Lords Of The Fallen Review
25.10.2023 - 17:25
/ mmorpg.com
I'm not typically a soulslike player. Games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls are incredible experiences, no doubt, but the majority of the time, I typically fall off before coming anywhere close to completing one of those games, whether it's for lack of time or lack of patience. As such, I don't know what I was thinking when I willingly volunteered to review The Lords Of The Fallen. I knew what I was getting into, but I also saw it as a challenge; this would be my time to finally give a game from this genre the attention it deserves. I'm glad I did because The Lords Of The Fallen is a rewarding, if flawed, experience that ran me through the wringer.
I know enough about soulslike action RPGs to know that The Lords Of The Fallen here apes a lot of what makes those games good. The classes it offers follow similar archetypes, the control scheme follows a similar blueprint, and the items and power-ups are carbon copies in all but name only – for example, I'm healing with Estus Flasks in this game, not Flasks Of Crimson Tears. Even with my limited experience, I appreciate the familiarity, as it allows me to get going with little adjustment.
I think Hexworks expected that from most of its players, however, because this game is brutally hard . Hours upon hours were spent fighting through these hordes of enemies, with more than a few carefully placed surprise attacks to keep me on my toes. While I like difficult games, sometimes it felt like Hexworks was out to get me and wanted me to suffer. Restart upon restart might have increased my blood pressure, but I do compliment the team on making me want to try and try again; I was actually invested in success, not just trying to complete a game for a review, if that makes sense.
In fact, there's this weird reversal of expectation in the world of The Lords Of The Fallen, specifically in its most difficult moments: I had more trouble fighting my way to the big bosses of the game than I did actually fighting them. Furthermore, one of the bosses that gave me the most trouble was one of the first, Pieta, She of Blessed Renewal. She was a royal pain in my backside, but she did a wonderful job of honing my skills for what lay ahead. My favorite boss, however, was The Hollow Crow. I liked how it turned the expected boss battle format on its head, while forcing me to keep constant eyes on my surroundings while focusing damage where it needed to go.
The coolest element of this game, and perhaps the mechanic it hangs its spiky helmet hat on, is the dual worlds, Axiom and Umbral, which are equally traverseable throughout the adventure. Imagine the world of Elden Ring, but the entire map had a separate Link-To-The-Past-style Dark World where each wall is festooned with