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. Stealthgear
    Oct 19, 2010
    6
    Gameplay-wise this is nothing more than another 3d hack and slasher. The graphics are mind blowing, but it doesn't feel like a Castlevania game to me. This is just another run of the mill 3d action game at the end of the day.
  2. EBGeer
    Oct 11, 2010
    6
    First off, I will say I like a lot if this game--but there are portions of this castlevania where the frustration of knowing what you need to do and the actions of the character not doing them that will make you want to throw your remote straight through your TV. The visuals are incredible, the puzzles are interesting though sometimes you are left with little to no direction on how toFirst off, I will say I like a lot if this game--but there are portions of this castlevania where the frustration of knowing what you need to do and the actions of the character not doing them that will make you want to throw your remote straight through your TV. The visuals are incredible, the puzzles are interesting though sometimes you are left with little to no direction on how to even get started, the platforming and camera work are well done..but its the gameplay that I am really mixed feeling about--some of the actions in the game are almost impossible to pull off when you want to---particular example--you need to kill this robot scorpion and the only way to kill is it to wait until it gets under this electrical charge station---then use "landslide punch" which means you jump and use a power punch to come down and hit a particular switch---but the thing that is most frustrating about this is that Gabriel auto targets the scorpion so even it if you are aimed at the switch on the floor while standing then in mid air--as soon as you start your punch...he changes directions to aim at the scorpion---so it makes this not so difficult action into a big old headache---but there are various things like this that just make the game so frustrating to make you not even want to continue playing---at least for a time---overall its a good game---but it has to be one of the most frustrating games I've played in the last few years because of this disconnect between what you want your character to do and what actually occurs on screen---… Expand
  3. GavLar
    Aug 7, 2011
    6
    I will begin by saying that this is the first time I have played a Castlevania game. I have on the other hand played games such as Shadow of the Colossus, GOW (trilogy) and other action adventure games such as UC1 + 2 and Assassins Creed. Based on the reviews and comments of other users I expected a good game. Unfortunately, 3 days after purchasing I have traded it in for inFamous 2. II will begin by saying that this is the first time I have played a Castlevania game. I have on the other hand played games such as Shadow of the Colossus, GOW (trilogy) and other action adventure games such as UC1 + 2 and Assassins Creed. Based on the reviews and comments of other users I expected a good game. Unfortunately, 3 days after purchasing I have traded it in for inFamous 2. I actually struggle to come up with many positives for this game since it borrows many gaming concepts from other games, but fails to excel or improve any of the elements. The only compliment I can give this game is the art direction and fairly pretty graphics (but these are only possible due to the linear approach of the game). The combat was pretty decent, but nothing to write home about. I did enjoy the use of light and dark magic within combat and how you could absorb souls (similar to Onimusha). Now the negatives, the character navigation within the environment is poorly executed compared with other games. It is not very intuitive making for a very stressful experience which is further heightened by some very poor camera angles. Not being able to adjust the camera in this game really comprises the experience! Especially in combat and traversal, since sometimes it is not clear as to where you have to go when navigating. The character movements make it more aggravating thanks to Gabriel enjoying the fact he can kill himself. When using his chain for instance to descend a wall, when you hold down (not knowing what the max. length is you can descend) he will just drop off into a pit. GOW which has fixed cameras as well never suffered from this problem but Castlevania is an agony to play. It is silly little gameplay mechanics like these which just destroy the enjoyment of this game. A game such as this is meant to be fluid. The biggest issue for me other then the camera and environment traversal is just how un-unique the game is. It just is average at everything, making for a very stale experience. Even the story didn't hook me in, or make me want to stick with it. Considering Kojima productions were involved as well actually makes it even more sad that the game did not live to my expectations since I am a huge MGS fan. The main point I want to get across is that the game feels pre-historic compared to its counterparts and never really stands out from the crowd (due to the reasons stated).… Expand
  4. BubbaHito
    Oct 24, 2010
    6
    Pretty awful. C:LOS looks incredible but a game should never be super frustrating and boil down to memorizing a pattern. I'm on Chapter II: Part V and already the game is too long. It's a linear game but figuring out what needs to be done to progress is for some reason tedious and cryptic.

