Topic: Castlevania Lords of Shadow

[broodwars]

"They have a Cave Troll..."  -_-'  And I soon after that engaging mini-boss found myself locked in battle with a Ring Wraith...err..."Swordmaster".  Yeah, Konami definitely isn't trying to channel Lord of the Rings at all.  I'm fine with that (I really liked The Lord of the Rings), but man it's pretty blatant.  Something that kind of surprises me, though, is how this game at times kind of feels more like a traditional Metroid game (especially the Prime games) than the recently released Other M.     How could this be in a game seemingly "ripping off" God of War?  Well, there's often an atmosphere of isolation; you spend a great deal of time traveling through deserted and desolate environments picking up upgrades that allow you to explore previous areas better; new enemies leave behind "logs" in the Bestiary with historical and zoological information; and you frequently run across "logs" of former Brothers of Light that shed further information on the world and the environment.

It seems Gabriel's found a revolutionary new way to kill Vampires: stab them in the heart with a Stake.   :   More specifically, a stake upgrade to his combat cross, an attachment which according to the game's bestiary has traditionally given the weapon the nickname of "Vampire Killer."  Cute, Konami.  I was wondering when you'd name the frickin' combat cross.

Wait a moment...vampires...a whip named "Vampire Killer"...wandering around a deserted gothic Abbey full of Booby Traps and improbably-sized gears.  Oh my God, it's a Castlevania game!   : :

[broodwars]

Ok, that was unexpected: this is a Castlevania game where sunlight actually matters when fighting Vampires.  Unexpected, and also a little awesome as I spent several rooms in the Vampire Castle just keeping the Vampiric hordes at bay with Light magic and Holy Water long enough to tear down the boards covering the windows so I could let the sunlight in. Sunlight-reflective mirrors also take on a whole new context in this situation. 

For that matter, this whole section from the time you first enter the Castle (through the sewers, naturally, because no game is truly complete without a Sewer level.  Just ask Spoony.) is almost a completely different game, as the ratio of puzzles to combat has pretty radically skewed in the direction of the puzzles.  Most of them are your common "rotate this set of stuff until they are in a certain formation" type of puzzle, though I've seen some just plain weird stuff as well.  "Wizard chess", anyone?      The horror element has seen a pretty dramatic jump since I entered Vampire territory, too.

[broodwars]

Well, game complete on medium (Warrior) difficulty and the final boss is...really random (not to mention incredibly frustrating.  You'd think that the developers had learned from the folly that is the final boss fight of God of War 2).  And while I found the pre-credits ending suitably satisfying for what the game was leading up to, the post-credits epilogue is just bizarre and confusing.      Given that Hideo Kojima was associated with this project, I'd like to think the epilogue is just an intentional mind-**** that isn't in continuity with the rest of the game.

Overall, I found the game very enjoyable, far more so than the previous 3D Castlevanias.  Against the rest of the franchise, I'd probably rate it my second or third favorite, behind Aria and Dawn of Sorrow.  It has some frustrating moments and a very rough early learning curve before you can acquire enough Life and Magic Gems to even the odds.  But once I got used to the combat system and the options you have, I found a long and engaging adventure story filled with elements of horror and fantasy.  Calling it a "God of War" ripoff sells the game too short.  God of War 3 wishes it was this interesting.

[broodwars]

IGN is reporting that a recent interview with Lord of Shadows' composer reveals that Konami is already working on a sequel.  Wow, were the 1st week sales just that good or was Konami just absurdly overconfident?  Either way, I'm happy to see that Konami doesn't appear to be abandoning this interpretation of Castlevania, and since it seems this game's composer will be returning we can be sure it'll have awesome music.   

[Stogi]

I need to pick this game up.

[Halbred]

God of War 3 wishes it was this interesting.

Oh no you DI'N'T!

[broodwars]

God of War 3 wishes it was this interesting.

Oh no you DI'N'T!

You're late, Halbred.  I was expecting that retort 4 days ago.       Suffice it to say that I never felt that God of War 3 lived up to its fantastic opening, save perhaps for the fight with Chronos.

[alegoicoe]

i heard that the game is cruel when it gets to difficulty, is it true?

[broodwars]

i heard that the game is cruel when it gets to difficulty, is it true?

Yes, especially early on before you get access to Light Magic.  Around the middle of the game where you've had plenty of practice and access to levels with lots of hidden life/light/shadow gems, the game starts getting a lot easier.  How hard the game will be for you will be dependent on how observant you are in the environment to find the collectables and how good you are at blocking and dodging.

[alegoicoe]

^thanks, i will take the collecting into consideration when i get the game tomorrow, i'll post my reactions.

[broodwars]

^thanks, i will take the collecting into consideration when i get the game tomorrow, i'll post my reactions.

Cool.  Just out of curiosity, was it Greg's segment on RFN that swayed you towards picking up the game?  Just be sure to go into the game with an open mind and enjoy the game for what it is, rather than looking for checkmarks on a laundry list of franchise elements, and you might enjoy it.  I'll probably be going back to the game tonight to try to get more of the Trials knocked out on my way to Platinum-ing the game on PS3.

[Adrock]

Jesus mother.... Lords of Shadow is hard. I just got to Chapter 5. I wish there was a map.

[broodwars]

Jesus mother.... Lords of Shadow is hard. I just got to Chapter 5. I wish there was a map.

