* CelebrityVoiceActor: Never expect to see any prolific voice actors in the English version. Live-action actors doing voice acting instead? APLENTY!
* DawsonCasting: Robert Carlyle who was forty-nine back in 2010 did the voice-work for Gabriel, who's presumptively in his late twenties or early thirties. This trope also applies to his ''Japanese voice actor'', Keiji Fujiwara, who was forty-six at the time of the recording.
* DolledUpInstallment: To not complete with/detract from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaJudgment'' sales, ''Lords of Shadow'' was first unveiled as a standalone major franchise before it became an official ''Castlevania'' title.
* FranchiseKiller: ''Lords of Shadow 2''[='=]s mediocre reception shut the coffin on the 3D side of the series.
* PreOrderBonus:
** Gamestop preorders got a black ''Castlevania'' shirt with a Combat Cross motif.
** Best Buy preorders got a download code for ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''.
* RecycledScript: To another Creator/{{Konami}} franchise: A noble warrior and member of a large heroic organization is sent on a quest to stop a possible world-ending scenario. The loss of a close female character is factored into said quest, which turns out to be part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the hero's organization, his learning of which later factored into the hero's eventual fall from grace and into villainy. Who are we talking about, Gabriel Belmont/[[spoiler:Dracula]] or [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Naked Snake]]/[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Big Boss]]?[[note]]Then again, Creator/HideoKojima was involved with this game...[[/note]]
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: Back in November 2007, Konami's executives nearly scratched the entire game as they did not like its distinctly different[=/=]DarkerAndEdgier direction. The production was preserved by one of the game's producers, David Cox, who said he'd fly over to Konami's [=USHQ=] to show them the tech-demo his team had created. After skimming through the newest progress reports the head executives decided to continue production, and even granted the developers greater creative freedom – as well as Creator/HideoKojima[='s=] advice – which led to the complete overhaul of title's protagonist.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** The original pitch video for the title starred Simon Belmont as the game's protagonist.
** Originally, Gabriel's design resembled that of a classical IneffectualLoner BarbarianHero before Hideo Kojima insisted they change him to a KnightInShiningArmor.
** Creator/IanMcKellen would have been the one to voice Zobek, but his busy schedule could not allow it.
** Claudia was a RavenHairIvorySkin kind of gal before she became a HairOfGoldHeartOfGold.