We'v already had a look at Dracula's Void Sword, but that's just the tip of the iceberg of the what the former Belmont is bringing into battle. Not unlike how the family's trademark whip, the Vampire Killer, has been replaced by an ethereal blood whip, the Shadow Gauntlets from the first Lords of Shadow have been replaced by the Chaos Claws in the sequel.
Like many of his other armaments, the Chaos Claws made their debut in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. They seem to work in much the same manner as the gauntlets, used to smash through enemy defenses like heavy armor. Konami has put out a video that gives gamers an up close and personal look at these fiery mitts. Check it out below to see Gabe do his best Falcon Punch and shoryuken the stuffing out of his enemies.
The Castlevania franchise has been around for close to 30 years now, but this will be the first time in its history that players will actually take on the role of Dracula, an icon of horror since Bram Stoker first penned the eponymous novel at the end of the 19th century. The game will also be one of the first to really show how the vamper interacts with the modern day world, instead of an obscure and distant Belmont ancestor flailing back and forth in a 2D castle.
Not much is known about the story so far, but since trailers seems to acknowledge the first game's ending, it's assumed that Zobek has indeed warned "Gabriel" that the acolytes of Satan are preparing for his return and that the two of them must the demon lord before he can take revenge on both of them. Zobek has promised Dracula that he can free him of his immortality if he helps him, likely at the hand of one of the vampire's own ancestors. The Mirror of Fate handheld game helped fill in a few gaps here and there. The game was also ported to consoles, so you might want to give it a whirl to catch up on the storyline.
According to Cox, the game will end the short but sweet Shadow saga. With it, Konami and company are "looking to provide series fans yet another nail biter, complete with Dracula's resurrection and the Belmont clan's desire for his final destruction." Some early reviews of the game have begun creeping out, but feel free to try the demo that dropped today and try it for yourself. The complete game will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC on February 25.