Lords of the Fallen Reviews
A slightly below average game tarnished by bugs and glitches to the point where it simply can't be recommended.
Pretty, but pretty forgettable
Lords of the Fallen provides players with a solid experience and fun combat system, but it never provides enough reason to care about anything else.It's a shame as the game does have a lot of potential. With a little more polish and tweaks done to the story and balance, Lords of the Fallen could be a great title. Right now though, it isn't.
'Lords of the Fallen' is a soulslike that uniquely distinguishes itself from the rest. With better graphics and gameplay than its predecessor of the same name, this game can certainly be called a successful soulslike. Unique gameplay elements ensure that this game will not quickly fade from memory.
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Deck13 Interactive have created their own unique take on the action RPG genre in an intricate and, at times, labyrinthine world. Even with a few bugs and camera issues there is a lot to love in Lords of the Fallen.
Lords of the fallen has been called a Dark Souls clone but that would only be true if Dark Souls was cloned by Dr. Alphonse Mephisto from South Park.
Lords of the Fallen is not a bad game, but when compared to the Souls series, it is a lesser one. At every moment, it draws comparisons to Dark Souls, but it never quite lives up to the inspiration. I disliked spending so much time comparing one game to another, but LotF all but demands it, and it never manages to crawl out from the shadow of Dark Souls. As a next-gen alternative for those hungry for more Souls gameplay, it is perfectly serviceable, but that is about the limit of its capabilities. I had fun playing it, and it's a good way to bide the time until From Software's next title, but it never forges an identity of its own. The core for a true Souls competitor is there, but Lords of the Fallen seems content to be a placeholder.
Lords of the Fallen is a decent role-playing experience with some innovative features but it's weighed down by the balancing problems and the technical issues. After a few updates, it might become a good and challenging RPG, but for now, it falls short.
Lots of fun and challenging gameplay await those that will embark on a journey that pays tribute to the Souls series, adding some new, subtle twists into the mix. However, the most appropriate description one could give to this otherwise great action-RPG would be "close, but no cigar… very close that is." The gameplay is entertaining, but lacks that extra something that would make it truly remarkable.
Lords of the Fallen has some pretty clear inspirations, but it's a very different game despite those influences - enough so that Souls fans can't be guaranteed to enjoy this one. What it is is a challenging fantasy game with a good sense of progression that is entertaining to play, even if it's got no chance of being remembered as a classic like Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are.
The world and characters are forgettable and uninspired without any of that deeper lore and storytelling Dark Souls is known and loved for. But despite those criticisms Lords of the Fallen is still worth a look if you're after challenging combat and a grisly dark medieval world to explore.
Take the role of Harkyn, fight creatures, use familiar controls, and attempt to save humanity from an invasion.
With Lords of the Fallen we have the first true "inspired by" Dark Souls game and the developers have had a good stab at recreating the wonders of that title and ended up delivering what can be described as Dark Souls for the MTV generation. It's a big, brash and colourful rendition of what makes the genre wonderful, with a sprinkling of innovation and a chunk of failure mixed up into a forgettable story, with some fun but ultimately limited gameplay. You'll enjoy it whilst it lasts and if new to this type of game the length it lasts will extend quite a way, but it could have been more had it kept in mind what was proven to work and added to that, rather than taking some of those bits and pieces and building from that foundation.
But even with its bland environment and uninteresting story, Lords of the Fallen is fun. The combat is enjoyable, leveling up is a blast, and when you beat the game you unlock New Game Plus which is a great treat. In a game that seems to build itself off the ability to be broken in a format where you feel underpowered, New Game Plus is just the icing on the overpowered cake.
There is potential in the future for the franchise to grow its ambitions, but as it stands, Lords of the Fallen is a title I can see people forgetting once Bloodborne arrives, but until then, Harkyn's adventure is worth a view for anyone wanting something to slow down their craving for death until February comes around.
All in all, I have and still am enjoying my time with Lords of the Fallen and it's a game that takes elements that made other games fun and popular while adding it's own charm and twists to it. Admittedly the AI of the enemies is odd at times and the boss battles are a bit on the easy side especially for those are well versed with the Soul series, but will still give newcomers a run for their money. For those who enjoyed the Soul series or even other action RPG's such as Dark Siders 1& 2, I highly recommend Lords of the Fallen, even if it only serves to be a filler for what many are calling the main course and you PlayStation 4 gamers know exactly what I'm referring to.
With some strong new ideas and often solid core design, Lords of the Fallen is an enjoyably grimdark soulslike. That said, Hexworks' debut release borrows a lot from Dark Souls, and while this makes for a good baseline, it could do more to escape the shadow of better games.
In the end, Lords of the Fallen does manage to land in the "respectful homage" category, but only by a hair. I had fun, which is what counts, but unlike with Dark Souls, I'd be hard pressed to play a sequel that basically amounts to an evolution of the same formula. If Namco Bandai is serious about Lords of the Fallen as a franchise, its going to need to devote some serious polish and brainstorming toward a sequel. In the meantime, though, this first game is undeniably worth experiencing for its graphics and handful of unique strengths alone — just don't expect it to transport you to another world.
Lords of the Fallen offers an easier experience and a few fun twists to the Dark Souls formula, but in the end there just isn't enough at which the game excels to make it a real challenger to the dominance of that series.
If you don't mind dying an awful lot and grinding for awesome gear, then you'll find a lot to like in Lords of the Fallen.