Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate Critic Reviews

It's a compromise between action and exploration, between the series' history and contemporary trends, between traditional presentation and modern technology. It's the best Castlevania game we've played in years and it might be the best action game we've ever played on a handheld console.

Its mixture older-style exploration with LoS' combat results in not only a truly great Castlevania game, but also a great action title and one of the best offerings on Nintendo's console.

Mercury Steam creates a videogame that supposes another interesting reboot in the Castlevania franchise, this time from the 2D perspective. A title with Metroidvania elements, a strong combat system and 10 hours of gameplay. Mirror of Fate is one of the best games designed for Nintendo 3DS.

Mirror of Fate manages to make the once well-worn Metroidvania formula new again by using this reboot-based version of the franchise, and is a must-play for any fans of the series.

Despite being neither revolutionary nor completely true to the original Castlevania concept, Mirror of Fate is enormously entertaining in its own right. It is a delightful mixture of action, platforming and exploration featuring a satisfying combat system that works extremely well in 2D.

Boss fights are fun and varied, and the excellent checkpointing system kept the big encounters from becoming frustrating. Castlevania fans and 3DS owners alike will find a lot to enjoy here.

An impressive follow-up to 2010's Lords of Shadow that you shouldn't miss.

Mirror of Fate takes its cues from MercurySteam’s 2010 console title, Lords of Shadow, and mixes in some light Metroid exploration elements. Once you’ve got your head around that, you’re in for an adventure that successfully fuses Castlevania’s new flavor with the franchise’s 2D roots.

One of the best platforming and action games on 3DS. It's a must-have on the handheld, and works perfectly no matter if you've played Castlevania: Lords of Shadow or not.

Mirror of Fate is a confident interpretation of well-trod mechanics and themes, and the Castlevania name is stronger for it.

I personally enjoy the 2D Castlevania titles, so I was skeptical to play Mirror of Fate. Of course, I was also skeptical of another developer taking over one of the most beloved franchises in gaming history, and that turned out pretty great. Now we see MercurySteam taking the same approach to the franchise in the handheld space, and again with decent results.

After changing the longstanding mechanics of Castlevania with Lords of Shadow, MercurySteam managed to merge action and exploration in Mirror of Fate. The game is far from the Metroidvania style but in exchange offers many hours of intense combat, and a story that studies in the Belmont family mythology. If only the platforming and puzzle solving were better, this could be the perfect successor to Symphony of the Night; but unfortunately it is not but it's a great 3DS game and a thrilling interlude while we wait for Lords of Shadows 2.

Atmosphere so thick you can crack it with a whip.

For those who really missed the Metroidvania concept of Koji Igarashi in Lords of Shadow, MercurySteam has created in Mirror of Fate an petit homage with the style and gameplay of the reboot's series, adding those elements of pure exploration, platforms and astonishing 3D's visual stereoscopic levels that truly take us into the castle, dungeons and caves of the new & tragic Dracula, always cursed by the revenge of the Belmont Clan.

With Mirror of Fate the iconic franchise finally returns to the 2D world - with success. This way back to its roots is definitely enjoyable, but still something's missing to reach the grandeur of the series’ famous installments. Nevertheless, both gameplay and visuals are great. There are some minor balancing problems, but all in all Mirror of Fate is a must-have for fans of the genre.

The best portable Castlevania for years and a more than equal follow-up to Lords Of Shadow – not to mention one of the best-looking games so far on the 3DS.

Although the 2D perspective and Metroidvania-style features call to mind past classics, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate shouldn’t be directly compared to previous games in Konami’s long-running vampire-hunting series, because it tries to do things a little differently.

A huge thrill-a-minute adventure, with satisfying combat, and big boss fights. Just don't expect the old Metroidvania formula.

Mercury Steam continues to demonstrate its talent in this new contribution to its Lords of Shadow reboot of the Castlevania series. Beautifully transposed to 2,5D gameplay, this 3DS title brings back together demanding platforming and deep combat mechanics, in an accessible mix that only lacks a little more puzzles and, for old-timers, challenge.

As Lords of Shadow, Mirror of Fate stands out not only for its massive amount of content, but also for some well polished gameplay mechanics, like it's great combat system.