As a huge fan of modern From Software games, I am often searching for that next Souls-like hit. While Lords of the Fallen has a few interesting ideas, unfortunately it does not come close to the quality of its inspirations. One of the reasons for this is that it does not seem to learn from the mistakes of other genre titles by making some frustrating design decisions such as cutscenes playing every time you retry a boss or annoying 'runbacks' from sparse checkpoints.
Part of the problem here is the vestige seed system, which allows you to set up your own checkpoint locations sporadically throughout the world. While on the surface this seems like an innovative mechanic to force the player to be more considerate and strategic about placements, it often feels stingy with the amount it provides you and leads to vast stretches of levels where you cannot rest or recover. The game's areas often blend into one, which makes navigation and exploration difficult. Combine this with a terrible map and you have an experience that feels much more like you're fumbling around in the dark than actively learning the world layout.
One thing that all good souls-like games need is balance and Lords of the Fallen fails to execute on this. Enemies and bosses often deal far too much damage, with plenty of enemies with ranged attacked pestering you while you're trying to engage with multiple foes at a time. Many fans of this genre would argue that the bosses make these games and Lords of the Fallen again under-delivers on this front. They often have slow and telegraphed attacks, with only a few moves up their sleeves, leading to an experience that feels quite simple.
Despite some of the negative points I raised above, there are a number of things that Lords of the Fallen does well. The dual-world system is quite novel and allows for some awe-inspiring moments of discovery. The build variety is also incredibly satisfying, with many different armor sets, weapons and spells. The combat feels decent and there are a decent variety of moves, with throwable being particularly well implemented. Visually, I find the game to be a mixed bag at times but the lighting and grand vistas are stunning.
Overall, Lords of the Fallen is an improvement over its predecessor but it still feels like a missed opportunity to cement its place as a genre great.
Part of the problem here is the vestige seed system, which allows you to set up your own checkpoint locations sporadically throughout the world. While on the surface this seems like an innovative mechanic to force the player to be more considerate and strategic about placements, it often feels stingy with the amount it provides you and leads to vast stretches of levels where you cannot rest or recover. The game's areas often blend into one, which makes navigation and exploration difficult. Combine this with a terrible map and you have an experience that feels much more like you're fumbling around in the dark than actively learning the world layout.
One thing that all good souls-like games need is balance and Lords of the Fallen fails to execute on this. Enemies and bosses often deal far too much damage, with plenty of enemies with ranged attacked pestering you while you're trying to engage with multiple foes at a time. Many fans of this genre would argue that the bosses make these games and Lords of the Fallen again under-delivers on this front. They often have slow and telegraphed attacks, with only a few moves up their sleeves, leading to an experience that feels quite simple.
Despite some of the negative points I raised above, there are a number of things that Lords of the Fallen does well. The dual-world system is quite novel and allows for some awe-inspiring moments of discovery. The build variety is also incredibly satisfying, with many different armor sets, weapons and spells. The combat feels decent and there are a decent variety of moves, with throwable being particularly well implemented. Visually, I find the game to be a mixed bag at times but the lighting and grand vistas are stunning.
Overall, Lords of the Fallen is an improvement over its predecessor but it still feels like a missed opportunity to cement its place as a genre great.