Combat is where a 3D Castlevania could take the most influence from Dark Souls. I agree with the sentiments that having a Belmont jump balls first into a group of enemies and mash attack isn't true to the Castlevania spirit. In older Castlevania titles, the point was to assess hazards from afar and quickly devise a strategy to handle them before they were already upon you. This is where Dark Souls comes in. In Dark Souls your character doesn't take hits like it's no big deal, if you're not careful you can overextend yourself, and there are lots of environmental hazards like pitfalls, traps, and damage zones.Gamerforlife wrote:Take that Metroid style, keep that modern setting, but with demons and monsters every where. Add some rpg elements, but not in that stupid Elder Scrolls way that they did with Darksiders 2, but in a JRPG style. Maybe bring in a complex magic system like the awesome one in Eternal Darkness. The combat system should be something simplified. I'm tired of that Devil May Cry/God of War style combat. That's not keeping in the spirit of the old, 2D Castlevania games. We've already got the Devil May Cry series for that over the top, anime-ish combat in a gothic setting. The combat system should be something a bit slower and more defense oriented(maybe give him a shield). Belmont is a MAN, not a half demon super hero. Fights should be about SURVIVING, not flipping and jumping around everywhere and showing off.
That's what a 3D Castlevania should be like. Mowing down baddies and running through static scenery from clump to clump of enemies isn't the point. 3D Castlevanias have never managed to capture the element of tension that the older titles had because they've never really tried. What we need is a less tanky hero, a simplified combat system, and good environmental interaction.
Now you're playing a game where the goal is to approach enemies and obstacles like a dynamic puzzle, there's enough pressure to make you need to keep moving forward in most cases (like medusa heads), but enough monsters and hazards that you need to approach them smartly or else you'll get overwhelmed and crushed. Combat is simple, it's a matter trying to control fights by keeping enemies within your ideal attack range while not letting yourself get surrounded. Ranged enemies want to keep their distance, melee enemies try to move in close. The strategy is about spacing and using what you know about enemy behavior to survive, not mashing roll.
Also: some thoughts on maintaining complexity while keeping melee combat simple. The beauty of Castlevania is that even in 2D it had a great meta game with how subweapons factored in. It's all about the advantages you choose to have over others. a magic system in a new Castlevania would be great, what do you shoot for? Maybe you want to go for better AoE magic spells or ranged attacks, maybe you want to focus on offensive and defensive buffs to improve your melee combat. What about sub weapons? Knifes would be great for handling the weaker ranged enemies, but holy water would make dealing with tanky enemies less of a pain. There are plenty of opportunities to introduce the complexity and customization we'd expect from a modern game but stay true to the Castlevania spirit.
