π’ WE REMADE THE ORIGINAL! IT'S MUCH BETTER NOW! PROMISE! π’
I say cap. π§’
It's been almost a decade since the release of the original Lords of the Fallen. One of the first attempts at cloning fromsoft's formula and... it wasn't good. π Since then there have been a dozen more attempts at mimicking fromsoft, and Hexworks decided to give another crack at it.
I'm happy to say that their second attempt stuck the landing this time.
And soβοΈ In this edition of Through the Lens π, we'll be taking a look at HEXWORKS' Souls-like remaster from 2023: Lords of the Fallen. βοΈ
(anyone else tired of publishers naming games with exactly the same name? what's the point? it only raises confusion)
Roll it! π½
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π· UP TOP πΆ
The soundtrack here is very Dark Souls. In fact, the aesthetic design of the entire game is very Dark Souls, but we'll talk bout that more later. For now, let's just say that the OST doesn't do much in the innovation part. Still good, no doubt. But nothing to write home about in terms of originality.
This and Lies of P were in a head race to see who would be the best Souls-like yet. Suffice it to say, Lies of P won that race. Sorry for the spoilers. π Before its release however, there was a lot of hype behind this game. Elden Ring made sure that any attempt at the fromsoft formula would be looked at with intrigue. And Lords of the Fallen capitalized on that heavily.
Was it a slam dunk? Far from it. Was it a dumpster fire like some portions of the internet would have you believe? Also, far from it. Lords of the Fallen is what we call a mixed-bag through and through. There's the good, there's the bad, and there's the ugly. Let's tackle each.
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π· INSPIRED πΆ
Lords of the Fallen does a lot to innovate on the classical formula. Lies of P did the same. Implementing things I wish fromsoft would in the future. We'll discuss the similarities in a bit, let's first talk about what Lords of the Fallen does of its own accord.
The whole other plane gimmick is an awesome idea and well-executed. Essentially it means that there is another world atop our own, which you can access at any time. This is crucial to solving puzzles and exploring. It is one of the things that sets Lords of the Fallen apart the most. And while the execution feels more mundane than the concept, it's still a plus in my books. π
I also enjoyed the recoverable health mechanic implemented here. It's an innovative approach to the Bloodborne way of getting back health that we also saw in Lies of P. What separates it here is that as long as you are blocking you cannot die, and the health you can recover does not diminish. However, get hit once and that's all gone.
This gameplay inspires the player to play more strategically and be much more tactical with their strikes. Shields block a lot less than in other games, but the recoverable health is easily retrieved with a few well-placed blows. This mechanic is excellent, and honestly, I think a bit better than the Bloodborne / Lies of P mechanic it was inspired by.
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π· SWING AND A MISS πΆ
For one thing, the sound design is very lackluster. I mean, have you guys heard the parry sound? It just makes you not want to parry. π Same for the hit confirms, it is all very uninspired and just... not cool sounding. For a game with massive set pieces and gothic monsters and armor, the SFX needs to be crunchy and gritty and not... whatever they made.
Another pet peeve of mine is the menu / UI / UX design of these games. This goes for fromsoft as well. Why Hexworks decided to just roll with the punches with this one is beyond me. I am sure we can make a more user-friendly and appealing menu system. I mean come on... I just looks ugly and is a major turn-off for a lot of people.
Another big sticking point for a lot of people was the price point. This game was priced at 70$. And while that seems to be the direction the industry is heading in, you still need to deliver. Unfortunately, Lords of the Fallen was released with major bugs and performance problems. This, coupled with Lies of P's smooth and seamless launch, made it a real bad look for Lords of the Fallen. π¬
The boss designs, while cool looking, were also very... easy? Far be it from me to complain about a game's difficulty, but it's all over the place here. Trash mobs are everywhere and are annoying, presenting a level of difficulty more kin to tedium than anything else. And boss battles are far easier than their set pieces would make you believe.
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π· LEGACY πΆ
All in all, while this last section was mostly me complaining, Lords of the Fallen is a good game. Full stop, no caviats. However, when we are evaluating a product, we have to be honest with its entirety.
How will it be remembered? I think fondly, honestly. Right now, it's not in a good place. It has a 'mixed' rating on Steam. But the quality of the game is so unquestionable, that I think in time it will cover the lost ground it had on release.
Was it the success Hexworks wanted? Nope. Was the hype paid off? Ehhhh, kinda... but no. Souls-like's are tough. evident by how only Lies of P has made it out to be an unquestionably good game. Lords of the Fallen had a big budget and big ambitions that unfortunately fell short.
Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) πππ
πΌοΈ Image Sources: 01, 02, 03, 04 πΌοΈ
Shout-out to the πPIZZAπ gang, π€ gang. π€
I'm honestly in two minds about continuing this streak of Soulsborne and Souls-like games. It's been almost two months since I started, and I'm getting tired of talking about these games. π MIght do the Surge 2 next, but am not sure what I'm saying. If I do the Surge, it will be the last of these for sure. But right now I am really not certain where to go next. I'm sure I'll think of something. π
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I hope you are having an amazing week! π
Return from Lords of the Fallen π½ Through the Lens to ΠΠΎΡΠΊΠΎ's Web3 Blog
