Let's Talk... Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PC)

It’s been 3 years since it was initially released on consoles but the PC version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is finally here. Why it took 3 whole years is an utter mystery, especially when you realize that the actual port isn't of particularly high quality; the game doesn't look all that much better than it did on console and some of the QTE prompts were clearly designed for a controller’s thumbstick. However, with Lords of Shadow 2 just around the corner here’s your chance to pick this title up on PC and the game still is just as great as it was console, even if there are a few frustrating issues.

Vast and glorious landscapes are cut short by invisible walls and out of reach platforms

The story of Lords of Shadow is one big fantasy cliché that fails to create its own identity because of its sheer lack of originality. You are Gabriel Belmont (wonderfully voiced by Robert Carlyle) a ridiculously tall werewolf slaying badass who must defeat the “Lords of Shadow” to avenge and save his deceased wife. Occasional twists keep the otherwise dull story interesting throughout most of its 20 hour duration but it can get a little tiresome. The PC version is the Ultimate Edition, which features two story expanding DLC pieces Reverie and 

Resurrection to add even more playtime to this enormous game. None other than Patrick Stewart himself is the narrator of the story in between levels and although his classic charm shines through here, there’s just something about his performance that doesn't feel right in this clichéd fantasy setting. Its not that his performance is especially bad it’s more that the game’s cringe-worthy script really brings down the overall quality of his appearance. Also I personally don't think he fits a fantasy setting. The story of Lords of Shadow is definitely not its strongest point, so think again if you came for that.

The highlight of the show is easily the game’s hack ‘n’ slash combat. What starts out as a generic 3^rd person action that simply has you randomly spamming attacks until they go down becomes much more focused when you begin unlocking new combos that chain ground and air attacks together with devastating results. Magic in Lords of Shadow is turned on and off and comes in two forms: one that gives you a life stealing effect and the other that increases your overall damage. When you are introduced to the game’s “magic” it seems at first to be nothing more than a way to overcome puzzles and environmental obstacles. However, it quickly begins to play into boss fights when you can block, counter and unleash hell with what is essentially “magic mode”. Many people have rightfully pointed out that when chains begin to feature in combat it quickly dissolves into a very God of War–like ordeal. Although it’s a fair comparison between the two hack ‘n’ slash giants, I feel as though Castlevania does it in its own unique way (not necessarily better) that separates it from God of War enough to prevent it from just being a big rip off. Combat isn’t the only area where similarities are plentiful between the two games: environments, platforming, puzzles, themes. You name it, but they’re still both great games regardless of how similar they may be to one another.

Combat is fun, fluid and easily the best area of the game

Boss fights are frequent and most of them are pretty memorable. There are two types of boss fights: Titans, towering 200ft monsters that Gabriel must mount and destroy the glowing runes to bring it down (just like in Shadow of the Colossus) and others that have you fighting incredibly tough monsters (usually the Lords of Shadow, but sometimes disgustingly huge spiders). Much like the combat these boss encounters are lot of fun and provide a decent challenge and the story gives enough context to explain why you must tackle these enormous foes. One major problem I had with the second Titan boss is actually more a problem with the quality of the PC port. A quick time event commands you to make a circle with the movement keys (WASD, naturally) in a way that was clearly designed for a controller and not for a keyboard. I still don’t know how you’re supposed to do that with a keyboard as I had to kill that boss with a controller. I don’t mind ports where using a controller is preferable but it’s extremely frustrating when you’re required to use one simply because the port sucks.

Broken platforming and some interesting puzzles act as an underwhelming filler between combat and boss fights, but unfortunately these sections fall short of the combat’s high quality and appear far too frequently. With so much platforming in Lords of Shadow (platforming is pretty much the only way to get from A to B in this game) you’d have thought that they would get it right, but inconsistent camera angles and sloppy indication of where to go next make platforming a real chore and completely unenjoyable. As for the puzzles, most of relatively simple and require you to find certain objects and solve some basic puzzles using mirrors or timed platforms. None of the adventure elements on LoS are particularly original but then again not much of this 3D Castlevania reboot is. In the end, some nice ideas fail to execute properly and are just an obstacle that prevent you from getting to the much more enjoyable combat. LoS gives the illusion of being a huge world open to exploration but an array of invisible walls and platforms that you can’t quite reach do a good job of keeping you enclosed to tight and sadly limiting paths. Straying off the correct path will reward you with health or mana upgrades, but that’s as far as exploration goes unfortunately.

Boss encounters are challenging and fun, even if they are taken from Shadow of the Colossus

Just as it was on consoles 3 years ago the game looks great with plenty of vast panoramic shots to remind you. My only problem is that the game hardly looks any better than it did on consoles which is a shame considering that the game is now 3 years old and now on PC, the world still looks great but I feel they could have done more. The soundtrack is as booming and epic a score as you could possibly hope for but its effect soon grows tiresome when you realise that there’s a small selection of tracks. Aside from the aforementioned issues with QTE prompts the controls are generally okay, but only after you map them to the mouse and take them off IJKL (why? Just why?). The controls mostly feel pretty tight with the exception of the use action feeling a little stiff and unresponsive at times.

At the end of the day Castlevania has finally had its much needed 3D reboot, but the sheer unoriginality of ideas taken straight out of titles such as God of War and Shadow of the Colossus prevent the reboot it from having any sort of identity to call its own.

Strengths:

        -Combat is fun and fluid

        -Memorable and challenging boss encounters

        -Beautiful and varied environments
        -Epic score, even if it is repeated heavily
        -Combos and magic add extra depth to combat
        -Robert Carlyle puts in a great performance as Gabriel, even if the script isn't so good 

Weaknesses:
       -Puzzle segments and broken platforming fail to give a fun filler between combat
       -Story is pretty weak, filled with fantasy cliches
       -Poorly communicated QTE commands are frustrating to do without a controller
       -Boss encounters are fun, but the Titan fights are clearly ripped from Shadow of the
       Colossus