Recent reviews by Kyallr

18 hours on record, but it felt like a lot longer and I did barely any of the exploring. Lords of Shadow 2 is a fantastically composed game, with an enjoyable mix of platforming sections and combat, though the balance towards the platforming and forced stealth after the game's introduction is a bit skewed.

Combat feels incredibly meaty, and switching weapons mid combat is far more satisfying than the magic system from the previous game, really making combos feel heavy and devastating. Though there is a limited meter for each of the weapons, I found that I barely reached the bottom unless I was obsessing heavily over one. The one complaint is enemies with shields that need to be broken with the chaos claws, and whilst you can backflip over them, the mercenary soldiers seem to be able to rotate instantly, requiring the use of the claws more often than not. There is a plethora of abilities for each weapon, and unless you constantly back and forth between zones grinding enemies for xp, it is highly unlikely you will have unlocked them all by the game's end.

Boss battles are big and epic, featuring multiple phases, transitions and enjoyable visuals and backgrounds, the second fight with Volkova being one of the highlights of the game. Lords of Shadow 2 also ignores some of those awkward climbing bosses from the first game, with only a short climbing section featuring in the pentultimate encounter. Whilst it isn't always immediately obvious where to go, swarms of bats linger on ledges Dracula can jump on from the ground, whilst holding a button highlights the path you need to take.

The voice acting is superbly well delivered, Patrick Stewart as Zobek owns any scene he's in, and although Gabriel/Dracula's dialogue in the game's introduction is quite hammy, Robert Carlyle really hits his stride as the game's pace picks up, especially in the more emotional engagements with his family.

All in all I would recommend Lords of Shadow 2 if you're after a game that's going to last you a good long while, however one thing I would object to is marathoning it as fast as possible (as I did) as you'll find yourself getting burnt out and frustrated quickly.