The real reason E3 is so exciting this year is because developers are taking old franchises in new directions. Wednesday we hit up Kirby, and today is Castlevania:

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Why yes that is a ultiplayer take on the Symphony of the Night formula. Konami has been working up to this for years–recall that bizarre race mode and eventually co-op in the portable Castlevania entries–but it looks like the idea is finally ready for primetime. The shaky-cam footage reveals Jonathan Morris, Shanoa, and even a friendly skeleton (though that could just be a transformed Soma Cruz) as playable, and they each have retained at least the appearance of their native gameplay mechanics. It’s hard to tell from low-res footage, but the game appears to reuse art assets from previous Castlevania iterations. For instance, the spike wheels should look uncomfortably familiar, and you’d probably rather forget the laser-breathing boss at the top of the stage.

However, that’s where the retread loses the trail. Probably the biggest change is that, instead of forcing players into a room together, the game runs the entire level all the time. Players can split up and zoom in and out on the action to track their allies and plan a route to the richest treasures. This also means that bosses and other level features can affect you at any time and at a distance. In other movies you can see players draining water from room to room to solve puzzles and clear a path. In smaller changes, you appear to equip items immediately, which makes sense in an action-based multiplayer game. Any kind of character development beyond that appears to have been stripped out, however.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair comes out during this year’s Xbox: Summer of Arcade, so you can expect it in the next few months. Isn’t it nice to see an announcement you don’t have to wait a year for?

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