Konami passes Judgment on Castlevania

Beginning with Castlevania on the Nintendo 64, Konami has for the past 10 years rendered Koji Igarashi's famed vampire-slaying franchise on consoles in 3D, while maintaining the series' traditional 2D aesthetic on handhelds. Throughout that span, the publisher has maintained a consistent record of winning critical praise for its side-scrolling handheld efforts and receiving a generally tepid reception for its console games.

With Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia slated to arrive on the Nintendo DS this fall, Konami is once again returning with a 3D console game: Castlevania Judgment for the Wii. However, rather than taking another crack of the whip at the action adventure genre, Konami has a mind to reinvigorate the franchise by entering the Belmont clan and its demonic nemeses into a battle-royal fighting arena.

Though Konami has named no specific fighters, the publisher said that it would be pulling its cast from the franchise's entire 22-year history. Making use of the Wii's motion-sensing control scheme, Konami notes that players will control their fighters using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to attack, along with brandishing objects and items strewn around the 3D environments. Players will also be able to set traps as well as enlist monsters to fight for them, though Konami did not expound on the nature of these mechanics.

Castlevania Judgment will feature an online fighting mode, and will also interface with Order of Ecclesia on the DS for added gameplay content. The game is expected to ship for the Wii this fall.