Leaked Castlevania screens or whipped-up fakes?

by JC Fletcher { Jan 20th 2008 at 12:00PM }

A mysterious trio of what looks an awful lot like Castlevania screens popped up on 2ch recently. The supposed title, as displayed on the logo, is Akumajo Dracula: Ubawareta Kokuin (Castlevania: Stolen Emblem). Could this be the third DS Castlevania game that we know is coming? Or a fan project? A cruel hoax? A miserable little pile of secrets?

If this is the real game, Konami has dumped the ridiculous art from the last two and moved toward more of the Ayami Kojima style of art that Symphony of the Night is known for. Other than that, it looks like the same Metroidvania game that we've seen over and over again for years, which is to say that we love it and it needs to come out right now. After the break, we'll show you some screens that might be interesting for you!

Click for larger image

Tags: 2ch, action, castlevania, konami

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

alxfbn @ Apr 5th 2008 8:56PM

if effing metroidvania!! It rocks!!

nah, seriuosly i do enjoy this games a lot so here's hoping that it'll be out soon, and hopefully bill rizer will be an unlockable character!! yay!!

Reuben @ Apr 5th 2008 4:40PM

The last Castlevania game I truly loved was Aria of Sorrow. Dawn of Sorrow was a great game, but the art style really killed it. Portrait of Ruin was only okay in my opinion, too short and nothing special. I cannot stand the new anime art style at all; I feel that it takes away the elegance that the series once had. That said, I'll still buy this because I'm a sucker.

Undead Priest @ Jan 20th 2008 12:34PM

I hope it's real. It is if the Gaming Gods take mercy.

Brello @ Jan 20th 2008 1:01PM

I know it's coming. That's all I need to know.

Matt Warner @ Jan 20th 2008 1:17PM

WHAT IS A MAN?!

hvnlysoldr @ Jan 20th 2008 11:58PM

A miserable pile of secrets

Crazylink @ Jan 20th 2008 1:47PM

As long as we get it soon I don't care.

Spectre (MPH) @ Jan 20th 2008 1:55PM

ITS TRUE!!!! ;_______;

http://ds.ign.com/articles/832/832811p1.html

Archibold @ Jan 20th 2008 2:49PM

The question isn't if there is a new Castlevania game coming out for the DS (that was confirmed months ago). It's if these screens are from said game.

That said, I would love to have the new Castlevania game retain some of the art style of the old games.

JC Fletcher @ Jan 20th 2008 2:58PM

If by "retain some of the art style of the old games" you mean "reuse sprites from as far back as Rondo of Blood," you have little to worry about.

Archibold @ Jan 21st 2008 11:44AM

Well that was going to happen anyways, wasn't it?

But I meant the anime cutscenes with the over feminine male protagonist.

Kristi @ Jan 20th 2008 4:30PM

Oh Castlevania, how much do I love you? I recently started Portrait of Ruin over. (I was near the end of the game, but I had sold the nun's shoes so I couldn't get Charlotte's healing spell. Frustrated, I put the game away for several months and decided to start at the beginning when I was ready to play it again). Anyway, I was surprised by how much I still enjoyed playing the game a second time, and how much I had forgotten from the first go round. I will buy all future DS Castlevania games, because even if they recycle the same basic formula and sprites, I still have fun with it ... and new scenery is always welcome. :)

Abscissa @ Jan 20th 2008 4:51PM

"If this is the real game, Konami has dumped the ridiculous art from the last two and moved toward more of the Ayami Kojima style of art that Symphony of the Night is known for."

It's about damn time. I hope this is true and that for once they actually port it to a system like Wii so I can actually play it ON MY TV.

Alex @ Jan 20th 2008 8:30PM

It'd be interesting if the screens are real. That chick's name seems to be Sonia, and that used to be the name of the female Belmont from the Castlevania Legends games. Looking forward for more news.

JC Fletcher @ Jan 20th 2008 8:36PM

Unfortunately, as interesting as it would be for IGA to finally acknowledge that those Game Boy games happened, the name is something like "Shanoa."

Alex @ Jan 21st 2008 1:05AM

damn, you're right :( got my katakana mixed up. ah well...

KidIcarus3 @ Jan 31st 2008 11:22PM

Real or not, those screens look awesome, and it's definitely convincing. Although after some of the things I've seen, just about anything could be faked, and I'm surprised I've yet to see any elaborate video hoaxes for SSBB of characters that aren't actually in.

The screenshots for this Castlevania have a distinctly more gothic appeal than some of the more recent ones, I think. That girl also looks like a really cool character, and appears to be playable. However, I'm not sure IGA would put a female character in the lead role for a Castlevania game, and if by chance she's a Belmont, she wouldn't be wielding the vampire killer, unless IGA decided to take back a few of his ideas. Still, it'd be awesome if she was the lead role, or at least not a magic-wielding support character.

I guess we'll find out the authenticity of this in time...

Leaked Castlevania screens or whipped-up fakes?