Atmosphere has always been a big part of Castlevania. You're typically controlling a member of a legendary, cursed family, fighting through hordes of demonic creatures, typically some of the classic monsters of cinema's silver age or creatures based on grisly local lore and legend, only to come face to face with the Prince of Darkness himself, Dracula. Epic to say the least.
Obviously, you'll want music to match, and dare I say that the Castlevania franchise has featured some of the best throughout the years. Hell, I'll still get flashbacks to playing the game when if the right organ music kicks in when folks are clearing out of Church. For the upcoming Lords of Shadow 2, Konami is pulling out all the stops to ensure that the music continues to strike a chord.
Oh, go screw, that was FUNNY.
Konami put out a video today showing all the effort that goes into creating the music for the game, and it's impressive to say the least. The publisher gathered composer Oscar Araujo and the largest orchestra ever in the history of video games to pump out an epic soundtrack. Araujo and company filled a room of London's iconic Abbey Road studios, where musical legends like The Beatles and Pink Floyd recorded some of their own catalog.
Lords of Shadow 2 Producer Dave Cox also pops in, overseeing the work along with Araujo, and the two talk at length about the work that went into creating the game's soundtrack.
With Gabriel Belmont transformation into Dracula complete, and the lord of all vampires playing a central role in the game, Araujo's soundtrack has been designed to showcase the conflict Dracula feels, and the composer details why Abbey Road was important to the soundtrack. If you're a music buff, it's worth a watch. Check it out below.
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."
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC on February 25.