    Honestly, straight up - what was the point of Kojima Production's involvement in the making of    Pretty awful. C:LOS looks incredible but a game should never be super frustrating and boil down to memorizing a pattern. I'm on Chapter II: Part V and already the game is too long. It's a linear game but figuring out what needs to be done to progress is for some reason tedious and cryptic.

    Honestly, straight up - what was the point of Kojima Production's involvement in the making of this title? They're only known for Metal Gear, not sure how a developer that makes movies that kinda play like games can help make Castlevania.    … Expand
  5. cimerians
    Oct 6, 2010
    7
    I think its fair. Its more of a Dante's Inferno game. It's like they copied everything from that game and some from God of War. If you played those then this is the SAME EXACT type of game. I also dont think its anywhere near the calibur of GOW III but its very close to Dante's Inferno. I think IGN gave it the perfect review, I would give it around a 7.5 only because its Castlevania. If itI think its fair. Its more of a Dante's Inferno game. It's like they copied everything from that game and some from God of War. If you played those then this is the SAME EXACT type of game. I also dont think its anywhere near the calibur of GOW III but its very close to Dante's Inferno. I think IGN gave it the perfect review, I would give it around a 7.5 only because its Castlevania. If it was anything else I wouldnt have bothered playing it.

    It's totally not worth 60 bucks unless you have never played God of War III. In which case I highly recommend getting that instead. I also kind of prefer Dante's Inferno because its just more disturbing than this stuff. :P    … Expand
  6. Mojo1977
    Oct 27, 2010
    7
    Overall, it's a good game. The graphics are beautiful. The story is dark. What I disliked about it is the God-of-war-ness of it all. I never really like the gameplay of those either. Two-button masher with some magic and timed button boss battles. I too have played the old NES games. It's God-of-war with a different skin.
    I expected more of a Metal Gear play to it since they promoted    Overall, it's a good game. The graphics are beautiful. The story is dark. What I disliked about it is the God-of-war-ness of it all. I never really like the gameplay of those either. Two-button masher with some magic and timed button boss battles. I too have played the old NES games. It's God-of-war with a different skin.
    I expected more of a Metal Gear play to it since they promoted Hideo Kojima with it. So, basically I was just disappointed. All in all, good game. Just not my type    … Expand
  7. tsakiym
    May 14, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it............................… Expand
  8. aspentitan
    Oct 3, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. To be honest i don't really understand why people rate this game so high. I did read one reviewer who stated the first part of the game is unengaging and that is definately my opinion. So much so that i gave up only at the end of chapter one. Relative to two other hack and slash games i played, heavenly sword and dantes inferno i find much lacking in castlevania. There is no engaging music, the upgrade book is in my opinion more messy and disjointed and the story has at best peeked my interest. However the thing is im not impressed so far and not sure if i want to make the effort to try to get into this game. It has not captured me. I especially think the quick time events are extremely frustrating not knowing immediately what to do, therefore dying and having to repeat sections over and over. I will agree the combat in this game has higher portential and more complex however that also comes with much frustation by way of this game not delineating gameplay mechanics as well as it could. It would take a lot more investment as a gamer and im not certain i want to invest in semi poor mechanics when i could play hack and slash more conveniently in another game. I really liked the open world exploration within the linear pathways at least there was some hunting for treasure ect and that appealed highly. Overall id say this game is probably decent but it did not do enough to engage me to play it. From my perspective im willing to enjoy this game only as a hack and slash. If i wanted better combat well then that is dark souls. If I wanted exploration well that is some other rpg ect so for this game to appeal to me it had to do more things. The ambiance and the setting just seemed empty and the construction of the interface (book) to upgrade skills ect just seemed messy. The first boss is a real turn off as well. Even if you make all the right moves he will throw you off intentionally make you lose health to make the game more difficult. I think this is cheap in a game. If you didn't make a mistake you don't deserve punishment. I might keep the game because there are a lot of good reviews and i may eventually play this, but from my perspective so far I have the prejudice that this game is trying to be the first "Devil May Cry" not Castlevania, and it hasn't copied that game as well. As far as Patrick Stewart voicing well he really seems dull and lame. I'm quite familiar with him, who isn't, and he just sounds like he's also going through the motions.… Expand
