Basic premise/Story

From developer studio, Mercury Steam and Kojima Productions is a dark fantasy action adventure starring Gabriel Belmont; a member of the brotherhood of light. An order full of knights dedicated to defending the innocent from the supernatural. He embarks on a quest against the Lords of Shadow who have disrupted the natural order of Earth and its bond with the heavens. Seeking absolution for his wife who no longer walks on this earth. But bound between the living and dead, forever trapped for eternity. Evermore determined by his recent tragedy Gabriel’s mission is clearer than ever. To release souls in perpetual torment caused by the Lords of Shadow. His quest begins.

Unique Gameplay to be aware of

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow plays as an third person action adventure set in a dark fantasy setting with certain homages to famous folklore all contained in it’s own universe. It takes the classical spin of fantasy into a darker turn as evident by literally throwing players in a fight against a werewolf as a boss. Such a gloves off approach details to anyone interested in an enthralling and serious story in the Castlevania universe.

The game is divided by chapters with multiple levels within a chapter to tackle. These aren’t a single area created by developers to have Gabriel wack at his enemies on end. But semi-linear areas within levels to traverse and in some cases different paths to take as well. Paths littered with platforming, an area of combat, and verticality swinging as if your mistakenly called the medieval Tarzan. What is interesting is some slight backtracking involved when you need a certain tool you haven’t required yet, as well as several paths cleverly hidden to mask these paths. Making what you would assume a linear level to hide its true nature. Players who enjoy a sense of exploration and cracking at every jar or crate will feel familiar with such gameplay mechanics. These levels aren’t without some consequence, almost all of them have some form of puzzles to solve. These puzzles are never mind-bending nor outside the box thinking. Newer mechanics, for example, are shown slowly as you progress further into the story in order to ease players with new tricks and gadgets to use at their disposal. More often than not these tools are vital in clearing a level to progress or backtrack to an earlier level to unlock a secret you couldn’t unlock before. Even more helpful are scrolls you may find littered by deceased brotherhood of light members who may shed more light on the puzzles or deliver a final account of their last days. However, some puzzles can be bypassed should they prove too hard for the player. Making it easier for those who do not want to be blocked by puzzle obstacles.

The chapter levels are never too long to become tedious nor are they too short to experience to the fullest. The level design changes in every level to not become an eyesore for repeated mechanics of jumping, platforming, puzzle-solving, fighting enemies, mini-bosses and repeating the formula albeit with changes in the pattern.

What is interesting to note is the combat. You can buy more moves each time you kill an enemy in the form of experience. With advanced moves and special moves unlockable as you progress further into the story and acquire more weaponry to unlock more moves to do. The combo based combat is light, and nearly all the moves are easy to execute and to purchase. There are enough enemies in the game in Warrior difficulty to buy any combat moves to flesh out Gabriel some more. The decision to make some more combat moves purchasable by experience is a welcome feature. But also I can learn the controls early on. It allows me the freedom to purchase more advanced moves later to supplement Gabriel’s arsenal even further in bashing the skulls of my enemies to dust.

While it can be a daunting task for Gabriel to undertake to defeat the Lords of Shadow, he will meet certain individuals on his journey to help him. So never fear, you are not alone on this venture!

The Graphics

The dark fantasy setting for Lords of Shadow is aptly named. Each time you enter a new chapter level there are larger than life in nature, on trees, the looming castles, and dreadful creatures oozing with terror and power. Even the bosses and mini-bosses look particularly well defined and can be differentiated from the common mobs of enemies you encounter. Graphically, the game also makes use of smooth transitions from quick time events in game to cinematic that doesn’t detract from the overall depth of the story. Exemplified by the actions of Gabriel and what he does during harrowing moments.

The Usage of Sound And Music.

The sound design is full of drums, violins, trumpets, piano and high, low, short and long vocals. Reminiscent of an orchestra playing in the background seeking to give morale to the player in need. Or start in low haunting and dreary tones to gradually increasing levels of tempo. To deliver urgency and frantic action inbound. Then there are moments of classical heroic tracks comes along as if your about to pull an epic feat in an intense battle. These tracks are numerous and never feel tedious to listen to. To the voice actors Robert Carlyle and Patrick Stewart, they put up a phenomenal job delivering their lines. I could hear the emotions pouring from the two and couldn’t stop listening to their dialogue whenever they said something.

