Topic: Lords of Shadow sequel is coming out this year, hinted by David Cox over twitter

[A-Yty]

I'd say an otherwordly immortal thing, even if "just" an angel, is more Death than a necromancer. Either way, he has always been what he is - above a human or a necromancer.

Besides, it's kind of unclear what exactly he is. Golem calls him "death god", Leon says he's a being of divine powers, he has angel wings in CV64 etc. He can be killed, but he keeps returning. Or maybe he really is "death itself". But even if he's not "The" Death, he is still closer to that than Zobek.

[Maedhros]

Feb 6th.

The only thing this prooves is that they're working on multiple projects that uses body motion capture.

It doesn't even have to be a Castlevania, much less 3DS.

We know there's a Castlevania coming for PS360, and that's it. Wishful thinking has a limit.

[Sumac]

Death in Castlevana is not Death iself, it has always,always, always been the "Angel of Death" or the "Master of Death" in other words, a powerful mythical necromancer, just like Zobek. It's a hard adaptation bt it's faithful to the escence of the character.

However the key thing is that he wasn't human. Or at least it never was revealed what Reaper was before becoming Dracula's ally.
I don't see it as big issue - different universe = different concepts and origins. The idea that some human could transcend human boundaries and become some sort if "living incarnation of death" is interesting. Dracula in the OT basically made the same thing and become the Dark Lord (leader of all dark forces in the world). It's a bit different, but such concepts were not alien to the old chronology.

[Chernabogue]

Isn't Death (the original CV one) a god (the God of Death) who is under the control of Dracula?

[A-Yty]

Isn't Death (the original CV one) a god (the God of Death) who is under the control of Dracula?

He might be a god. Or not. Maybe he's just a demonic impostor who has his own agenda and just pretends to serve Dracula. Or a servant of a greater power. Maybe he's not even one single entity.

[Kingshango]

IIRC, the enemies from the land of the dead are small representations of Zobeks true form. The reapers represent his power to reap souls (duh) and the necromancers represent his power to revive the dead and use it to his liking.

Zobek's can do all of the above and controls the gateway for souls to reach the afterlife. So unless there is a reaper that surpasses Zobek, he is THE reaper in this universe. The lord of the dead's power and Death's power are pretty much the same, only the origin is different.

I think most of the disapproval of Zobek being Death comes from the fact that he was born by a ritual gone horribly wrong instead of being an all powerful being from out of nowhere that has always existed somewhere.

[Flame]

It wasnt quite "gone horribly wrong" as much as "gone right but with unforseen consequences". They did become divine beings who's power was second only to God's.

But in doing so, they discarded all chaotic and dark elements from their souls. Essentially leaving behind their dark sides, which similarly, became all powerful supernatural entities.

Also on Zobek.

Death in the LoS universe, is different than the classic one. (maybe) as in there are various representations of the force we call death.

Everything in the land of the dead is a representation of Zobek's power. And Zobek himself is so powerful a necromancer, that he has literally become the physical incarnation of Death. He cast the spell that cut off the heavens, and even though he was incinerated in Hellfire by Satan himself, he STILL survived and came back eventually, as shown by the Epilogue.

That's some power.

And classic Death i'm pretty sure is supposed to be a Shinigami, IOW, a Japanese death God. Like Ryuk from Deathnote. Only stylized after the grim reaper.

Otherwise, Dracula would have won after Death simply kills every Human on the planet because he's Death.

[crisis]

I wonder what voice actors they'll use for the next game(s). Jean-Luc Picard pretending to be "Death" just comes off as awkward to me. Just another ploy to get [needless] attention for their game it seems.

Then again, this reboot must have a lot of EPIC themes, with EPIC Hollywood orchestra & EPIC Hollywood names, so it's all good


EPIC

[A-Yty]

IIRC, the enemies from the land of the dead are small representations of Zobeks true form.

If you're talking about the reaper thingies, then no. Those are fragments of death or something along those lines. I don't remember his true form mentioned at all. He does get ugly hands when he reveals his plan. Is that his true form..?

Zobeks can do all of the above and controls the gateway for souls to reach the afterlife.

I'm pretty sure any sufficiently skilled necromancer can do what he does (or could if they had Satan helping them out). He might be the most skilled around, sure, but still just a necromancer. If those tiny reapers had sufficient intelligence of their own, they'd be "deathier".

The lord of the dead's power and Death's power are pretty much the same, only the origin is different.

The de facto avatar of death needs help from a vampire against Satan? And I'm pretty sure Death has pulled tricks that Zobek hasn't.

