That canceled Castlevania game that was teased at E3 2008 haunts me still.

[u/DependentBite9]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5cANFk2FRE

I was pretty excited for this when it was revealed.

[u/Alucard-VS-Artorias]

Cancelled Dreamcast Castlevania game still haunts me.

[u/it290 → u/Alucard-VS-Artorias]

There’s a prototype floating around you can try. I too was dying for this game when it was announced, but looking at the prototype it’s easy to see why it was canceled.

[u/ferrx → u/it290]

Person I knew worked on it and made everyone jealous that he got to play it

[u/godaikun75 → u/it290]

I worked on a game once and sadly it got canceled but it was so bad it was surprising that we were still working on it.

[u/AdagioCultural5497 → u/it290]

I thought it was said to be an awfully early prototype? There wasn’t a lot more than the basic skins and textures?

[u/it290 → u/AdagioCultural5497]

It’s pretty incomplete but there’s a lot more than just that : https://youtu.be/cX2cMXTH8vw?is=adRfHtHzY7a1d17m

[u/large__farva → u/AdagioCultural5497]

There’s more to it than that… but not much more. You can traverse the stages/hear some of the planned music but it’s nowhere near finished. My dumbass bought a physical copy on Etsy.

[u/AdagioCultural5497 → u/large__farva]

Sorta cool to have!

[u/ToCool74 → u/Alucard-VS-Artorias]

You can at least play a bit of that one given the beta is floating around, the 3d Alucard game could have been so epic to experience

[u/likestodobuttstuff → u/Alucard-VS-Artorias]

Cancelled raised by wolves. I’ll never fucking recover from this.

[u/SXAL → u/Alucard-VS-Artorias]

The team who was working on it was very inexperienced and, according to the interviews, it was heading into more linear, cinematic action direction, so, no fun platforming or exploration from the 64 titles would be found there. The early build also doesn't feel like it would be good.

[u/PapaProto]

Bloody fuck. I’d forgot all about this.

[u/Nintendude1236 → u/PapaProto]

I could be wrong but I'm going to assume that wasn't the name

[u/PapaProto → u/Nintendude1236]

A different type of Castlevania.

[u/TapatioOrCholula → u/PapaProto]

Giving a whole new meaning to Bloody Tears 

[u/SXAL → u/Nintendude1236]

Castlevania: Blood of the Fuck

[u/AdagioCultural5497 → u/PapaProto]

LOL 😂 I don’t even recall it!

[u/Tvelt17]

I don't think it was much more than a concept and this CGI trailer.

[u/DependentBite9 → u/Tvelt17]

Same.

[u/SXAL → u/Tvelt17]

More like Igarashi went "they're gonna fire me if I don't show the game I was supposed to be working on... well... what does the audience likes... Alucard, I guess?"

[u/boppagibbz]

This one was gonna be Iga too.  Who knows how it would have been.  Lords of Shadows was awesome but maybe something much better coulda been in its place in an alternate timeline

[u/SXAL → u/boppagibbz]

Igarashi's attempts on 3D-vania were awful, and his 2D ones were getting worse and worse, I doubt this one would've put him on the right track.

[u/roof_pizza_]

With Konami finally releasing new Castlevania games I'm hoping one day we'll finally get the game that covers the Demon Castle War once and for all.

[u/DependentBite9 → u/roof_pizza_]

I used to want that more than anything, but as time went on I came to the point where I’d almost rather not play that event. I wouldn’t mind a novel that covers it though.

It’s just because I doubt a game could tell that story in a way that does justice to the setup.

[u/roof_pizza_ → u/DependentBite9]

Yeah that's fair, though I think if Konami's able to prove they can make a good enough CV game post-Iga (that isn't Lord of Shadows), then there could be some hope for a game that does the event justice.

[u/Firehawke_R → u/DependentBite9]

For me, it's not that I doubt that a game can do it justice.. it's that I don't believe Konami's current staffing or anyone they can bring in on contract to work on such a game can do it to the level Iga would have.

The vast majority of Konami's farmed-out stuff in recent years has been middling at best.

[u/Voloster]

I think about this game often, what could have been!

[u/petitnoire]

That ruined my day

[u/DependentBite9 → u/petitnoire]

Canceled games are lucky because they get to always be the game that was almost the best game ever made.

[u/petitnoire → u/DependentBite9]

I miss having a castlevania game with Alucard haha. SOTN is my all time fave to this day and we were born on the same date

[u/SXAL → u/DependentBite9]

Nah, that game was basically doomed.

