Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (Xbox 360 - 1st completion)
The 3D Castlevania games have been a mixed bag of sorts. The first one, Castlevania 64 for the Nintendo 64 in 1998 had mostly mixed opinions by critics and fans though I personally liked it despite being somewhat broken (a prequel of the same game called Legacy of Darkness came out a year later to fix some of the problems with the first game). After the controversial cancellation of Castlevania: Resurrection for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, the PS2 got Lament of Innocence in 2003 which was an improvement from the Nintendo 64 games but it lacked good level design and platform elements - which even the 64 game got right! 2005 was the release of Curse of Darkness for PS2/Xbox, which had better gameplay but still had the same repetitive level design and lack of platforming. Everyone knew that the series can be good in 3D but for whatever reason, Konami could only get better results in traditional 2D gameplay. After much success from the 2D games on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance and DS, Konami tried their hand again on rebooting the franchise with a 3D game - getting Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid fame and Spanish developer MercurySteam to produce the first HD Castlevania game: Lords of Shadow. Completing revamping everything from the ground up, Lords of Shadow is a very different game in the franchise. The production values are high, they hired good voice talent (Robert Carlyle and Patrick Stewart!), the combat system is similar to God of War, the level design and platforming of the 2D games have now been added in 3D space... it's like getting the 3D Castlevania game we always wanted! While it has a few flaws, Lords of Shadow is certainly the better of the 3D Castlevania games - if not THE best. I'm not sure how long it took me to beat it last night, but I'll say over 25 hours on Warrior (Normal) difficulty plus the two DLC chapters "Reverie" and "Resurrection". I purchased every skill, got all subweapon upgrades, found all light/shadow/life gems, and unlocked all art pieces. I didn't bother much with the Trials though. I own the Limited Edition which contained a CD soundtrack and artbook. To get the DLC, I bought the separate Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collection off Ebay for $20. It includes the game and a code for free downloads of the two DLC chapters plus the 2D game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD. I more of less saved money doing it this way. Next year, I'll be playing Mirror of Fate HD.
The setting of Lords of Shadow is during "the end of days" in the year 1047. The Earth's alliance with the Heavens has been threatened by a malevolent force known as the Lords of Shadow. A dark spell has stopped the souls of the deceased from leaving, while evil creatures inhabit the dying land and attack living people. The protagonist, Gabriel Belmont, is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who protect and defend innocent people against the supernatural creatures. Gabriel's wife Marie was brutally murdered by one of them, and her soul cannot leave as it is trapped in limbo. Because she is now neither alive nor dead, she realizes what is at stake and guides Gabriel to his destiny to save the world as he investigates the dark spell. He travels the destroyed land, meeting other characters, such as the oldest living member of his order, Zobek. Two masks referred to as the God and Devil Masks lie at the center of the plot, with the God Mask having powers to resurrect the dead. Gabriel intends to defeat the three factions of the Lords of Shadow in order to obtain the pieces of the God Mask and bring back his deceased wife.
To see the opening gameplay, go here or below:
Click to viewPart 2 is here.
Graphics/Art-9
+ Beautiful graphics and scenery. There is a lot of eye candy with great architecture, textures, level design, animation, etc. Just really good art direction.
+ Awesome bosses and character designs!
+ Very well directed in-game cinematics.
- The camera during battles can work against you as enemies off screen will take advantage of this and hit you.
Sound/Music-9
+ Fully orchestrated music! A 120-piece orchestra performed the soundtrack and it's very beautiful.
+ A number of talented voice actors were called for this game including Robert Carlyle, Patrick Stewart, Natascha McElhone, Jason Isaacs, etc.
+ Good sound effects.
- Some of the voice acting and dialogue can be melodramatic at times. Patrick Stewart, while good, can be hard to suspend your disbelief that it is easy to imagine him in a studio reading his lines.
Music Samples:
The Ice Titan
Waterfalls of Agharta
Agharta
Castle Hall
The Evil Butcher
Carmilla
Control-8
+ Pretty tight controls.
+ QTE (Quick Time Events) are pretty responsive.
- It takes a lot of practice to master the controls and some moves are hard to memorize. I find God of War to be easier.
Gameplay-9
+ Combat involves a retractable chain whip called the Combat Cross. You can perform up to forty unlockable combos with it. The commands consist of direct attacks for dealing damage to single enemies, and weak area attacks when surrounded by them. It is also capable of interactions with secondary weapons, such as knives, holy water and other items which can be upgraded. In addition, the Combat Cross's melee skills can be combined with the Light and Shadow magic system, which are spells aimed at defense and aggression, respectively. The whip is upgradeable and can also be used to guard against an opponent's attack.
+ Besides the usual vampires and werewolves as recurring enemies in the franchise, other existing enemies include trolls, giant spiders and goblin-like creatures. The enemies can be defeated for experience points, which can be used to purchase combos or to augment your abilities further. Lords of Shadow has large-scale bosses known as titans. The Combat Cross can be used to grapple onto their bodies and navigate them, and break the runes that animate the titan.
+ Similar to the original Castlevania titles, platforming and puzzles are a key component and are featured in fifty levels. You can control Gabriel to jump most distances, dash or hold his balance above fatal pits. The Combat Cross can be used for exploration purposes like scaling walls, rappelling and swinging across gaps.
+ Some sequences of the game require you to solve physical puzzles or brain teasers. Alternatively, moving certain objects can set off chain reactions and open paths to new areas. Activating switches can also assist against traps.
+ You can explore the levels in order to find hidden items, which can increase health or magic abilities. These items are "gems"; there are three types, including life gems, light gems and shadow gems. These can increase life endurance, light magical ability and shadow magical ability, respectively.
+ Some upgrades cannot be accessed the first time Gabriel travels through the area. You can return later in the game when you have the right relic.
+ At the end of each stage, the game lets you know what items you have collected and what you have missed.
- I find Gabriel's Combat Cross to be quite weak that it takes quite awhile to beat enemies down and they are hardly stunned by it. This would be understandable for bigger enemies but if smaller enemies can walk thought your attacks like it's nothing, then it makes the Combat Cross seem like a pussified weapon (bring on the Vampire Killer!).
- The checkpoint system is generous but can get you into trouble as it saves whatever your energy and light/shadow magic you have left.
- There can be some cheap deaths, especially during some of the platforming elements.
Gameplay videos are here, here, and here (sadly, there is some audio coming from the author in these videos... sigh...).
Fun/Story/Misc-9
+ The game is quite fun and a good challenge. You can unlock awesome artwork with the same points you use to unlock special moves and combos. There are a couple of other secrets too.
+ The story is well written and the narrative by Zobek keeps things running along.
+ Cornell and the Evil Butcher are woofy (above)!
+ The two endgame DLC chapters, "Reverie" and "Resurrection" are not too bad though a little pricey. Thankfully, I saved a few bucks getting them as part of the Collection.
- While the combat is pretty engaging, it is very much a clone of God of War. In fact, the game borrows a bit from other franchises (ie. Shadow of the Colossus).
- Some fans might be turned off by how different this game is from other Castlevania games but overall, it's a very good one.
Total: 44/50 (Grade Level: B+)
The official Castlevania: Lords of Shadow website is here and has the two other games too. The Gametrailers.com video review is here and the Wikipedia article is here.
Next Game: Super Street Fighter IV (PS3)
Currently playing: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) & Dragon Warrior VII (PSone)
