Just as in any other medium, a classic legacy can be a double-edged sword in gaming. Konami's classic Castlevania series arguably has a pedigree that can hold its own when compared to any gaming franchise in the world, but it's one of the few classic brands that has never really made it to the modern era with any kind of authority – Castlevania games seem to work in 2D, but nobody has been able to capture that magic properly in 3D form, despite the clamouring of its loyal fan base.

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Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow could be the game that turns that all around, but even with the dark tale of an all-new Belmont, the aid of the legendary Hideo Kojima and a gorgeous graphical style, nothing is guaranteed. In truth, it doesn't help that Lords Of Shadow looks and feels like something of an attempt to meld elements of this generation’s blockbuster action games like God Of War III, Devil May Cry 4 and Darksiders - all perhaps merely draped in a cloak that says Castlevania.

But developer Mercury Steam, who is producing the game in conjunction with Kojima Productions, is promising that this is a title very Castlevania at heart, and that Lords Of Shadow will prove itself true to the series' heritage. But it also intends to broaden the appeal of the franchise by creating a game that isn't dependant upon great knowledge of the series lore and history, while including knowing nods to longtime fans.

Mercury Steam has certainly appeared to have gone the extra mile to imbue its new game with a deep feeling of triple-A polish and quality, and the more of Lords Of Shadow that it reveals, the more promising and impressive it looks to be.

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Lords Of Shadow promises to be driven by blend of action, platforming, RPG and even strategy elements, all joined together as seamlessly as the developer can manage. Konami recently revealed the combat mechanics for its game, which are based around Belmont's Combat Cross – an extendable whip-chain weapon that can also be used to traverse certain platform areas.

But it's in combat that the sight of Belmont's Combat Cross arcing across the screen, lashing out in fury at enemies becomes truly impressive, even if it does seem very God Of War-like. It uses a two-button strong and weak system to access myriad combos, and even some sick-looking air juggles once you launch foes. Mercury Steam is promising that the AI in Lords Of Shadow will be able to adjust to players tactics on the fly, forcing them to mix up the kinds of attacks used and preventing the kind of button mashing that so often mars action games.

With that smarter AI in mind, Belmont has been given a more rounded move set with a block and evade manoeuvres linked to the analogue stick. There will be secondary weapons to equip Belmont with, many of which can be picked up off the ground when dropped by enemies, and advanced throw moves help you wreak havoc on your undead foes.

Killing enemies in Lords Of Shadow grants you experience points, used to purchase weapon upgrades, combat skills, combos and later in the game magic, which can be combined with those weapons to devastating effect. There are even impressive-looking finishing moves to be earned, and players will have to choose just what suits them best.

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