#Castlevania: Mirror of Fate

[etiketka-ot-banana]

[ouchlord-vivaldi]

Art for the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series, including a typical pharmaceutical corporation.

[the-crow-binary]

Thinking about "Look at me! You've made me a monster, father! You've made me like you! [...] You should have let me die that night..." and crying btw.

[monochromatictoad]

🎊Happy 12th Birthday Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate🎊

[ghoolytv]

New video asset dump - Mirror of Fate

[pathfinderlittleduck]

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

My 2nd favorite game/series of all time

[anakinskywalkerisfave]

the mystery continues but it's Mirror of Fate

[bigboobshaunt]

Sorry for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate (a title that just rolls off the tongue!) posting in 2024, but I completely disagree with people who dislike that it told its story out of chronological order.

The game's main theme, as its unwieldy name implies, is Fate, and having Trevor's story be the last one you play, all while already knowing how it's going to end in tragedy with a father unknowingly killing his own son and dooming his soul to "save" him... it's good stuff. You as the player are also unable to escape fate to reach the end.

Better, in my opinion, than if it had ended on either of the previous stories after Trevor (now Alucard) or Simon had (thought they) vanquished Dracula.

[knightleon64]

The Last Metroidvania Castlevania – Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate Review

1. Introduction

Game Title: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate

Release Date: Mar 28, 2014 (PC)

Game Genre: Metroidvania, 2D Platformer, Action-Adventure

Game Length: 8-12 hours

Overview:

The Castlevania series is a key origin for the Metroidvania gameplay style. However, the series reboot, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, abandoned this classic formula and become a linear, old God of War-like 3D Action-Adventure approach. In contrast, Mirror of Fate, a spin-off from Lords of Shadow, stands as Konami's last Castlevania title to embrace the Metroidvania style. Unlike classic Castlevania entries such as Symphony of the Night and Harmony of Dissonance, which incorporated RPG elements, Mirror of Fate retains only the core Metroidvania aspects: open exploration of side-scrolling maps and the mechanism of acquiring key items to access specific areas and uncover hidden treasures.

2. Gameplay Mechanics

Multi-Character Linear 2D Metroidvania Map Exploration:

Players will explore various areas within Vampire Castle, much like in classic 2D Metroidvania Castlevania games, solving puzzles, navigating traps, obtaining crucial items, reaching hidden zones, and battling dark creatures and bosses. However, the map exploration experience in this title is fairly linear. Players will progress through environments in a set order, lacking the freedom to choose which area to explore first.

Unlike typical Metroidvania games that focus on controlling a single character across one map, Mirror of Fate features three Acts with three unique characters and three unique maps. Each Act plays a different character, each act with unique areas and enemies. Even when revisiting the same locations, the level layouts and traps vary significantly depending on the character being played, providing a constant sense of novelty. Regrettably, the environments in all three Acts are quite small, resulting in a shorter playtime compared to other Metroidvania titles.

2D Platformer Hack and Slash:

The combat in Mirror of Fate mirrors is similar to its predecessor, Lords of Shadow. Players wield the "Combat Cross," a metal whip, as their primary weapon, along with two ranged sub-weapons and two different skills for each character. Various moves are executed by pressing the X and Y buttons in specific combinations.

The combat experience has been improved from Lords of Shadow. Mirror of Fate inherits most of the previous game's moves while simplifying the execution of many, making them more practical in actual combat rather than being difficult to trigger. Enemy hit reactions and stun states are noticeably better than in the previous installment, contributing to a relatively polished combat experience within the 2D Metroidvania genre.

Compared to Lords of Shadow, the frequency of Quick Time Events (QTEs) has been reduced considerably, though the time windows for QTE inputs remain quite short.

