Konami have announced Castlevania: Grimoire Of Souls, a new title in the long-running video game franchise. The Castlevania series usually depicts the struggle of various generations of the Belmont clan, who are tasked with storming Dracula's labyrinth castle every 100 years or so. They have to fight monsters, bosses and overcome tricky platformer sections before fighting the big man himself - usually armed with the trusty Vampire Killer whip. The franchise's mix of action, creature design and music has made it a firm favorite, which is why it's lasted over 3 decades.
The last title in the series was 2014's Lords Of Shadow 2, and with publisher Konami's shift to mobile gaming in recent years, it seems there are no plans for a new console title. Castlevania came back into the spotlight last year thanks to the four-part Netflix series, which received strong reviews and is currently the highest-rated video game adaptation on Rotten Tomatoes. A second season is due to arrive summer 2018.
Related: Netflix's Castlevania Getting 8 More Episodes
The lack of a new game has been disappointing to longtime fans of the Castlevania series, but it appears there could be some hopeful news on the horizon. Konami has announced a new multiplayer iOS game called Castlevania: Grimoire Of Souls (via Kotaku), which is said to take place in a world where Dracula has been erased - but then everything goes to hell when someone resurrects him. Classic heroes from the series will return, including Alucard, Simon Belmont, and Maria Renard.
While news of a new Castlevania title is definitely welcome, Konami has yet to announce a release date, and are due to hold a closed beta test in Japan this May. There's also no word on if the publisher is planning an international release for Grimoire Of Souls.
Konami's focus on mobile gaming the last few years have paid off handsomely for the publisher, but their actions have alienated fans. This includes their messy public breakup with Hideo Kojima during development on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which also led to the cancellation of much-anticipated horror sequel Silent Hills, a game Kojima was co-directing with Guillermo del Toro. The recent launch of spin-off title Metal Gear Survive was met with a resounding shrug by players, leading to disappointing sales.
Konami isn't making many console games at present, so players are missing new titles in both the Silent Hill and Castlevania series. Hopefully, Castlevania: Grimoire Of Souls will land overseas to help ease that pain somewhat. Fans can also look forward to season two of Netflix's Castlevania, which loosely adapts the classic NES title Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.