The ending[major spoilers]

[symmetric]

I personally loved the ending and I'm a die hard Castlevania fan (been one since the NES days). I did like how they showcased what you could consider the "birth" of Dracula. Castlevania to me has always been about vanquishing Dracula, but how did Dracula come to be? The fact that it showcased a modern day setting showed me just how much time has passed since that fateful battle. Villages have come and gone, and a more modernized city has sprung up in its place. Its not uncommon even today to see old gothic chruches in a very modern city. You really have to pay attention to the naration at the beginning of the level and the subtle hints that get pointed out such as what Baba says, in order to grasp what is going on. If you just waited for the loading to finish, hit start and didn't care to read or even listen, then its no surprise when the ending hits you say to yourself wtf.

[Kyai]

Originally Posted by symmetric

I personally loved the ending and I'm a die hard Castlevania fan (been one since the NES days). I did like how they showcased what you could consider the "birth" of Dracula. Castlevania to me has always been about vanquishing Dracula, but how did Dracula come to be? The fact that it showcased a modern day setting showed me just how much time has passed since that fateful battle. Villages have come and gone, and a more modernized city has sprung up in its place. Its not uncommon even today to see old gothic chruches in a very modern city. You really have to pay attention to the naration at the beginning of the level and the subtle hints that get pointed out such as what Baba says, in order to grasp what is going on. If you just waited for the loading to finish, hit start and didn't care to read or even listen, then its no surprise when the ending hits you say to yourself wtf.

I listened to and watched all cut scenes, and the ending still took me by surprise. But it's entirely possible that I had forgotten what I heard before by the end heh. Either way, it was awesome.

The "birth" of Dracula for the original series was someone described in Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. The gameplay was so so, but the story was really good. However, I enjoyed this new take on the series and glad it started with Dracula instead of an afterthought.

[Burntid]

Originally Posted by Aquaman6686

I think Satan revealing he was the mastermind behind everything was the most random and "out of left field" plot twist I've ever seen. I think the DLC should continue that:

After Gabriel defeats and banishes Satan, it could be revealed that Satan was, in fact, working for General Zod the whole time. After refusing to kneel before Zod and defeating him in a massive battle, Gabriel is then blindsided by Brainiac, who reveals that Zod was working for him all along. After entering the computer world and deleting Brainiac, Gabriel is attacked by Godzilla. Gabriel climbs into Godzilla's ear and into his brain, where he discovers Luthorcorp microchips controlling Godzilla. Gabriel is then ambushed by Lex Luthor in his powersuit, while still inside Godzilla's brain. After defeating Luthor and getting out of Godzilla's head, Gabriel is attacked by a T-1000, sent by Skynet to ensure that the master plan all goes swimmingly. Gabriel melts the T-1000 with his flaming shadow magic whip of doom, but is attacked by Mysterio, who reveals that all the events of the past several months were an illusion created by him, to drive Gabriel insane.

Then its revealed that the entire game was a computer simulation created by Batman, who wanted a strategy in place in case Satan, Lex Luthor, General Zod, Brainiac, Mysterio and Skynet all decided to work together.

Yup, thats how random and pointless I feel Satan's inclusion in the game was.

I would buy that game

[XperimntNterror]

I thought it ended awesomely. Having a Belmont become Dracula really turns the Castlevania mythos on it's ear and I'm itching to see what direction it goes in (I heard it mentioned on Kotaku, I believe, Mecury Steam was interested in using the Alucard character, though no specifics were given). The only issues I had with the ending were 1.) How did Gabriel become Dracula (Laura??? Never really cleared up her fate. Or, as one poster earlier mentioned, perhaps it's his Darkside left behind like the other Lords of Shadow). 2.) How was Zobek resurrected/not die. Hopefully everything gets cleared up in the DLC. Having Satan be the surprise puppet master wasn't really all that shocking considering the religious tones already in the game with references to God and what have you. I thought the ending was definitely one of the best in quite some time.

[XperimntNterror]

Originally Posted by Echilion

The game is a reboot and not part of the previous games canon. and the game does borrows elements from mythology and religion - which most (if not all) of the castlevania games do as well

Satan's appearance was not that random. Gabriel's order, the brotherhood of light, sole purpose was to serve god and defeat the devil. the devil is mentioned in some of the knight scrolls and baba yagas calls her master the king of angels. i guess that last one can be taken with a grain of salt though.

i do think the way they included him could have been executed in a better manner though



Yep, saw him

Wait... where did you see Slogra??? I, apparently, missed it.

[Echilion]

Originally Posted by XperimntNterror

Wait... where did you see Slogra??? I, apparently, missed it.