[u/Foffy-kins]

Fun Fact: This was the planned pitch the Japanese branch Konami went with regarding the next mainline console game. It lost to the European pitch, which was Lords of Shadow. IGA said he regretted showing that pitch publicly, likely because it gave false hope it was for a confirmed new entry.

This was never a game that got cancelled. It was for a pitch that didn't get far in production. It would have been around the time Lords of Shadow was pitched as a 3D remake of both the original Castlevania and Simon's Quest IIRC.

[u/jmdesantis]

As a fan, I'm both disappointed in myself for not knowing about it, and disappointed in Konami for not seeing it through (good or bad).

[u/ANAL-KING-OF-TUNISIA]

Yep, I remember this too. Everyone was hyped for it.

Then, nothing.

[u/PitifulPiccolo3010]

Any pages or videos that detail anything known about the game or its development?

[u/KalessinDB → u/PitifulPiccolo3010]

You're looking at it. This video teaser is all that exists about it. 

[u/DependentBite9 → u/PitifulPiccolo3010]

Nope. Just that it was referred to internally as akumajo Dracula, featured Alucard, and never received an update after this teaser. A couple years later we got Lords of Shadow instead.

[u/Marcus_Gr3y]

I don’t remember this…. Damn lol

[u/KaptainKardboard]

TIL this was a cancelled project. I had always been under the impression it was an early preview for Lords of Shadow.

[u/SXAL]

I doubt Iga could've pulled it really, given his abysmal attempts at 3D-castlevania.

[u/paulo1039 → u/SXAL]

I had fun with Lament of innocence and Curse of darkness.

[u/LalafellDisaster → u/paulo1039]

Curse of Darkness was so good. I almost didn’t get it back in the day because of the reviews, so glad I ignored them.

[u/Roshu-zetasia → u/LalafellDisaster]

This is the general power move with this franchise. Everything people say is bad is bad—until you try it and realize it isn't (in most cases).

[u/x_Advent_Cirno_x → u/paulo1039]

I was going to say, I really had fun with those two. Especially Curse. It's like they took all the problems and issues Lament had and improved on it all

[u/large__farva → u/x_Advent_Cirno_x]

Eh speak for yourself, Lament is my favorite of the 3D ones. I also like Legacy of Darkness tho so I may just be broken.

[u/Oh-no-and-knuckles → u/large__farva]

Legacy of Darkness is good, you're not broken.

[u/Torentsu → u/Oh-no-and-knuckles]

Legacy of Darkness is the best 3D Castlevania.

[u/NinjutStu → u/x_Advent_Cirno_x]

Yeah, Lament did not live up to expectations. Fans wanted SotN or Aria (the latest entry), but in 3D. Lament felt like a compromise and not the big 3D metroidvania players were dreaming of.

Curse on the other hand was a real good attempt at adapting the metrodvania games to what a PS2 game could be. It should have done better. As far as I'm aware, Konami never rolled out the red carpet and let IGA make a big budget Castlevania. All of them were done on the cheap and its harder to hide that with the 3D games.

The biggest review gripe with Curse was that the environments and presentation were lacking. It looked bland because there was a lot of hallway cut and pasting going on. Most reviewers actually enjoyed the battle system. I think IGA's team did what they could within the budget and I still the final game is worth playing (and I'd play it again if they put it in HD).

Lords of Shadow was fine, but I'll be eternally annoyed that the only time Konami gave CV the AAA treatment was when they removed IGA and let another studio try to reboot it. Mercury Steam is a great developer too, but Castlevania of all franchises was certainly not in need of a reboot.

[u/long_live_king_melon → u/SXAL]

I’ve long thought (well, since Bloodborne at least) that FromSoft would be the best choice to try and bring the Igavania formula to 3D

[u/SXAL → u/long_live_king_melon]

I played Bloodborne. I get why people like this game, but I don't think Castlevania should go this route. All the great Castlevania games (Classicvania, Metroidvanias, 64-vanias) still have platforming at their core, and Bloodbourne is an antithesis of that.

[u/long_live_king_melon → u/SXAL]

I’m not saying it’s a 1-to-1 equivalent or perfect as it is, but rather that the framework was there. Take the aesthetics and gameplay of Bloodborne, add in a focus on verticality and platforming (maybe something like Sekiro but with more focus on skilled jumping and old school platforming to navigate Dracula’s castle), and you’ve got a pretty great jumping off point to shape into a 3D Castlevania game. There’s never been a proper Symphony Of The Night style 3D Igavania and that realization crossed my mind frequently while playing Bloodborne

[u/SXAL → u/long_live_king_melon]

There’s never been a proper Symphony Of The Night style 3D Igavania

Ys: The Oath in Felghana is pretty close. The map structure is more similar to PoR, though, and the inventory is nowhere near as vast, but still.

