Embarking on the journey into Hexworks’ rendition of “Lords of the Fallen,” which are essentially revisiting or rebooting Deck13’s 2014 creation, I found myself immersed in yet another captivating Soulslike action RPG experience this year. Not that long ago I did a review for “Lies Of P” (check it out HERE), and that was easily one of my favorite games of the genre in quite some time, being a legit competitor with what FromSoftware has done so well for so many years. Now with this new “Lords of the Fallen,” it looks like the competition just got even stronger, and competition is great for the consumer. I do feel like I need to disclose that my initial excitement was somewhat dampened by performance issues in the PS5 version. This early review code presented the game in a somewhat rough state, though subsequent updates during my review progress managed to alleviate most, but not all of my concerns. Yet, on the eve of release, occasional frame rate stutters and audio hiccups persisted. Despite these setbacks, they failed to overshadow the overall experience, you can almost guarantee that a day-one (or first week) patch would rectify more of the lingering issues.
Upon entering the game, the canvas for my adventure unfolded as I crafted my character, delving into a myriad of over a dozen character classes, each offering a distinct playstyle. From the visceral Barbarian wielding dual weapons to the more distanced spellcaster, the choices laid the foundation for a personalized and engaging gameplay experience. Probably the most unique aspect of “Lords of the Fallen” is the game unfolds across two parallel worlds: the realm of the living, Axiom, and the realm of the dead, Umbral. Death in the game transcends to Umbral, a twisted and eerie reflection of the living world. The dual maps, meticulously designed for both realms, offered a unique perspective I’ve never seen before. Even in the land of the living, glimpses into Umbral were possible with the aid of a lantern, revealing alternate paths and hidden treasures that you can maybe only access in one realm but not the other. Navigating Umbral, however, presented its own challenges, requiring fighting off several smaller enemies and looking for totems for a safe return back to the land of the living.
The opening tutorial adeptly introduced the game’s mechanics, familiarizing me with the standard dodge, parry, and block system. As a Barbarian favoring dual weapons over a shield, my combat strategy leaned heavily towards parrying, emphasizing the game’s demand for a slow, methodical approach. Another aspect that makes this game unique to the genre is the ability to create personal checkpoints through vestiges, umbral seeds, add a really neat dynamic to the game. These checkpoints not only served as respawns but also facilitated fast travel locations. The thirty formidable dark gods, scattered throughout the game as bosses, showcased a diverse range of monstrous designs, presenting formidable yet conquerable challenges. It was very convenient adding checkpoints near them so I didn’t have to redo a lot of traveling during my several attempts at killing them. A unique health mechanic surfaced during battles—blocking an attack briefly tinted my health white, and striking the opponent during this window restored the equivalent amount of health. The leveling system, centered around accumulating “Vigor” (if you’ve played a Dark Souls game, they’re essentially the same thing as Souls) by defeating enemies, emphasized the importance of grinding for experience and gathering materials.
Skyrest, a fort within the game, served as a hub for progression. Here, one could purchase additional magic, strike deals for passive bonuses, and utilize a blacksmith to buy and upgrade weapons. The fort became a pivotal center you will visit often for your resource management. Amidst all my praises, a slight blemish emerged in the form of the camera, occasionally proving frustrating in tight caverns and impacting combat visibility. While not pervasive, this issue made certain areas hot zones where I died unfairly. In the grand tapestry of “Lords of the Fallen,” my journey unfolded through realms, and was mostly a really fun one. While I love that FromSoftware has inspired multiple developers to be direct competitors for them, Hexworks included, there is enough here for fans of the genre to be eating well. While it’s not my favorite Soulslike of the year (that award still is held by “Lies Of P”) and the early review copy being in rough shape with its framerate at times, I believe when it’s all fixed up it will stand toe-to-toe with the other greats.
8/10
Lords of the Fallen launches on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S tomorrow, October 13, and is one of the first major releases to truly harness the power of Unreal Engine 5. You can pre-order it right now.
For more information, visit the official website, Twitter X, and YouTube.
Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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