Game review 31 October 2014, 15:16

author: Hed

Lords of the Fallen Review: Lighter and More Accessible Dark Souls

While reviewing Lords of the Fallen there is no way to avoid comparison to Dark Souls. Luckily it's still pretty solid action RPG.

The review is based on the PC version.

Prior to its release, I have seen Lord of the Fallen in action a few times already. Every time, both excitement and suspicion arose within me. Will CI Games be able to pull through with such a project? Will they have enough resources and determination to do so? After all, the game co-created with the German studio Deck 13 is an attempt to cash in on the success of the Dark Souls franchise by integrating its’ ideas and building up on them with a new groundwork while at the same time…trying to be nothing like Dark Souls. That being a pleonasm, the suspicion was natural. Now I truly understand the creators’ intention. While finishing the Lords of the Fallen, the idea behind the endeavor becomes reasonable. Having completed all of the From Software’s ’Souls’ games, I must admit – Lords of the Fallen does not disappoint, but can cause… nausea.

A one-armed monk

Let’s make one thing clear: Lords of the Fallen is very similar to Dark Souls. Stating the obvious, it is a game with traversing a fantasy world, collecting better loot and encountering demanding foes. At a glance the location layout, the movement and the combat system seem identical. Similar to From Software games – besting both regular foes and the titular Lords, requires combining a tactical approach with dexterity of one’s fingers. If there still was any doubt, it is a game aimed at Dark Souls fans – so those who have ventured to the likes of Lordran or Drangleic will feel right at home. For such veterans, the playthrough will be less demanding, as Lords of the Fallen is based on a simple principle – to draw upon certain elements, and change them in favor of the player’s advantage - despite what is going on, a brutal death won’t be awaiting around every corner. Let’s take the plot for example, towards which From Software has an unique approach. In Dark Souls, the story is delivered fragmented and usually coded. In Lords of the Fallen however, everything is crystal clear, as our protagonist, Harkin, is the go-to person for those in distress. His task include: ‘taking care’ of a certain individual’s lab, undertaking a professional medical ‘operation’ and, brace yourselves… saving the world from an evil God and his demonic lords that threaten the human race. The first one is a side quest, the second a certain dialogue option and the last is the game’s main objective.

Firstly, I must admit that, at some point, I burst out laugh at (putting it euphemistically) the simplicity of the story. It is about the ‘cunning’ plan of the humanity’s leader, which basically comes down to… killing everything that comes his way. Truly brilliant! Harkin accepts those naive tasks with extraordinary humility, which is understandable under the circumstances. As a criminal convicted for numerous crimes, which every one of is summarized by a tattoo on his face, the anti-hero is in no position to question the orders. He is to act. Secondly, in spite of everything, plot twists are apparent. The game is salvaged by not favoring dramaturgy and not being overly poignant. The formerly mentioned provisional amputation is something of a variety in this world, compared to a similar scene in, for example, Telltale’s The Walking Dead. Similarly, as a variety, I have approached in-game choices leading up to side quests and even different endings. The game has several endings, and You can rest assured – in none of them does Harking rely on his diplomatic skills.

What is Dracula’s castle doing here?

Lords of the Fallen is not Skyrim. This relatively obvious statement has more meaning than one might think. The creation of CI Games is simply a much smaller game, exploiting the same areas. In fact, one can get an impression that there are only four locations to visit in the game: a monastery with the adjacent citadel, catacombs and the demon world with few additional locales. Compared to the latest creation of the team at From Software, that is not an impressive amount. That however, being probably a result of accurate judgment on the creators behalf regarding the limitations of the budget, it is not a fault. Traversing the in-game world, I felt as if exploring the castle in Castlevania. The locations intertwine in various ways and we bump into a shortcut every once in a while. The architecture of certain elements is especially interesting – in the catacombs for example, one can but marvel at the amount of branching pathways. What is interesting, is that the creators have managed to make the smallest dungeon possible and at the same time, make sure the player does not get that impression. The world is dense and small, but rich and captivating.

It is also affluent and colorful, as without a doubt the graphics are a treat. Gigantic monuments, snowy cemeteries – the scope is sure to satisfy, for such a small number of locations. It all looks very well, however, as a bitter critic, some aspects make room for complaints.. In some parts careful exploration is hindered by the sheer amount of flying objects, volumetric textures of the fog and other ‘distractions’ – all making it hard for the brain to process. At times I felt tired by this richness. Additionally, my pc had its’ own fill of issues when changing locations. Of course, the graphics settings can be lowered , but that just showing how much more optimization needs to be done and that technically, the game is far from perfect (more on that later).

