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
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  1. neomoonsevin
    Nov 19, 2022
    10
    love this game marvelous brought it on xbox digital big up to konami and kojima love it one of the best brawlers in video games
  2. atyoukha
    Jul 26, 2022
    8
    A great game! I was invested in the character and the journey! The music also blended well with the scenes. I would say the only draw was that it wasn't a game I saw myself playing more than once. But for the one time I did it has many positive qualities.
  3. Zeneko90
    Jul 14, 2022
    8
    Nettes. Spiel es hat echt viel Spaß gemacht. Mehr davon! Nicht zu lang, nicht zu kurz. Genau richtig.
  4. anfeherle89
    Oct 15, 2021
    9
    amazing game, very good story, very good narrative, very good dialogues, awesome sceneries, the details in them are unbelievable, espectacular end, very good jugability ,the camera is very bad sometimes you can not see correctly the the game, the bosses, the enemies or the place of a puzzle, but the rest of the game is a very good game
  5. CloudStrife05
    Aug 17, 2021
    8
    I enjoyed this game more than I thought I would. A few story moments could have been better but overall not bad, especially that its a full 3D Castlevania.
  6. Chempion1
    Jul 8, 2021
    9
    C Lords of Shadow я познакомился, если честно, случайно. Конечно мне была известна серия Castlevania, видел её и на nes, и на sega, но чо то как то не зашло. Толи сложноваты для меня были, толи ещё чего, не помню.
    Но вот, на XBox 360, на рынке, я увидел эту игру и решил купить.
    Поначалу меня, как то, напрягла неподвижная камера, но стоило поиграть. И, о чудо, какая же это великолепная    C Lords of Shadow я познакомился, если честно, случайно. Конечно мне была известна серия Castlevania, видел её и на nes, и на sega, но чо то как то не зашло. Толи сложноваты для меня были, толи ещё чего, не помню.
    Но вот, на XBox 360, на рынке, я увидел эту игру и решил купить.
    Поначалу меня, как то, напрягла неподвижная камера, но стоило поиграть. И, о чудо, какая же это великолепная оказалась игра. Причем, практически, по всем параметрам.
    Начну с боёвки. Она просто великолепна. Тот самый хлыст который меня так бесил на 8 битах, здесь стал просто идеальным оружием. Даже когда во второй части мы получили меч, всё равно хлыст был предпочтителен.
    В игре, так же, имеется система прокачка способностей, приёмов и т. д.
    Сюжет. Но тут, я думаю, ни у кого не вызовет сомнения, великолепен. Хоть бери и фильм снимай. Опять же сюжет продолжения, который мне нравится гораздо меньше, его хорошо дополняет.
    Графон. На мой взгляд, на 2010 год, один из лучших.
    Ну и главное, что должно быть на высоте в сюжетной игре, это атмосфера. И она здесь в стратосфере. Из игры, тупо, не хочется выходить!
    Но больше всего в этой игре мне запомнились............БОССЫ!!! Как же они хороши. Есть и великаны, по которым как по горе надо лазать. Есть и обычные, с которыми меряешься шкалой здоровья. А так же имеются и боссы с особым подходом, которых так просто не убьёшь. Хотя игра не совсем японская, боссы типично, в хорошем смысле, японские!
    Игра достаточно длинная, но проходится просто на одном дыхании.
    Есть небольшие недоработки. Как мне кажется из-за камеры. Иногда не видно куда бежать или прыгать. В Lords of Shadow 2 камеру поправили, но к сожалению, это единственное, что в игре стало лучше.
    Недавно прошел Castlevania: Lords of Shadow в третий раз, уже на РС, так как вышла русская озвучка. Остался доволен.
    Советую всем, кто не играл. Даже сейчас игра выглядит и играется прекрасно.    … Expand
  7. SupahGualtah
    Jun 4, 2020
    9
    played the demo just for kicks got hooked. what can i say i love Gow ripoffs.
  8. ZARCOTRON
    May 9, 2020
    8
    Aunque es un buen juego, no es un Castlevania. Lo mejor las batallas contra los jefes. Lo peor es que se parece a Bayonetta y GOW. No entiendo como un juego hecho en España no está doblado al español. Ah se me olvidaba, KOJIMA ha convertido un Castlevania en un pelijuego ... lamentable... aun así es un buen juego repito. Kojima a la basura!!
  9. Xplocion
    Nov 8, 2019
    9
    The good:
    Game that combines 2D platforms, 3D exploitation, Hack’n Slash fights and clashes against gigantic bosses with hits and QTE. The difficulty is very high. It has Backtracking (return to previous levels to search and obtain items to improve the character). The story is great. It has a plot twist that leaves you wanting more (although it was coming to kilometers). This Castlevania    The good:
    Game that combines 2D platforms, 3D exploitation, Hack’n Slash fights and clashes against gigantic bosses with hits and QTE. The difficulty is very high. It has Backtracking (return to previous levels to search and obtain items to improve the character). The story is great. It has a plot twist that leaves you wanting more (although it was coming to kilometers). This Castlevania is based on the classics and those who do not follow the theme "Metroidvania". Backward compatible in Xbox One

