If the next iteration of Castlevania isn’t exciting enough, then how does six-player cooperative play sound? Earlier reports claim that news blog Never Know Tech had the big story on Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, and that it will be a return to the classic “Metroidvania” design style.

While the original news piece has since been removed from NKT, multiple reports indicate this new Castlevania will be an XBLA exclusive title, and that it will feature Soma Cruz, Alucard, Jonathan Morris, Shanoa, and Charlotte Aulin as playable characters. Players are said to work together against a given boss target to destroy it, which could lead to some really interesting co-op strategies, assuming it turns out to be a real game. But the fact that the phrase Harmony of Despair was trademarked recently should provide a strong possibility that this rumor has some weight to it.

However, conflicting stories from Destructoid and Joystiq are reporting it as either a 2D or 3D game, and with the original photos removed from NKT there’s no way to be sure at the moment. Stay tuned for more details on this one.