News - First Castlevania DS info and screens revealed!
Posted by
Josh Freund
at 05:56:34 PM EST on 12.31.2004.
The February 2005 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly reveals the first solid info about
Castlevania DS, along with some screens. Here's a summary of the preview:
-The game will be a direct sequel to the GBA
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. You'll once again play the role of Soma Cruz, and all of the surviving characters from
AoS will return.
-The game takes place in 2036, one year after the end of
AoS. Celia Fortner, the founder of a cult that "believes their god to be perfectly good," wants Soma dead, since he did not become the reincarnation of Dracula and fulfill his "destiny" in
AoS. Soma decides to take the initiative and heads to the cult's headquarters to confront them.
-The top screen will function as a map, similar to those in previous 2D
Castlevania games. It will also display important info about the player's status. The action will take place on the bottom screen.
-Gameplay will be similar to
AoS and the PS1 classic
Symphony of the Night. Basically, open-ended 2D side-scrolling platforming and exploration.
-
AoS's Enemy Soul system will return, and there will be a lot more of them to collect.
-The game will feature many new weapons.
-Michiru Yamane fans will be happy to hear that the
SotN composer will be supervising
Castlevania DS's music production and will compose a few tracks as well.
EGM spoke to
Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, who explained how
Castlevania DS will use the DS's touch-screen capabilities:
"This time, killing bosses requires more than just steady attacks: Once you drain the enemy's hit points to zero, the Magic Seal entry sreen pops up. You then use the stylus to draw a certain shape on the screen and "seal" the enemy. If the shape is drawn incorrectly, the enemy regains some of its energy and the fight continues."
Igarashi goes on to explain the reasoning behind this:
"Since it's a pure action game, I did not want to mix the use of buttons at the same time as the stylus." The only time the player will have to use the touch screen is for the Magic Seal system of boss battles; everything else will be controlled by the use of the regular buttons.
Igarashi also revealed some very intriguing multiplayer and community possibilities:
"...I'm hoping to find space for a versus mode if time allows." (speaking about wireless multiplayer)
Perhaps the most exciting revelation for
Castlevania fans is Igarashi's promise of Enemy Soul trading and the exchange of customised maps, by way of the DS's wireless capabilities. This implies that players will be able to create their own maps, which is a neat feature never seen in
Castlevania games.
Update: You can expect to get your hands on
Castlevania DS sometime in fall of 2005.
Jan. 05: The scans that were here were from Ziff Davis' publication, Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis' legal department threatened to take legal action against GAF if the scans were not removed, so we have been forced to remove them. If you wish to see screenshots of Castlevania DS, however, we suggest you keep checking back here at GAF as we will be posting the first screens we get that won't result in us getting sued.
Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly
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tito 1.7.2005 at 05:33:59 AM
f*** you, ziff davis. They don't deserve their name capitalized. In fact, I wish there was a system in place where I can simply say "f*** you, ass***es" and automatically you'd know I was talking about those "ass***es."
I'm upset because in the end all 'we' did was put up some screens of an upcoming game, on this NON-PROFIT site (GAF), and even provided our source as 'we' are known to do. It's not as if 'we' plagiarized them, or stole their 'credit.'
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pixy misao 1.4.2005 at 02:12:57 AM
No, I just think LoI just wasn't the game it should have been. The level design was horrible, and the game lacked the depth of gameplay that was prevalent in Aria and Symphony. But I dare argue that the flaws in the 64 games were far more obvious.
Anyway can't wait for this one, Castlevania has a strong wenough fan base that they would buy a system just for a game's appearance on it. Poor Dreamcast buyers :(
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rahvii 1.3.2005 at 03:21:04 PM
well i guess that maybe LoI did't sell as well as SotN because of the C64 phantom.
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drakken 1.3.2005 at 03:05:03 PM
"Only Sam lives in Jersey, poor soul ;)"
Don't forget me! I live in South Jersey. :)
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keops 1.3.2005 at 10:47:51 AM
giggas: Maybe I'm a minority (and I don't think any of zeo's or your comments where "on topic" it seems I was attacking you, oh sorry -.-, so, would you mind discussing the game? I never addressed anyone particlarly, it's just the way I talk...), but still, as far as Castlevania goes 2D beats 3D anyday, and let the sales figures do the talking (SotN sold a lot more than LoI)... That's my last two cents, since this place seems to be full of sensitive people -.- So if this is going to be peaceful, good, I might hang around more often, but if you're going to take something personal (which even wasn't addressed at you) then I'll go away and lurk. I just wanted to share my opinions with the community.
( ŽA`) At any rate, hope this just ends here. Let's just comment on the new Castlevania DS game, right?
Keops out.
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retro 1.3.2005 at 02:56:03 AM
Erm.. I always thought it was Akumajo Dracula- Gekka no Nocturne. That's what my imported Soundtrack reads, but that could be un-1337 translation. No matter what you call it, SotN is the best damn game ever.
That being said, I think I'll pass on this title since I can't justify spending $150 on a handheld.
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drumlord 1.3.2005 at 12:37:11 AM
South Jersey? GAF originally lived in Cali, then Hawaii, and now Florida. And it's run out of Rhode Island. Only Sam lives in Jersey, poor soul ;)
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giggas 1.2.2005 at 11:14:16 PM
I became a member just to comment on this..
