30 Jun, 2011
Title: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Platform: 360 / PS3 (reviewed on 360)
Developer: Mercury Steam
Publisher: Konami
TL;DR: Whip it. Fall and die. Whip it good. Fall and die some more.
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Upon hearing the title Castlevania, I’m sure many of us can conjure up images of a holy vampire slayer throwing daggers, smashing things to find hearts, eating pot roast out of a broken column, and holy water. A lot of it.
While Mercury Steam’s re-imagining of the classical gaming title has a lot of life in it, it also has a lot of death in it. I don’t mean that the game is lackluster. Oh no, Lords of Shadow is a worthy addition to any Castlevania fanatic’s game collection. Actually, you should play Lords of Shadow if you want a Belmont in your life who could seriously give Kratos a run for his money when it comes to being manly about everything he does. Lords of Shadow really is that epic.
The story, for one, is much more expansive than previous Castlevania titles. Critics and fans alike were uncertain about the idea of Castlevania taking place not entirely within the confines of a castle, but let’s remember that some classical titles had your Belmont running through a town, marshes, caves, and then finally arriving at Dracula’s home. Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest had you searching pretty much throughout the entirety of Transylvania for body parts. How morbid.
In Lords of Shadow, you play as Gabriel Belmont, the member of a brotherhood named The Brotherhood of the Light. Your recent wife Maria has passed, and you’re out for the answers on how it happened. In a dark tale of revenge, love, and forgiveness, we soon discover that not all the good things in this world are really that great. Gabriel’s story takes you through a few villages, swamps, a castle, and even to Mercury Steam’s vision of what Death’s Lair would be like. See? Not all in one castle, just like older Castlevania titles.
In all honesty though, there were plenty of issues in Castlevania that made me want to throw the controller through the window in frustration. A few story points are actually just the beginning, but let’s not discuss that, because it’s mostly a spoiler. There’s a lot of great things with this game, but nothing is ever perfect. There’s always a smidgen of darkness that lingers.
Perhaps it’s just that some of us aren’t as perceptive as others, but there were a few areas in Lords of Shadow that were frustratingly hard to figure out, or discover just where you need to go. If you overlooked one little detail, such as a crack on a wall, you wouldn’t know to jump up and climb. Let’s not forget that sometimes you’re trying to jump to the left, but you end up not moving at all. Or you missed the ledge by a fraction of a centimeter, and then you die and have to start all over again.
Another frustrating detail was, again, combat. I might be exceptionally spoiled by Platinum Games’ Bayonetta, with her ability to break any combo and resume it immediately upon dodging. However, a ground attack should not be able to toss me out of the sky if I’m nowhere near it in the first place. Such seemed to be commonplace, and it didn’t help that once again the camera seemed to cause many a death for me. Admittedly, I really am not that great at games, but I don’t appreciate it when trying to fight several monsters at once and the camera gives me nothing but the back end of a rock to stare at. Or a troll, if it’s feeling that feisty.
All in all, trying to make Gabriel listen to you during a fight felt very clunky, which was emphasized when large groups of enemies attacked. Contained battles against one or two adversaries were quite fun, but anything beyond two definitely made it clear that this Belmont is only well-suited to fight in a duel. Did you want to block against the onslaught of attacks? Too bad, because he was busy standing up or trying to finish the whipping animation.
Mechanical nitpicks aside, there is plenty to love about Lords of Shadow. For one, it has to be one of the most beautiful games I have ever laid eyes on. The atmosphere, the environmental design, the aesthetics of the whole entire game will make you forget about the trials and tribulations it took you to get to…wherever you are, really. From the sanctuary of the god Pan, to the haunting ruins of Agartha, to the interior of Carmilla’s Castle, we are definitely reminded of the gothic influences upon the artistry. If you’re into this sort of thing, then don’t forget to unlock the concept art in the game, because it really is a treat to leaf through all of the hard work the artists went through to bring the game to life.
And nothing brings a game to life more than the story that’s supposed to tie it all together. Past Castlevania titles had little story to it other than you’re a Belmont. Dracula’s back. Go to it! Symphony of the Night is quite exempt from all of this, as I have a horrible habit of placing that godly title upon a pedestal. Perhaps I shouldn’t, but I do. Lords of Shadow, however, has a decent story. Many of us would like to gripe about the abrupt ending of the game, but apparently it will all be explained in short. For the most part, I very much enjoyed the story, and I will pretend that the ending hasn’t happened yet.
And of course, you can’t have an epic game without epic music. Written by Spanish composer Oscar Araujo, he perfectly captures the sheer grandness and magnificent scale of the game itself. With giant monsters such as the Ice Titan taking up just about the whole screen, you have got to have a full orchestra complete with a choir that can blow the top off of Notre Dame to match that battle. He does it well, and he does it with style.
Mercury Steam’s efforts to revitalize an otherwise dying Castlevania is a welcome one. Lords of Shadow, while it would be greatly improved with some more work to level design and combat mechanics, certainly hits the target when it comes to enjoyment. If you’re new to the series and are looking for whippin’ good time, this would be an excellent title to own. If you’re a veteran of the series and will eat anything that says Castlevania on it, this is quite the worthy title to have in your collection. However, if you’re looking for combat finesse, you’re certainly not going to get it.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is available now for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
The Good
Beautiful artistry will leave you breathless and wanting to see more. Has a surprisingly deep and dark story Music for the game is fitting and is well composed
The Bad
Horrible platforming and level design can leave you extremely frustrated. Combat mechanics is in need of refinement.
Family Focus
Absolutely not. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is rated M (ESRB) and 16 (PEGI) for mature themes dealing a lot with love, death, revenge, and a lot of bloody bits flying everywhere.
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