Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. It was released in High Definition for PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 later that same year, then for Windows PCs in 2014.

Mirror of Fate is a sequel/prequel to 2010’s Lords of Shadow, and its story begins prior to the events of its predecessor.

You play the game’s prologue as Gabriel Belmont, the main character from the first Lords of Shadow, and this acts as a sort of training sequence. The story then jumps ahead twenty years, and you continue as Gabriel’s son, Trevor Belmont, who you play as for a good proportion of the game. Later on, you get to control Simon Belmont (Trevor’s son), and also Alucard, the infamous lead character from the classic Symphony of the Night. So there’s a fair bit of character-switching as the story unfolds.

Castlevania fans will no doubt be pleased that Mirror of Fate returns to a more classic style of gameplay, and is more of a traditional Castlevania platform game than the first Lords of Shadow. The game is mostly constructed in full 3D, with illustrated, 2D cut scenes playing out in-between the action.

The gameplay in Mirror of Fate features really dynamic climbing, jumping and fighting, with primary and secondary weapons used in the usual Castlevania manner. And – like in Lords of Shadow – each character can use direct attacks, area attacks, combos, blocks and counter-attacks. This time, rather than spending Experience Points on unlocking new combos and character upgrades, they’re instead awarded to you for levelling-up. You can see all available skills, combos, inventory items, and the Bestiary, in a tabbed menu system when the game is paused.

Mirror of Fate features more familiar enemies from the Castlevania series than in Lords of Shadow, and also has some imaginative and challenging boss battles. Killing enemies and bosses awards you experience, which – as mentioned earlier – unlocks stuff as you progress.

Staying alive means using health and magic fonts, which you encounter at certain points along the route. There are also Knights’ Scrolls – usually found on dead bodies – that give you clues at certain points. You can also collect and summon spirits for protection, and these require magical energy to keep active.

Mirror of Fate also features some laugh-out-loud dark humour; some excellent jump scares; underwater swimming sections, and some rather strange NPCs who help you on the way.

If I had any criticisms of Mirror of Fate, it would be the 2D cut scenes, which I thought were a bit jarring as they don’t match the visual style of the rest of the game. Otherwise, I enjoyed playing it a lot. The game has a real sense of urgency; has some amazing, grand settings; some beautifully modelled and lit locations, and it actually feels more like a Castlevania game this time around. At times, it felt like I was playing a 3D version of Symphony of the Night, which is what I think the developers were going for this time around. The story also explains more of the lore, and of the relationships between each of the central characters.

I highly recommend Mirror of Fate to anyone who likes Metroidvania-style games. Actually: if you want the best experience – and want the full story – I’d recommend playing all three Lords of Shadow games. Lords of Shadow 2, which also came out in 2014, ties up the storyline nicely, and gives the series a satisfying arc that explains the core of Castlevania lore.

More: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate on Wikipedia
Steam: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate on Steam