  9. gmans_uncle
    Mar 30, 2011
    7
    Well, it seems with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, the series has dipped its feet in the business of... ripping off God of War! Well, I suppose thatâ
  10. Mattiator69
    Aug 10, 2011
    7
    It was fun and kept my attention. I was a big Castlevania IV fan so this apporach is a bit different. The game was somewhat like god of war in gameplay which is not a bad thing. The story was decent enough, excpet they did not really go into depth on certain characters, and killed characters off in the story too quickly sometimes. The camera was a pain sometimes. I like the challenges onceIt was fun and kept my attention. I was a big Castlevania IV fan so this apporach is a bit different. The game was somewhat like god of war in gameplay which is not a bad thing. The story was decent enough, excpet they did not really go into depth on certain characters, and killed characters off in the story too quickly sometimes. The camera was a pain sometimes. I like the challenges once the level was complete.… Expand
  11. wesker2012
    May 27, 2012
    7
    This game was okay, would have been awesome if it was open world and could rotate the camera, I love dracula though, so I enjoyed it.
  12. chrisjones914
    Apr 9, 2014
    7
    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is an absolutely beautiful game! However, it becomes very easy to overlook that beauty when the rest of the game is characterized by monotonous tedium! The gameplay that feels fresh in the beginning quickly loses its luster with a story that doesn't go anywhere very fast! I feel like the developers wanted to prolong the length of this game by adding numerousCastlevania: Lords of Shadow is an absolutely beautiful game! However, it becomes very easy to overlook that beauty when the rest of the game is characterized by monotonous tedium! The gameplay that feels fresh in the beginning quickly loses its luster with a story that doesn't go anywhere very fast! I feel like the developers wanted to prolong the length of this game by adding numerous fetch quests! Which is a shame because the games ending is fantastic and underneath all of these complaints lies parts of a game that could have been something special! Still the beautiful environments and the games shocking conclusion make me eager to see what is next for the series!… Expand
  13. Vandenreich
    Feb 25, 2014
    7
    After clearing the game i've came up with a list of things I like and dislike.

    Pros: Graphics (While not the absolute best the game looks splendid) Combat (The combat itself is really good and fluid) Sound (While not like classic Castlevania games the sound is breathtaking) Cons: Story (the story itself is pretty generic with uninteresting characters) Stealth (The stealth    After clearing the game i've came up with a list of things I like and dislike.

    Pros:

    Graphics (While not the absolute best the game looks splendid)
    Combat (The combat itself is really good and fluid)
    Sound (While not like classic Castlevania games the sound is breathtaking)

    Cons:

    Story (the story itself is pretty generic with uninteresting characters)
    Stealth (The stealth parts this game has are pretty bland to say the least and take away from the combat sections of the game)
    Setting (Dracula looks really misplaced in the modern parts of the game and they could have easily done this game/story while still staying in the classic Castlevania setting)
    Platforming (The platforming itself is really linear and the game always tell you in what direction you need to go.

    Overall it comes down to the question: "Did I enjoy this game?"

    Yes I did but there are parts (stealth parts mostly) where the game suddenly takes away the fast paced action only to place you in a slow moving stealth part that really takes away from the game and lemme tell you that none of the stealth parts in this game were enjoyable. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get it/play it since the rest of the game is well done.

