Trevor & Simon Belmont return in Castlevania: Mirror of Fate for 3DS

Nintendo Power's big reveal in its brand new print issue for July 2012 is indeed Castlevania: Mirror of Fate, developed by Mercury Steam (Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) for the 3DS.  The first Castlevania entry for the 3DS will continue to leverage the universe first introduced in Lords of Shadow, but this time Mercury Steam has chosen to resurrect another classic franchise character.

Players will begin Mirror of Fate in control of Trevor Belmont, child of Gabriel who has since become, well, you know, after the events of Lords of Shadow.  Wielding the Brotherhood's Combat Cross like his father before him, Trevor sets out to Dracula's castle for some classic Metroidvania action.  By that we mean exploring a large castle (where most of the game will be set) in side-scrolling 2.5D while trying to forge a path and kicking some undead ass with the Combat Cross using the combo-based attack system previously utilized in Lords of Shadow.  The difference is that it's also going to be in stereoscopic 3D, because this is the 3DS after all.  SpotPass and StreetPass will also be leveraged in some form.

Nintendo Power's preview also confirms that players will step into the shoes of other characters at various points during the game, in different periods of time thanks to the mysterious of "Mirror of Fate" which conveniently also serves as the game's title.  Simon Belmont will also make his big comeback, this time envisioned as a grimdark barbarian who happens to wield the Vampire Killer leather whip.  He'll have his own tricks of the trade in the form of mystical guardians he can summon.

Mirror of Fate will eventually set the stage for a full-blown sequel to Lords of Shadow, in development for current-gen console systems.  Mercury Steam's first Castlevania title for 3DS title meanwhile is currently scheduled for a Fall 2012 release.