As we play offers the thought strands of the reviewer as they’re going through the game. This offers unique content for the reader so they can come to understand the conflicting feelings of the reviewer as they’re playing a game for the very first time. All feedback on this concept is welcome.
Let me start this As We Play with a heavy disclaimer – I know practically nothing of the Castlevania franchise. In fact, I have played precisely one other entry. Luckily, it was 2010’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which ties in nicely with this HD remake of the 3DS spin-off, Mirror of Fate.
The game spans a prologue and three acts, so this will serve as an initial introduction to the game and some of its notable features.
Graphics
HD remakes have been hit and miss in the past. For every Wind Waker, there’s been a Silent Hill. So, I approached this with some trepidation. I needn’t have, as this is a gorgeous game, especially as a downloadable refresh of a handheld game. Like other recent ‘Metroidvania’ titles such as Shadow Complex, the game has a 2.5D style and this, coupled with some lovely lighting effects and cinematic angles, provide a real depth to the world you traverse and interact with. The sprites are well-animated with an almost cel-shaded matte effect to them. Lastly, the frame rate maintains a solid, consistent rate throughout. Overall, it’s a great-looking title.
Story
It probably helps to have played Lords of Shadow beforehand, but you can get by with some basics. Gabriel Belmont – protagonist from Lords of Shadow – sires a child named Trevor. The mother – having had Gabriel’s inevitable fall into darkness revealed to her – allows Trevor to be taken away for his protection. Trevor subsequently sires Simon Belmont, and it’s Simon that you control after the opening five-minute prologue. The story is then told through animated cutscenes with some decent voice acting.
Combat
If you’ve played Lords of Shadow, then the combat will feel pleasingly familiar, as it translates surprisingly well to the 2D plane. The X button dishes out directional attacks with the Y button doling out the wide area attack for enemies attacking from either side or above. Add in buttons for blocking, evading and grabbing, and a seemingly standard hack and slash affair actually reveals a surprising amount of depth, especially as new moves and abilities are added to your repertoire in Castlevania’s inimitable RPG-lite levelling system.
Exploration
Speaking of Castlevania’s inimitable systems, it wouldn’t be a Castlevania title without a heavy dose of exploration thrown in, and Mirror of Fate has it in spades. I haven’t reached the end of the first act yet, but I’ve already clocked up somewhere in the region of three hours of gameplay. You can probably reach the second act in half that time, if you choose to ignore all of those secret nooks and crannies, but to do so would be to deprive yourself some great level design and, more importantly, some very useful character upgrades. A useful feature in this game is the ability to leave yourself notes dotted around the world, much in the style of Dark Souls’ online help system. You’ll probably need it too, as it’s pretty easy to lose your way in some of the more intricate levels, although this is possibly down to my lack of skill, rather than poor signposting.
Random accumulated thoughts
– Some of the early cutscenes were a little jarring, as they had an odd, almost-staccato animation style to them, being mainly static and then suddenly launching into some slow-motion (albeit smooth) movement. It’s especially jarring, when it’s an issue that doesn’t seem to affect later cutscenes.
– Digging the Scottish accents.
– Even on the medium difficulty level, the game offers a challenge, especially the boss fights which reward variety and don’t feel cheap.
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