Final thoughts/Ruminations

The camera placement in a third perspective is a mixed bag. While I did appreciate the sense of scale regarding the environments of each chapter level and the setting landscapes used. I didn’t like the camera fixed without player input to see around Gabriel. It was a hamper for exploration, whenever I wanted to backtrack and then the camera shifted in an angle that forced me to see the area only from that angle. These camera changes can change spontaneously as Gabriel moves around into a different part and isn’t truly a dealbreaker. What does take away from the majesty of the game’s environments is the combat during times of intense clashes with the enemy that requires a lot of moving. These moments weren’t a lot, but a sizable portion remained where I had to move a lot during combat and the camera abruptly changes to match a different view of the battlefield is troublesome. And these abrupt camera changes occurs frequently during levels with a large area making the momentum you gained fighting enemies sometimes lost. Because of a second or two to reorient my eyes to the new perspective. It’s not a deal breaker, by any means for the change in camera perspective is still manageable. But, it's a troubling matter easily fixed if I had control of the camera.

Throughout my 22 hours with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow I didn’t experience any major bugs or glitches. The game ran smooth like slicing butter with a knife. Overall; Lords of Shadow feel like a cinematic experiment trying to mix the best parts of cinematic and combo-based combat along with slices of puzzles and platforming is an interesting challenge to undertake. While it does suffer mainly in the camera and certain dodging mechanics, it presents players with a unique story in a dark fantasy setting. Unafraid of tackling shadows nor facing beings larger than life itself. Bring a struggling hero, who is dealt a heavy hand in tragedy. And ultimately demonstrates to newcomers and veterans of Castlevania a new story unfolding from the darkness.

Total Times Beaten: 1
Score: 8.5/10
(Score is based off how much I enjoyed the game)
Date Finished: 11/15/18
Date Reviewed: 11/16/18
Date Posted: 11/16/18
Date Edited: Yes, lots of paragraph cuts.
Hours Played: 22 Hours on Warrior Difficulty

