Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 602 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 463 out of 602
  2. Mixed: 83 out of 602
  3. Negative: 56 out of 602
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  1. D-Traveler
    Mar 5, 2013
    2
    One word for this game: BORING, the same scenarios, the same weapon, the same monsters over and over, the same combos all is the same through all the game, I played and played and reached Chapter 7 expecting something different but it was wasted time I think this Lords of Shadow Saga is going down
  2. BaronVonTang
    Aug 22, 2014
    2
    I wasn't excited when this game was announced; no Igarashi and none of that beautiful promo art by Ayami Kojima. On top of that the only other game Mercury made before this was the abysmal Jericho; and the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, it's another **** ing reboot! I still played the game on release with an open mind...after all, it is Castlevania; but, sadly, my initial doubtsI wasn't excited when this game was announced; no Igarashi and none of that beautiful promo art by Ayami Kojima. On top of that the only other game Mercury made before this was the abysmal Jericho; and the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, it's another **** ing reboot! I still played the game on release with an open mind...after all, it is Castlevania; but, sadly, my initial doubts about the title were confirmed.

    The most common complaint I hear about this game is that it's a God of War clone. This is frustrating as it is the least legitimate complaint. Yes, the combat is similar, but the combat in GoW is also very similar to Rygar and Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, both of which came out long before GoW. So I think a more apt. comparison for combat would be to Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, which makes sense.

    So, if the 'rip-off' label is irrelevant then what are the real pitfalls? Well, why don't we start with the combat. The actual combat system is an interesting idea; two magic gauges, light and dark, one does more damage to enemies, one refills your health and filling the combo meter drops orbs that refill magic.The interesting thing about this is that you don't get any health restoring drops or items, so when you're in the heat of battle and your health and light magic's empty you'll have to fill up your combo meter to survive.It's a system that could really put alot of pressure on the player; however, where it falls short is the games difficulty. Rarely are the battles so hard that your health and light magic will be drained. Another issue I had: many of the bosses are multi-part battles; and between each part there's a cut scene or quick time event (so sick of these things) and these serve to transition you to the next phase. So, on the few bosses that were actually difficult enough to drain my health and light magic I would bet one of their forms and then all the orbs they'd drop would vanish before I could collect them between when the cutscene or quicktime event kicked in and the next form started. Actually, the game is filled with tiny little unnecessary cut scenes during combat. For example: there's these skeleton enemies and after you kill them you have to destroy their remains or they reform; the thing is that every time they die the game stops and the camera zooms in on the remains to show them twitching about (hint, hint); this is extremely annoying when you're fighting swarms of these things, because it does it for every single one. That's just one example, but there's tons of things like that in this game; it really slows down the pace of combat.

    On the plus side; there are a lot of moves and upgrades available, but, like I said, the game's so easy you'll never really need em'. I wish there had been more secondary weapons available too; you only get four, and two of them are summons; I also don't know why there's only two summons; I've never heard of a game that had summons, but only two of them, you can't level them up either; it's weird, like they had an idea to put summons in the game but gave up a fourth of the way through.

    There's some puzzle and platforming to this game as well, and I would like to commend the designers for including so many dungeon puzzles, because I miss those things. They're not, particularly, complex, but they add some variety. Also, a lot of the puzzle sequences require you to ride some kind of creature to solve them, and that was cool. It's unfortunate that these are only used for solving puzzles and you don't get to stay on them for very long or use them in battle. The platforming, on the other hand, is abyssmal. It feels like they took a game that was primarily meant to be a combat intensive action game and forced a bunch of platforming in it without really thinking it through. Gabriel always does the same tiny leap, and there's no way to control how high, short, or long it is, the only way to do a long jump is to double tap forward, which makes him run, then jump; this gets very irritating when trying to do it on narrow platforms. Couple this with a terrible fixed camera and it's ridiculous; sometimes the camera will automatically change right before you make a jump, or even mid jump; and this happens a lot. Sometimes you'll have to do a long jump or a charged dash in a specific direction but the camera's pulled back so far that you can't even see what direction the characters facing. This isn't the N64, this game came out in 2011, the camera shouldn't be the biggest enemy in the game anymore!

