- Rumours About PS5 Exclusive Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania Send the Web Potty Push Square
- Rumor: Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake is a PS5 Exclusive, Might be Announced at PlayStation Showcase – News VGChartz
- Sony Has Struck Exclusivity Deals With Konami for MGS3, Silent Hill, and Possibly Castlevania, Jez Corden Says Wccftech
- Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake to be Announced at PlayStation Showcase, Exclusive to PS5 – Rumour GamingBolt
- Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake: PS5 exclusive and PlayStation Showcase announcement, according to Nick Baker – Game News 24
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Castlevania
Dead Cells DLC ‘Return to Castlevania’ announced
Developers Motion Twin [15 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/companies/motion-twin”>Motion Twin and Evil Empire [8 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/companies/evil-empire”>Evil Empire have announced Dead Cells [16 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/dead-cells”>Dead Cells downloadable content “Return to Castlevania.” It will launch in Q1 2023.
Here is an overview of the downloadable content, via its Steam page:
The inspiration behind it all returns to its 2D Action [794 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/genres/action”>action roots! Castlevania‘s unforgettable characters and gothic setting meet the fast-paced combat of the award-winning Roguelite [64 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/genres/roguelite”>roguelite Dead Cells in this unprecedented collaboration.
A gateway to a striking castle has suddenly appeared, and an imposing warrior called Richter asks you to help him vanquish the great evil within.
Enticed by the promise of new loot rather than a sense of moral duty, you strike out through the grounds and corridors of the gothic castle to find and kill this mysterious Dracula…Slay hordes of his supernatural minions as you progress through our biggest DLC yet, including two levels, three bosses and a new storyline!
Wield Classic Castlevania Weapons
Unlock 14 iconic weapons such as the Vampire Killer, Throwing Axe & Holy Water to decimate Dracula’s bestiary of monsters and finally the dark lord himself. Each item has been translated into the fast-paced combat of Dead Cells while keeping their original essence.
Explore Every Corner of Dracula’s Castle
Secret rooms. Flame-lit corridors. Gloomy tombs. Beautiful paintings. Food hidden in the walls. Full of original monsters from the series, such as harpies, werewolves & haunted armors, the character of the iconic castle will transport you into the realms of gothic fantasy.
Enjoy Classic and Reimagined Music
We’re giving you access to an alternative soundtrack made of 51 of the original Castlevania tunes, that can be heard across the entire game. Yes, 51!
On top of this, we’ve taken the 12 most iconic tracks, such as Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears and Simon Belmont’s Theme, and reimagined them in the style of Dead Cells as a soundtrack for this DLC, while preserving the Castlevania ambiance of course.
Discover a New Storyline
Richter Belmont and Alucard will be by your side throughout your quest to vanquish Dracula, helping you to navigate the maze of Dracula’s Castle and providing you with strong weapons (sometimes willingly, sometimes not). However, where there is good there is evil, so watch out for powerful foes who will try everything in their power to stop you from reaching the throne room.
Master Three Epic Bossfights
Fight against the very essence of evil in two intense duels versus Death and Dracula, both set against a majestic backdrop. If you can survive these gauntlets, prepare yourself for our most ambitious boss showdown yet…
Unlock Castlevania Character Outfits
Unlock 20 outfits as you progress through the castle, letting you roleplay as all your favourite characters like Alucard, Richter Belmont, Simon Belmont, Maria Renard, Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades or even Dracula himself
Dead Cells is available now for PS4 [24,338 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/platforms/playstation/ps4″>PlayStation 4, Xbox One [11,672 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/platforms/xbox/xbox-one”>Xbox One, Switch [12,675 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/platforms/nintendo/switch”>Switch, PC [16,469 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/platforms/pc”>PC via Steam, iOS via the App Store, and Android via Google Play.
Watch the announcement trailer below.
Announce Trailer
Inti Creates’ New Project Is A Stunning Mash Up Of Castlevania And Mega Man
Developer and publisher Inti Creates, known for its work on games such as Mega Man Zero, Azure Striker Gunvolt, and the Castlevania-inspired Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, has announced that it is working on a brand new 2D action platformer that looks like a beautiful mash up of all three.