During the ending after the credits

Edit: Found a photo! Hard to tell there, but watch the ending and I am pretty sure its Slogras corpse

http://kevinsung.org/wp-content/uplo.../slogralos.jpg

[alanp9]

Originally Posted by Aquaman6686

And since when is the CastleVania series based in the Christian religion?

Seriously? Holy water, crucifixes, stained glass cathedrals? In Symphony of the Night, to use just one example, the special weapons include communion wafers and an actual Bible, for crying out loud.

Not just Castlevania, but Dracula mythology in general, is firmly rooted in Christianity. In many versions of the story (the Coppola Bram Stoker's Dracula film, for instance), Dracula is originally a holy warrior for God who turns his back on Christianity because his religious beliefs led to the untimely death of his beloved wife (sound familiar after playing this game?). Vampirism and eternal life is his punishment for turning his back on God. You could even say he's the ultimate anti-Christian.

I understand your point about the randomness of the final boss, but there's definitely a precedent for it.

[alanp9]

I also just realized that after playing this game and Assassin's Creed II, within the past year I've defeated both Satan and the Pope as endgame bosses.

Clearly, I am God's chosen warrior.

[Talinth]

Originally Posted by alanp9

I also just realized that after playing this game and Assassin's Creed II, within the past year I've defeated both Satan and the Pope as endgame bosses.

Clearly, I am God's chosen warrior.

Hell, even with Dante's Inferno we taken down Satan twice xD Poor bastard xD

[Moldredd]

Satan is getting the Dracula treatment of previous Castlevanias now haha.

I honestly find this story refreshing. I mean, aren't you guys tired of the same cliche tale of a Warrior that enters Castlevania and banishes Dracula at his own game over and over?

It's good to experience new things at times, even if it doesn't make sense at all. But we all know this is a reboot. No reason questioning story-wise.

I smell Alucard soon in this story, tho. Dracula will find a girl that will reminds him of Marie and will get together etc. Probably.

I do find sad the fact there will probably not be any more Belmonts in this story (And I was starting to miss them since their absence lately in Castle Games)

As for the modern times. I don't have problems with it since we know the Aria ones took place in the present. I just hope it takes place in an isolated area with lots of Gothic architecture.

And please, don't let Kojima put his overrated yet stupid MGS garbage in Castlevania again. It simply looks stupid and tiresome.

[The Clutch Hand]

Originally Posted by Quid Squid

The ending of the game makes sense if you take it in context with the rest of the game's characters (the Dark Lords). He has the mask, the greatest power next to God. Maria had him put it on, so he know's it's power. The mask could also be some sort of temptation in which causes him to do the same thing as the other Brotherhood founders did. His pure heart and soul entered heaven, but his darkness remained. All throughout the game the narration refers to his dark side, how angry he is, how he wants nothing but revenge...this is the side we see in Dracula.

Couldn't say it better myself. and I actually disagree with some people towards the ending how it was lame and predictable. To me the story was excellent and they brought something new to the table. If you were to examine this game very closely it has a lot of symbolism. For one in the bible Gabriel is the messenger for god he is also an arch angel. He is the angel of revelation, and is also considered to be the guardian angel, and is also to be considered one of the six angels of death which he serves as a messenger of death for kings. He holds the equalibreum the balance between good and evil. Hence his dark and light magic, and red which is his dark magic meaning God's judgement and blue which is his light magic meaning bearing witness to Adam and Eve's wedding and the birth of Isaac being pure. Pretty much to some it all up he goes to hell and back to save Marie and he was still denied the main thing he wanted. because it went from saving the world to just saving her which was a selfish pursuit for his own reasons. Thats why he never made it into heaven and he keep the dark mask becoming the Lord of Shadow and not getting the one thing he longed for. My guess in the sequel they will continue from where they left off and you will be fighting against Dracula at some point. Anyway great game and story loved what they did with it, and this is all in the eye of the beholder but see how some of these connections make a lot of sense...

[CrustyDirtDemon]

Very well said clutch couldn't have said it better myself. This game has a lot of symbolism to which i think makes it very unquie and abstract. I know a great deal of people liked Dante's but Castlevania is like if God Of War had sexual relations with Bayonetta they would spawn Castlevania..

[tobiasdennis]

game / ending was all great. fanboys cry too much.

[Akanea]

I thought the ending was well done. The series seriously needed an overhaul and I think this is an interesting direction. As for Gabriel becoming Dracula, I think it fits in the context of the story. He is distraught after all that has happened and can't exactly cope with everything even though he has been forgiven, thus sinking into despair. As for Satan showing up out of nowhere it was a little random however it's stated that the game is set in a time where Earth and Heaven are at odds with each other and it's the Brotherhood's job to protect the living. So it isn't completely random to me at least, it fits. Overall I enjoyed the game. It gets better once you stop expecting the "old" Castlevania and just accept it as a "new" Castlevania. I'm excited if this is where the series is heading. Although hopefully the sequel will be a bit more original and less cliche.

