With Castlevania Lords of Shadows 2 coming to Xbox and PS3, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate hitting the 3DS, it’s a good time to be fan of the rebooted Belmont clan. In 2010, the first Lord of Shadows game took both the story and the gameplay in a bold new direction, doing glorious, God of War-inspired things with the series’ signature whip. If you didn’t play it, you could read our primer on the Lord of Shadows lore (spoilers, obviously). Or you could just play it. The game has a big twist ending, so maybe just go pick up a copy.

We really liked it, but Lord of Shadow didn’t please everyone. Some didn’t like how it took after modern hack and slash games, and complained about a, shall we say, overuse of the third dimension. That’s why Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate really has our curiosity. It’ll continue the intriguing new plot line established by the first game, and as a 2.5D game, it’s a chance for the series to go back to its side-scrolling roots. We’ve had enough time with this game for a preview, but we’re still wondering just how “Metroidvania” this game will be…

Not the first 3D Castlevania game but we’d call it the most well-received one. It got the ball rolling on an interesting new story angle, and plays like a modern action and adventure game. A lot of gamers compared it to God of War, but with all its platforming, climbing and whip swinging, there’s a healthy dose of Prince of Persia and Uncharted in there, too. It was an all-around slick package, with strong voice acting, good menus and some really in-depth cutscenes. Oh, and did we mention Hideo Kojima was involved with the game? If you found the cinematics long-winded, you can probably blame that one on the creator of the Metal Gear series.

The plot revolves around Gabriel Belmont, on a quest to rescue his murdered lover from purgatory. Ok, so it’s a tad Dante’s inferno, too. But let’s discuss what elements of this 2012 console release we’d like to see in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate when it hits 3DS…

If there was one thing Lords of Shadow understood it’s that size matters. At 15-20 hours, it had plenty of game to get your hooks into. It was a big world too. In true, old-school Castlevania-style, it often had you backtracking to grab formerly out-of-reach power ups.

It wasn’t as big as, say, Symphony of the Night, but we’ll get to that game later. Lords of Shadow just knew how to go large and do it right. Plus, it kept the series tradition of big enemies, even bigger bosses, and had us climb up giant foes in a way like God of War III’s Titan sequences combined with Shadow of the Colossus.

One of the splashiest things about this new 3D Castlevania were those lightning fast riding sequences. Remember charging headlong through the forest, wolfmen riding giant Wargs attacking from either side? We could lashing them with the whip, then leap off our horse to execute their mounts.

Oh, and that horse? It could talk. No big deal or anything, Lords of Shadow tended to be very no nonsense about the craziest stuff. Eventually we were riding giant spiders, trolls and even Wargs ourselves. These crazy, adrenaline pumping sequences were an awesome variation to the pace of combat. We’d love to see something like this in Mirror of Fate. Imagine how awesome the forest would look, whipping past us in 3D, as we rode whatever horror creature the game had thrown at us.

It might seem out of place in a Gothic game like Castlevania, but Lords of Shadow had us chuckling from time to time. Remember Gabriel’s first encounter with the bomb-tossing goblins? We don’t know what was funnier, the way he nonchalantly picked up one of their grenades, fuse still burning, or the cloud of red goblin blood that sprayed everywhere when he hurled it back at them.

Castlevania games are always dark, but we don’t mind the right amount of humor to bring some levity to all undead slaying. Remember that talking horse, how it just leapt out of the bushes like, “yep, I’m a talking horse and this is completely normal.” Sure, it was actually the forest spirit Pan, helping us out in the form of a magical steed, but that doesn’t make it any less crazy. We’re hoping that Mirror of Fate can maintain this sort of tone. We may be in luck; if those mischievous hunchbacks we’ve been seeing in clips from the game are any indication, it won’t be taking itself too seriously. Hopefully it can walk that fine line between goofy and grim.

Button mashing – it’s never been a deal-breaker for us, but it’s never been something we enjoy either. Spamming a button to escape a monster’s claws does more to wear out a controller than get us into a game. Lords of Shadow indulged in this, and we’re hoping that when the series comes to 3DS, it can come up with a more creative way to build intensity in these moments. Plus, we feel like the fury of our button mashing could harm our poor little portable.

Lords of Shadow also had system of timing-based “hit the button…now” quick time events. These usually happened when climbing around on a monster, finishing off a bad guy, or sometimes to escape an environmental peril. They’re a step up from the typical “spam this button to not die” affair, but with the 3DS’s touch screen, we think Mirror of Fate could do something even more unique. That’s what we’re hoping for, anyway.

Remember the Pit and the Pendulum puzzle? Obviously inspired by the classic Edgar Allan Poe poem, Gabriel finds his lover Marie chained down, lying below a massive, swinging blade. To free her, he has to rotate the platforms around her to form a bridge he can cross. The thing is, with every rotation the blade descends lower and lower. One too many moves it’s the old slice and dice for poor Marie.