Another matter being the entropic physics of characters and objects. Many times have I seen fallen enemies tremble and objects on which Harkin choked. The worst came in the first minutes of the game, where I got blocked on a bench in the monastery – it’s moments like these that make the game seem cheap from time to time. Luckily, after a while you stop thinking about such things. Also, as a person keen on destruction, I greatly appreciated the fact that most of the elements are destructible. Nothing is as entertaining as rolling through barrels, tables and chairs.

Daredevils and the ones that play it safe

The formerly mentioned technical and graphic hic-ups are natural and were expected. Even From Software isn’t famous for optimization or perfect physics. It’s more important how the game plays – and it plays well. Lords of the Fallen is based on similar rules as Dark Souls when it comes to exploration. However, it manages to introduce some novelty, the main one being that we can save only at control points – mostly red crystals where we stock up on potions and level up Harkin. Stopping at such a place does not reset enemies – leaving a location or turning the game off do. Character development is based on experience points, which we carry onto stats or spells from one three development trees (an additional is unlocked once the game is completed). The stats are summed up clearly and it is easy to grasp what they influence. The better, that the weapons are also easier to grasp than in Dark Souls – each ‘scales’ along with a certain character trait. While investing in dexterity, we become more affluent with lighter swords, strength influences our efficiency with bigger toys and so on. Of course that is not all, as we can find some hidden mechanics along the way.

Experience can be stored in crystals, not to be lost in combat as, just like in the Souls games, upon dying, we leave our points behind. Hoarding exp is connected to an idea of a multiplier, which increases with every kill. The multiplayer is reset when we drop our exp at the crystal. I assumed that the system would play a larger part – but I honestly didn’t pay much attention to it. The creators seem to purposely not focus on it, leaving it for more diligent players. Anyway, when we go berserk, death and frustration are incomparably less apparent than in Dark Souls. Due to smaller locations and the lack of resetting enemies with every renewal –the game is that much more accessible – we are not punished for what is hardly called a failure. Killing off the present monsters and returning for the crystals on our own feet is a success (in Dark Souls even the enemies come back). Smaller maps and crystals placed before boss encounters eliminate the mundane task of making our way through enemies every time. However, a few exceptions from the rule appear every now and then.

Going back to the main attraction – spells were supposed to be a great help to the player. They are quite fun, but I personally had a problem with them. That direction of development requires us to invest in Faith, which did not coincided with my build – I expected the spells to be irrelevant to the stats. Because of that, throughout the game, I had quite a stock of spell points, acquired also from flasks. I really appreciated the idea behind ‘the glove’, an artifact, with three modes of shooting: a missile, something like a grenade and a close-range strike. Best of all – we can upgrade each and every one of those with a rune at the blacksmith’s place, giving us a dozen possibilities. I for one, took a liking to grenades exploding with poisonous slime, a long-range missile and a flamethrower. Changing the settings of this toy is free from any repercussion – making the blacksmith a very nice guy. Runes also serve, amongst other things, to upgrade weapons and armor. In that case, we only influence their stats. It may not be much, but a single rune can greatly increase the damage dealt or change its’ nature (or lace it with poison for example). Once again the development and upgrade systems in the ‘Lords’ are much more accessible than those in the ‘Souls’ – they are easier to understand and use to our advantage. Self-proclaimed myth busters will still find something for themselves, as some arms are quite compelling. A certain short sword gets weaker with every enemy slain, while another grows with the body count increasing. I adore hidden novelties like this.

The combat system that blew me away

When our weapons are upgraded, there is nothing left, but to make use of them. At first I was scared of combat in Lords of the Fallen, because so much was depending on it. Most of the game’s appeal is based on the combat. My fears partially came true as the in-game camera spins around following enemies and causes dizziness, even nausea sometimes. I don’t know where it comes from, so I’m just going to point it out. Despite all that, it also took me some time to get used to the game – character animations (even with lighter armor) are a bit sloppy and targeting leaves much to be desired. The camera itself is even more chaotic than in the worst moments of the ‘Souls’ games. Sometimes we can’t even see the enemy or our hero. The camera also looses it with certain attack patterns. I just hate not knowing what is going on on-screen and I don’t care that the character is doing pirouettes.