[metallicfiend83]

I was totally in love with this game untill that bs ending, in fact it felt like i got punched in the stomach. All that Garbage about modern time makes no sense, as stated before they didn't have to go so far ahead and they could have just said they were immortal. A Belmont as Dracula is just a slap in the face to any Castlevania die hard, which I am. Oh also in regard to Dracula being his dark side is kinda iffy, if you watch the last cut scene all he wanted was to die with Marie. The bitterness for not being able to be at here side or to die might bring out his dark side but to become a full fledged vampire after erraticating them is just stupid and poorly thought through. Either way i'm gonna play the Dlc, wish i hadn't because it's gonna piss me off and then hope to god they won't make a second game off of this garbage

[metallicfiend83]

Originally Posted by tobiasdennis

game / ending was all great. fanboys cry too much.

Fan boys are allowed to complain, we are the ones that have paid for these games for two decades so little emo kids can play them and now pretend their gamers and that their opinions matter on a franchise older than they are sparky

[Kinky Buns]

LoL@ the people raging at this game. If you claim to be a Castlevania fan then bitch at this game, you're clearly not much of one. An ACTUAL fan would have been waiting for this game to come out, an ACTUAL fan would have been following it and known how this was a completely new take on the entire series. Fucking people who bitch about this game are just idiots. It was a good game, honestly it was one of the best endings I've seen on a next gen console. The only people complaining are those who didn't read up to know this wasn't going to be all nostalgic.

[metallicfiend83]

Originally Posted by Kinky Buns

LoL@ the people raging at this game. If you claim to be a Castlevania fan then bitch at this game, you're clearly not much of one. An ACTUAL fan would have been waiting for this game to come out, an ACTUAL fan would have been following it and known how this was a completely new take on the entire series. Fucking people who bitch about this game are just idiots. It was a good game, honestly it was one of the best endings I've seen on a next gen console. The only people complaining are those who didn't read up to know this wasn't going to be all nostalgic.

Well as an actual fan i was waiting for this game for about 3 years, had done all the research one could possibly do and as stated before loved the game untill that bull shit ending. Oh and as a CASTLEVANIA fan i have the original cover art to the fist one tatoo on my right arm. So before some one dripples off at the mouth about some new age garbage they should actually get some taste in their games. Also FROM REASEARCH I knew this was a reboot, as in new and not cannon(thank god) that still doesn't excuse a weak, over all stupid and pointless ending. This game also makes me regret my FOX HOUND tattoo, thanks Hideo Kojima, can't wait for the new Z.O.E. and the bullshit twists on that now

[DarkLord Zephyr]

shit I feel like im in hell fighting Satan again with all the flames rising up in here...grow up internet tough guy, no one's impressed. You just sound goofy to the rest of us. You might as well stop playing games if you dont like the direction the games plots are going...

[Akanea]

Yeah I don't understand people's hostility towards the game lol Konami is experimenting with their series, nothing wrong with that. The fact they said that it is not canon should tell fans this. If it sells well then they will make more, if not then they probably won't. At least it's better than Castlevania Judgement

[GeneralFurby]

I think it's worth noting that after Gabriel/Dracula snaps at Zobek for not calling him Dracula, Zobek says "no doubt you once were, but look at you now, a mere shadow of your former self."

Since we know this epilogue is set hundreds of years later from chapter XII, Zobek implies that Gabriel was indeed Dracula, more the kind we're used to seeing, over those years, but in recent times he's just been moping about in his sealed off church.

Personally I'm far more interested in what happens in Gabriel's time as Dracula, than the events after the epilogue. I sincerely hope this is where the DLC and sequel will take us.

[Vandelheart81]

I just beat the game last night and I liked the ending knowing that this game is a reboot of the franchise. Been a big fan of the series and even played through the n64 one back in the day. Maybe I missed something but I am a bit confused why people are saying Gabriel still has the God Mask.

During the ending after Marie tells him to put the God Mask on and he then removes it as the mask doesn't really bring her back. As Marie was fading away though she has the mask in her hand and it disappears with her. The only mask we're left with is the necromancer/death mask. I think this Death Mask is why Zobek is still around as it acts as some sort of phylactery. A since Gabriel didn't speak his latin deal over Zobeks holy spot it allowed him to come back.

Question is: What the hell is this Death Mask ?

We see Gabriel wearing it each time he kills someone he's close to. Zobek puts it on after "everyone should remove their masks". It's also the image we see as the credits roll. Does it just represent Zobek's influence? How is it put on Gabriel in the first place?

As for Gabriel turning into Dracula I'll echo that it was a big surprise but I liked it. My thinking was along the lines that the gauntlet Gabriel gets has alot more story to tell. It's obviously tainted in some manner(as all the holy relics seem to be) and it does absorb powers in someway on all the major bosses.