This was one of the game’s best puzzles. A simple logical challenge yes, but by integrating a story element – i.e. wanting Marie to not be chopped in half – into the situation, it becomes all the more compelling. Not every puzzle in Lords of Shadow was so great – some were a tad obtuse or rather rote, just there to break up all the demon slaying. However, a handful of them were close to brilliance. We’re hoping for more of those.

1989’s Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse was the last game of the series produced for the NES, and it's widely regarded as one of the best titles for the system. Like the upcoming Mirror of Fate, it had branching level design and multiple playable characters. This might be standard these days, but in 1990, this was way ahead of its time. It gave the title big replay value that set it apart from the competition.

Plot-wise, it was pretty much the same old song and dance. Drac’s castle appears, he and his monster army start making trouble in the neighborhood of Europe, and Trevor Belmont is tapped to bust some demon heads. Of course, as we mentioned, Belmont isn’t the only undead fighter undertaking this mission…

Like the upcoming Mirror of Fate, Dracula’s Curse had four playable characters that made for plentiful exploration and varied combat. Trevor Belmont was by far the most balanced fighter, but his sidekicks each had unique abilities for combat and exploration, and could be switched to at any time. Thief Grant Danasty (gotta love that name) could climb walls and change direction in mid-air. Sypha Belnades was a mage-like character with powerful magic. Finally, Dracula’s Curse was the first appearance of everyone’s favorite half vampire. No, not Wesley Snipes, we’re talking about Alucard. Dracula’s estranged son was also playable, with fireballs and a time-slowing stopwatch as a sub-weapon.

Now, the twist: Trevor could only have one sidekick at a time. Switching between the two was as easy as hitting select, but players could only have one companion at a time. Again, this was a game designed to be played over and over again, since knowing the map was key choosing the most useful sidekick. We doubt Mirror of Fate will have instant switching like this, but we do hope the characters and their abilities will be as distinct.

Not that the Castlevania series is known for tackling a wide range of plots, but Super Castlevania IV had basically the same set-up as the original Castlevania for the NES. Once again Simon Belmont was the hero invading Dracula’s castle, but the game was different where it mattered. The graphics and controls had all been revolutionized for the Super Nintendo. Players now had total control over Simon’s signature Vampire Killer Whip – it could now be lashed out in eight directions, and holding attack allowed the player to flail it about, which was perfect for defending against incoming ranged attacks.

The 16-bit SNES made for better graphics, bigger characters and more complex environments – including some that were outside of the castle. Also, Super Castlevania IV made a big new addition to the series’ signature penchant for platforming. Simon could now use his whip to swing off of hooks scattered around the castle, something that Lords of Shadow really latched onto.

We’d love to see Mirror of Fate take a cue from Super Castlevania IV and set some action outside of the castle, and in the more obscure parts of his keep. The forest level with its giant spiders was memorable, as was our stop in Drac’s treasure room. This new Castlevania reboot is still building up its lore, this would be a great opportunity to develop the character of Dracula a bit.

Since Lords of Shadow used IV’s system of swinging on the whip extensively, we know it will be a given in Mirror of Fate. We’re hope we’ll also get to see some of the weird enemies that haunted Super Castlevania IV – the flying horseheads, evil porcupine creatures and pole vaulting skeletons that smashed themselves to bits.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood was originally a Commodore 64 PC title, and never actually had an official Western release until it was ported to the PSP. It’s now available on the Wii Virtual Console, download it and it’ll be obvious why American Castlevania fans have long clamored for this game to get a wider US release. Starring Richter Belmont, it kicked it off a series tradition of subtitles named after musical movements (Symphony of the Night, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow…), its gigantic monsters, awesome soundtrack and colorful graphics make for a game that’s still fun to play today. It also had anime-style cut scenes, which blew minds back in 1993.

Rondo of Blood had a pseudo remake of sorts, Castlevania: Dracula X, which ported the game to Super Nintendo. For some reason though, the game’s art style, level design and music were all tweaked, mostly for the worse, making it more of a knock-off than a port.

If there’s one element from Rondo of Blood we want to see reflected in Mirror of Fate, it’s the massive, horrific bosses. These things were huge, and in the 16-bit era, they often took up most of the screen. Imagine a half-skeletonized bull, four times the size of the main character, charging in for the kill. They were scary, but oh-so-satisfying to take down.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow did a great job of keeping this series tradition alive, but we’re intrigued to see what Mirror of Fate will do on 3DS. With its more 2D style, it doesn’t seem like the kind of game where we’ll be climbing on and hacking apart bosses, a la God of War. We’re hoping for the dire, side scrolling showdowns like in Rondo, with the horror brought to life by stereoscopic 3D.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow was one of the first games for the DS, and it proved that 2D gaming could be alive and well on Nintendo’s handheld. We think Mirror of Fate could the same, albeit with the added visual flair of stereoscopic camera movements and awesome depth of field.