    The bad:
    Camera changes are very rare and you never get used to it. Bosses and mini bosses must be defeated in a QTE sequence that if you fail will harm you and the boss will recover life. To advance and tell you that you found X or Y object you have to finish the level and if you fail to repeat it. In the highest difficulties the objects of improvement are of obligatory collection what will make you return again and again. Undervalued game just for not following that super-worn “Metroidvania” fashion

    The Meh!:
    If the Sony-ers (diehard playstation fans) were consistent with his speech, this game would be his favorite since he joins Hack’n Slash mechanics as in the classic God of War and fights against giant monsters like Shadow of the Colossus. Nobody takes away my idea that this game was actually another and when Konami saw it he asked Mercury Steam to try to transform it into an old-school semi-Castlevania.    … Expand
  10. iddqd4
    Mar 17, 2018
    9
    Лучше что было сделано в игровой индустрии на тему вампиров.
  11. anonymity
    Nov 5, 2015
    9
    Extremely underrated, this is a pulpy thrill-ride through a horror monster gallery. There are issues but it is a risky game from an untested studio that I believe completely delivers.
  12. Stevesitz
    Dec 15, 2014
    9
    An amazing 'God of War' style blood fest that will keep fans and non-fans of the Castlevania series playing for well over 20 enjoyable hours. If it wasn't for the poor camera at times this game would be perfect. Not to give anything away, but this game still to this day has the ending that has blown me away more than any other I've ever seen. With several difficulty selections and manyAn amazing 'God of War' style blood fest that will keep fans and non-fans of the Castlevania series playing for well over 20 enjoyable hours. If it wasn't for the poor camera at times this game would be perfect. Not to give anything away, but this game still to this day has the ending that has blown me away more than any other I've ever seen. With several difficulty selections and many unlockables to find, it is easy to find yourself wanting to play this until you reach that 100% completion.

    CONS:
    - Poor camera makes it very hard to see at times
    - Sometimes unclear what direction to proceed (mostly due to camera)

    PROS:
    - Don't need to be follower of series to jump in a play
    - Very satisfying game play and progression
    - Amazing visuals and music
    - Fun puzzle solving to break up the action (which you can skip at the cost of experience)    … Expand
  13. Comedygamer
    Mar 20, 2014
    9
    I originally played a portion of LOS when it first came out and it was ok... Fast forward to the launch of LOS-2 and I never realized how great this game is! I am still in the middle of playing put for some reason, I don't remember how great it looks and how fun it is to play! Was I just not looking to have fun with this game? I don't know. All that matters is that 4 years later I can'tI originally played a portion of LOS when it first came out and it was ok... Fast forward to the launch of LOS-2 and I never realized how great this game is! I am still in the middle of playing put for some reason, I don't remember how great it looks and how fun it is to play! Was I just not looking to have fun with this game? I don't know. All that matters is that 4 years later I can't wait to play when I get home from work. I decided to start with this before I move on to the sequel. I have always had fun with Castlevania games and believe this and the sequel will be added to that list!… Expand
  14. Steeliosis
    Jan 1, 2014
    10
    Lords of Shadow is the most beautifully realised and designed game I have ever played, hands down. The artistic nature is enough to draw you in, but the story and the emotions you feel throughout the game just pile on to the positives. Mechanics can feel clunky, but this is hardly a drawback. It also transitions neatly between platforming and climbing, a la Uncharted, and grueling combat,Lords of Shadow is the most beautifully realised and designed game I have ever played, hands down. The artistic nature is enough to draw you in, but the story and the emotions you feel throughout the game just pile on to the positives. Mechanics can feel clunky, but this is hardly a drawback. It also transitions neatly between platforming and climbing, a la Uncharted, and grueling combat, which can at times be more than just a little tricky. The boss fights are tremendous, some reminiscent of shadow of the colossus, where you must climb all over the monster to find it's weak spots, and then strike. The game, like most others these days, does have it's QTE's, but these aren't strictly a problem. As a matter of fact, some even feel as though they are adding to the experience, making cutscenes feel more involving to the player.