For those that missed Slogra if you look in the Epilogue section of the artwork its concept art is one of the unlocks. I think it's even called Slogra.

[Karachi King]

Regarding a "Belmont" becoming Dracula, did you guys read the journal entry on Gabriel? He's actually an orphan, who took the name Belmont (something about his love of mountains?). It's not like he's Simon's son or anything.

The article about the DLC continuing after the main story actually mentions it continuing after the "cliffhanger" ending, which I can only assume means the modern times part, since the pre-credits ending wasn't a cliffhanger.
I for one am really looking forward to playing as vampire-Gabriel, as it should put an interesting spin on the DLC/sequel, rather than a "more of the same" approach.

[Miles Prower CC]

The themes of the ending are one thing but what I take issue is the design of the ending as far as writing a story goes.

They used deux ex machina to resolve the ultimate conflict, and they used it shamelessly without even trying to hide how out of literally no where it was. A good story should avoid using deus ex machina, and if they do employ it, then at least try to create some pseudo logic that makes it even somewhat believeable. Deux ex machina itself has been criticized for hundreds upon hundreds of years, here one from ARISTOTLE who criticized deus ex machina B.C.E.!

Aristotle criticized the device in his "Poetics", where he argued that the resolution of a plot must arise internally, following from previous action of the play:

In the characters too, exactly as in the structure of the incidents, [the poet] ought always to seek what is either necessary or probable, so that it is either necessary or probable that a person of such-and-such a sort say or do things of the same sort, and it is either necessary or probable that this [incident] happen after that one. It is obvious that the solutions of plots too should come about as a result of the plot itself, and not from a contrivance, as in the "Medea" and in the passage about sailing home in the "Iliad". A contrivance must be used for matters outside the drama—either previous events which are beyond human knowledge, or later ones that need to be foretold or announced. For we grant that the gods can see everything. There should be nothing improbable in the incidents; otherwise, it should be outside the tragedy, e.g. that in Sophocles' "Oedipus".

—Aristotle, Poetics (1454a33-1454b9)

[luffybuggy]

The ending was good. It made perfect sense. Satan controlled Zobek, who used Gabriel. Zobek wanted the God's mask for the power, but Satan revealed himself and his plan and got rid of Zobek. Satan wants to be greater than God (typical villain) so Gabriel stops him. Gabriel finds out the truth of the God's mask and sees it was a fools dream. With nothing to live for because of his wife's death as well as all of his allies, he is alone and becomes the prince of darkness AKA Dracula. The modern day was explained as they are immortal and could live to this time.

I'm curious to see how this will play out. Whether Gabriel has an unknown brother who will start the Belmont clan of vampire hunters? An unknown son, Alucard? The Morris family will now try to stop Gabriel? Or due to the modern times, Soma Cruz? The Order of Ecclesia could be established to stop Gabriel? Or a whole set of characters?

I'm just listing possibilities.

[Miles Prower CC]

LoS is noncanon. They will probably do something crazy with the ending.

[perpetualshades]

am i the only one that noticed the ending was ripped straight out of the movie interview with a vampire?

this game can best be described as style over substance. meh.

[sledge]

I thought the ending caught me by surprise, Gabriel had nothing to live for now since his wife didn't come back life and he thought she would. But the Lord of The Vampires was right, he did become like her lonely and miserable.

My only gripe is why he became Dracula, unless thats sorted out in the sequel.

I'm kinda glad it's not like the other Castlevania's storylines, makes things refreshing.

[DreamDevice]

I must be one of the few that enjoys movies and games where the main character(s) die at the end. Or get shit on for that matter. The happy-go-lucky endings to media is alright but it has no shock value whatsoever. Playing around in Light and Shadow obviously corrupts Belmont which is great, and him becoming Dracula is probably the best way to end an amazing game like that. To top it all off the split-second draw drop moment when you realize its now mondern time is all the more reason to punch fuck you directly in the face with awesome when you see how long they've been alive. If He would have saved his wife, and prance off into the sunset I would have been pissed. But to see it come together with everything you know as a viewer turned around on you, is the soul reason that makes it a great ending.

And some of you are acting like the sequel will be jumping around buildings. Are you serious? Where's your imagination? I think that's whats wrong with anyone hating on it, no imagination. The sequel will be set in crazy ancient ruins untouched by man, within different deminsions, time-lapses, hell maybe even go a step further and have satan reign destruction and now your left to play in a world of destruction and little life. Use yours heads...

As a side note, Dracula looks a helluva-lot like the underworld lord from The Time Machine. lol. Awesome +1000

[Vindicator51]

I remember that movie. No matter what he did, he couldn't save the one he loved.