The combat in Mirror of Fate has three main drawbacks: 1. Boss numbers are limited, and their attack patterns lack variety. 2. Although each Act features a different character, they share the same weapon and move set, which can feel repetitive. 3. While each Act's characters have unique skills, they are fundamentally similar: the LB button is used for skills that restore health or provide damage immunity, and the RB button triggers skills that increase damage output or add new attack methods.

2D Platformer Jumping and Climbing:

The game features numerous cliffs, platforms, and caverns that players must navigate through jumping and climbing. Many areas include traps, such as fireball launchers or spikes, requiring players to dodge these hazards while timing their jumps carefully.

Compared to Lords of Shadow, Mirror of Fate has fewer punishing timed-trap mechanics, like rising lava. As a result, the difficulty of platforming and climbing is reduced.

3. Growth Elements and Collectibles

Move Unlocking and Skill Acquisition:

Players earn experience points (XP) by defeating enemies, and leveling up occurs when a certain amount of XP is gained. However, leveling up does not increase a character's attack power or maximum health; instead, each level unlocks a new move. All three Acts' characters share the same pool of XP and levels, eliminating the need to re-level when switching to a new character.

Throughout the main story, the protagonists of each of the three Acts acquire their own unique skills. For example, Simon, the protagonist of Act 1, can summon two spectral allies: a female spirit that grants temporary damage immunity and a male spirit that attacks enemies from a distance. Alucard, the protagonist of Act 2, can transform into mist to teleport behind enemies or assume a beast form to boost his base attack damage. Trevor, who stars in Act 3, inherits the Light and Dark Magic from Lords of Shadow. Light Magic allows him to recover health with each successful attack, while Dark Magic enhances his base attack power.

Collectibles and Hidden Content:

There are five types of collectibles scattered throughout each game environment: items that increase maximum health, magic capacity, and ammunition; scrolls that provide backstory; and bestiary entries that detail enemy information. Most of these collectibles are located in easily overlooked hidden areas or zones that require specific key items to access.

4. Unique Flavor

While Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate lacks the RPG elements of classic Metroidvania Castlevania titles, it retains the core map exploration of the Metroidvania genre, along with the Castlevania series' typical dark gothic art style and battles against classic Castlevania monsters like werewolves, skeletons, and vampires.

With no new 2D Metroidvania Castlevania game released in 17 years, Mirror of Fate is the most recent entry in this style. Although Steam boasts a large library of Metroidvania games, only titles from the Castlevania series itself or Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (created by Koji Igarashi) truly capture the classic Castlevania feel.

5. Story and World-Building

Story Summary:

Mirror of Fate bridges the gap between Lords of Shadow  and Lords of Shadow 2. Set decades after Gabriel's transformation into Dracula at the end of Lords of Shadow 1, the story follows Simon, guided by fate, as he ventures to Dracula's castle to confront the vampire lord. Simon is aided by Dracula's son, Alucard, and together, they defeat Dracula. The game also chronicles the origin of the iconic character Alucard from Trevor's perspective.

Characters and Depth:

Lords of Shadow  reimagined Dracula's origins, portraying Gabriel as a human who challenged the Lords of Shadow to resurrect his wife. In contrast, Mirror of Fate radically reinterprets the backstories of three classic Castlevania protagonists: Simon, Alucard, and Trevor. Simon, traditionally a descendant of a vampire-hunting lineage, is now Gabriel's grandson. Alucard, known in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as the half-human, half-vampire son of Dracula, is now Trevor, the human son of Gabriel (while he was still human) and his wife, Marie. After Trevor is killed challenging Dracula, Dracula transforms him into the vampire Alucard using his own blood.

The game features minimal cutscenes and dialogue, leaving the characters of Simon, Alucard, and Trevor relatively undeveloped. The floating mask that guides the player throughout the game remains unidentified until the bestiary is unlocked upon completing all three Acts, revealing it to be Fate itself.