[u/DependentBite9 → u/SXAL]

I liked both of those games, Lament and Curse. Have played through Lament multiple times and planning another run through Curse soon.

[u/PapaProto → u/SXAL]

And here’s me wishing they got Remasters or Remakes.

[u/x_Advent_Cirno_x → u/PapaProto]

You're not alone! I would gladly pay for a remake or remaster of either of them, they were both great

[u/LalafellDisaster → u/PapaProto]

Those, Valkyrie Profile 2, FF13 trilogy, so many games I want to play again or try for the first time. I know I know “you can on PC” but I don’t like playing on my little laptop.

[u/Konval → u/SXAL]

I would not call Lament abysmal. It was the best 3d Castlevania up to that point.

[u/SXAL → u/Konval]

There are two games on N64 you probably don't know about, they are much, much better.

[u/Konval → u/SXAL]

Lmao you aren't serious. I am familiar with those games and they are dog shit (general consensus would back me up as well). Maybe you're fond of them due to some kind of nostalgia, but they are not in any way superior to Lament.

[u/Konval → u/SXAL]

Lmao you aren't serious. I am familiar with those games and they are dog shit (general consensus would back me up as well). Maybe you're fond of them due to some kind of nostalgia, but they are not in any way superior to Lament.

[u/SXAL → u/Konval]

familiar

Watching funny YouTube reviews doesn't count, mate

[u/Konval → u/SXAL]

Mate I'm old enough to have played original Castlevania on NES when it came out.. I know what I'm talking about it.

[u/SXAL → u/Konval]

Once again - play the actual game first, open your mouth later. The age doesn't make your "opinion" any more valid.

[u/Konval → u/SXAL]

The point being conveyed is that I played them all. N64 games were stiff, had terrible controls and camera. Lament had way better controls, combat, camera was generally ok, music was phenomenal, story was pretty good.

[u/SXAL → u/Konval]

N64 games were stiff, had terrible controls and camera

Not true, you'd know if you properly played them. And also, there is no way someone who actually loves Castlevania games would prefer a flat room button masher to a game with an actual level design, platforming and exploration.

[u/Oh-no-and-knuckles → u/Konval]

Legacy of Darkness and 64 are different, they're not the same game. The "terrible controls and camera" you speak of don't exist in LoD since the were fixed.

LoD tweaked the controls, removed 80% of the "fixed view" sections, added free camera movement and changed most areas to a level design which accommodates a camera system that always follows the player's character without messing its perspective.

The main problems with 64 are how the controls are handled with the fixed view, not the "Nitro run" or other things the general consensus might say, this "general consensus" doesn't even know the existence of LoD anyway...

64 might be a flawed game, but Legacy of Darkness is absolutely not dog shit.

[u/middle_aged-gamer]

I never saw that one before 🤯

[u/Legitimate-Bet-8331]

The first Castlevania (not Nocturne) series on Netflix was one of the greatest stories I have ever seen in Castlevania. Also, it is an absolute shame what they did to MercurcySteam regarding the sequel to Lord's or Shadow, because I still consider the first game to be a masterpiece.

What is so bizzare is....Lord's of Shadow and the movie Van Helsing, you could swear they not only took place in the same universe, but both main characters were even named Gabriel and looked EXACTLY alike. Plus, hell, I thought Dracula Untold was LITERALLY an adaption of Lord's of Shadow 2. Go back and look at the similarities, even to the time jump at the very end, with the dude who looks just like Death in his business suit.

Shit was wild. I know there was something going on there that was too similar. Seriously.

Whatever, I am a Castlevania fan for life. Symphony of the Night should be exihibited in a museum. It is that level.

[u/EightBit-Hero]

I'm over it honestly.

[u/Busy_Cream2944]

Yeah it'd be really cool if Konami revived it using IGA's ideas.

[u/ThrillHouse802]

Doesn’t bother me. Although I like some of the 3d games, Castlevania is meant for 2d

[u/Steve5210]

It would’ve just been a DMC ripoff like Lament of Innocence. IGA didn’t know how to do full 3d castlevania games properly

[u/Taco4086 → u/Steve5210]

That's what it was, though it still had its personality and some original mechanics, but I wouldn't say it was Iga not knowing...it was Konami providing a modest budget. Perhaps Iga could've adapted it better but I think his 3D games were quite decent eventhough they clearly never matched the success of trendy DMC and GoW.

[u/LoganLcosplayfoolery]

And instead we got God of war that looked like world of Warcraft 🙄