Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 296 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 218 out of 296
  2. Mixed: 49 out of 296
  3. Negative: 29 out of 296
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. M9ki
    Oct 6, 2013
    7
    This game was not that bad, but It did not capture my attention for very long sadly. When I first played this game I though it was a holy game because of the armour well I was mistaken by the surprise that awaited me. Over 20+ hours.

    Graphics ***
    Gameplay **
    Sound ****
    Lasting appeal **

    This game I would say is good for casual-hardcore gamers.
  2. Xabong
    Jan 21, 2012
    5
    As a long-time fan of the series, I went into this game with tempered expectations. I already knew it was going to be Castlevania in name only, despite the developer promising over and over that this was going to be the most castlevany Castlevania ever. It's God of War plus the wall climbing of games like Uncharted and Assassin's Creed plus a couple bosses ripped off from Shadow of theAs a long-time fan of the series, I went into this game with tempered expectations. I already knew it was going to be Castlevania in name only, despite the developer promising over and over that this was going to be the most castlevany Castlevania ever. It's God of War plus the wall climbing of games like Uncharted and Assassin's Creed plus a couple bosses ripped off from Shadow of the Colossus. This would be fine if the game mixed these elements well, but it doesn't. Basic combat is fairly well done even if it lacks the variety of God of War and is even more focused on QTEs. Most other aspects of the game are pretty mediocre. Handling Gabriel is a chore... mostly because of the fixed camera constantly changing angles forcing you to take a few moments to readjust the controls while Gabriel runs into a wall. Sometimes you'll flip a switch, the camera will cut away from Gabriel for an instant, before coming back to Gabriel standing on the opposite side of the room. Sometimes the camera will change and your view of Gabriel or a ledge you need to get to will be blocked. Even simple things like getting him to face a statue so you can push it are frustratingly different. The puzzles (and there are a lot of them) are among the most poorly explained, obtuse imaginable in a game. Even the game's mechanics are poorly explained to the point that 15 hours into this 20 hour game, you'll still be getting tutorials on what buttons you need to press to get Gabriel to smash through a wall. The battles against the "Titans" look great, but are pretty dull to play and are so heavily scripted that you will watch the bosses do the same animations over and over while you scale it looking for the glowy parts. They totally lack the dynamism of the boss fights in Shadow of the Colossus. The game in general looks absolutely beautiful and makes some of the game's flaws a little more tolerable, but again, some of that beauty is diminished when you realize that the world is fully of annoying invisible walls. There are better ways to keep players on the proper path, but Lords of Shadow does not bother. It makes it really hard to tell what platforms you can jump on and which are just part of the background. Finally, platforming, combat, puzzle solving and cutscenes just seem to be thrown together over the course of the game's length with little regard to pacing each element properly. I realize that pacing a 20 hour game is a daunting task, but maybe that means they should have focused on making a good 8-10 hour game instead of a mediocre one that's twice as long. Lords of Shadow is not terrible. It's beautiful and has some good voice acting (Robert Carlyle and Patrick Stewart are great, even if the latter's monologues between levels start to get really cringe-worthy in the second half of the game) and the combat is fairly satisfying. I think MercurySteam could make a really good Castlevania game their second time around by refining what they've done here while also making the game feel more like a real Castlevania game (how about throwing in some of the old tunes, for example?). As it is, I can't really recommend this to Castlevania nor to God of War fans.… Expand
  3. ashburp
    Oct 8, 2010
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. i guess i'll just say it. the new castlevania is a let down. being a fan of the series since a young age, i have played and beat almost every game in this franchises history. now playing this game i had waited for for so long, i find myself wandering why they even bothered. granted it is beautiful in the graphics department while maintaining extremely fun gameplay/strategy mechanics, but the overall theme, art direction, and story don't really fit in the castlevania universe i have grown to love. lets start with the main character Gabriel, whose wife dies just days before the game starts. but you wouldn't know it because of the leaden way in which the character is portrayed. no emotion shines through, which is odd for someone who just lost his wife. then zobek, patrick stewart, narrates the game to the point of becoming cheesy, but thankfully, not to cheesy. there are other points of interest in the game that are implemented very well, although none of which are remotely new. don't get me wrong, its an ok game, just not an ok castlevania game. if your looking for a decent 3d castlevania pick up "castlevania lament of innocence" for ps2. if you're new to castlevania and have never played the other iterations of the game then you may love this. lastly, watch out for the many invisible walls that hamper free roaming exploration of an open world and enjoy the linear gameplay.… Expand
  4. steveANARCHY
    Apr 6, 2011
    5
    i originally said the game wasn't bad, i'm gonna stick with that due to the fact that i like to destroy baddies with all of furry of a thousand gods. what i feel they got wrong, the antagonist didn't transform over the corse of the game. he felt very stagnate. the story itself didn't get me hooked early on. maybe b/c killing the evil hordes of vampires, lycan, zombies, etc. as holyi originally said the game wasn't bad, i'm gonna stick with that due to the fact that i like to destroy baddies with all of furry of a thousand gods. what i feel they got wrong, the antagonist didn't transform over the corse of the game. he felt very stagnate. the story itself didn't get me hooked early on. maybe b/c killing the evil hordes of vampires, lycan, zombies, etc. as holy crusader just seemed all to blah. the combat system seemed a lil' to over the top and felt a bit clunky. it had to many moves while i only used the same move over and over and over again to get the job done. the puzzles felt like they were just thrown in at random times. finally, the main character is supposed to be some sort of savior and has to go where no mortal has gone before, so throughout the game you find gems and the like to help advance his cause, off of dead allies bodies. my issue with this is if i've gone further than any mortal has ever gone how can i keep finding my fallen brothers ahead of where i'm at and looting their bodies to advance in the game. little things like this can, for me, make the story just average or great. what they did right was the graphics of this game, there is some really stunning artwork in it. they took a few things from other games that were and made it their own in a new light. so all in all if they adjust a few things here and there like the voice acting for the MC, the sequel has a chance to be great. this game doesn't have a high replay value for me.… Expand
  5. Scumbag_
    Mar 10, 2013
    7
    i love this game, and the castlevania franchise, besides some flaws, this game still is okay! sure, you have no control over the camera, and yes, i know, some bosses are ripped of shadow of the colossus, and i don't know how people are hating on that, it brings back memories for me! and i'm sure for many other people who have played both Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Shadow of the Colossus
  6. kaezreal
    Feb 22, 2014
    7
    i love the castlevania series specially castlevania sotn that's i castlevania lord of shadow on xbox 360, and i was kinda dissapointed because it doesn't feel like castlevania it feels like I'm playing God of War or a DMC game and it feels so linear that you don't have any other options while playing but eventually there are hidden items and upgrades along the way,

