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.
Lords of the Fallen isn't going to triumph in a direct match-up with Dark Souls, but seeing the Souls combat system and level design transplanted with this degree of success into a shorter, more accessible game is really no bad thing.
Lords of the Fallen, a shameless and sloppy copy of Dark Souls, shouldn't be as enjoyable as it is. Somehow, through all its imbalance and oddity, it remains a surprising amount of fun, even if its propensity to make the player laugh is a sheer accident.
Lords of the Fallen is an interesting new take on the Soulslike genre. While it isn't trying to reinvent the wheel with fresh new ideas, it instead acts as more of an evolution of the genre, refining ideas and concepts that have been tried and tested by other games. The game features excellent combat and fun exploration, which thankfully are more than enough to detract from its dull storytelling.
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.
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.
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.
A challenging, rough around the edges title in the vein of the Souls games that gets a lot more right than it does wrong. It deserves your attention this holiday season, and hopefully we'll see more from this franchise.
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.
Pretty, but pretty forgettable
If only it could be so grossly incandescent
Lords of the Fallen is an enjoyable and satisfying adventure that is definitely worth a visit
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's no denying that Lords of the Fallen has taken a huge amount of inspiration from From Software's series of Souls titles, but it does so while also growing into a game that players can enjoy on its own terms. While faults both technical and creative keep it from being as enjoyable as it could have been, this is still an adventure that may be worth taking for those who love a real sense of challenge.
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.
With the groundwork for such an interesting world, it's a real shame that so many pieces fell short of expectations.
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.
Overall, I was pleased with my experience with Lords of the Fallen and I do recommend it. Especially if you don't mind getting a bit frustrated at some boss fights. It's definitely a fun game and has earned its right to stand on its own merits. If you enjoy a challenge, this is the game for you.