Originally released on the 3DS, most of us who don't own a 3DS missed out on Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow - Mirror Of Fate. Luckily for all of us who are fans of the Lords of Shadow franchise MercurySteam added a HD rendition of Mirror Of Fate in the recent Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow Collection for the PS3 and 360. This is just in time to let us all have a good go at the full story before LoS2 comes out. As usual though, is the game worth your time or should you pass on it? That is what you have me for.
The Story
Jump back into the role of Simon Belmont, son of Trevor Belmont, as he sets out on an epic adventure of revenge. Looks like his parents were murdered by the forces of "the dragon" with Simon barely escaping. That being the case Simon sets out to the keep of the monster in charge of the brutal attack. Only then does he find out that he has bit off more than he can chew and the twisted tale of his heritage. We all know where this goes hopefully.
Hated
If there is one thing I despised, it was the platforming controls. They were very clunky and at times made it hard to navigate level or access secret areas on the maps. This could be because it was originally designed for the 3DS and not the main consoles but I can't imagine the controls being that different between the two. It's not like they were taking Wii Mote controls and converting to DS3 or 360 controls here. It definitely felt that way though. Extremely frustrating at times to the point where I had to set the controller down and come back later after I cooled down.
My next biggest gripe would have to be with the difficulty of bosses or enemies, or lack thereof. Their combat patterns are ridiculously easy to spot and then avoid throughout the game. This could just be me, but I am pretty sure that almost anyone else would be able to pick up on these from the first fight and be able to fly right through the 'tougher' fights with great ease. I was under the impression that boss fights were supposed to be rough and make you feel like you completed a chapter. These all were really mini-bosses that don't indicate anything outside of the bit of story moving forward afterwards. I guess this might be another way they were trying to catch the Castlevania nostalgia in Lords Of Shadow - Mirror Of Fate but it just didn't feel right.
Loved
From the start of the game I thought I was going to hate the 'retro' style that MercurySteam was going for with Mirror Of Fate. In fact this was one of the things I loved the most of all as I do love me a good old fashioned side scrolling platforming game like the original Castlevania. The controls did hurt this a bit, but once I got past that I was thrown back into the 'need to master each level' mode of yesteryear. With so many games forcing you to go down a specific path and feigning path choice, it is refreshing to have the options back even if it is in a 'retro' style of game. Thanks for making me alright with a specific 'retro' game again. My love was almost lost like the years when I began playing games.
Now, while I did not like the scaling of 'Bosses' in Mirror Of Fate I did rather enjoy the progression of the story and the bit of speed that it came. Unlike other titles where there is a long drawn out section of puzzles and platforming for now real reason, I found that not to be the case here. Yes I would have liked a bit more of a challenge but I cannot disregard that I never got lost or gave up on the story as it kept coming without any real hindrance. I am one for a good interactive story in my games and this one didn't feel bogged down with needless gameplay to fill the gaps. Things felt like there was a real reason and not just filler for the story that will hopefully be integrated into the larger console versions now.
Overall
To be honest I would say that Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow - Mirror Of Fate is worth a purchase. Especially since you can now get it bundled with Lords Of Shadow or on its own via digital download. If you are a fan of the original Castlevania and the new story that is being told then this is the perfect game for you. Not to mention that the story here looks like it will fit into the upcoming Lords Of Shadow 2 and is the right price to get the franchise's full story. Don't let the 'retro' feel scare you off as it originally did for me, it is only enough to bring back the memories from years before but in a newer way so it feels fresh.
Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD was developed by MercurySteam and published by Konami for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 29th, 2013. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.