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge takes the fast paced shooting mechanics of Mega Man and blends it with the close-quarters melee combat seen in classic Castlevania titles. It stars two demon hunters – Shinobu and Maya – who must infiltrate a dangerous castle that now stands in place of their former school. You’ll be able to switch between the two characters on the fly to utilise their unique skills, or you can team up with a friend for two-player co-op gameplay.
Here’s an official breakdown of the game from Inti Creates:
Grim Guardians centers around two demon hunters who return to their school after a mission only to find a demonic castle where it once stood. Players control both of the demon hunting sisters in this 2D side-scrolling action game. Players must master each of the sisters’ unique abilities and attributes to overcome the challenging stages with bosses awaiting their arrival. They’ll also be able to find new routes through each stage using the 2 characters’ abilities, keeping play throughs fresh.
Other features include 2-player co-op with special actions, extensive difficulty options with the “Style System,” unique changes on repeat plays, and most importantly the quality and challenge players have come to expect from Inti Creates titles, this time with a new gothic horror aesthetic.
Despite the game being playable for attendees at the indie game show ‘BitSummit X-Roads’ in Kyoto this weekend, it nevertheless sounds like Grim Guardians is in early development, so a release date is likely still a ways off. If this early glimpse is anything to go by, however, it looks like the game may well prove to be another hit for Inti Creates!
What do you think of Grim Guardians? Will you be adding it to your collection when it eventually launches? let us know!
Vampire Survivors 0.7.3 Has A Secret Character (It’s A Tree)
I’ve not played a lot of Vampire Survivors, but I know that moving around, dodging enemies, and running about are key parts of the game. So it’s a bit odd that the surprise hit’s newest secret character, just added in its latest beta update, is a fruit tree that doesn’t move. But don’t be fooled: This tree is shockingly good at killing shit.
The popular Castlevania-like retro-inspired shoot ‘em up, Vampire Survivors, has received a beta update on Steam. Anyone can opt in to the game’s public beta branch to get a taste of upcoming features and changes, such as the hit indie game’s latest update, 0.7.3. This update adds new weapons, arcanas, and some characters.
One of these new playable survivors is…*double checks notes* uh…a tree. It’s not just any tree, but a magical one bearing some nice-looking fruits.
The tree’s actual name is Peppino and like trees in real life, it doesn’t move. However, unlike trees in real life (well in my neck of the woods at least) Peppino is able to use spells, abilities, and items to fight off waves of enemies. It also has the ability to suck in nearby gems when they drop. So what this all means is that the tree remains stationary in the middle of the map surrounded by a large, circular aura that kills most things when they get too close.
Before you can play as this secret new tree you’ll need to unlock it. To do that you’ll first have to “Use Celestial Dusting to heal the plants at Il Molise for a total of 100,000 HP.” If you don’t know what that means or how to do it—hello!—don’t worry, as folks online are already uploading easy-to-follow tutorials walking you through the process. It looks like it involves a dog. Interesting!
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If you have yet to try Vampire Survivors, the game recently made its way to Game Pass. It only costs 3 bucks on Steam, but saving money is saving money. I get it.
Konami Sold This Castlevania Pixel Art For Over $26K In Its ‘Memorial’ NFT Auction
Whether you love or hate NFTs in gaming, it seems some companies are intent on monopolising on this new trend.
One, in particular, is Konami, who decided to celebrate Castlevania’s 35th anniversary with a special ‘Konami NFT Memorial Collection’ auction. It’s now sold off all ’14 unique artworks” which consisted of game scenes, BGMs and drawn visuals, and managed to bank $162,000 USD in total. The sale took place on OpenSea – a marketplace where NFT artwork goes for the average price of around $12k.
The highlight of the lot was the sale of a digital map (essentially just a JPEG) of Dracula’s Castle (from the original Castlevania game) for $26k. Yeah, we’re not joking… Konami can potentially bank even more, as it earns royalties of up to 10% whenever its NFTs are sold again in the future.
Interestingly, Konami will also celebrate the winners of this auction by listing the names of the original buyers on its website for 10 months. A few other amusing things include the fact that these NFTs may not necessarily increase in value, and they might not even have a future. Here’s the full notice about this from Konami:
“Konami will only be responsible for granting the use of the NFT and purchaser benefits for the NFT and will not provide any guarantee for the NFT itself. (e.g. continuity, compatibility with other services.)”
