Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Review (360/PS3)

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow serves as a reboot for the long-running franchise, or, at the very least, a new storyline to run parallel to the series' primary canon. The game's story is light and told through simple cut scenes that bookend the levels, but is competent and serves as an interesting prologue for things to come in this new thread.

Lords of Shadow is combat heavy, and comparison's to Sony's God of War franchise have been made. The observation is apt, though like God of War itself, Castlevania borrows just as much from games like Rygar: The Legendary Adventures and its own predecessor, Lament of Innocence. Developer Mercury Steam likely took a look at God of War during development, but worrying about which game "stole" from which is a fruitless discussion. Lords of Shadow probably owes more of a debt to Shadow of the Colossus; the Titan boss fights are pretty much ripped off wholesale.

While there is some interesting platforming, and the odd puzzle that feels a bit disconnected a la Professor Layton, combat is the primary focus, and is much more meaningful than in similar games. Dodging and blocking effectively are paramount, and pulling varied combos and using magics and abilities well are absolutely key to winning. Button mashing and flailing about may win the occasional bout, but performing poorly will likely come back to haunt you down the line, and will probably eventually get you killed. Skill counts for everything.

I really enjoyed the fact that Lords of Shadow wasn't afraid to toss in new, simple mechanics frequently, and only employing them when necessary, rather than becoming reliant on then, reducing them to the repetitive and mundane.

Though the camera can be a little problematic on occasion, and some areas and boss fights lack direction, the beautiful visuals, wonderful music, brutal action and varied gameplay kept me coming back for more. Those that prefer the non-linear Castlevania approach, such as that in games like Symphony of the Night, may not dig Lords of Shadow, but the emphasis on action and platforming recalls earlier games in the series, such as Super Castlevania IV and Rondo of Blood, and I've really enjoyed it. I find Lords of Shadow to be another great entry in the storied and ever-changing Castlevania franchise.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was reviewed using the PlayStation 3 version.

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[gortaithe]

i think i speak for everyone who LOVES this game, thank you for such a good review. thank you for going after it in a refreshing UNBIAS manner. so yeah... thanks.

[tvandlust]

@gortaithe No problem. I definitely try to keep an open mind and a fair outlook. :)

[Maxlinkrocks]

Got this game today:D With the strategy guide:)

[tvandlust]

@Maxlinkrocks Nice. Hope you enjoy it. :)

[TheC0unt5]

This game is so damn frustrating. I like it don't get me wrong but i kind of can't wait to beat it because it is frustrating the hell out of me and stressing me out. I like the fighting but i hate some of the control layouts. For instance I'm so used to using the left stick for dodging that I don't get why this game has you dodging with the same stick that you use to move around. Especially since you don't use the left stick for anything in this game anyways, i just think its bad config.

[tvandlust]

@TheC0unt5 Mapping the dodge mechanic to the right stick only makes sense to you because God of War has made you accustomed to it, but really, if anything, THAT is bad config. Using the right stick to dodge forces you to remove your thumb from the face buttons. This means you can't effectively chain attacks and dodges; you're constantly shifting the operative thumb. Lords of Shadow by passes this by using a trigger to dodge. It's actually more intuitive, really.

[jlnboyle336]

View |\/|y Vids For A Legit MS Point Gen

[bangtokhammer]

Good review. I'd much prefer someone who's obviously been playing games for a while (like you clearly have) doing these things than some lipstick lilly in a mini-skirt spouting po-faced jazz-dross.

[bangtokhammer]

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[sumitcheaters]

iam probably gonna get many games that didnt get good ratings from ign and gamespot!

like dante inferno,castlevania, and prince of persia

[TheCrashedMind]

haha I like how you say its not like god of war right when it goes into cinematic button pressing.  But in all honesty I understand what your saying. :D great review

[DanteSparda08]

I love the ending XD.

[noideac]

looks like a really cool mix of assassigns creed for the platforming, the 2 3D castlevnias for the combat, and DmC 4 the way he uses the whip to go up. by the way 6:08 looks amazing

[httm241]

@tvandlust calling this game a rip off of god of war is like saying borderlands is a clone of fallout so different in terms of mannerisms and art style they cant be compared

[Pierre8907]

@topografer Fuck yeah dude, this was my favorite game of 2010, I dusted it off a few weeks ago and im currently playing it through on Paladin difficulty. It's a fucking pain in the ass lol but I still love it.

[slimshady197825]

i hated this game but i think ill give it another try when it becomes cheap.