Review:
Castlevania:Lords of Shadow

Lately I’ve been spending my time playing Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for Xbox 360; a game hoping to re-awaken the spirit of its predecessors to the eyes of a new gamer. I must start by stating that this game is in not a re-make, but more of a new take on an old idea.

The story begins following the protagonist Gabriel Belmont, a member of the Brotherhood of Light, who holds a devout oath to eradicate the world of all evil presence. The death of his wife fuels Gabriel’s efforts as he goes in search of those who killed her, and embarks upon a quest appointed to him by the elders of the Brotherhood to find the source of the chaos that surrounds him. He later finds that those responsible for the world in corruption are the title inspiring Lords of Shadow, and his aim is to stop them at all costs.

Upon first look, this game seemed more like a ‘Greatest Hits’ version of all other action/adventure games, as I started to pick out parts reminiscent of God of War, Devil May Cry, the Onimusha series, and even Tomb Raider. I’m not saying that this is a bad thing, in fact, quite the opposite. Finally developers have come along and taken the best bits from all other games in the genre and squeezed them into one; I like that idea. In addition to Gabriel’s combat cross and the relics found along the way, the combat feels fluid and smooth, especially when putting together a huge continuous combo. This is shown outside of combat too, when jumping from ledge to ledge, climbing walls, swinging from a chain; very similar to Prince of Persia. There are a few quicktime events thrown in the cut scenes and when grappling enemies too, and I’m not usually a fan but I think this is one of the few games where I can make an exception.

From what it seems, the largest time spent on this game must have been on level design, as I can only describe the magnitude of it as epic (in the true sense of the word) and the attention to detail is immaculate. I’m no master of gothic architecture, but when stepping into the castles and colossal structures towards the middle of the game, it felt somewhat eerie yet exciting. This is exactly what I had come to expect from a new game under the Castlevania label and it does not disappoint. For all you puzzle solvers out there, this game isn’t just kill and repeat. The game is filled with levers, mechanisms, traps, jumps and activated panels. Level interaction regarding puzzles is very well thought out, and this is reflected in the design. The game has caught me out on a few occasions where timing wasn’t quite right. The only flaw I have spotted so far, that is common in most games, is the foliage design. The pixelation is noticeable in leaves and grass in the earlier levels, and does not match up with the graphic intensity of the rest of the level.