If you would like a crash course in the world of NFTs, be sure to check out the story we published yesterday:
If you do feel like you’ve missed out, you can always head over to Google, search for some Castlevania artwork, and make it your screen’s wallpaper.
Konami NFT Auction Racks Up Over $160k In Sales In One Day
Konami has entered the NFT economy, also known as the hottest grift in the world right now. Yesterday, in an auction on OpenSea, the publisher launched its “Konami Memorial NFT Collection” and sold 14 items created to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Castlevania series. Somehow, someone decided to spend over $26,000 on a digital map of Dracula’s Castle from the original Castlevania.
As spotted by VGC, the entire collection “sold out” around 3 a.m EST on January 15. Other items sold via the “Memorial Collection” included some gameplay clips from Castlevania and virtual posters. Apparently, someone spent over $17,000 on one of these gameplay montages. Unrelated, but here’s a video of someone playing all of the original game that you can watch, right now, on YouTube for free.
After the dust settled, the entire collection sold at auction for a combined total of $162k. Konami will likely end up making more money in the future off NFTs as the company can also earn a royalty of up to 10% every time its NFTs are sold in the future. And Konami has more NFT plans following this Memorial Collection.
As a bonus for wasting your money on one of these NFT items from Konami, the publisher plans to list the names of the original buyers on a special website for 10 months. Wonderful.
Digging into the fine print on these NFTs, I found some interesting things. For one, minors aren’t allowed to buy any of these NFTs. Another thing, Konami basically covers its ass and says it doesn’t guarantee that the NFT you bought will be around in the future, stating:
Konami will only be responsible for granting the use of the NFT and purchaser benefits for the NFT and will not provide any guarantee for the NFT itself. (e.g. continuity, compatibility with other services.)
Oh and finally, Konami doesn’t guarantee your NFT will increase in value. Sorry.
NFTs have quickly become a popular way for video game publishers and other companies to try and make a quick buck by selling worthless digital items as exclusive, limited NFTs backed by the magical blockchain, which according to tech bros and NFT cultists will fix all our problems and allow you to own digital items like avatars, gun skins, and music. Ignoring the fact that people already buy and sell these things without NFTs getting involved, there’s also the whole nasty bit that NFTs rely on servers and other tech, just like all digital goods, so one day you might own a dead link to an ugly ape and be left with nothing but regrets.
Konami is set to revive Metal Gear, Castlevania and Silent Hill
Konami [137 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/konami/”>Konami is set to ramp up its premium game development with new instalments and remakes for its biggest franchises, including Metal Gear and Castlevania.
That’s according to publishing sources who spoke to VGC anonymously, because they did not have permission to discuss their projects publicly.
Konami’s original games output has slowed down significantly in recent years. The last new Metal Gear game was 2018’s critically panned Metal Gear Survive, while the last mainline Castlevania release was 2014’s Lord of Shadow 2.
In the past decade, the company has arguably grown a bigger reputation for its Pachinko gambling games, than for its premium PC [4,043 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/pc/”>PC and console releases.
However, following a restructure to the company’s game development divisions earlier this year, Konami is now focused on bringing back its biggest brands to the premium games space, VGC was told.
The first of these titles will be a new Castlevania game, which sources described as a “reimagining” of the series currently in development internally at Konami in Japan, with support from local external studios.
There’s been much speculation that Demon’s Souls [74 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/games/demons-souls/”>Demon’s Souls studio Bluepoint Games [23 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/bluepoint/”>Bluepoint could be working on a remake of Metal Gear Solid. However, VGC was told the series is actually being worked on by an external studio based in Singapore.
Developer Virtuous worked on the Nintendo Switch [1,986 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/nintendo/switch/”>Switch ports of Dark Souls Remastered [6 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/games/dark-souls-series/dark-souls-remastered/”>Dark Souls Remastered, The Outer Worlds [67 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/games/the-outer-worlds/”>The Outer Worlds and The BioShock Collection, as well as contributing art and content to blockbusters such as Battlefield 1, Uncharted (series) [145 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/games/uncharted-series/”>Uncharted 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn [116 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/games/horizon-zero-dawn/”>Horizon Zero Dawn.
