A clearer cover story of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is finally beginning to emerge, quite literally in fact. Konami recently took to Twitter to share the box art for the closeout story that will show the ultimate fate of Gabriel and the cursed fate that's set to unfold on the rest of the Belmont family.
For those who didn't play the first game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was a reboot for the franchise that saw Gabriel, patriarch of the Belmont clan, ultimately become what the Belmonts come to fight against for centuries, the vampire Dracula.
Not much is known about the story so far. But since the recent trailer 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.
Seen above, Gabriel is no longer the stoic hero of might and right he was in the first Lords of Shadow. He retains portions of his original red costume, matching his glowing eyes, hinting that little if anything is left of his humanity. Fangs can also be seen, but the most eye-catching portion is the glowing red energy surrounding him, reflective of his new magical abilities of Void and Chaos.
This power was demonstrated when players squared off against Gabriel in Mirror of Fate, but they'll actually get to wield it in the upcoming game. Using his new powers, Gabriel can summon a "blood whip," which works in a manner similar to the old Combat Cross. How many of his other powers will feature (if at all), such as fire bursts and control of demonic creatures, remains to be seen.
As a vampire, blood draining is obviously a feature that will be seen in LoS 2. Blood collected from enemies while fighting is used to "charge" his magical abilities into either the Void Sword, which regains health when striking enemies, or a pair of Chaos Gauntlets, which can shatter an enemy's defenses. Overall, this new system is said to work similarly to the old Light and Shadow Magic of the first game, and it's definitely a lot better than whipping countless candles in a hunt for hearts.
The Castlevania series is almost as synonymous with the name "Belmont" as it is with the name "Dracula," and a few members of the clan will feature in Lords of Shadow 2, including Trevor, Gabriel's wife Marie, and newcomer Victor, who seems to have become the latest vampire hunter to represent the family. As of yet, there's been no signs to indicate Simon will appear.
The 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.
According to Producer Dave 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."
If anticipation is any indication, this game will be a top reason for gamers to hold on to current generation systems for a while yet. It will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on February 27, 2014.
