This game looks beautiful; it tries to be epic and comes off feeling like I’m playing Lord of the Rings. Lighting and sound seemingly have high production values. Multiple settings and really nice art direction, I saw a snowy castle, a dark forest, night and day areas, very Lord of the Rings but not as shitty as a game as a LOTR game. I’m interested in this game based on the Hideo influences and seeing what added directions he gave the Mercury Steam guys. I’ve read he didn’t play a complete role but he basically helped more so as a facilitator especially with making the lead character more rounded.
Overall the character impression I get from the lead is very story drive and the gameplay seems standard enough leaning more towards Devil May Cry and a hint of God of War. It’s Castlevania so you have a whip and the attacks felt like I was pimp slapping wolves left and right from a distance. Unlike Enslaved the melee attacks with the whip felt like its own game and it reminded me of the fun I had while playing Bayonetta.
The game has its own unique setting and the voice actors are not ordinary, with Patrick Stewart, Robert Carlyle and a couple other notables lending their voices. It sets the mood quite nicely. In the demo they teach you the game mechanics and what to expect, it’s more of a generic tutorial but worthwhile enough.
Controls felt solid, not disjointed like Enslaved. One complaint I have is one button being both dodge and block. My cousin and I played this demo; I played it twice showing it off to family the next day. I think the fact me playing it twice says something. In any event I want to play it which now leads me to the next game. I hear that there is some platforming in this game as well, which wasn’t shown in the demo aside from a massive boss fight with you hanging on a rock monster’s arm. Game also felt like Van Helsing with all the monster enemies and seemingly had a nice variety. I felt compelled to play the game more so than Enslaved. From a demo perspective Castlevania wins hands down.