    While I do feel that most of my cons are bad choices on the design part I still have to give the game an 7/10 for its excellent combat, well done graphics and scenic music. If only they took a step forward from LOS 1 this game could have gotten a solid 8.5/9 out of 10 but sadly they didn't.    … Expand
  14. Courageismight
    Nov 22, 2014
    7
    This game should be a better game given what money they make you pay for it and the fact that it has an M rating I mean if a game has that rating for me to buy it it has to be FANTASTIC or I DON'T HAVE A CHANCE of getting it because my sister won't let me play M games except for Skyrim because you can mod it.
    Even if this game was DEEP and FANTASTIC like Twilight Princess I probably STILL    This game should be a better game given what money they make you pay for it and the fact that it has an M rating I mean if a game has that rating for me to buy it it has to be FANTASTIC or I DON'T HAVE A CHANCE of getting it because my sister won't let me play M games except for Skyrim because you can mod it.
    Even if this game was DEEP and FANTASTIC like Twilight Princess I probably STILL could not get ahold of it because of its rating.
    The negative reviews do have points about the lack of fantastic music and complexity.
    I expected more of this game due to its rating and its price its not good enough to overcome its M rating so I'm not buying it    … Expand
  15. Dionysus777
    Feb 5, 2015
    7
    Castlevania los king of the save glitch. It has to be king. What game do you know of that crashes and corrupts your save on the final boss. It must be the work of satan! Decent game though make sure u can patch it.Dont get me wrong its no s.o.n. And once you get satan off ur back theres not much left to do.
  16. PuzzledPanther
    Nov 21, 2017
    5
    Game gets a 5, and that's being generous. Decent graphics, questionable controls and camera angles and just plain stupid boss levels. The bosses are fairly straight forward but the fact that you constantly have messages telling you what button to hit takes you out of the game.

    This is what happens when a game producer like Konami gives one of their best franchises to some crap Spanish    Game gets a 5, and that's being generous. Decent graphics, questionable controls and camera angles and just plain stupid boss levels. The bosses are fairly straight forward but the fact that you constantly have messages telling you what button to hit takes you out of the game.

    This is what happens when a game producer like Konami gives one of their best franchises to some crap Spanish developer.

    I don't even care if it's a "God of War" clone or any of that nonsense. Just make a game that's enticing and not some generic 2010s era flash in the pan 3d action game.    … Expand
  17. Ryuail
    Feb 1, 2020
    5
    One of two PS3 games that made me sea-sick while sitting on my couch. A wobbly camera even when action isn't occurring made the game unplayable for me.
    Never got to finish it because my PS3 was stolen, but I was far enough to know that I wasn't having a good time.
  18. Max_Spidey
    Oct 8, 2018
    7
    [PT-BR] Lords of Shadow é aquele jogo que ou você ama ou você odeia,por mais que não tenha agradado certos fãs,é inegável que o jogo tem uma história MUITO FODA com várias reviravoltas.
    O gameplay poderia ter sido um pouco mais original,pois acabou virando uma mistura de God of War e Shadow of the Colossus,isso quer dizer que é ruim?Não,mas como dito,poderia ser um pouco mais original,o    [PT-BR] Lords of Shadow é aquele jogo que ou você ama ou você odeia,por mais que não tenha agradado certos fãs,é inegável que o jogo tem uma história MUITO FODA com várias reviravoltas.
    O gameplay poderia ter sido um pouco mais original,pois acabou virando uma mistura de God of War e Shadow of the Colossus,isso quer dizer que é ruim?Não,mas como dito,poderia ser um pouco mais original,o jogo tem chefes incríveis,cenários incríveis,um bom sistema de combos,vários upgrades de combos,coletáveis,enfim,o jogo é muito bom.    … Expand
  19. Dravenpool
    Sep 6, 2020
    6
    The game goes well until the last DLC battle. That boss is horrible, with bad programmed hit boxes and inexistent patterns.
  20. elolugo
    Dec 27, 2021
    6
    Great lloking game but it's kind of boring. Just grab it if you don't have anything else to play

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

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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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