    I know this review is nitpicking a bit; but I've come to expect a lot from this franchise and this game just doesn't live up to it's predecessors. I wouldn't say it's a bad game, especially for a studios second game, but would I recommend this game? Not really. Castlevania fans will find it disappointing, and new comers to the series would be better off playing any other game in the franchise

    Lastly, where's all that iconic music?    … Expand
  3. rickrude
    Dec 29, 2010
    0
    Anyone who says this is Castlevania has clearly never played any other Castlevania games. Yes, it's a "reboot" (which is a huge cop-out in itself) but that aside: 1. Soundtrack - Castlevania songs are famously upbeat and orginal, blending rock/pop with gothic feel. This game goes for bland symphony which is indistinguishable from any other average medieval themed game. 2. Atmosphere -Anyone who says this is Castlevania has clearly never played any other Castlevania games. Yes, it's a "reboot" (which is a huge cop-out in itself) but that aside: 1. Soundtrack - Castlevania songs are famously upbeat and orginal, blending rock/pop with gothic feel. This game goes for bland symphony which is indistinguishable from any other average medieval themed game. 2. Atmosphere - Aside from the Vampire level which was quite well done (duh) the feel was more like Darksiders than CV. A great example of lack of atmosphere is how they reference God and Satan, ok so they are embracing the christian mythos like previous CV games, but there is a total lack of crosses and christian imagery - instead is "Agharta" a weird city with a blend of Mayan/Egyptian/European feel that supposedly existed before Europe. Another example is "the Brotherhood of Light"? C'mon what a generic vague and lame concept. Also the guy helping you is "Pan" - why not an angel? Also where is this all happening? It supposed to be "southern europe" if you believe the reviews but the map is a big island - definetly not Romania/Transylvania. Again all these countless little things add up to a generic fantasy game - maybe even you like it - but it's not CV. 3. The Gameplay - Everyone already pointed out the rip from other games but how about the fact it's too easy? Platforms are obvious one ways, dying restarts you where you fell, the advanced moves are varied but completely unnecessary to win in combat, the puzzles are simple and obvious (in fact you can cheat at the expense of exp. points used to buy the worthless advanced moves.)
    4. The Ending - I won't spoil it but it makes zero sense. A total letdown.
    Conclusion: I have to assume this is all happening because Konami and their Metal Gear crew are full of ego - more obsessed with creating superfically epic games than tightly wound stories with deep gameplay that fits into the pre-existing universe that fans have come to love and want to revisit.    … Expand
  4. b2345
    Dec 31, 2013
    0
    Where is the heart pounding music?
    Where is the tricky platforming?
    Where is anything that resembles Castlevania? Honestly, play Rondo of Blood and then tell me you are satisfied with this new game. This is typical western developed garbage. I can't believe this has happened to one of my favorite series. (The other 3d Castlevania games weren't great but at least they had a    Where is the heart pounding music?
    Where is the tricky platforming?
    Where is anything that resembles Castlevania?

    Honestly, play Rondo of Blood and then tell me you are satisfied with this new game.

    This is typical western developed garbage.

    I can't believe this has happened to one of my favorite series.

    (The other 3d Castlevania games weren't great but at least they had a Castlevania feel to them, and the music from Curse of Darkness was awesome)    … Expand
  5. SOuLShADoW
    Nov 7, 2010
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I had to give this game a four because of the action element, that i enjoy in all action games. However this game is a waste of money please DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. If you insist on playing this atrocity get it through gamefly and at least you wont waste your money. Youll just waste your 15-20 hours or whatever it is. The plot was awful! At first I was like ok not classic castlevania with the belmonts and the vampires but it never got better. Game was also not definitive on where you needed to go throughout the game. Also what was up with the whole variation of difficutly of bosses the hardest guy was lord of the lykens which was wayy too annoyying and hard(he was kool tho), then pan(which i thought was kool), and then i dont even know. My final comment before the spoilers is I have been completely turned off from this game and plan on never playing a castlevania game ever a again.

