“Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery – it’s the sincerest form of learning.” – Geroge Bernard Shaw.
Atmospheric, beautiful, chilling and brutal – Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is all of this and more. Using its rich and imaginative lore as a vessel for violent and intense combat—all taking place in distinct and detailed environments—Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is an action adventure through and through. It is, therefore, a crying shame that some control issues, questionable puzzles and a confused pace can hold it back from magnificence. Nevertheless, Lords of Shadow isn’t just your ordinary hack and slash. It manages to elevate itself above the competition in a variety ways.
As you tear vampires limb from limb and lock horns with the seemingly all-powerful Dark Lords, it’s difficult not to be amazed. The rich and thrilling environments meet in holy (and sometimes unholy) matrimony with the game’s heavy and intense combat system, and it is here that Lords of Shadow finds clarity. The action is meaningful, presented with flare and keeps players on their toes.
It’s not all sunshine and roses for the game’s citizens, however. The world is bleak in Lords of Shadow, all manner of creatures leach on the landscape, feeding on what civilization remains. The people are at a loss, believing God has abandoned them and that their fates are sealed. An order known as the Brotherhood of Light sends one of their shining knights to root out the evil lurking in the shadows.
Gabriel Belmont is their chosen warrior and he is a breath of fresh air. Gabriel is a truly virtuous character, pure of heart and sincere in motive. It can be tough to find a true hero in videogames, nowadays. More often than not, they’ll be peppering their enemies with an onslaught of bullets, whilst simultaneously using the moment as their platform to give stand-up comedy a try. Gabriel is no such sociopath, and in the absence of cheeky one-liners, Gabriel feels compassion and remorse. Everything is handled with a high level of maturity, and he wants nothing more than to rid the world of its evils and attain closure on the loss of his murdered wife – Marie.
Throughout Gabriel’s journey for vengeance and justice, you will be slaughtering a wide array of beasts in angelic fashion. Gabriel has all the usual tricks; physical attacks, grabs, magic, parry, dodge rolls, combat items and quicktime event finishers, but Lords of Shadow’s combat finds its own voice as the game progresses.
Gabriel’s flagship justice-dealer is his combat cross, later dubbed the “Vampire Killer”. This combat whip allows Gabriel to deliver devastating physical attacks at range, whether on a single enemy or an entire group of bloodsuckers. The Vampire Killer is a versatile tool, serving as a grappling hook during platforming sections, or as a way to gain access to previously unreachable areas. This weapon will see you through most of the game and the upgrade system allows you to purchase new abilities using experience points gained in battle. Puzzles and platforming sections find their way into the experience, but neither of these elements are executed with as much heart and precision as the core combat.
It’s not that the puzzles are inherently bad in Lords of Shadow, they just feel out of place. One instance has you guiding a drop of blood through a mini-maze, and given the events that happened just prior to this puzzle, it sticks out like a sore thumb—becoming nothing more than a bump in the road. The platforming is similar in this regard. In small doses, it is serviceable, but Gabriel’s movements are so twitchy and sensitive that it’s difficult to have him do exactly as you ask. These episodes feel unrefined and that’s unfortunate considering the amount of screen time they hog in some of the later stages. These problems are not deal breakers by any means, and they only stand out because everything else is delivered with such finesse.
There are points where combat and platforming become the best of friends and hold hands, though. These sections take the form of Lords of Shadow’s towering Titan battles. Icoing Echoing the Fumito Ueda masterpiece, Shadow of the Colossus, Lords of Shadow has you hiking up these 70ft giants, clinging for dear life and scouting out their weak points. These moments are grand, but they lack substance. They are linear affairs and there is little to no challenge during these fights. Introducing a puzzle element into these exchanges—much like Shadow of the Colossus—would have made for a more fulfilling experience. However, these moments do serve as visually stunning set pieces, showcasing Mercury Steam’s ability to marry their superb graphics and awesome scale.
It is shortly after your first colossal exchange that you are introduced to Zobek. Voiced by Sir Patrick Stewart, Zobek is another member of your order and becomes a companion of Gabriel’s throughout the adventure. Narrating the story as you progress and keeping you company during loading times, Zobek is good to have around. He doesn’t just come packaged with a great voice, though. Zobek introduces Gabriel to the game’s magic system and this is where the combat dons an identity all of its own.
There are two schools of magic in Lords of Shadow—Light Magic and Shadow Magic. Rather than casting Avada Kadavra at range, these magic abilities act as a type of combat stance that enhances every item you use and every attack you make. When light magic is activated, it will give you the ability to restore health after every successful hit. Shadow magic, on the other hand, will deal more damage. You can regain more magic energy with successful hits and avoiding incoming attacks to enter Focus Mode. Switching between these magic types on the fly creates a constant momentum throughout the battles, and it rewards experimentation, making it quite addictive.
It is fortunate, then, that this game is lengthy. The adventure will last around fifteen to eighteen hours before you finish the first time through, and this doesn’t take into account the upgrades you can collect throughout the levels. Some areas will not be initially accessible when traversing the stage, meaning you’ll have to return when your skills and/or equipment has improved. There are twelve chapters in all and the game allows you to go back and forth between any completed sections at any time. It is worth doing this, as you can attain health, magic and item upgrades during the exploration. Although offering a lot of content should be commended, the game can begin to feel repetitive towards the conclusion. However, the final showdown more than makes up for this.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was one of our favorite games of 2010. It offered something unique to a bloated genre: atmosphere. The art direction in Lords of Shadow is truly its own, and the beautiful visuals never fail to disappoint. The core gameplay is impactful, as you change the world with every fallen enemy. Some odd puzzles and platforming sections that outstay their welcome can drag it down, but this sharp toothed tale is well worth the money and should be experienced by action adventure fans thirsty for blood.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Pros
- Rich & Imaginative Lore
- Violent & Intense
Cons
- Odd Puzzles
[…] WARNING: This review will contain SPOILERS of the original Castlevania: Lords of Shadow game. If you wish to read our review on the original game, check it out here. […]