Belmont turns Buffy with Aria of Sorrow
The next Castlevania is one of those near future ideas
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow will be the first game in the long running series not tied to the infamous Belmont clan of vampire hunters, the first set in the near future and the first that lets you acquire the souls and abilities of enemies, Konami has revealed.
This time the hero is one Soma Cruz, a high school student in the year 2035, about to witness the first solar eclipse of the 21st century - when suddenly he blacks out, only to awaken inside a mysterious castle. And through this castle he must go, traversing a complex maze of labyrinthine tunnels filled with monsters. It all sounds very familiar. As it turns out, when Dracula was defeated way back in 1999, his future was tied the solar eclipse which was underway at the time, and it's through this vessel that h is able to return. Cheeky sod.
As with Buffy, The Legacy of Kain, Onimusha and various other games, the new hero of Castlevania can absorb the souls of dispatched enemies to gain over 100 attacking moves. There will also be link cable options allowing players to trade their skills with other GBA owners.
Aria of Sorrow is due out in May 2003 in North America. It did not appear on a recent UK release schedule from Konami, which suggests it won't touch down until Q2/Q3 or later.