    Please dont read this part of the review if didnt play because it contains spoilers.
    The plot twist at the end was awful. Seriously a double plot twist within two minutes of each other the dumbest thing i have ever seen. What here is a plot taste, but wait heres another plot twist. At that point who even really caress?? I just couldnt wait to beat the game and get back to gamestop to where I could trade it in and get it out of my sight. Then the last guy are you kidding me???? First of all, I didn't even know who it was, I was thinking why am i fighting some random naked guy?? Second how are you night fighting draccula or a vampire isn't that the staple of castlevania and why most people play the game in the first place?? Lastly to make gabriel draccula at the end was a horrible attempt to add the vampire element into the story.    … Expand
  6. JamesBeninger
    Feb 18, 2011
    4
    I signed up for a Metacritic account just to pan this game. I've been playing for three hours, and I'm giving up. The game is *boring*. There's no challenge and little action. I'm racing through the levels just trying to find something of interest, and even that's tough because every path looks the same. The entire time I was playing I couldn't help but wish I were playing God of WarI signed up for a Metacritic account just to pan this game. I've been playing for three hours, and I'm giving up. The game is *boring*. There's no challenge and little action. I'm racing through the levels just trying to find something of interest, and even that's tough because every path looks the same. The entire time I was playing I couldn't help but wish I were playing God of War or Heavenly Sword. CV:LoS is the same game, but done poorly.… Expand
  7. FunkyMunky
    Oct 7, 2010
    4
    It's alright. Nothing more than that. I bought it and Enslaved at the same time and would recommend Enslaved over this. There is nothing new or novel here, just another run of the mill fighter.
  8. braindamage
    Dec 24, 2013
    4
    this game sucks played it for 30 seconds and quit playing with turds in a toilet would be more fun what else can I say I wouldnt plait itt for free.
  9. HankisLaw
    Apr 11, 2021
    0
    Really solid third person action adventure game. The story the lore and the combat are all polished to a shine. Environments are always fresh and upgrades are doled out at a good pace. Cant say enough good things about it, it was one of my favs of that generation.
  10. sapphireglaceon
    Mar 27, 2022
    0
    JUST NO THIS GAME SUCKS ITS NOT CASTLEVANIA IN ANYWAY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS JUST BAD it messes up the time line
  11. Broyax
    Jun 23, 2021
    1
    Un hack & slash -ou beat’em all ou peu importe le nom qu’on peut donner à une daube- plutôt joli, il faut le reconnaître, oui vraiment assez joli, même sur la PS3 moui. Très répétitif et limité, il faut le reconnaître également. Et carrémetn très con également. On incarne donc un bellâtre qui fout sur la gueule des loups-garous à la chaîne entre deux cinématiques à dormir debout, cela vaUn hack & slash -ou beat’em all ou peu importe le nom qu’on peut donner à une daube- plutôt joli, il faut le reconnaître, oui vraiment assez joli, même sur la PS3 moui. Très répétitif et limité, il faut le reconnaître également. Et carrémetn très con également. On incarne donc un bellâtre qui fout sur la gueule des loups-garous à la chaîne entre deux cinématiques à dormir debout, cela va de soi (la touche japonaise oblige).

    La caméra est fixe et l’environnement est un long couloir avec des scripts et des QTE (de merde) qui traînent un peu partout. L’ambiance n’est pas si mauvaise d’une certaine façon après quelques lampées de saké mais le ton compassé de l’ensemble (notamment des voix -en anglais) porte sur les nerfs tandis que l’ennui gagne très rapidement du terrain (il est à couper au couteau).