    The game is    i love the castlevania series specially castlevania sotn that's i castlevania lord of shadow on xbox 360, and i was kinda dissapointed because it doesn't feel like castlevania it feels like I'm playing God of War or a DMC game and it feels so linear that you don't have any other options while playing but eventually there are hidden items and upgrades along the way,

    The game is beautifully made the, details the animation and the cutscenes are amazing, and i'm just wondering why the game is not set up in a castle i mean cmon it's a castlevania game, but as you play the game you will know why.

    It's a cool game gameplay is good like GoW, Boss Fights are engaging that you want fight them over and over again, and the puzzles are well made simple and rewarding, however it's not a castlevania game, and while playing the game there are some times that i'm just playing the game because i want to know the story not because im enjoying the game    … Expand
  7. Samanosuke0
    Jan 21, 2016
    7
    The game is cool and fun, but there are some problems in the story. The battle system and gameplay are very good, but after sometime it's very repetitious. I think that is the problem in all action adventure games, after some time playing you get a sensation of "deja vu". The Bosses in Castlevania are great, and require some strategy. The narrative is in third person, what drain much ofThe game is cool and fun, but there are some problems in the story. The battle system and gameplay are very good, but after sometime it's very repetitious. I think that is the problem in all action adventure games, after some time playing you get a sensation of "deja vu". The Bosses in Castlevania are great, and require some strategy. The narrative is in third person, what drain much of interest in pay attention in facts. But there is a plot twist very end of the game that make worth to try!Yes, i did was surprise with that. Castlevania is JUST a GOOD game. Nothing beyond this.… Expand
  8. Marramiau
    Apr 11, 2020
    6
    Mas que correcto pero no ha terminado de engancharme.

    Me ha recordado demasiado al god of war... juego que no me entusiasma.

    Lo he abandonado tras unas 3 horas de juego.
  9. jorgepc95
    Nov 16, 2021
    7
    This is a good game, very cool graphics, music and plot. This game is not a good Castlevania game. This is a problem if you are a fan of Castlevania, you will be kind of annoy by many things if you play this game expecting a Castlevania game on the style of Igarashi or even before with the first 4 games. If you don't care and you just want a fun hack/slash game totally recommended.

Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
32
#32 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
25
#25 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  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. Cynamite
    Jan 16, 2011
    85
    Fabulous action game with nice riddles and cool fights, but with lacks in camera perspectives.
    Read full review
  3. RealGamer
    Jan 12, 2011
    90
    Although the basic gameplay borrows heavily from other franchises it is still done with such style and panache it is hard to find faults.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »