Lords of the Fallen Reviews
Well, we did a Dark Souls thing, so let's do an Infinity Blade thing, I guess.
If only it could be so grossly incandescent
Lords of the Fallen is trying to Goldilocks it, neither being too hard nor too soft, and that lands it in the rather generic and unadmirable position that last year's Bound by Flame found itself.
With the groundwork for such an interesting world, it's a real shame that so many pieces fell short of expectations.
A competent action RPG with real challenge that lets you get a little too powerful—that is, if your PC is powerful enough to run it without crashing.
The first souls-borne child, who seized to become a From Software successor is returning after nine long winters. This new Lampbearer presents a well-established, and captivating setting, filled with a set of well-known features, that any true soulslike fan will love and hate equally. Duality of the game's worlds provides unique aesthetics and puzzle-like mechanics; however, its potential is never reached and noticeable imperfections are ever so noticeable. Developers deliberately sabotage players and frustrate genre fans, who've simply hoped for more'
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It is not a frame-for-frame clone of 'Dark Souls', but neither is 'Lords of the Fallen' a worthy competitor. Imitation is certainly the sincerest form of flattery, but this game gets more wrong than it does right. Difficult gameplay is its own reward if the player has the proper tools, and while I had some of those tools in 'Lords of the Fallen', I never quite got on board with what it offers. A stronger tutorial or even a minimap goes a long way. Even so, the time I spent with it was not without enjoyment. For those with the patience and conviction, who don't mind taking a beating and putting up with some visual issues, 'Lords of the Fallen' may just scratch an itch not met by anything else currently on the Xbox One.
Some parts of Lords of the Fallen are surprisingly enjoyable, but many weigh it down.
If this game is attempting to imitate the Souls series oppressive, dank, and eerie landscapes, it fails in the attempt by overdoing the cliché and generic videogame fantasy aesthetic.
In all of my time with the game I felt there was something missing which Lords of the Fallen was just waiting to give and make the whole experience worth it. Having finished my first play through and being a fair way through my second, I'm still waiting. I worry that I'll be waiting forever.
If you're hankering for a bit more Souls-shaped entertainment in your life, Lords of the Fallen can fill a gap. It can kill some time, provide some entertainment for a few hours. But its lack of subtlety in its mechanics, it's rather clunky nature and its somewhat dull, basic setting mean it will never be more than a decent distraction
'Lords of the Fallen' attempts to put a fresh spin on the 'Dark Souls' system by turning down the difficulty and turning up the cutting-edge graphics.
Lords of the Fallen is a little bland, but it's a perfectly good distraction with a bit more bite than most modern action/RPGs.
Lords presents an enticing world, but staggered combat and numerous bugs leave it in the shadows of its rivals.
Lords of the Fallen is a solid action RPG, but it isn't without its flaws. The weighty combat, while enjoyable, is offset by disappointing difficulty and a lacking narrative. It is a commendable first attempt whose follow-up, if there is one planned, could stand as a worthy rival to the Souls series.
Lords Of The Fallen has a good core that is being let down by too many other things. The combat is pretty much on point and really does provide a great challenge. If you're looking for a game that has punishing fights, but is a bit easier than Souls then this is it. However the story and lore just aren't that interesting, despite a good premise and Harkyn doesn't have much personality. There's also quite few bugs that really need addressing, like clipping through the environment and objects, or the enemies that just stop moving completely, yet can still deal damage, or suddenly develop the ability to fly. Those problems take Lords Of The Fallen from a potentially great game to something just above average.
Lords of the Fallen will probably annoy just as many Dark Souls fans as it pleases.
More inspiration than perspiration, Lords of the Fallen nonetheless presents a rich fantasy world to explore. Just don't mention Dark Souls.
Lords of the Fallen may be better than its predecessor in many regards, but it isn't quite worthy of standing among the genre giants yet. However, this isn't from a lack of trying. Excellent and varied biomes are on offer that are truly striking and immersive to be beheld to. There are quality improvements to make the experience smoother. Still, balancing for builds, boss fights… the whole gambit is a little all over the place so far. Consider this with some of the bugs currently experienced in-game and it's not quite smooth sailing yet. Hopefully, before long Lords can be patched into a state where it stands solidly amongst the genre giants.
Lords of the Fallen is a challenging and well paced hack 'n' slash RPG. If you're not a fan, or have yet to dip your toes into the waters of the Souls series, it might seem somewhat frustrating at first, but once you get your head round the mechanics and pacing, it becomes a satisfying, if not brutally difficult, RPG. Whilst it's not really my cup of tea, I can see this taking a spot in some players' libraries as the wait for Bloodborne gets ever more excruciating. Whilst it's probably somewhat harsh to compare it to From Software's output, it's inevitable really. This is to its credit and its detriment, as certain elements outpace From's games, but other areas fall sadly behind. Overall though, Lords of the Fallen holds its own, but fails to do much more than that.