    Quitte à se gaver de QTE et de scripts bidons, autant se taper un Asura’s Wrath parce qu’au moins, là, on rigole franchement comme devant un vieux nanar à la télé. Avec Castlemachin, au bout de 10 mn, on se demande quand ça va se terminer… Bénie soit donc la touche eject de la plaiestation ! même si cette daube prend un temps pas possible pour désinstaller un étron de ce sous-genre !    … Expand
  12. Minating
    Jul 6, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Jogo ruim e repetitivo história fraca, jogabilidade medíocre e descaracterização da essência da série, só mais hack and slash qualquer seguindo os trilhos de God of war… Expand
  13. iplayedvr42long
    Jan 19, 2022
    0
    Negative: Taking the fact that Patrick Stewart is the only reason to play this game. The combat is horribly boring. The story is a bastardization of everything Castlevania is and stand for. Leveling up was replaced with Legend of Zelda style upgrades. Every move feels like it was partially stolen from God of War and other similar titles of the era. Anything interesting is far and fewNegative: Taking the fact that Patrick Stewart is the only reason to play this game. The combat is horribly boring. The story is a bastardization of everything Castlevania is and stand for. Leveling up was replaced with Legend of Zelda style upgrades. Every move feels like it was partially stolen from God of War and other similar titles of the era. Anything interesting is far and few in between. Also have you heard that "You cannot carry any more Daggers?". The Hand holding in this game is absolutely unnecessary to the point where I felt my IQ dropped 10 points by the time I finished the game. (thankfully the second game which was rated much lower for some ungodly reason... fixed this huge annoying issue). The twist ending (Which is not mentioned in my review) was poorly done. Mandatory DLC to get the full story might I also add. (thankfully the steam release has DLC included). If I could give this game a -10 on this website, I would in a heartbeat. This game is a perfect example of why companies need to stick to the source material rather than trying to reboot a series and make something new out of something that was fine to begin with. Companies... if you read these reviews. EXPAND your lore. We, the consumers enjoy it. Don't rewrite something that doesn't need to be rewritten.

    Boring. Uninteresting. Generic. And an insult to Castlevania fans more so than Final Fantasy 7 Remake was an insult to Final Fantasy 7 fans.

    Positive: Graphics are nice.

    Also as a final note. Nothing every game needs to feel like a half ass movie... We have movies for that. Keep your failed film career out of video games and follow your actual dreams. You can clearly tell the entire games budget was spent hiring Patrick Stewart to read 13 different paragraphs per loading screen, and the art for the books. Guys... you don't need to pay top dollar to hire a known actor that's going to kill your budget for game development.

    I spent 3 days playing this game 8 years ago. I haven't gone back to it once. I would not force my worst enemy to play this game. I would not wish this game on anyone even for free.    … Expand
  14. Valkai
    Jun 29, 2022
    0
    Is really boring, I tried very hard but I can't continue. The combat is awful, the story is slow... I don't know. It has aged very bad. I wanted to like this game because I was behind It so many years... I would like It to be a masterpiece but... It wasn't.

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best PS3 Game of 2010
10
#10 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2010
18
#18 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 62
  3. Negative: 0 out of 62
  1. DarkZero
    Apr 28, 2011
    80
    The franchise needed this. It's not remotely original and it occasionally threatens to drown under the weight of its own bluster, but it's also clever, challenging, bewilderingly pretty in places and a ripping good yarn.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Jan 24, 2011
    90
    While the fixed-camera isn't always your friend and the platforming relies too much on trial-and-error death, this is still one hell of a tight package. Give Castlevania: Lords of Shadow a chance to sink its fangs into you and you'll be surprised about how exquisite and long lasting its embrace can be. [December 2010 p74]
  3. Cynamite
    Jan 16, 2011
    85
    Fabulous action game with nice riddles and cool fights, but with lacks in camera perspectives.
    Read full review
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