Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

The Lords of Shadow story takes place during the year 1047, in what can only be described as the onset of the End of Days. All kinds of nasty creatures have invaded the lands, making a general nuisance of themselves by howling all night, scaring people by jumping out of poorly lit wooded areas, and just plain killing people, and it's all because of the presence of a dark force known as the Lords of Shadow. Of course, as with any good action story worth re-telling, there's a protagonist who's willing to take on any creature that stands in his way, which brings us to Gabriel Belmont, a card carrying member of the Brotherhood of Light, who's on the war path after his wife is brutally murdered and trapped in limbo. Without giving too much away, Gabriel has to try and defeat the Lords of Shadow, resurrect his dead wife and find out why the lands have been plagued with evil.

When you think of Castlevania the first thing that usually pops into most peoples’ minds is the wonderful Symphony of the Night which perfectly embodied the franchise’s tenants of exploring large levels and unlocking new skills and powers which in turn helped you open up previous areas that were once inaccessible. Lords of Shadow isn’t as open or as rigid in its Metroidvania take as Symphony of the Night but it still allows you to jump back to previous levels to complete trials for extra experience or unlock hidden secrets. That being said, Lords of Shadow takes a more linear approach to the series by splitting up Gabriel’s quest into distinct chapters and missions.

In true Castlevania style, Gabriel will find himself facing off against waves upon waves of supernatural beasties, and it’s here where the game truly shines its brightest. At its heart, Lords of Shadow's combat is very simple with only a few buttons being used for heavy and light attacks as well as throwing weapons such as daggers. You can also evade or grab enemies using the trigger buttons, and in a nutshell, that’s the entire combat system. Where it gets interesting though is that you gain the ability to use two forms of magic, light and shadow magic, that allow you to gain health through attacks or increase the power of an attack. Magic is of course controlled through a mana level, and you can only top it up by absorbing neutral energy orbs from defeated enemies, but you’ll only get neutral energy orbs for defeating enemies without magic activated, so you'll have to continually change up your attacks to recharge.

By including magic management, along with the necessity of using it during battles to top up your health, means that most fights will see you frantically dodging enemies, activating light magic to gain some health back, switching to shadow magic to take down a larger enemy, and then attacking to replenish your health mana again; chopping and changing depending on your situation. When you finally come out victorious, you feel like you’ve managed to accomplish something rather than just mindlessly hitting buttons. Adding to the challenge is the aggressive AI, with enemies giving you little leeway in a battle. You’ll soon come to realize that most of the fights require you to be patient and evade enemy attacks rather than wading in with attacks. One thing that makes the combat somewhat frustrating though is the fixed camera which every once in a while won’t allow you to see enemies.

Some of the game’s truly epic battles come to the fore when Gabriel has to take down Titans; huge creatures that tower over him that he will need to destroy by breaking seals on their bodies. It’s very reminiscent of the colossi in Shadow of the Colossus with Gabriel having to first clamber onto them and then jump and swing his way across their bodies while at the same time hanging on as they try to shake him off. While it sounds like fun, and it's a sight to behold, it never really felt as challenging or rewarding to me as the rest of the combat encounters. All you have to do is follow the same series of actions to take down the Titan with none of the challenge that the other encounters add to the game and none of the gravitas of having destroyed such a prodigious enemy.

By defeating enemies and completing missions Gabriel will earn experience points that allow him to purchase additional combos and attacks. His primary weapon is a cross that handily extends into a chain with spikes that he can use to attack enemies close up or clear space around him by attacking multiple enemies, while secondary weapons include daggers or fairies that can be used to attack enemies from a distance. Picking the right weapon for an enemy can prove crucial, so you’ll need to frequently consult your in-game bestiary guide to see what's the best way of taking an enemy on.

Between the frenetic bouts of combat you’ll also find yourself making use of Gabriel’s combat cross to rappel or swing across chasms and walls, or jump between handholds and platforms. The platforming sections are less endearing than the combat with the camera frequently serving to disorient you rather than helpfully indicating where you need to jump, but for the most part helps to add variety to your journey.

The Castlevania franchise is no stranger to the realm of three dimensions but none of the 3D incarnations have ever really captured fans’ hearts. Lords of Shadow, however, uses its graphical splendour to great affect, putting into context the enormity of the task lying ahead of Gabriel. You’ll frequently find yourself travelling up huge mountains, along sheer drops, or walking towards vast, imposing buildings. The environments and architectural design of many of the levels are superb and contribute towards making the world seem both real and fantastical at the same time. The character designs are also wonderfully detailed with Gabriel and the other main characters receiving a great deal of attention. I’d certainly say this is one of the best looking games I’ve played on the Xbox 360 with only the slight bout of low framerate putting a damper on it.

The sound design adds a further layer of polish to the game with a score by Oscar Araujo that rekindles memories of the epic Lord of the Rings score and voice work of a very high quality. Of course, with actors such as Sir Patrick Stewart and Robert Carlyle lending their vocal talents I don’t think we’d have expected anything less.

When Lords of Shadow was first announced many Castlevania fans probably scoffed at the very idea of another subpar 3D Castlevania game, but MercurySteam has done an excellent job in modernizing the franchise and introducing it to a new audience without too much compromise on the series’ core mechanics. It’s a game that will appeal to gamers who enjoy a challenging and rewarding combat system rather than a well told story, but it’s no less remarkable for that. Other than the few camera issues and the lacklustre Titan battles, this is a great game and well worth your time and money.

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