Interview | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Metal Gear Solid legend Hideo Kojima might be in charge of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and he might have announced the game’s development during Konami’s E3 2009 press conference, but its Konami big cheese David Cox who is charged with the herculean task of making Lords of Shadow work. In this interview David Cox talks about the Castlevania name, Kojima’s involvement and much more.

Can you start by giving us some background on the Castlevania franchise – touching on the levels of critical reaction and commercial success?

Castlevania is one of Konami’s longest running and most acclaimed series. Starting back in the infancy of consoles, the game can be summed up in one short sentence: ‘man with whip fights the undead.’ Over the course of the 25 years, the series has appeared on virtually every format available – from GameBoy through to DS, PlayStation One through to Xbox 360 – and it is now set to make its first next gen debut.

When was the last big Castlevania release?

It can be argued that every Castlevania is a significant release. The series has a stunning reputation for quality and an incredibly devoted fan base. Titles such as Order of Ecclesia for DS and the recent Harmony of Despair – an XBLA original created by series’ veteran Koji Igareshi that gathers the very best of the series in a celebration of the games and its characters – have both been released to huge acclaim.

This is Castlevania’s  debut on PS3 and Xbox 360 – why has it taken so long?

Because it deserves to be done right. Castlevania is one of the reasons I wanted to work at Konami, and when the chance came up to pitch for it I knew I had to have a crack. I wanted to create a game that, while honourable of the series’ heritage, could give new life to it, too. To this end, I also knew that Mercury Steam had the skills and enthusiasm to match this vision, and we knew we were on the right lines when Mr Kojima gave us his approval and, importantly, his backing and help.

Tell us about the development duties on the title and the involvement of Kojima Productions?

The day-to-day duties are being overseen by Mercury Steam. Basically, when Konami stated they wanted people to pitch for the chance to do the new Castlevania, it was us, the US and Japan who submitted ideas. These were presented at a meeting of the board, and Mr Kojima was particularly impressed with ours – as were the others – so we were green lit. Mr Kojima then offered to work with us on key areas of the game. He, for instance, helped us flesh out the characters in the game. Gabriel started in our vision as a barbarian, but Mr Kojima stated that we needed to create a more rounded character from which the story can emerge and for the player to empathise with. Similarly, he gave us tips and lent us KJP’s expertise with the graphical look of the characters.

But, and this is to his credit, Mr Kojima has also trusted our vision and left us to it. He has seen the code a lot along the way, and has been a brilliant mentor – but he liked what we were doing, how we intended to do it, and our methods. It has been a brilliant relationship – and who would turn down advice from such a respected guy?

What would you highlight as the key features of the game that you think gamers will notice most?

I could bang on for hours, as I really think that there is so much to see and do in the game. Basically, I think it is a game that will constantly surprise. It doesn’t follow any predictable pattern, and one minute the player will be riding a horse, or fighting slavering beasts, solving puzzles or facing down huge Titans in real-time situations. There are roughly 20 hours of gameplay in CLOS, and it tells a stunning story, draws the player in, and has an amazing variety of gameplay in it. In recent test showing for the press, they spent six solid hours on it, and still didn’t reach the castle gates! That’s got to be good value!

What are expectation levels like amongst the existing Castlevania fan base, do you think?

To start with, they hated the idea if I am honest. But, as we have shown more and more of the game, I think they realise that this is not a betrayal of all that is good about the series, but an extension. We still have ‘a man with a whip fighting the undead’, but within a believable, and beautifully realised play area – and presentation levels that elevate it further. Oh, and a voice cast that has Robert Carlyle, Patrick Stewart, and Jason Isaacs.

How do you expect sales to split between existing fans and gamers who are perhaps new to the franchise?

I think it can appeal to both. You don’t need to know the convoluted 25-year back history of the Castlevania series to enjoy CLOS, but if you do then there are plenty of nods to the past that will ensure you feel this is a continuation of the legend.

What has initial press reaction been, at events like E3 and Gamescom? Have you started doing more specific presentations to media yet?

It has been brilliant. We won a few awards at E3, people got to go fully hands-on at gamescom, and the press showings have been very well received. We have had at least two or three pages in every gaming title for the past nine months, so interest has grown and grown as the press have seen more and more. They have embraced the game and given us a chance to explain what we wanted and have tried to do and, so far, it seems we have ticked most boxes.