[h1] All of his Love [/h1] Basic premise/Story From developer studio, Mercury Steam and Kojima Productions is a dark fantasy action adventure starring Gabriel Belmont; a member of the brotherhood of light. An order full of knights dedicated to defending the innocent from the supernatural. He embarks on a quest against the Lords of Shadow who have disrupted the natural order of Earth and its bond with the heavens. Seeking absolution for his wife who no longer walks on this earth. But bound between the living and dead, forever trapped for eternity. Evermore determined by his recent tragedy Gabriel’s mission is clearer than ever. To release souls in perpetual torment caused by the Lords of Shadow. His quest begins. [h1] Seeing Beyond Whiplashes [/h1] Unique Gameplay to be aware of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow plays as an third person action adventure set in a dark fantasy setting with certain homages to famous folklore all contained in it’s own universe. It takes the classical spin of fantasy into a darker turn as evident by literally throwing players in a fight against a werewolf as a boss. Such a gloves off approach details to anyone interested in an enthralling and serious story in the Castlevania universe. The game is divided by chapters with multiple levels within a chapter to tackle. These aren’t a single area created by developers to have Gabriel wack at his enemies on end. But semi-linear areas within levels to traverse and in some cases different paths to take as well. Paths littered with platforming, an area of combat, and verticality swinging as if your mistakenly called the medieval Tarzan. What is interesting is some slight backtracking involved when you need a certain tool you haven’t required yet, as well as several paths cleverly hidden to mask these paths. Making what you would assume a linear level to hide its true nature. Players who enjoy a sense of exploration and cracking at every jar or crate will feel familiar with such gameplay mechanics. These levels aren’t without some consequence, almost all of them have some form of puzzles to solve. These puzzles are never mind-bending nor outside the box thinking. Newer mechanics, for example, are shown slowly as you progress further into the story in order to ease players with new tricks and gadgets to use at their disposal. More often than not these tools are vital in clearing a level to progress or backtrack to an earlier level to unlock a secret you couldn’t unlock before. Even more helpful are scrolls you may find littered by deceased brotherhood of light members who may shed more light on the puzzles or deliver a final account of their last days. However, some puzzles can be bypassed should they prove too hard for the player. Making it easier for those who do not want to be blocked by puzzle obstacles. The chapter levels are never too long to become tedious nor are they too short to experience to the fullest. The level design changes in every level to not become an eyesore for repeated mechanics of jumping, platforming, puzzle-solving, fighting enemies, mini-bosses and repeating the formula albeit with changes in the pattern. What is interesting to note is the combat. You can buy more moves each time you kill an enemy in the form of experience. With advanced moves and special moves unlockable as you progress further into the story and acquire more weaponry to unlock more moves to do. The combo based combat is light, and nearly all the moves are easy to execute and to purchase. There are enough enemies in the game in Warrior difficulty to buy any combat moves to flesh out Gabriel some more. The decision to make some more combat moves purchasable by experience is a welcome feature. But also I can learn the controls early on. It allows me the freedom to purchase more advanced moves later to supplement Gabriel’s arsenal even further in bashing the skulls of my enemies to dust. While it can be a daunting task for Gabriel to undertake to defeat the Lords of Shadow, he will meet certain individuals on his journey to help him. So never fear, you are not alone on this venture! [h1] Dark, yet Vibrant Fantasy Awaits [/h1] The Graphics The dark fantasy setting for Lords of Shadow is aptly named. Each time you enter a new chapter level there are larger than life in nature, on trees, the looming castles, and dreadful creatures oozing with terror and power. Even the bosses and mini-bosses look particularly well defined and can be differentiated from the common mobs of enemies you encounter. Graphically, the game also makes use of smooth transitions from quick time events in game to cinematic that doesn’t detract from the overall depth of the story. Exemplified by the actions of Gabriel and what he does during harrowing moments. [h1] To Live on, To Struggle further, And the Weight of Burden [/h1] The Usage of Sound And Music. The sound design is full of drums, violins, trumpets, piano and high, low, short and long vocals. Reminiscent of an orchestra playing in the background seeking to give morale to the player in need. Or start in low haunting and dreary tones to gradually increasing levels of tempo. To deliver urgency and frantic action inbound. Then there are moments of classical heroic tracks comes along as if your about to pull an epic feat in an intense battle. These tracks are numerous and never feel tedious to listen to. To the voice actors Robert Carlyle and Patrick Stewart, they put up a phenomenal job delivering their lines. I could hear the emotions pouring from the two and couldn’t stop listening to their dialogue whenever they said something. [h1] Finding Purpose, despite Recent Tragedy [/h1] Final thoughts/Ruminations The camera placement in a third perspective is a mixed bag. While I did appreciate the sense of scale regarding the environments of each chapter level and the setting landscapes used. I didn’t like the camera fixed without player input to see around Gabriel. It was a hamper for exploration, whenever I wanted to backtrack and then the camera shifted in an angle that forced me to see the area only from that angle. These camera changes can change spontaneously as Gabriel moves around into a different part and isn’t truly a dealbreaker. What does take away from the majesty of the game’s environments is the combat during times of intense clashes with the enemy that requires a lot of moving. These moments weren’t a lot, but a sizable portion remained where I had to move a lot during combat and the camera abruptly changes to match a different view of the battlefield is troublesome. And these abrupt camera changes occurs frequently during levels with a large area making the momentum you gained fighting enemies sometimes lost. Because of a second or two to reorient my eyes to the new perspective. It’s not a deal breaker, by any means for the change in camera perspective is still manageable. But, it's a troubling matter easily fixed if I had control of the camera. [i] Throughout my 22 hours with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow I didn’t experience any major bugs or glitches. The game ran smooth like slicing butter with a knife. Overall; Lords of Shadow feel like a cinematic experiment trying to mix the best parts of cinematic and combo-based combat along with slices of puzzles and platforming is an interesting challenge to undertake. While it does suffer mainly in the camera and certain dodging mechanics, it presents players with a unique story in a dark fantasy setting. Unafraid of tackling shadows nor facing beings larger than life itself. Bring a struggling hero, who is dealt a heavy hand in tragedy. And ultimately demonstrates to newcomers and veterans of Castlevania a new story unfolding from the darkness. [/i] Total Times Beaten: 1 Score: 8.5/10 (Score is based off how much I enjoyed the game) Date Finished: 11/15/18 Date Reviewed: 11/16/18 Date Posted: 11/16/18 Date Edited: Yes, lots of paragraph cuts. Hours Played: 22 Hours on Warrior Difficulty