Topic: Castlevania: "Same hell, different devil"--How far have we come since '03?

[shelverton.]

I personally just dont see what people see as "Castlevania" in Dark/Demon Souls.

they look even more high fantasy to me than LoS did. Atmosphere was certainly nice and dark, but far from Castlevania.

To me, of course.

Demon's/Dark Souls are great examples of 3D action games that are nothing like the God of Wars or the Devil May Cries. Castlevania should take a long hard look at how these games are structured, and how the combat works without being a flashy combo fest. The fantasy setting has really nothing to do with it, even though I still think that some of the levels SCREAM castlevanua. Dark Souls is also a perfect example of a Metroidvania in 3D.

[BingleGod]

The Souls games' aesthetic is pretty unlike high fantasy.

RichterB, I wasn't suggesting that Demon's/Dark Souls are Castlevania replacements or pointing to them as something CV should absolutely transition to, although I do think that they show a route which CV could have taken. If you have the means, you should play them. Maybe Dark Souls moreso, for the accomplishments of its interconnected world. It is also, much more than Demon's Souls, a great example of having strongly vertical level design without strict platforming (you can jump, but you need to get a running start first, and the jump is only good for horizontal coverage), in addition to having environments that are thematically reinforced by style and structure. And both have a good sense of physical embodiment, and exhibit fights that, while improvable in terms of dynamism, are quick, dangerous, and spatially important.