Zeo is right Keops, you sound pretty ridiculous. The only reason you should even reffer to SotN by that name is if you just so happen to live in Japan... and I'm willing to bet that since you visit a website that's set up in South Jersey, you're not from Japan. No one here knows what in blazes "Gekka no Yasoukyoku" is. The truth is, NO ONE here knows the game by it's Japanese name, and why should we? Everyone knows it as Symphony of the Night. Please someone, if you really speak of SotN by calling it "Gekka so forth" then please say so. ANYWAY... (might as well say something a little useful)
The touch screen idea blows. However the game does look pretty cool and I'll probably buy it to play on my girl's DS.
And the reason we most likely see the "2D" Castlevania's on the GB is simply because there's a market there that doesn't exist on the consoles. Because honestly, just because a few people are Castlevania Super Fan enough to say "Gekka No Yaso..." you're in the minority and they don't care what you think.
And for the sake of it... the PS2 Castlevania was upset of the year when it came out. The 64 ones were seriously better... but that's another story.
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keops 1.2.2005 at 09:16:19 PM
zeo: You hate it when people what? Are you sure you are not the cocky one here? Way to go. At any rate... Maybe the 3D Castlevania game didn't sell so well because it is NOT THAT GOOD, not that it is 3D, after all, Gekka no Yasoukyoku (aka. Symphony of the Night) (and if this bothers you, then, feel bothered, 'cuz I see no reason, I just add the aka. because not everyone knows the game by it's japanese name) did sell VERY well (becoming a Greatest Hits game too). So that has little or nothing to do with this. They just need to make a good console 'vania, that's all there's to it in reality.
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zeo 1.2.2005 at 03:51:10 PM
Eh, we'll see a new 2D Castlevania on a console eventually.
And to those bitching about Konami listening to petitions over sales, shut up. It's a business. Even the 3D Castlevania didn't sell good, so they're smart by keeping it to handheld right now, sadly.
And really, there's absolutely no reason to go "games such as Gekka no Yasuoukyoku (aka. Symphony of the Night)". God, I hate when people do that to try and sound above others.
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pixy misao 1.2.2005 at 02:36:55 PM
I suspect that the only thing that gets Konami's attention is game sales. I say this because we've tried petitions and email campaigns before and they never worked. If Castlevania becomes as popular as say, Zelda or even Metroid... then Konami will be more likely to change it's public relations policy regarding the series. Right now it seems to be "no questions, no comments, no petitions or ideas... just buy our games". nice way to appease the buying public eh?
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keops 1.2.2005 at 09:31:39 AM
pixy misao is right. Even if Lament of Innocence was not a truly bad game, it wasn't even near the perfection of games such as Gekka no Yasuoukyoku (aka. Symphony of the Night) in terms of gameplay and polish. It was just a sub-par game and one of the weaker 'vanias in recent history. It would be good for the series to make a comeback with full force on consoles, although they've been doing a good job keeping the legacy alive with the handheld incarnations of Castlevania. Should we collect signatures and send them to IGA? (ŽA`)
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ttfp 1.2.2005 at 06:20:46 AM
So... another game for the DS with a throwaway touchscreen feature tacked on.
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pixy misao 1.2.2005 at 12:50:21 AM
For those still crying over IGA's direction with Castlevania... eat it and suffer. Maybe it is a rehash of a rehash, but it's quite beautiful. And while I'm anxious to see what the DS can do for Castlevania, my main gripe is that the game is on a portable. Apparently the series is trapped in handheld land now.
And to EGM, Mina wasn't kidnapped and Dracula was in Aria!
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jj984jj 1.2.2005 at 12:22:15 AM
True, I guess it's better 2D for Castlevania anyway as the 2D games have turned out better then the 3D games.
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keops 12.31.2004 at 11:53:36 PM
jj984jj: I don't know what are you talking about. If you notice, these sprites are a lot bigger and more detailed. The sprites do resemble more those of SotN than those of the GBA games (which, while similar, were most of the time a bit smaller). So, would you care to explain your statement?
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blibtor 12.31.2004 at 11:51:23 PM
Holy mother of God that is awesome.
I love the DS.
It's like the perfect mixture of 2D, 3D, and innovation.
This makes me very happy :)
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jj984jj 12.31.2004 at 11:17:09 PM
Why did they make the sprites exactly the same as the GBA games? I hope their just using them to build the gameplay but in the end use some new ones that are at least cleaner then the GBA sprites. :\
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keops 12.31.2004 at 09:50:39 PM
I'm really looking forward to this game. I'm going to get a DS in February and I'll be sure to pick this game up as soon as it gets released.
Looks like another fine game in the Castlevania series.
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darren 12.31.2004 at 09:38:51 PM
looks to be similar to SOTN, which is beyond ticklish goodness.
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siraileron 12.31.2004 at 07:30:47 PM
it's awesomeness in a can
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counterattack 12.31.2004 at 06:57:12 PM
I think I played Aria of Sorrow for GBA, and I really liked it. I borrowed it form a friend, and I liked it so much, I went through it twice nad leveled all the way to 99 the second time. This looks good. I may have to invest in a DS now.
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sugoi 12.31.2004 at 06:24:54 PM
I'd say something, but I am literally crying with joy. I love you, IGA!
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drakken 12.31.2004 at 06:15:08 PM
Nice, huh? :D
digg this story!
