EA is probably the most universally despised game publisher out there, but Konami’s behavior starting with the seventh console generation made them a real contender for the title. Creating a beautiful remastering of MGS3’s big scenes just for a pachinko machine, canceling Kojima’s take on Silent Hill, and turning Castlevania into a God of War ripoff has led to the biggest face-heel turn in the history of the industry. However, even though Konami deserves a lot of the animosity they got from these actions (and many other similarly tone-deaf ones), I’m not convinced that Lords of Shadow actually deserves to be lumped in with them, in spite of its mediocrity.

To get it out of the way, yes, Lords of Shadow is the sort of top-down, chain-swinging God of War derivative that was so popular during the seventh gen. However, when it comes to formats to copy, God of War is actually a pretty good fit for Castlevania. The style was crafted to show off the bestiary of the Greek mythological canon, so copying this established pattern for Castlevania’s similar mishmash of monsters was a solid basis for a reboot. This may raise the question of why Castlevania felt the need to change at all, but even Nintendo doesn’t trust their number-one video game mascot of all time to sell consoles through sidescrollers alone. Even a game as universally beloved as Symphony of the Night being a platformer was controversial at first, and after its own slew of sequels, moving to a new style was a proven way to maintain the brand. In spite of how Lords of Shadow wears its derivative nature on its sleeve, it actually does accomplish this, carrying the core elements of the brand forward to a new generation. The visual design of all the monsters is incredible, the settings are beautiful, and the times that the game’s original concepts come out are truly great. It’s a wonderful mix of the romantic style of fairy tales and the edge of dark fantasy the series is known for, making for a game that feels fresh, yet respectful of what came before.

So, if Lords of Shadow is actually conceptually sound, why didn’t it become as beloved as the series’ previous reimagining? Well, as much as I’ll defend the decision to shake things up and praise how vivid its fantasy is, it’s all moot in the face of a game that no one wants to finish. Lords of Shadow is an eighteen-hour long action game, when what’s considered the best of the genre, God of War 2, topped out at twelve. Not only that, but Lords of Shadow takes much longer to get good, only getting interesting at around the eight hour mark. Even in the good parts, boring traversal and repetitious fights drag down the quality. As good as I think the final chapters are, I wouldn’t say they’re so good that they justify the time investment, and that’s the sort of thought that I just can’t get out of my head when it comes to Lords of Shadow. It has great moments buried in a trough of mediocrity, a beautiful fantasy style dulled by repetition, and a solid concept made unimpressive by its lack of innovation. It’s not that it’s bad thanks to being a cynical cash-grab from Konami, but because of much less dramatic reasons, like the development team not having the experience or a tight enough scope to fully deliver on the concept. Unfortunately, with the sequel being even more maligned than the original, and Konami shuttering its games division, it looks like this will be the last time a Castlevania game would ever show the embers of what made the series so great. I can forgive Konami for the failings of this game, but for cutting its history short, that’s something I’ll find it hard to let go.