Konami has announced Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, a new addition to the long-running action adventure series--though not a new game in itself.

Coming from Clive Barker's Jericho developer Mercury Steam, Lords of Shadow was originally announced without the Castlevania tag last year. It was then described as a "dark fairy tale" with exploration and puzzle-solving elements that focused on "one man's journey to discover the true meaning of sacrifice amidst murder and betrayal."

In addition, Metal Gear Solid developer Kojima Productions was revealed to be assisting Mercury Steam with the game. "My role is to support them," said Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima. "I'm going to help them to give birth to this Castlevania."

"In the very near future we'll show you more and more," he added.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is to be released in 2010 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Clive Barker's Jericho developer Mercury Steam is currently at work on a new third-person action-adventure title named Lords of Shadow, publisher Konami announced today.

In development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Lords of Shadow is slated to arrive in 2010. Taking place in Southern Europe during the middle ages, the title is described as a "dark fairy tale" that focuses on "one man's journey to discover the true meaning of sacrifice amidst murder and betrayal."

Along with puzzle-solving and exploration elements, the title sports a weapon system, dubbed "Combat Cross," that allows a single weapon to perform a number of functions. For example, the Combat Cross can go from a stabbing weapon to a defensive device.

"Every element of the game pushes the host hardware to its limits," said Konami product planning head Dave Cox. "It is truly an epic game but telling a human and emotive story. This is a title we hope will set a new standard for action-adventure titles."