Dawn of Sorrow featured a colorful style and nasty, fleshy monster designs. As far as continuity goes, it’s a sequel to Aria of Sorrow, and employs similar gameplay mechanics. Like Aria, it’s set in the near future of 2036, but it doesn’t do much with the setting other than throw a handgun or two into play. This is a likely sign that MercurySteam’s reboot was just what the series needed.

The most interesting aspect of Dawn’s gameplay was its Tactical Soul system. The souls of enemies could be absorbed, granting you new powers, sort of like a Kirby game. Several of the same soul could be absorbed, increasing the effectiveness of the power. While it’s been confirmed that Mirror of Fate will have new abilities and magical powers to unlock, not much has been said about weapon upgrades. Obviously, we’re not expecting anything as game-changing as Tactical Souls, but we’ve got our fingers crossed for upgrades of some sort.

We’re also hoping Mirror of Fate will make a better use of the 3DS’s touch screen. Dawn’s Magical Seals system used the stylus to trace shapes and deliver the finishing blow to bosses. It felt a bit tacked on, not really adding much to the already robust combat. As far as touch features, the Mirror of Fate developers have said players will be able to write notes on the map using the stylus. It sounds like a great concept, since it suggests that the maps will be big and complex.

Alright, this is the one that changed everything. Tight controls, advanced graphics (for 1997), a haunting score and Alucard, a character who’s in the running for most bad ass video game anti-hero of all time. This is the defining “Metroidvania” game, a term originally coined for Castlevania titles that borrowed from the massive size and non-linear structure of the Metroid games.

Symphony was gigantic and built for exploration. Best of all, it was constantly doling out new gear and abilities. When you first encountered an enemy, he’d be deadly. Then, after leveling up a bit and finding the proper move to dispatch him, he’d be like a gnat. This might be the fan favorite-ist Castlevania games of all time, and while the team behind Mirror of Fate has said they’re “not interested in remaking Symphony of the Night – or any Metroid game,” there’s still a ton they could glean from this classic title…

Look up “brooding hero” in the video game dictionary and a picture of Alucard will be there. The half-vampire son of Dracula, (his name is Dracula backwards – just look at it) his mother Lisa was executed as a witch. Having the ignorant masses burn your mother at the stake would seem like a pretty good reason to join forces with your demon-god father, but Lisa’s dying wish was that Alucard not hate humanity, and instead fight to protect it - heavy stuff, man.

While it’s been confirmed that Alucard will be playable in Mirror of Fate, since this is a new story continuity, we’re not sure how much of his old backstory will be relevant. That’s fine, but we would like to see some of his classic spells and abilities. Dark Metamorphosis and Wing Smash, which allowed him to heal by killing enemies and attack in bat form, were great nods to his vampire lineage. We’d also like it if he had his shield and backwards dash ability from Symphony – those two are sort of the classic combo.

What really defined the Metroidvania style in Symphony was the depth of the stages. Not philosophical depth, we mean actual, physical depth. Jump down a pit and there’d be a whole subterranean layer ready for you to explore. We’d love to see that sort of tiered level design in Mirror of Fate.

Backtracking is one aspect of Metroidvania gameplay we know will be part of this new 3DS game. The developers have said the game will let players use the stylus to write notes on the map, as reminders of places to revisit after acquiring new powers or switching to a new character. This is an intriguing feature, and the sign of some big possibilities for the campaign’s structure.

Hoo boy, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night had some crazy lines. Dracula’s little speech, “What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets,” made number 27 on our The 100 best video game quotes of all time, but the game had some other humdingers or total non-sequiturs. Don't get us wrong - this was a big part of why we loved the game.

“Let us go out this evening for pleasure. The night is still young,” was the phrase from Symphony’s game over screen. We never knew quite what it was in reference to. Was Dracula trying to encourage us to try again, or to put down the controller and take a break? We may never know.

The last Castlevania game produced for the original Game Boy, Castlevania Legends, featured the rarely seen Belmont sister Sonia. She embarks on the typical quest to slay Dracula and his minions, and while this title is normally left out of the series continuity, it’s notable for a few reasons. Firstly, poor Sonia has never had another playable appearance. Second, Alucard also appears in this title, and there are hints of a romantic past between the two.

The team behind Mirror of Fates has announced three playable characters: Trevor and Simon Belmont, as well as Alucard. They’re being tight-lipped about the fourth and final cast member, but since this is meant to be a story about the Belmont clan, could an appearance by Sonia be in the cards? We hope so.

Attention fans of the Belmont family: what would you like to see from the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on consoles, and from this new continuity in general? Weave us a tale of woe in the comments below.

And if you want more downright horrific speculation, check out What We Want from Dead Space 3 and Diablo III Expansion - Six character classes we want to see.