Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD
Overview -
Outside the big guns of Mario and Zelda, there aren't that many franchises that can show a steady history of releases. 'Castlevania' however, is one of those few titles, tracking its history back nearly 30 years to the original NES. Over the years, new titles in the series have come at regular interval and with the rise of 3D gaming, the series itself has dabbled in stepping outside its original 2D side-scrolling genre with mixed results. Ultimately, with such a storied history and in the era of a the 'reboot,' 'Castlevania' needed a new starting point for a whole new generation of fans and that came with 2010's 'Castlevania: Lords of Shadow' a well-received third-person action game that told the story of Gabriel Belmont (voiced by respected actor Robert Carlyle). While a numbered sequel is set to hit consoles early next year, a return to the side-scrolling roots occurred on the Nintendo 3DS platform in 'Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate' which has now been remastered with HD graphics and released on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN.
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Video Review
'Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD' definitely lives up to its HD moniker with a complete graphical makeover from the original Nintendo 3DS version. The frame rate, first and foremost is incredibly solid with only a tiny bit of slowdown when the screen is filled with heavily animated enemy attacks and even then it's nothing that has a truly negative impact on game play. The overall detail of the textures is definitely well within the realm of what one expects from a XBLA game and while the character models, under close scrutiny don't necessarily pop as shining examples of the console's graphical power, the backgrounds add a tremendous amount of atmosphere to the proceedings, aided nicely by the game's 2.5D graphical style. Cutscenes are a bit jarring, switching to a far less detailed cel-shaded effect, but the animation is fluid and smooth throughout.
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Audio Review
The soundscape of 'Mirror of Fate HD' isn't quite as impressive as the visuals, with a wide swath of effects that eventually become repetitive, especially during the more busy battles. The atmospheric score is greatly appreciated and it has the effect of dynamic response, with the tempo quickening when danger is a screen away. Voice acting is incredibly noteworthy with the likes of Robert Carlyle and Alec Newman tackling key roles and adding a gravitas to an otherwise melodramatic, if not cookie cutter story. The sound mix, sadly feels off at times, with cutscenes feeling a tad dialed back to the more aggressive game play sequences and is nothing that can't be fixed with a nearby remote, but a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.
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While an argument could be made that my general inexperience with the 'Castlevania' series may result in a bias towards this title, I'll argue the flipside is equally true and approaching 'Mirror of Fate' with relatively fresh eyes highlights how solid a release this is for a newcomer to the series. With eye-pleasing graphics, a generally engaging (or at least varied) storyline, coupled with smooth controls, and a rather lengthy map to explore, this HD remake of 'Mirror of Fate' is worthy of purchase for those longing for a modern update on the 2D sidescroller.
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