Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Reviews
Regretfully, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 came and went like a wet fart in a dark rainy night. It was the last new Castlevania game made, and its not hard to see why. It’s an expensive and bloated mess of ideas that don’t mesh well with trite gameplay.
n 2010, the rather enjoyable Castlevania: Lords of Shadow ended with a major plot twist revealing that Gabriel Belmont was alive during modern times and was now called Dracula, taking on the famous vampire’s persona and visage. This left fans to wonder how the sequel would continue the story, either as Dracula or fighting against the protagonist from the original game. Four years later, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 answered the question, but it’s a question that probably was more interesting to think about than how Konami approached it.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is a study in contrasts with wildly fun combat levels separated by monotonous stealth levels.
Like all sequels, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 attempts to improve on the original in almost every area, but ultimately fails to do so. New ideas and mechanics are let down by sloppy execution.
Even basic exploration quickly becomes more trouble than it's worth, thanks to a scarcity of waypoints, overly lengthy transitions between areas, and the lack of an overall map.
Lords of Shadow 2 is a good game that has a handful of flaws that was holding it back from being a masterpiece. Lords of Shadow 2 would've been so much greater, but instead it's mediocre compared to the first game.
Lords of Shadow 2 is a competent, and sometimes great, action game that's unfortunately bogged down by some horrid tacked on stealth moments and a story that doesn't really seem to know what it wants. Fans of the previous game will likely enjoy the game though and I'm sure anyone who's looking for a solid action game will find something enjoyable here if they can rough it through the shaky opening.
'Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2' will likely end up a polarizing title in the series canon. It's doesn't bring the series' most engaging narrative to the table and in some aspects, the developers really felt like they were phoning it in. Personally, the game strikes the rare balance between casual and hardcore player, offering the former some mindless fun and the latter opportunities to push their play strategy to the test; 'Lords of Shadow 2' may be generally shallow, but those willing to scour those shallow areas are going to find a few hidden secrets and added value.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is a good game when it tries to deliver a hack and slash experience. Unfortunately, when it attempts to go for a stealth-oriented design, it fails miserably and provokes only frustration and confusion. The fleshed out combat system and the presentation make up for it to some degree, but it still ends up a lackluster game.
Underneath the unfocused, ramshackle design decisions and incomprehensible story there's a decent action game - but how much of it you're willing to endure for closure depends on how deeply entrenched you are into Lords of Shadow's lore.
The game is as confused as its protagonist, and it's hard not to wish that the studio could have conquered its inner conflict and found its wings.
It's a shame that you need some tolerance to stick with the game to get past its faults and slow start to get to the chunk where the game is gratifying, peaking close to what made the first Lords of Shadow a great game.
There is some fun to be had in the combat, and the bosses are so creative that players will want to push forward just to see what's next, but the journey is ultimately an unfulfilling one. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2's lack of focus is its downfall, and plants it firmly in the mediocre pile.
Lords of Shadow 2 had limitless potential in front of it, and could have been the best Castlevania game of recent memory, but poor design choices, a questionable story and flawed mechanics will kill most players' interest before they even get half-way through.
The fresh take on the series in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow seemed to introduce enough fresh blood to resurrect what seemed to be a dying brand. The sequel unfortunately pollutes that bloodstream with an infection caused by too many ideas and too many cut corners. As far as single-player experiences go, there's plenty of meat on the bone thanks to exciting combat and some interesting boss designs. However, any sense of resolution or redemption in Lords of Shadow 2 becomes lost amidst poor storytelling and unsurprising plot twists. If this Dracula seeks eternal rest then as much as we'd love to see him stay alive for one more adventure, perhaps it's about time a stake was put through his heart.
If Lords of Shadow 2 were a film, I'd say it's well constructed in every way aside from editing. Unfortunately, editing is as crucial to a movie being watchable as its visibility. So for this game, it's all well and good that it's pieces are of quality, but they are arranged so carelessly and without regard to flow that struggle is more about staying awake than merely making progress. This subfranchise's muted tone — another non-flaw out of context — doesn't help that cause.
It's a tragedy to see Lords of Shadows 2 arrive in this form. Rather than focus on what made the first game so much fun, the designers seem to have totally misunderstood what gamers wanted from the sequel, and delivered something that was utterly alien to the first game.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 looks gorgeous and could have been wildly original, but it squanders its polish and potential on archaic contrivances, banal writing, and an overall shallow experience. It's fine if you want a factory standard combat game, but in the year 2014, it's just plain dreary.
For all its physical beauty, it can be an ugly game—remember that family-murder, remember that awkward, stilted script. How well can you look past this ugliness to find the redeeming qualities within?
Lords of Shadow 2 is a shocking misfire.