Lord of the Fallen Hands-On Preview

Over the course of our month long coverage of Lords of the Fallen, we’ve dived deep into the Umbral/Axiom dual realm mechanic, went over some vital combat tips, and talked about the ways in which the developers at Hexworks are aiming to innovate upon the standard Soulslike formula. But one important element that we’ve only briefly touched upon has been the magic system of the game. And so, let’s correct that oversight and breakdown how magic works in Lords of the Fallen.

From Lords of the Fallen 2 to The Lords of the Fallen and finally Lords of the Fallen – the long-awaited follow-up to CI Games’ Souls-like has finally gone gold. Developed by Hexworks, it launches on October 13th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Impressive new soulsborne action RPG Lords of the Fallenhas received brand new preview footage at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023, showing off developer Hexworks' grim fantasy world in all its bleak glory. 

Lords of the Fallen has shown a great deal of promise in all that we’ve seen of it so far- and in the weeks and months leading up to its October release, we’ve seen quite a lot. But though recent showings have been focused on what the Soulslike action RPG will have on offer with its gameplay, as recently promised, at Gamescom Opening Night Live, CI Games and Hexworks premiered a new trailer that focuses on its story.

PLAY #31 is out now! Pack your bags because, for this action-packed issue, we're travelling between dimensions in the upcoming soulslike behemoth Lords Of The Fallen. We chronicle our hands-on with an early build and find out what makes two worlds better than one in an insightful interview with the developers.

Lords of the Fallen is not designed to be a walk in the park. This is a game meant to teach you lessons the hard way: by killing you repeatedly until you learn how to best deal with the obstacle that’s being put in your way. Fortunately, the developers at Hexworks didn’t want to leave people completely in the dark, and thus were kind enough to share these eight combat tips to help you survive the realms of Axiom and Umbral.

Hexworks’ Lords of the Fallen is out in October, but that doesn’t mean it’s slowing down with the details. Following its showcase of the first 13 minutes of the Souls-like action RPG, it’s confirmed a new story trailer for Gamescom Opening Night Live. It will seemingly shed light on “that which binds this cruel world.”

One of the key elements of any good soulslike is good enemy design. Imagine Demon's Souls without the Mind Flayers, Bloodborne without the vicious werewolves that roam the streets of Yhanam, Dark Souls without those wheel skeletons... I actually I did imagine that last one, and that actually sounds kind of nice. The point is, imposing beasties and nasties are at the heart of this genre, and Lords of the Fallen is full of horrific denizes that reside in both Axiom and Umbral. Wanna see? Look no further than down below as we break down a handful of enemies that you'll be facing up against in Lords of the Fallen.

Lords of the Fallen has continued to look increasingly promising in all that has been showcased of it so far, and Hexworks and CI Games have offered another meaty look at the Soulslike action RPG, courtesy of a gameplay video uploaded by IGN that shows off the game’s opening 13 minutes.

Not too long ago, developer Hexworks confirmed that its upcoming Soulslike action RPG Lords of the Fallen will feature a 60 FPS option on consoles upon its launch in October. Now, the developer has provided further details on exactly what its performance and resolution targets will be across two graphics modes.

Being a meaty 25-30-hour experience that will encourage replays with multiple endings, the promise of co-op, New Game Plus, and more, Hexworks and CI Games’ upcoming Soulslike action RPG Lords of the Fallen is clearly not going to be lacking in content, but like with any game these days, that doesn’t mean we won’t get even more of it with post-launch additions.

We have seen the sun! And it was good! It’s going away now though so you can all retreat into the safety of your gaming rooms again. We’ve also been looking at our Gamescom appointments for a couple of week’s time, and things are looking very exciting! You can be sure that we’ll have a ton of coverage from the conference, so that’s something to look forward to as well.