Episode 73 of 1up’s Retronauts podcast had host Jeremy Parish chatting with Ray Barnholdt, Sam Kennedy, and Wired’s Chris Kohler. They talked about Michael Jackson for a while and also spent quite a bit of time on the classic franchises getting flashy new reinventions at E3 2009. One of those franchises is, as we know, Castlevania.

I’ve listened to the show now, and have transcribed the section below.

In summary, they cover how the Igarashi showing (that brief Alucard trailer) last year concurrent with Lords of Shadow (back before it was a Castlevania game) illustrated how abruptly the decision was made at Konami to make Lords of Shadow the next console Castlevania, sidelining and perhaps even canceling Igarashi’s new project. They talk about how Kojima’s name on the project doesn’t mean what some people are hoping. They go on to point out that they feel Iga has yet to produce a good 3D video game, and that it’s believed he was involved with Contra Rebirth, so logically it makes sense he’s working on Castlevania Rebirth.

The Retronauts are split on whether a Devil May Cry/God of War style Castlevania is likely to be a good thing. Some attention was given to the potential that Lament of Innocence showed with its environments and visuals. There was talk of what exactly makes Castlevania special, and it’s not clear whether anyone who’s been traditionally associated with the series, including composer Michiru Yamane, will be involved with Lords of Shadow, and some light discussion of what Kojima’s involvement in Castlevania could bring in terms of storytelling.

Read the full text below, if you’re so inclined. The segment begins around 32:45 into the show. I’ve removed a lot of extraneous text.

Continue reading Breakdown of Retronauts segment on Castlevania Lords of Shadow

Similar Posts:

• Lords of Shadow producer Cox says team is “shitting themselves.”
• Kojima describes his role in Lords of Shadow development as “support”
• Cox repeats Konami’s instructions for Lords of Shadow: make it mainstream