Publisher: Konami

Developer: Mercury Steam

Release Date: 10/5/2010

Available On

Castlevania and 3D have not mixed well, and everyone since Castlevania 3D for N64 has been a total failure. When Lords of Shadow was announced, everyone expected another terrible 3D iteration that no one wanted. Lo and behold, the game finally redeems itself and becomes one of the best action/adventure games of this generation and one of the best Castlevania games ever made.

You play Gabriel Belmont, who is trying to find a way to bring his love, Marie, back, and while fighting alongside the Brotherhood, he must defeat everyone in his path to get to her. He must reunite three pieces of a mask, and each piece is held by a lord of shadow: the Lycanthropes, the Vampires, and Death himself.

The game is voiced very well and even has some well-known actors like Patrick Stewart narrating the game and voicing Zobek. The game does borrow elements from other games, such as God of War’s combat and Uncharted’s platforming, but LoS crafts them in its own unique way. The part about combat that sticks out the most is using light and dark energy to defeat enemies and bosses and solve puzzles. You have both meters, and they are both used separately. Light magic is a form of healing that will replenish your life gauge as you whip hit after hit until your meter runs down. Dark energy allows you to make more devastating attacks. Switching between these two on the fly is key to beating the game and staying alive.

There is an array of moves you can buy with points, but there are also separate sets of moves for both energies. You can earn points by killing enemies or solving puzzles. Puzzles have a way to reveal the solution, but at the cost of not earning points. I was able to solve every puzzle without revealing a solution, but it’s there for the less cerebral. Combat is swift, tight, and fluid, and Gabriel swings the series’ iconic whip around with ease and flash. Counterattacks can build up your focus meter quickly, which will give off mass amounts of orbs you can absorb for energy. You can even bring down large enemies and use them as mounts for as long as you like to complete climbing puzzles or just wail away at enemies.

The game also has an array of objects you can use as weapons, such as fairies, holy water, daggers, and a crystal that summons a screen-wiping demon. Each of these powers can be infused with light or dark energy, and reading the game’s huge bestiary can tell you what the creatures are weak against. Regular fairies can distract enemies, and while infused with light energy, they become bombs. Holy water can do a number on certain enemies, but infused with light magic, it can create a shield around you as well.

The game has a lot of platforming, and it’s solid, but it does have its share of minor quirks, like Gabriel not jumping at the end of a ledge and just hanging off or dying. Using your whip like a grappling hook works, but most of the time you’ll forget to press X and jump away from the wall to get to different ledges and avoid traps since this isn’t used very often. Platforming even works well in the Shadow of the Colossus Esque massive boss battles.

The game is also fairly difficult. It copies the series’ difficulty with lots of twitch reactions, constant dodging, counterattacking, and blocking. You can’t just wail on an enemy and expect to take a lot of damage. A few hits from a boss, and you die, even if you’ve leveled your health bar all the way up. You get a few hits, dodge, wait for the right moment, and repeat. Each boss has a unique set of predictable moves, but it’s up to your skills and quick reflexes to stay alive, so predictability won’t help you here like other games can.

The game features a huge number of enemies, probably the largest variety seen in an action/adventure title. The game has a good 30+ enemies, and each is unique and requires a different tactic to defeat. Not only this, but the environments vary often, and not one level is the same. The game is also beautiful and probably one of the best-looking games to date, with a gorgeous art style. The camera angles are chosen perfectly, and each shot is a masterpiece to take in. Sleeking castles, forests, and even a massive indoor library look amazing.

The game also has many secrets and will take a couple of playthroughs to find them all, such as gems to upgrade your meters, scrolls, and other items, to get a 100% completion rate. There is artwork to buy and different difficulties to beat, and even just enjoying the game a second time is well worth it. This game is just completely different from your standard Castlevania games and is probably going to be the new standard for the series. You really have to come into this game not expecting typical Castlevania stuff and really expecting something totally different. With an imminent sequel, LoS is one of my favorite games of this generation.

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