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Castlevania:
Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate is the unnumbered sequel to the original
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (as released on the Xbox 360 and PS3)
and the second entry in what's been slotted as a reboot trilogy. It employs
a unique style of storytelling: The events chronicled are spread over
a period of 31 years, but the respective stories unfold in very
specific time-periods. The central theme is Gabriel Belmont's dire fate
and the unavoidable fallout that effects his family for the next two generations;
it's through this prism that his son, Trevor Belmont, and grandson, Simon
Belmont, will play out their roles as foretold by the mystical Mirror
of Fate.
Mirror of Fate
features four separate chapters (a prologue and three acts), each starring
a particular hero character. Chapter I stars Gabriel Belmont in a mission
as fulfilled one year before the events of the original game; it lasts
only a few minutes and serves as a tutorial. Chapters II and III introduce
us to Simon Belmont and Alucard, whose respective forays into the fallen
Gabriel's castle are concurrent. And Chapter IV takes us back 17 years
to the time of Trevor Belmont, whose excursion fills in all of the gaps.
Mirror of Fate indeed borrows the action/adventure-RPG formula
of the previous portable entries, but its emphasis is on pure action
as experienced in the first Lords of Shadow and similar action
games; that is, it largely abandons the complex "systems" and
huge arsenals of the main-series titles in favor of combat-heavy encounters
and more-cinematic differentia, like large helpings of ledge-climbing,
dramatic grappling and swinging sequences, and quicktime events. All such
heroes essentially plow through the castle, area by area, with their whip-like
Combat Crosses, collecting the traditional sub-weapons and procuring the
magical items that supply them increased castle accessibility (via double-jumping,
riding on magnetic rails, wall-jumping, etc.); the limited exploration
basically boils down to finding a magical item that'll allow you to bust
down a door to uncover a hidden tomb, whose never-seen contents simply
increase the capacity of your health, magic, and heart-ammo meters.
The three latter heroes
can gain levels by earning experience, which is doled out after they defeat
enemies, read scrolls as dropped by their fallen allies, and complete
certain challenges; thus, the process of leveling up happens quite naturally,
with not much grinding required. Level-gains mainly increase their strength
while unlocking new techniques/whip-combos, but the level-18 cap will
prevent them from becoming too powerful (too, level gains and all they
entail carry over from one chapter to the next, the subsequent hero inheriting
such progress as his own); the tougher minor enemies and bosses, that
is, will always test your mettle.
A respective heroes' main goal is to reach the final boss of his mission
and defeat it in a violent duel. Doing so unlocks the next chapter and
in Trevor's case the game's more-difficult "Hardcore Mode."
In addition, uncovering all
of the castle's secrets, in all chapters, will populate your mission slot's
"Extras" sub-category with bestiary entries and upon full 100%
completion a special ending cinematic.
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