Cool Whip- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Review

While the Castlevania series has always been rooted in the mythology of Bram Stoker’s late nineteenth century masterpiece- Dracula, a quote from another Victorian-era novel accurately summarizes the franchise’s splintered trajectory. Dicken’s renown antithesis, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” deftly describes the schism forged by dual Castlevanias. The series has offered both a consistently proficient procession of 2D titles which have graced the GBA, DS, and Playstation One, as well as a number of embarrassing forays into the third-dimension which began with the Nintendo 64 iteration of the game.

Recent release Castlevania: Lords of Shadow seeks to rectify any resentment which might have stemmed from the inclusion of the Z-Axis. Abandoning a number of series staples such as map aided exploration, light role-playing augmentations, and even the notorious player-freezing Medusa heads, the game shirks tradition to forge a new path as a adept amalgam of action game elements. From the title’s visceral God of War-inspired combat, Uncharted-esque exploration and even Shadow of the Colossus boss battles against gargantuan-sized foes, Castlevania: LOS often feels like a greatest hits compilation celebrating the most salient elements of the genre. While not all of Lords of Shadow components fuse together flawlessly, the title fares far better that many critics have expected.

The game places players into the well-worn boots of Gabriel Belmont, a dutiful knight serving in the Brotherhood of Light. The order’s mission is to annihilate all traces of the Lords of Shadow– a nefarious faction composed of an assortment of supernatural freaks. Belmont’s commitment to the crusade is motivated by more than a sense of duty- the group is responsible for the death of his beloved wife. Although some of the game’s storyline is conveyed through competent cutscenes, load-screen monologues from Sir Patrick Stewart elevate the title’s narrative above the archetypal retribution tale.
 
Gabriel’s Combat Cross endows the hero with a repertoire of recognizable strikes: a press of the square button whips the weapon’s iron chain forward, while a press of the triangle initiates a crowd-clearing sweep attack. As the protagonist dispatches enemies, he earns experience points, which can be spent to augment the player’s arsenal. Fundamental to a player’s success, is both a mastery of dodging and blocking along with the ability to manage light and dark magic- which can heal players or dish out supplemental pain. Those with accurate reflexes can even counterattack with a well-timed shielding, or initiate a lethal quick time event. Wisely, each of the game’s twelve chapters throw new foes at the player, allowing Lords to stay appealing throughout its eighteen hour duration.

To complement the battling, the title throws a sporadic puzzle or exploration sequence at players. While these offer a reprieve from lacerating opponents, they can also disrupt the  flow of the game, giving Lords of Shadow a Devil May Cry cadence. Wisely, the game prohibits players from reaching a frustrating  stopgap- players are offered solutions to the various puzzles in exchange for experience points. Since XP can picked up by replaying a level, Castlevania doesn’t penalize gamers nor interrupt a session while they search for an online FAQ.

The expedition across decaying temples, imposing cliff sides, and verdant forests is usually well-framed by the game’s AI-controlled camera; only when players experience a change in perspective, does the title ever become unwieldy. Strangely, the title forgoes much of the functionality of the right stick, which could have offered an alternative method to dodge incoming attacks. Lords of Shadows  refresh rate fluctuates wildly- from sub 30 fps section to incredibly fluid moments. Surprisingly, these variation have little effect on combat; Gabriel’s most irksome injuries came from the intermittent awkward jump.

Although Castlevania: Lords of Shadow isn’t the series best reworking (that accomplishment rests with 1997’s Symphony of the Night), the title is a splendid action title which should satisfy fans of Kratos’ or Dante’s exploits. By abandoning the effort to translate the familiar 2D ‘Metroidvania‘ trappings into a third dimension, developers Mercury Steam have created the first essential series entry for console owners in thirteen years. If we have to wait that long for the next home demon-hunting session, evil might just prevail after all.