Other remarks regard the overall lack of precision and the artificial intelligence. There came a time when I was hit by a rock, I missed a dead-on swing at the enemy or was wasting spells thanks to a lack of a targeting system. Fun, isn’t it? The enemies attack fiercely, but are hopeless, with the ent in the lead. I have seen the monster a dozen times in its’ sad pose – trembling as if experiencing a seizure on some column, or frozen in a failed attempt of getting to me. Sometimes it could have been avoided, as I’m under the impression that some of the enemies were included out of necessity. As if in certain places the creators were running low on content and had to implement anything. Basically, there are fewer monsters than in the beloved series the game is based on. Don’t expect imaginative and varied creatures that are a thrill to even to look at – stereotypically, there is a knight, a ghost, a fatso, a mage etc.

Mechanics-wise, the combat system greatly resembles the one of the series that was mentioned far too many times in this review. We are given a basic attack and a strong one, a backstab, a counter and tools with different attack animations. Adding up to that are life, mana and stamina points. It is mostly what we are accustomed to – the heavier the weapon and arms we carry, the slower will our version of Harkin move. The difference between the speeds of the character is rather suiting. In fact, I changed clothes often and wasn’t afraid to try different settings (what is peculiar, as in these kind of games, I much more prefer a lighter outfit). There are a few oddities here and there – one being that the enemies are better with shields. Passing by is practically impossible, as a raised shield always results in a deflected bow. It doesn’t look realistic, but it serves its’ purpose, as the enemy’s shortcomings can’t be exploited. Much effort was put into attack sequences which allow to throw the enemy off-balance and deal greater damage.

Overall, the combat in Lords of the Fallen is satisfactory. Demons may be scarce, but each one of them can surprise. The formerly mentioned anthropomorphic tree, when it recovers from its’ seizure, jumps, sets fire and re… branches? Mages drain energy, spit out magic missiles and protect themselves with a barrier. The fatso litters the scene with traps, summons monstrous companions and shoots at us with a crossbow. Learning all of this is fun in its’ own right and what we came to adore in the series made by From Software. The creators of Lords of the Fallen once again take the known essence, and concentrate on containing it in a smaller, more condensed amount of enemies. The best is yet to be mentioned, as we are getting to the titular Lords.

Lords of the Fallen has only few bosses, but their variety and detail deserve an applause. Here, every boss encounter is different, one time we face a knight gracefully swinging his sword, the other time we battle a brute who compensates his lack of intelligence with fury, to finally take head-on a hellish beast. In one battle, we can turn the enemy’s wrath against him, in the other we must be cautious of the ‘wastes’ he spits out. It not may be revolutionary, but in this case less does not certainly mean worse. I had my share of doubts regarding the battle phases seen on the opponent’s life bar (after taking some damage, a lord changes and gains new abilities) but now I am convinced it works. It is good to know when the enemy will start to use new attacks. The sole fact that this occurs is a variety and a treat in itself. Not once was I curious, what a Lord will come up with next to try to destroy me. The Lords are worthy of their name – fighting them is pure fun.

Let’s wrap up. Despite being a smaller game than Dark Souls, much more often did I play around with my equipment and not repeat the pattern of holding a shield up long enough for the opponent to tire. All due to the fact that we have to think when fighting the regular baddies and the Lords. Not because they are stronger – probably every single one can be bested with force. It’s more about being encouraged by the game to find a way and makes that process of finding easier. It is thanks to such elements as, being able to switch equipment mid-battle, having more potions early in the game and weaker enemy attacks. It is easier to take up this challenge and get to the end. Maybe sometimes too easy, but the more demanding are left with New Game+ and New Game++. I have barely started to test the first one and I can already say that it’s good. After the 20-25 hours needed for the first playthrough, I can say that I will continue playing, as the variety of monsters and the gear is fun – even if the competition has more of it.

Less, but still OK

‘A polish Dark Souls” is a term that came to mind after seeing the very first clip from the game. A detailed comparison of Lords of the Fallen and the work of From Software might not end well for the reviewed game. At best resulting in a accusation of plagiarism and lack of creativity. It is also impossible to compete with the Japanese games on equal terms, as the world has unanimously labeled them, as being under some magical influence, perfect. Let’s say that the previous games from CI were anything but magical. Luckily, Lords of the Fallen has a rather interesting idea behind it and is overall a fine video game. That’s that. The idea was to extract the essence of Dark Souls and adjust it to a form suited for the patience of a mortal. Less, but more definite. A form thought through, but imperfect – as faults and imperfections are here a plenty. I strongly believe that most of them will be fixed – as the rest does not stop us from having fun.

It would be ironic, if the aforementioned effect of a ‘smaller, more dense Souls game’ was only a result of a smaller budget and the creators in fact wanted to make a huge game filled to the brim with content. Well, limitations sometimes lead to great things – a game more focused on its’ goal than Dark Souls 2. Let’s end with that nice, yet farfetched complement.