Armor equips not changing the Miriam's look

Ok, I'm going to say right here that I'm an indie game dev. That does NOT make my opinions or perspective any more useful than anyone else's though, just different.

So with that said, I think that gear items only modifying the character's stats is adopting the limitations of a medium that this game isn't a part of. If SotN had the option I don't think the devs would have hesitated to give Alucard's gear a physical presence when equipped. There are actually few better ways to create immersion in a game than seeing the player's choices reflected in the minute to minute actions during gameplay. Games like Dark Souls or Darksiders have illustrated this beautifully. Ignoring the visual presence of equipping gear in a modern game is all but inexcusable. Even modern 2D games often understand this, such as Salt and Sanctuary.

Gear visibly modifying the character is certainly feasible. It only comes down to whether or not BS's devs want to impose past limitations on themselves for the sake of nostalgia. Personally, I think if you're going to make the choice to jump to full 3D game development then do it right and go all the way. If you're not going to use the 3D medium's advantages, then why do 3D at all?