January 23^rd, 2005 (3:44pm) - The February 2005 issue of Play Magazine has unveiled the very first details regarding the next Castlevania game for the PS2, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.

Curse of Darkness will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, and will present players with a new action adventure that takes place in 1479, three years after the events of Castlevania 3.

The game’s heroes are Hector and Isaac, two warriors who are not direct descendants of the Belmont family. This means that our heroes will not be wielding a whip, but instead swords, spears and other bladed weapons. However, someone from the Belmont line is expected to make an appearance in the game, as is Alucard, who’s resting in an enchanted sleep after defeating Dracula three years prior to the events of Curse of Darkness.

Curse of Darkness will implement a Pokemon-like feature which allows Hector to raise creatures called "Innocent Devils" to assist him on the adventure, giving new abilities, assisting him, and such... The game will also include an RPG element seen in the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games that allows players to gain experience points, in addition to being allowed to switch weapons on the fly. Although, in the interview in which game director Koji Igarashi revealed these details, he mentioned that while these features would play a significant role in the game, the Innocent Devils will play a bigger role in gameplay.

Curse of Darkness is being developed using a new graphics engine and working on the game is the same development team behind Castlevania: Lament of Innocence with Koji "IGA" Igarashi directing. Igarashi has also mentioned that the theme of this game will be darker, based on "revenge."

Here’s an excerpt from the issue that gives us some insight into the game’s plot:

Three years have passed since Trevor Belmont and his companions vanquished Dracula. But the magic power of the curse Dracula Unleashed upon his death began inflicting all of Europe. Pestilence, mob violence and heresy became rampant, and people continued to fall deeper into darkness...

Amidst all of this, Hector - a Devil Forgemaster who had once refined his skills under Dracula - has fled in pursuit of a peaceful life as a human. He never imagined that his old friend Isaac, the other Devil Forgemaster, would suddenly appear an implicate his wife in a deadly conspiracy. As vengeance for his beloved wife, Hector pursues Isaac back to his former home, now completely morphed by Dracula’s dark magic...

Expect more details and possibly screenshots of the game to surface later this week.