Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

Quite simply, this is the most fun we’ve had killing monsters since carving up freaks with God of War III’s Blade of Exile.

I enjoyed Lords of Shadow 2 far, far more than I ever expected to, and have no hesitation recommending it to anyone looking for dynamic third-person action, environmental exploration, or an intriguing new spin on the Castlevania mythos.

The modern setting is a bit awkward and some design choices made by MercurySteam can be frustrating, but Lords of Shadow 2 is a true and great Castlevania game in its own right.

Without changing anything, Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 offers an action packed game based on your ability to inflict a maximum of damage to your enemies. In spite of a very old graphics engine, the game offers a decent life with about 15 hours of play. With dynamic gameplay, the ip follows the likes of Devil May Cry and God of War for the fan's enjoyment. The only true drawback is a very poor script that loses the player in its turns before the grand finale where a very expected twist happens, destroying all hopes of a good story.

Playing as Dracula could have been handled so many different ways, and while I don't agree with everything that MercurySteam did with Lords of Shadow 2, the positive aspects overwhelm the negative. This is a worthy and fitting end to a fine trilogy.

Diverse, connected environments, creepy characters, and fantastic boss designs speak to a journey that resonates stronger than the plot itself.

A hefty slurp of bloodied bombast, tainted by a sorely misguided attempt to please everyone. [Apr 2014, p.71]

Frequent stealth sections stink up an otherwise outstanding sequel. Combat is so good, though, that if you can endure the sneaking, it’s still a bloody good action game.

This part closes the Lords of Shadow saga pretty nicely. The gameplay and graphics are about the same as the original. Despite the modern setting the game pulls you into the story quite quickly.

A longer and often interesting, though overall less memorable sequel to its remarkable predecessor.

Unevenly brilliant and infuriating, CLOS2 combines incredible, tight combat and some spectacular visual treats with ropey stealth and a clunky narrative. Thankfully, the good outweighs the bad.

MercurySteam has taken out most of the problem sections inside the original Lords of Shadow’s design document, specifically the loose patch work of several different action genre ideas, and has given Lords of Shadow 2 a much tighter focus.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 takes the familiar plot and characters that players first met nearly four years ago and rewards them by tying it all together into a respectful and conclusive payoff.