Sword Or Whip? Castlevania Legend Wants Your Opinion

Famed Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, known as IGA (no, not the grocery store chain) has set up a website in order to answer a very simple question: sword or whip?

Putting aside the association with the A Song of Ice and Fire books’ “sword or noose?”, it seems likely that the former Castlevania producer is preparing to finally announce a Kickstarter for a spiritual successor to the Castlevania games. If true, it would follow in the footsteps of Keiji Inafune’s Mighty No. 9 and the more recent Yooka-Laylee Kickstarter from Playtonic Games, a team of former Rare developers.

A poster on NeoGAF that goes by ‘Foffy’ has given a comprehensive overview of the evidence so far leaning in favor of an announcement, including a translation of the runes featured on the website. They read: what a wonderful night to have a KS. KS could be an abbreviated version of the word curse — a reference to Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, or the initials of Kickstarter, or the initials of Igarashi’s next game, or a combination of all these, or even something else entirely.

The website itself features a man resembling IGA who is dressed like Dracula, and sits atop a throne sifting wine. Castlevania fans will immediately recognize this as a homage to the first title Igarashi worked on, Symphony of the Night. Casting your first vote will prompt him to invite you back to do so again. Multiple votes for the same weapon will have IGA dub you with a name (Raum the Radical, in my case) and sort you into a clan. After, he begins to make some interesting comments. Some of the more noteworthy snippets include:

A new, vital heart, pulsing with the old blood.

Are you searching for secrets, or answers?

There will be other weapons, of course. When I trust you with them.

Can I fix you a drink? …Or do you not trust me yet.

I like it. The way the light shines across your sickness.

The final quarter looms, Raum the Radical. It is almost too late.

Voting is expected to end on May 11th.

UPDATE 5/7

I’d keep a beady eye on IGA come Monday morning, guys.