There are some franchises that have been around from what it seems like the beginning of consoles and gaming as we know it. Castlevania is a franchise that brings to mind some of the most classic games out there but it has gone through quite an evolution to what it is today. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition by MercurySteam - Climax Studios is an addition to the franchise but while its pretty good I would not say that it is a classic.
The Game:
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition is a 3-D adventure game set in the classic medieval times. You will play as Gabriel a knight who is destined to kill the Lords of Shadow. Fueled by revenge for his lost love you will make your way through the levels that are laid out in a storybook. There are 14 chapters in the book, 2 for an additional story that takes place after the original title. In each chapter is a set of levels you must beat to progress.You control Gabriel through the world attacking the many enemies with his chain whip, throwing knives, and 3 other weapons you will pick up on your adventure. Along with your health bar, you have two different magic sources. One is dark and the other is light. You will fill these up by absorbing orbs that come from your fallen enemies or by continuing a long string of attack without being hit. Each magic will add additional effects to your items and light magic attacks will heal your character.
Your attacks are separated into single and group target attacks that you can string together. Additional combos and attacks can be bought from a move book between levels. You buy these through credits you earn in each level.
Each level is full of puzzles, jumping, climbing, and plenty of enemies. Fallen knights are strewn throughout that will offer hints and also gems that will be used to upgrade the total health or magic of Gabriel. There are also these little bastards that will pop up every once in a while to steal your shit and you have to chase them down to get it back. These could have been left out.
You will have two types of bosses, massive bosses that you have to climb or just really strong bad guys. The massive creatures have ruins on them you have to climb to and break in order to bring it down. These were one of my favorite parts of the game. The strong enemies are just a dual between you and a strong baddy. QTE are sprinkled throughout the fight and usually indicate a checkpoint in the fight you will go back to if you die. They will also allow your enemy to recharge if you miss. Don't do that.
My Thoughts:
Save for the content after the main story this game was pretty solid. Not buggy or glitchy and the framerate was good. The game has an almost gothic comic book look but it still, for some reason, just doesn't reflect the gothic darkenss feel of the games of old. There is just a classic style that wasn't there but it still works.One thing holding this game back and fully rears its ugly head is the cinematic camera. The camera is fixed and moves depending on where you are standing on the level. That means that there will be several times where the enemy is below the horizontal and you can't see it. There are also times in boss fights it will change so drastically on you that you will be thrown off just enough to fuck you over. Running puzzles are made even more miserable when the camera switches angle and you find yourself now going in a direction that leads you to death. If I was ever frustrated it was usually because I felt the camera was moving against me.
Other than that I really liked how the boss fights were put together. The mechanics were different enough that they were interesting and learning how to fight each one was pretty entertaining. I felt the level of difficulty scaled really well and besides for the last boss in the extra content, I enjoyed them.
Combat was pretty solid throughout the game and the ability to combo enemies is great and can lead to some pretty fun fights. The only issue is that these combos start to become less effective as the game goes on because you start running into a lot more enemies that will block or just power through your attack. I also enjoyed riding the different beasts in some level that you could tame with your chain whip. That was pretty novel.
(Story Spoiler)
The story wasn't bad and it made sense. The core motivation is a little cheap with the dead love trope but it gave a reason to be doing what you do. Patrick Stewart's narration was great and really brought the end of the story around. The way he voice acted the character really fit the scene well and the feeling of betrayal is real.
Near the end, especially when you are having the dialogue with Satan and your dead love, it feels like it gets a bit preachy. I understand the game is about heaven and hell but at some point, it felt less about story and more about pouring it on. We get it, its all for God who is great and mighty and cares. He forgives and stuff can we get on with it...
I am also not sure I enjoyed the core motivation. The game is less about motivation to do the right thing but more that you are fated to do the right thing. Throughout the game, Pan (goat dude) is constantly telling you that this is the way things are supposed to be. There is very little choice your character makes adding little free agency to Gabriel and making him less of a hero but more of a walking death machine. His only purpose is to kill and that isn't very compelling.
Near the end, especially when you are having the dialogue with Satan and your dead love, it feels like it gets a bit preachy. I understand the game is about heaven and hell but at some point, it felt less about story and more about pouring it on. We get it, its all for God who is great and mighty and cares. He forgives and stuff can we get on with it...
I am also not sure I enjoyed the core motivation. The game is less about motivation to do the right thing but more that you are fated to do the right thing. Throughout the game, Pan (goat dude) is constantly telling you that this is the way things are supposed to be. There is very little choice your character makes adding little free agency to Gabriel and making him less of a hero but more of a walking death machine. His only purpose is to kill and that isn't very compelling.
After you finish the main story you can really just stop there. In the ultimate edition, there are two more chapters you can jump into but they feel just like an afterthought and are not enjoyable at all. They are definitely worth skipping.
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