers, why not create a game where the castle has a very spooky power to change itself? Every time it’s played, the castle itself changes. It’s like a giant maze, one where the walls can more, the doors can change, and the only way to keep your pace is to follow your instincts. To make things easier, throw in an instinct meter. This meter gives the player 2 choices, and they have to decide which one is right.

These are of course, a jumbo of ideas. But the concepts are some that would be awesome in a 3D setting, and most wouldn’t work at all in 2D. If Castlevania wants to expand to the forum of 3D, there needs to be more than a perspective change. There needs to be intentional confusion, fear, panic, and a feeling that you are dealing with something that can damage you beyond control. 3D is more real than 2D, so the fear needs to be more realized. The old adage “less is more” applies to a lot of aspects in Castlevania, where the focus on spirit is the greatest technique of all.

Answer #6

By Nemesis Zero

3D Castlevania... the words just seem to resonate with dread, in both good and bad ways. The goal will be to maximize the 'good' feelings of dread and get rid of all the bothersome quirks and downright halfhearted shoddiness of the previous 3D attempts to create something worth the cost of admission.

1) Setting and Mood

The setting, first off, must be in a historical Europe... no more solar eclipses in future Japan, please. While castlevania must be the focal point of the game, it is high time for the series to go back to its castlevania 2 roots and develop the surrounding area as series of playable sections. Give us multiple towns, each with a personality and economy of their own. Offer interconnected landscapes that flow together, including caves, lakes and rivers, bridges, wooded areas, forgotten mansions, rocky cliffs, barren wastelands, muddy bogs, open plains, mine shafts, mountains, shattered ruins, maybe even a cemetery or two! Make the castle (which must still be large maze of passageways, rooms, and secrets in it's own right) just a small part of the landscape, and one that might need to be left and then revisited from time to time in order to progress.

The mood, In a word, must be creepy. Not Halloween costume fun-creepy or even just run-of-the-mill survival horror 'shock value' creepy... I mean it should ooze a disturbing atmosphere in all possible ways. The graphics and sound must be fully integrated, creating an immersive environment that corresponds to the action onscreen. There should be an ever-present feeling that danger lurks around every turn (even in towns or other usually safe shopping areas!), ready to spring from the shadows or from behind any piece of terrain at any moment. there should be moments when the logic of the game intentionally breaks down and things happen that make no sense... hallucinations that only one or two players can see, phantom sounds and double-speak from npcs, disturbing implications not explicitly spelled out for the player, locations of objects (or even doorways and other rooms!) changing as soon as you take your eyes off them for even a second... the player should never be comfortable unless being set up for a major twist in what they thought they were doing.

2) Playstyle

This game must feel new to the playing market, something that shatters previous expectations and pushes the series into new creative directions. The rpg elements aren't bad, but the Metroid style has gotten a bit stale and the old-schoolers are clamoring at the gates for a return to the series' action routes... so let’s move towards a more action-rpg setting.

Given that, what better conceptual base to start our design from than the Zelda series? Just think of it... a vampire hunter that has relatively simple abilities (at first glance... skillful puzzle design should make creative use of seemingly plain abilities) and gains new attacks, equipment, and increased stats through exploration and goal completion rather than a generic experience point system (no need to do the respawn massacre dance). These rewards should be placed (never as random drops) to force players to advance the plotline, search out hidden areas, and partake of subplots to uncover the power-ups needed to advance. This form of advancement will also make it possible to set a reasonably challenging skill-based difficulty curve that cannot be circumvented.

We don't want to just copy another series entirely though, so lets look to another compatible genre for inspiration... action mmolg's like Diablo 2 or Jade Empire. Taking the best from this format we can now add multiple character options, each with different abilities (but still able to circumvent all traps in different ways), and built around a skill tree system to allow player customization of fighting styles, combos, improving natural and granted abilities, powering up magical attacks, etc. The game should allow for either multiple online players or solo play options, and to add to the replay value perhaps even include an editing tool packaged on a separate disk to allow players to create their own unique areas for others to experience.

The game must have a battle mode of some sort where players can challenge previous bosses, unique foes to the mode (possibly tied into the plot), and player vs. player mayhem. player fights outside of the battle area should be strictly limited, however, to avoid frustrations... unless a player has openly chosen to pursue the darker paths and thus is permanently stuck in hostile mode towards 'good' players... and vice-versa.

All of this must be done with the nostalgia of the series kept in mind. The traditional Belmont-style fighter (perhaps a girl?) must be an option right from the start, as well as an Alucard-styled option, some manner of magic user (a necromancer like Shaft?), a were creature... just a wide variety that has at least a little bit of precedent to stand on. Each character style should also have a variety of models to work with and pallet swaps to create a unique character for each player... with more elite graphical modifications available only when unlocked by clearing the game on normal or higher difficulty settings, or as special bonuses for completing side quests.

3) Plot and Conflict

The overall story should have plenty of twists and turns, like any good thriller, but also have built in points of departure so that player actions actually have an effect on the outcome sometimes... and not always in ways that makes one choice clearly superior. The player must develop the feeling that they are a part of the game world and that their interaction with it is perilous and bears the weight of responsibility… it should never be taken as just another level.

Drac must be the big bad guy (though not necessarily the final boss), but an effort should be made to keep this from becoming just another action game... the story should include moments that help to humanize the count's situation as well as his goals, to show how he is simultaneously a tragic figure, a horrific beast, a cruel manipulator, and possibly even (from a Miltonian point of view) a misunderstood hero. The player must -feel- during the fateful encounter that simply destroying the count might just be the easy solution, not the best one... make them morally responsible for their actions; maybe even offer the 'join me' question as a live option, one that doesn’t necessarily end the game! To accomplish this feat Drac must be active in the story, not just waiting in his keep for someone to come and gut him. He should even make shadowy appearances, possibly even early skirmishes with the heroes.

There also should be a variety of minor leaders of the enemy forces, ranging wildly from mindless terrors to seductive tempters, from charismatic and honor-bound leaders to abusive, slobish brutes. Each major foe should have a memorable character and developed history, perhaps even motivations that are in the moral gray zones... doing evil for the sake of a greater good, for example. This should include a few of the standbys (Death for certain) but overall should be original concepts.

The minor enemies should offer a wide selection of challenges, not just a different graphical treatment for the same slow-moving mindless drones of old. They need AI that can handle both individual and pack tactics, and have some enemies that just don’t get along with each other. They should all have a minimum of two attack patterns to keep the player on his toes. The lesser enemies can have a much larger percentage than bosses of repeats from previous games (to keep the nostalgia level high), but some fresh flavor is definitely called for as well.

4) Finance and Marketing

If this game is going to have any hope of bringing the series back to the forefront it will need a much larger budget than previous outings, including a sizable investment in advertising. To reach the largest market possible it should be released for all internet-capable platforms, including PC, with a free dedicated web-space like battle.net to support the online group play aspects. It should be released simultaneously worldwide at midnight on Halloween.

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