World-Building:

As a connecting piece between Lords of Shadow  and Lords of Shadow 2, Mirror of Fate includes numerous details that align with the lore established in those games. For instance, players visit the Games Room where Gabriel and Laura played chess in Lords of Shadow , and the hidden underground passage from that room is also present.

One of the bosses, the Necromancer, serves Zobek rather than Dracula, consistent with the plot of Lords of Shadow  and foreshadowing Zobek's return in Lords of Shadow 2.

In Act 3, Trevor acquires the Light and Dark Magic previously wielded by Gabriel, and during Trevor's confrontation with Dracula, Dracula uses the Void Sword and Chaos Claws, his signature weapons from Lords of Shadow 2.

Additionally, key plot elements from Lords of Shadow 2, such as the "Mirror of Fate" and the "Toy Maker," make early appearances in this game. The overall aesthetic of the environments also matches the Vampire Castle setting seen in Lords of Shadow  and Lords of Shadow 2.

6. Visual Experience

Art Style:

Mirror of Fate employs the same dark gothic art style as Lords of Shadow, presented in a 2.5D side-scrolling format.

However, the character designs shift from the realistic style of Lords of Shadow to a 2.5D animated, cartoonish aesthetic. This cartoon style leaves a lasting impression.

Design Consistency:

The new environments and enemy designs in Mirror of Fate are consistent with those found in classic 2D Castlevania titles. Iconic locations like the Clock Tower, Unholy Church, and library reappear in this game.

Furthermore, the environments, enemy designs, and main weapons from Lords of Shadow are largely unchanged in Mirror of Fate.

Detail and Impact:

Originally a 3DS title, Mirror of Fate suffers from relatively simple and rough models for environments, characters, and enemies due to the handheld's technical limitations. This results in a lack of the stunning environmental detail seen in Lords of Shadow, which is regrettable, as this is Konami's final 2D side-scrolling Metroidvania Castlevania game.

7. Controls and UI

Control Convenience:

Mirror of Fate significantly reduces the frequent QTEs of its predecessor, and the button inputs for executing moves have been simplified. Players can execute various moves more easily, resulting in a much-improved combat and platforming experience compared to Lords of Shadow.

UI Interface:

Compared to the elaborate medieval manuscript-style UI of Lords of Shadow, the UI elements in Mirror of Fate, while straightforward and functional, lack a certain refinement.

8. Difficulty and Challenge

Difficulty Settings:

The game's difficulty can be broken down into three areas:

Regular Combat: Unlike Lords of Shadow, where players could grab and execute regular enemies, Mirror of Fate requires enemies' health to be reduced to a certain point before a finishing move can be performed. However, these executions no longer involve QTEs, eliminating the possibility of failure due to missed inputs.

Ranged sub-weapons deal considerably more damage in Mirror of Fate than in Lords of Shadow, allowing players to dispatch many troublesome enemies with ease.

Similar to the Light and Dark Magic system in Lords of Shadow, the three protagonists in Mirror of Fate can expend magic (Mana)to activate skills that restore health or increase damage output. In particular, Simon, the first protagonist, can use Mana to gain temporary invincibility, which greatly reduces the challenge of combat.

Boss Fights: Compared to the boss fights in Lords of Shadow, those in Mirror of Fate feature far fewer QTEs, and bosses have fewer attack patterns. As a result, boss battles are generally less challenging. By learning a boss's attack patterns, players can often defeat them without taking damage.

2D Platforming: The platforming in Mirror of Fate is less demanding than in Lords of Shadow. While some areas with fire-breathing traps pose a challenge, a notable difficulty spike occurs in a section with a giant rolling ball that chases the player, requiring precise and rapid jumps. However, this type of sequence appears only once. Overall, the platforming in this game is largely unchallenging.

Challenge:

The greatest challenge in Mirror of Fate lies in achieving 100% completion of all hidden areas. Unlocking the final story sequence requires players to collect every hidden item in all three Acts. However, the solutions to many of these hidden area puzzles are quite challenging, and I, myself, did not manage to achieve full completion.