The remake project is currently in early development and multiple sources suggested it would be centred around fan-favourite entry Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, rather than the original MGS.
Konami also intends to release remasters of the original Metal Gear Solid games for modern consoles, ahead of the larger project, we understand.
Finally, multiple Silent Hill games are currently in development at various external development studios, as per an earlier VGC report from February.
One of these projects was outsourced to a prominent Japanese developer earlier this year, we were told.
Konami should publicly showcase its plans at major shows next year, disruption from the pandemic permitting. Konami pulled out of this year’s E3 2021 [63 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/events/e3/e3-2021/”>E3 2021 show due to “timing” issues, although at the time it confirmed it had “a number of key projects” in the works.
Konami’s Japanese bosses are understood to have historically pushed back against most pitches to outsource its key games brands, which is a big reason why previous pitches for Silent Hill games, such as one by Until Dawn studio Supermassive, weren’t greenlit.
However, following the disappointing performance of recent in-house titles Metal Gear Survive and Contra: Rogue Corps, VGC’s sources said the company has become more willing to contract outside studios for its major franchises.
VGC first reported Konami’s softening of its stance over licensing its game properties earlier this year, in a report revealing that the company has outsourced a new Silent Hill game.
Last year, Konami ramped up its game efforts with the creation of a new external publishing programme, with which it hoped to sign more Western-developed titles.
Castlevania composer on returning to her ‘masterpiece’ with new Apple Arcade game
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls isn’t just the long-awaited return of the vampire-whipping series. It also marks the return of some big names, including character designer Ayami Kojima and composer Michiru Yamane, who left Konami in 2008. Yamane previously worked on seminal Castlevania games like Symphony of the Night and Dawn of Sorrow, and after going freelance she teamed up with longtime Castlevania director Koji Igarashi on Bloodstained. Her credits also include Skullgirls, a few Suikoden games, and Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, though she calls her work on Castlevania her “masterpiece.”
Ahead of the launch of Grimoire of Souls, which is out now on Apple Arcade, I had the chance to ask Yamane a few questions over email about her work and career.
How does it feel to return to the franchise?
The Castlevania series is my masterpiece from my days as a company employee, and it is also the series in which I participated in the largest number of titles. So I’m very happy to be able to participate in this project as a freelance musician again after all these years, and to be able to please the fans of this series.
For you, what makes a Castlevania soundtrack distinct? What are elements that are intrinsically Castlevania?
The best thing about it is its worldview. Pipe organs, choirs, church bells, and other instruments and musical styles which are typical of the medieval European era. In particular, baroque and classical music is of course a point of differentiation. In addition to the academic Western classical music, there is also the essence of various music such as Ravel and Debussy, the essence of avant-garde music, and modern music (progressive rock) in odd time signatures. For example, the desert stage contains music with Middle Eastern melodies, or the water stage uses modal melodies.
How do you think the series’ sound has evolved over the years?
It can be said that it has developed along with changes in the performance of game console. The PSG sound source of NES, followed by the Mega Drive, PlayStation, and PlayStation 2, has increased the range of expression as time has progressed. In the early days of video games, the number of simultaneous sounds was three, but as technology increased, the amount of data that we can handle increased, and the range of musical expression expanded. We can say the same thing for graphics. As the person in charge of music, I feel that as the expression of graphics has expanded, it has become possible to express artistic beauty by linking it to music.
Was there anything you wanted to do differently this time around?
Currently, my life’s work is healing music. Because of this, I create music in a slightly lower tuning “A = 432hz,” which is specialized for healing.
The ‘Castlevania Advance Collection’ Has Been Rated For Switch In Taiwan
In June, it was discovered how a “Castlevania Advance Collection” had been rated by the Australian Classification Board.
The publisher was listed as Konami and the author was ‘M2’ – best known in recent years for re-releasing various retro classics on the Switch. This followed with a PC version of the game being classified in South Korea.
It seems the latest classification in Taiwan has now confirmed the collection for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch. Judging by the title, the package is expected to include Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow – although nothing has been officially confirmed yet.
It’s just a matter of Konami announcing the collection now. Would you be interested in replaying Castlevania’s Game Boy Advance entries again? Tell us down below.