Other than the fact that his relationship with Gabricula mirrors that of Dracula and Death, I see no reason why he should be considered more than a necromancer. He made a spell to cut out heaven (which he couldn't have done without Satan's help), but couldn't get rid of the other lords of shadow without using a pawn. Power levels in LoS seem kind of dodgy anyway. Satan's a petty impotent douche who can be air-jousted to submission and a magic mask apparently makes anyone the equivalent of an omnipotent being. No wait, scratch that..obviously there really is a personified God in the LoSverse. But he can't even stop one necromancer from interfering with his business and all in all seems to do nothing at all.

The other LoSs weren't more than what they were said to be, so why should Zobek be? Cornell wasn't the patron god of werewolves, he was just the leader of their clan. Carmilla wasn't the supreme vampire, she was just a really old and powerful one. Zobek doesn't control who lives or dies. He can use magic to manipulate the lives of some and use dead people as servants. Like necromancers have been shown to do in fiction numerous times.

[crisis]

Dark Lord of the Necromancer's in-game description:

Zobek was once a brave fighter and a sage wizard, wise above all others. He was a good man, much loved and respected. Along with Cornell and Carmilla, Zobek founded the order to which Gabriel belongs: The Brotherhood of Light. Yet pride drove him to seek even more power, to fight against the evil and injustices he saw all around him. He was corrupted by the very desire to do good and, in the end, was punished for it. When his spirit ascended to Heaven that fateful night, the empty corpse that he left behind became the Necromancer; an evil reflection of everything that he represented. Lord of all the Dead, he is death personified and with his knowledge of the dark arts none may stand against him, living or dead.

Reaper's in-game description:

Only powerful sorcerers can summon and control these dangerous spirits. The Reapers are a corporeal manifestation of Death itself; their aspect depends on the beliefs of those who confront them, but most people perceive the Reapers as skeletal figures with long tunics, wielding large scythes.

Necromancer's in-game description:

Necromancy is the most evil of all the schools of magic and can only be performed by the followers of the Dark Lord of the Dead. Unlike vampirism and lycanthropy, the powers necessary to control the energies of the deceased are not easily acquired. The Dark Lord only shares a small part of his power with his followers, who themselves must die in order to use the abilities given to them. Once dead, they become his thralls and their master is able to control them with his own considerable power.

[Ahasverus]

I can't get enough of those art illustrations, I think it was one of the most beautiful things in the game, they must to keep and expand the bestiary/book system, it's just perfect .

Also, I like that LoD image, he looks good, quite death-like. Still, while I'm a LoS fanboy, I liked the LoD design for what it is, and it kinda reminds me of death, enough to draw a paralellism, without forgetting that they are different characters, which people tend to forget sometimes.

There's no point in saying "But he should look like this" because they are not what you think, what you want them to be, it's all new, it's based on Akumajou Dracula, but it's not, it's Castlevania; kinda what Dragon Ball is to Odyssey to the west, and what Enslaved is to Odyssey to the west, what Batman Begins Series is to Batman (Ra's al ghul trained Batman, Joker was not desfigured in a chemical accident, and that stuff... does that rings a bell for you??).

Akumajou Dracula was a pastiche of horror conventions, and this new Castlevania is a pastiche of that pastiche, fair enough I guess.

It doesn't hurt that it's a great game too.

[Flame]

this new Castlevania is a pastiche of that pastiche

pasticheception.

BRRRRRRRRRN

[Chernabogue]

BRRRRRRRRRN

[A-Yty]

Pastiche indeed. A parody, even..?

Yes, they are completely different characters. So why should there even be a disagreement on what and/or who he is? Why is there any kind of effort to convince anyone of that? Or other things like that - in order to make them appreciate LoS for qualities people associate with Original Castlevania / Akumajou? It's puzzling, because LoS doesn't even properly make an effort to utilize those things. It wants to go its own way with the title "Castlevania". That is what the developers themselves have said. Still, time after time, someone, wants to prove how much "Akumajou" there is.

Why? It's Castlevania. And apparently that's now different than Akumajou Dracula. Following that, no one, especially LoS fans, should care at all how anyone reacts to LoS if their opinion is based on it not being like "Akumajou". It can't eat both cakes if it's not willing to bake them itself.

I might be re-opening a can of worms here, but I think Cox made the situation worse when he said there is a difference between "Akumajou" and "Castlevania". It was like plugging a boat hole with ice cubes.

[Ahasverus]