9. Summary and Score

Overall Assessment:

Mirror of Fate is a representative Metroidvania Castlevania title. However, compared to the classic 2D Metroidvania Castlevania games on the GBA and NDS, it features smaller maps, less room for exploration, and a lack of RPG elements. Compared to other Metroidvania games on the market, Mirror of Fate offers relatively polished combat and satisfying hit feedback. If you are a dedicated fan of 2D Metroidvania Castlevania games and enjoy exploring dark gothic environments, Mirror of Fate is an acceptable substitute.

Pros:

Classic Castlevania locations and enemies return.

Relatively polished combat and satisfying hit feedback for a Metroidvania title.

A large variety of unique level designs and enemies.

Cons:

Small map size with limited exploration.

Lacks the iconic RPG mechanics of the 2D Metroidvania Castlevania series.

Simplistic graphics.

Repetitive and unchallenging boss attack patterns.

Target Audience:

Fans of 2D Metroidvania Castlevania games and Metroidvania enthusiasts.

Score:

Gameplay: 6/10

Story: 6/10

Art: 7/10

Controls: 7/10

Overall: 6/10

[hellscapechrysanthemum]

I give you three Aeons. The other two were never confirmed to be Aeon but just shut up and let me have this!!! *sob*

I always felt like the Lost Soul was a variant of Aeon in the Castlevania Lords of Shadow/Mirror of Fate timeline! The colors! The striped arms he had! The whole "ensuring fate" thing which could connect to time! There's a connection!!!!

I don't really see much or any fanart of the Lost Soul or Eon Bernades! So they definitely deserved some attention and love :D

Eon Bernades is from Castlevania Seal of the Curse!

[z2z-gaming-and-random-art-ai]

Back Cover to AI Art S3E39 - Castlevania Lords of Shadow Mirror of Fate

Older video games were notorious for back cover descriptions that have nothing to do with the game so let's see what a text-to-image generator makes of these descriptions. each episode of Back Cover to AI Art Season 3 will feature 4 ai art creations for each game.

1. Intro - 00:00 2. Back Cover and Text Description - 00:10 3. Creation 1 - 00:30 4. Creation 2 - 01:00 5. Creation 3 - 01:30 6. Creation 4 - 02:00 7. Outro – 02:30

Castlevania Lords of Shadow Mirror of Fate (Nintendo 3DS) Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate is an action-adventure game set in the dark and gothic world of the Castlevania franchise. Released on March 5, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS, this instalment takes place 25 years after the events of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Players follow three protagonists—Simon, Trevor, and Alucard—each with their own motivations for battling the evil forces led by Dracula.

🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️

The game features a classic 2D side-scrolling gameplay style reminiscent of earlier titles, with modern enhancements such as a robust combat system that allows for combos, secondary weapons, and magic spells. Emphasizing exploration, players will navigate through intricate levels, often revisiting areas with new abilities to uncover hidden secrets and pathways, a hallmark of the Metroidvania genre.

🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️🦇⚔️🕹️🧛‍♂️

For more Back Cover to AI Art videos check out these playlists

Season 1 of Back Cover to AI Art https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CGhd82prEQGWAVxY3wuQlx3

Season 2 of Back Cover to AI Art https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CEdLNgql_n-7b20wZwo_yAD

Season 3 of Back Cover to AI Art https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CHAkMAVlNiJUFVkQMeFUeTX

[mey-rin-is-fabulous]

Playing a Castlevania game for the first time. I'm playing on easy because I've never played these games before but having a good time so far. The game's Lords of Shadow Mirror of Fate.

[the-crow-binary]

Fun fact: In Castlevania: Mirror of fate (a game from Lords of Shadow's timeline), Simon fights a succubus. Once defeated, the room she had created starts to disappear, only to reveal that they were in Dracula's throne room the whole time and he was sitting on his throne, watching it all.

