Lords of the Fallen Released, Reviews
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Now that the game is out in North America (and apparently later today in Europe), the first batch of reviews for Lords of the Fallen has popped out. Most of the reviews are arguably positive but far from enthused, with scores hovering around 7.5.
IGN, 7.4/10.
Lords of the Fallen delivers entertaining hack-and-slash combat centered on combos and spells, but its risk-based reward system seems slightly out of place in a world where its hero so easily achieves great power and defense and makes risk obsolete. It achieves its goal of creating a more accessible Dark Souls-style experience, but unfortunately it goes a step or two too far.
Polygon, 7.5/10.
It largely succeeds in both imitation and with its strong variations on the formula. Lords of the Fallen is derivative; there's no doubt about that. But it's also a surprising show of skill and hopefully a sign of much brighter things to come.
IncGamers, 7/10.
With so many familiar mechanics, Lords of the Fallen's comparisons with Dark Souls are inevitable. It comes across as a courageous, non-cynical effort to transplant that combat system and some of the level structure into a game that's a bit less challenging and much more straightforward in its narrative presentation. In doing so, Lords loses some of the mystique that gives the Souls games such lasting appeal, but can instead claim to be more accessible. The title embraces its influences too closely to ever escape claims of being derivative, but with such a heartfelt homage it's difficult to hold that too strongly against it.
MoviePilot, 7.8/10.
For a player who adores everything that Dark Souls has on offer, this game feels wrong in many respects. Though I admire the studios' forward referencing of their inspirations for the game. It was only a matter of time before someone adopted the Dark Souls formula into an easier and more widely appealing game. For me though, some aspects seemed a little too close or a little too far.
That being said, I had a lot of fun in Lords of the Fallen, there was a good challenge to be had and the combat was intensely satisfying at many moments. Additionally, the game looks wonderful on NextGen. Many locations simply shone on the PS4 and I can't emphasise that enough.
GameTrailers, 7.3/10.
In the end, the more straightforward design of Lords of the Fallen puts more focus on combat than building an interesting world. Players may be less likely to get lost, but the game lacks a sense of wonder and isn't helped by its dull narrative and recycled enemies. Still, the solid mechanics are a step in the right direction. Anyone looking for a diversion until Bloodborne may want to give it a try.
GameSpot, 8/10.
Superficially, you could call Lords of the Fallen a Souls game for the meek and the uninitiated. But it earns more respect than such a flippant description. Lords of the Fallen isn't about the game that it isn't, but the game that it is. It's about the ghoulish blacksmith, his glowing eyes, and the long tufts of stiff hair that rise from his scalp. It's about the crunches of iron against bone when your hammer finds its mark. It's about taking in new sights and sounds, and about finding new ways to travel to old ones. It's about that suspended bridge, the monuments that guard it, and the creatures waiting within. Harkyn may have no use for these places, but there are riches inside nonetheless.
ReadersGambit, 7/10.
Overall Lords of the Fallen was great fun and challenging enough to keep you entertained. There is a great deal of potential nestled between the frozen screens and the fidgety camera. With a few changes and bug fixes it could have easily been one of the stars of this year. In fact even with it's issues I really do hope to see more from the studios. There is so much they have tried to do different and more importantly done well. I love their take on the reward system and how different the classes can feel and the pace is fantastic. I always found the souls series unforgiving to a point of frustration and at times slow, Lords of the Fallen rectifies this spectacularly. It was just a shame I had to wait until New Game + to fully appreciate the game.
MMGN, 7.0/10.
If you're thinking about giving Lords of the Fallen a try, there's two things you have to ask yourself: do I want to play a Dark Souls inspired game on my current-gen console, and do I want to play a game that's like Dark Souls, but easier? If you answered yes to either, or both, then you'll enjoy what's on offer here. Despite cheap deaths and a lack of technical polish for a PS4 and Xbox One game, Lords of the Fallen is an enjoyable romp, and a decent offering by a relatively unknown studio.
Twinfinite, 3/5.
Lords of the Fallen is a strange beast of a game. There are moments of unequaled bliss and joy throughout the game. It's a shame that these moments are so readily hidden behind towering walls of monotony and infuriating area design. In all of my time with the game I felt there was something missing which Lords of the Fallen was just waiting to give and make the whole experience worth it. Having finished my first play through and being a fair way through my second, I'm still waiting.
I worry that I'll be waiting forever.
GameInformer, 8.5/10.
Lords of the Fallen is a surprisingly solid title that wasn't even on my radar. While it borrows heavily from the Souls franchise, it's done well and with its own signature flair. I highly recommend this game to anyone that enjoys that series, and if you haven't gone down that road before, it might be a more forgiving entry point into the action RPG.
Eurogamer, 7/10.
I just wish it wasn't so happy to sit in another game's shadow, and made more of the few fresh mechanisms that might distinguish it and move the genre forwards. Instead, it hews so closely to a proven template that it's basically a pretty good action-adventure by default. Yet as the game clock ticked towards 20 hours and beyond, I could never quite shake the feeling that I'd still rather be failing in Dark Souls than succeeding in Lords of the Fallen.