I recommend backtracking to previous stages once you've acquired the 3rd and final upgrade to your Vampire Killer early in Chapter 5.  Chances are, you've missed quite a few gems that could make your life a lot easier, and at that point you'll only be missing 1 upgrade (the double-jump) so you should be able to grab most of the stuff you've missed.

[alegoicoe]

^ Been following the game since the announcement, and i have read a couples of reviews with mix reactions. i have played castlevania since the 3d n64 games which despite popular perception i enjoyed playing, thats why im looking forward to this game, cause its a fresh take on the franchise.

[Adrock]

I recommend backtracking to previous stages once you've acquired the 3rd and final upgrade to your Vampire Killer early in Chapter 5.  Chances are, you've missed quite a few gems that could make your life a lot easier, and at that point you'll only be missing 1 upgrade (the double-jump) so you should be able to grab most of the stuff you've missed.

I backtracked a little bit and picked up some of the upgrades I missed. Cornell straight up murdered my ass. That took me a while. Guillotine attack for the win though.

[broodwars]

I recommend backtracking to previous stages once you've acquired the 3rd and final upgrade to your Vampire Killer early in Chapter 5.  Chances are, you've missed quite a few gems that could make your life a lot easier, and at that point you'll only be missing 1 upgrade (the double-jump) so you should be able to grab most of the stuff you've missed.

I backtracked a little bit and picked up some of the upgrades I missed. Cornell straight up murdered my ass. That took me a while. Guillotine attack for the win though.

Yeah, that guy's a nightmare your first time, not helped at all by the QTE that you absolutely must get right on your first try or have to retry an annoying part of the fight until you do.

Just completed the Dracolich trial to finally nab all the trials for Chapter 11...after about an hour of trying, failing, and retrying that damn fight.  In the words of Kurt Russel from The Thing: "Yeah, well **** You, too" Konami!   :   Quite a bit of triumph when I finally pulled it off, though.  That leaves me just 3 chapters left to get all the trials in: Chapters 5-7.

EDIT: Hah!  Victory is mine!  All Trials completed, and man some of them are extremely cheap.

[broodwars]

Platinum GET!      Wow, the game actually rolls by incredibly quickly if you just skip the cutscenes and camera pans every time the game tries it and you just spam Ultimate Light (and Ultimate Shadow when you're out of Light magic) on everything.  Definitely one of my more rewarding Platinums, though. 

[Adrock]

I just got to Chapter 10. I was planning on finishing the game before commenting, but...

1. Lords of Shadow is only reminiscent of God of War and Shadow of the Colossus if you're strictly watching. You absolutely cannot get away with button mashing in Castlevania and dodging requires far more strategy than God of War. This is especially true since health fountains aren't terribly common. Sure, light magic regains health, but the game forces you to earn health back. The Titans are mini-bosses and are played as such whereas the Colossi are the entire point of SotC and are significantly more intricate and difficult. So, it's reminiscent, but no where near the same thing. I think comparisons are unfair.

2. I've read a lot of reviews bitching about how Lords of Shadow is too much of a departure to even be considered a true Castlevania game. As a reboot, it has to. Lords of Shadow deviates enough to justify rebooting the entire franchise, but there is more than enough Castlevania in here to justify its namesake. The game devotes the most chapters/levels to the vampires. One way Mercury Steam could have made the game feel more like Castlevania is with...

3. The music. The soundtrack is great, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss some of the classic tunes. I was hoping for some remixes and I only notice one in...

4. The Musicbox level. What the Christ? Sometimes I feel like every game has at least one section that makes you want to just punch a baby in the face. God of war had the Hades level, Lords of Shadow has this nonsense. Thankfully, it was pretty short.

5. I love the plot so far. It's interesting even if the whole "avenge my wife" bit is old. My biggest issue is that you see so little of the Lords of Shadow. You don't see them until right before you fight them. They're interesting characters, but they're relegated to exposition cutscene then cool boss fight. Carmilla was especially interesting and the voice actor deserves all the credit in the world for that amazing performance.

6. The voice work in this game is some of the best in any videogame. So far, Patrick Stewart turned in the worst performance, if only for the melodrama. Worst, but still not even bad.

7. One save file? What the F, man?

8. I wish Gabriel wasn't so brooding. He's literally in Cloud Strife territory. That bad. Still, I think I prefer it to Kratos' excessive anger.

[broodwars]

Glad to see you gave the game a fair chance, Adrok, and liked it.  I wish more of the game's critics would do that, rather than just whining about its similarities to God of War and calling that a complete argument, even though they LIKED the God of War games.

[Toruresu]

Reading all of this makes me want to get a 360.

[Stogi]

Just beat it on Warrior. I truly wasn't expecting the end to be that epic. It was incredibly badass (although a bit too easy I had Ultimate Light before I faced Satan). All in all, through the comparisons, this game was definitely more fun to play than GOW3 and SOC. Though there were times where I had to rely on a guide because the level design was atrocious The level with all the dead Titans comes to mind, the puzzles and set pieces were often well done and clever Say what you want about the Music Box level. I thought it was great..

This game has a great sense of becoming more and more powerful. There's so many items and moves at your disposal once you can afford them all. Killing everything is fun because there are so many ways to do it. Do you want to kill 20 zombies at once with a holy water grenade? Go ahead! How about killing the hundred of them at once with the power of your cross? Even better!

I'm about to run through it on Paladin and probably 110 this game. I never fully complete games. Seriously, I don't do it because I don't usually care. But I'm going to do for this game.