I just think it's funny. Dracula. My dude. Care to explain why the succubus' room and your throne room are the same? :)

[monochromatictoad]

I was going through my gallery on my phone, trying to find a specific pic of my niece to my sister, and.... I missed my four (4) year anniversary of being in the LoS fandom. I knew it was in December, but it was December 9, 2019 when I first started looking up pics and stuff for the fandom. Four (4) years. Where has the time gone?

That means it's been about four (4) years since I first played and experienced Gabriel's story. When I got so enraptured in Lords of Shadow 1, that I went to my local game shop, and just so happened to find Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate, as well as Lords of Shadow 2 in one visit.

What makes this.... I guess better is that, Dec. 9 is also the anniversary of something very bad that happened in my life. I guess I was just meant to find Gabriel. This game has made my life so much better. It's helped me through some dark times, as Naruto and Pokemon have. The only difference is that, Naruto and Pokemon also have nostalgia factors, while LoS doesn't have a nostalgia value to me.

I've also made friends through shared spaces within this fandom! Hell, I made a Tumblr to express my love for this trilogy, and I actually have people who are interested in my rambles!

I just wanted to say. Thank you MercurySteam, David Cox, and Hideo Kojima for the trilogy that has changed my life. I honestly don't think I'd be here today if it wasn't for this trilogy.

[sundaylemon-if]

THE WITCH OF RUIN

You are a witch.

It is prophesied that you will bring disaster to the kingdom. The king has sent his most trusted knight to cut off your head. Villages have burned in your wake and your presence signals the apocalypse. The bell tolls for you.

After you are killed there will be no more magic.

You are The Witch of Ruin.

Fight against Fate

Kill the King

Flirt with reckless abandon

Betray everyone you know

Save the world or destroy it

Fuck God?

THE SILVER KNIGHT - Lu Feng (陆锋)

He has come for your head.

THE AZURE DRAGON - Jianqing (剑卿)

They watch you from their lofty perch in the clouds.

THE PROPHET - Meilin (梅琳)

She saw your fate in the jade mirror.

Note!

ROs are gender locked and the PC is gender locked as female as I wanted to explore my personal feelings of being queer + asian and how femininity plays a part in that

This is a game about destiny, free will and love.

Kinda of set in Fantasy China-ish but its more high fantasy then xianxia

Inspired by Castlevania, Kaguya-hime and Dream of The Red Chamber

Jianqing is mostly masculine presenting but they’re a dragon and switches between they/him, and uses the royal “We” (朕 ) when referring to themselves. This is referring to calling the emperor 天子 The Son of Heaven, and that the emperor is a dragon in human form. I know that the 秦始皇 monopolized in it our history but this is a fantasy!

@interact-if

[moonlilith]

Lunar Tears 𐦍☾ masterlist

𐦍☾ “The moon illuminated the area with its faint light, a quiet testament to their entwined fates. With a secret weighing heavily on her, she stood before Alucard, her heart a battleground of want and terror. Torn between love and sorrow that reverberated for eons, she looked into his eyes for clarification and forgiveness. However, the past hovered between them like a ghost, threatening to devour their brittle optimism.”

(Or, in addition to the initial trio, the prophecy has one additional fated hero. You are that hero. A saintess that the Church is pursuing.)

pairing: alucard (castlevania) x (f) reader

genre: angst, romance, slow burn,

a/n : On ao3 there is a name for plot reasons but here i decided to use “you” as more general but “you” have a woman figure. I tried to make it seems like an alucard x reader as possible. However the reader insert has a set personality and powers. to answer any questions; it was meant to be a reader story but personally i hate the usage of y/n. The more i write y/n the more it becomes a name itself.

☾ Chapter One: The Moon's Witness ☾ Chapter Two: Ashes of Faith ☾ Chapter Three: Mirrored Fates ☾ Chapter Four: STAR is born

☾  Check AO3