    I could go on and on about positives, so how about the downsides? Well I mentioned one earlier; the clunkiness of the combat and the climbing can be rather disorientating, but nothing strictly problematic. Besides that, I genuinely cannot think of anything to complain about this game. It's very almost perfection, which is insanely rare in games these days. The one thing I must say about this game; playing on the highest difficulty in boss fights is hard. I mean, it's HARD. I attempted the final boss fight on this difficulty, and was dropped in with minimum health, making for a frantic battle to recover my health before I was obliterated. This is by no means a bad thing; a game SHOULD challenge the player, only unlike Dark Souls, such a challenge should be left an option for the player, rather than being mandatory. Because if you wish, the game can be a breeze, with amazing puzzles, beautiful backdrops, fantastic art style, unique story uniting many different myths and legends from around the globe and across the span of time (probably my favourite feature of all), and an emotional ending leaving us wanting more...far, far more. Good thing the second is just around the corner, huh?

    So, if you have not already, buy this game...I mean, do it now. You do not want to miss out.    … Expand
  15. kiamak-hashemi
    Dec 28, 2013
    10
    that s best game i v played ever. If you have not played this game then you are missing out on a 50% of ur life!!!!!! story: Gabriel is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who protect and defend the innocent against the supernatural. His beloved wife was brutally murdered by the evil forces of darkness and her soul trapped for eternity. Neither living northat s best game i v played ever. If you have not played this game then you are missing out on a 50% of ur life!!!!!! story: Gabriel is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who protect and defend the innocent against the supernatural. His beloved wife was brutally murdered by the evil forces of darkness and her soul trapped for eternity. Neither living nor dead she realizes the horrific truth of what is at stake and guides Gabriel to his destiny and hopefully salvation for the world... but at what cost?

    Thus, Gabriel must travel the destroyed world, defeating the evil tyrants in order to use their powers to bring balance back to the world. Armed with the versatile Combat Cross the world's last hope must encounter the three factions of the Lords of Shadow and end their unholy rule.    … Expand
  16. magic_jon
    Oct 27, 2013
    8
    Ok so this one was a bit of a surprise. Being a long time fan of the Castlevania franchise (Castlevania IV infact on the snes being the first game I ever played) I had my reservations about this game. Most of the really excellent entries in the series have been in the classic 2D and I feel there's a certain eerie quality to the animations that just cannot be captured in 3D. There's alsoOk so this one was a bit of a surprise. Being a long time fan of the Castlevania franchise (Castlevania IV infact on the snes being the first game I ever played) I had my reservations about this game. Most of the really excellent entries in the series have been in the classic 2D and I feel there's a certain eerie quality to the animations that just cannot be captured in 3D. There's also the matter of the game play and the game feel usually being completely altered once the transition is made often removing many of the qualities that make a great Castlevania title. My surprise then when I actually found this game most enjoyable and actually found myself a little addicted to it.

    Lets not beat around the bush, there are many faults in this game some of which could be game ruining if not for them just not quite prominent enough to be really damaging. For example some of the enemies are pretty standard fare, the warewolves in particular are super generic and grow tiresome especially as they are the main enemy for the majority of the early stages of the game. However when you realize just how long the game is this becomes less of an issue. The game totals at around 20 hours which is a huge amount of play time for this type of game. As a result you tend to end up fighting enemies specific to the chapter/area of the game you are currently engaged with and many of the later enemies designs are actually very interesting. I have to say I don't care much for the titan battles as they become very tedious very quickly and feel really unnecessary in this game. Its like they tacked them on to play it safe and try their hand at GOW style gameplay. It would have been far superior if they'd gone with more traditional bosses in place of these. Anyhow, its true in terms of game play style the game doesn't really have an identity of its own, I found the combat to be very fluent and it can be quite satisfying also but it is taking all its ques from GOW and Devil May Cry. However, the game world is frankly stunning on many occasions and while the ageing xbox 360 hardware chugs the frame rate down pretty drastically on occasions its never awful. I honestly think graphically this game is woefully underrated and I take my hat of to the designers.

    All in all there are problems with this game and it won't be for everyone, there are elements of old school 'vania to be found in the atmosphere and Gothic decadence of many of the environments however there also modern gaming trappings applied and stylistic choices by the developers making this an interesting game in its own right. Also the game is difficult to an extreme degree in some instances, its never too difficult though and makes you test your abilities in ways that many modern games shy away from in order to appeal to a wider audience. I was pleasantly surprised by this title and as a result look forward to playing the sequel in a month or so.    … Expand
  17. Naglfar
    Sep 3, 2012
    9
    Expansive and varied environments, awesome NPC's, enemies and bosses, and an awesome use of the Castlevania IP makes Lord Of Shadows a must have for fans of the series. This is a fairly standard 3D exploration combat game but what sets it apart is the excellent use of the trademark Castlevania whip mechanic along with some of the best locales, vistas, and mythological characters you'reExpansive and varied environments, awesome NPC's, enemies and bosses, and an awesome use of the Castlevania IP makes Lord Of Shadows a must have for fans of the series. This is a fairly standard 3D exploration combat game but what sets it apart is the excellent use of the trademark Castlevania whip mechanic along with some of the best locales, vistas, and mythological characters you're likely to see in a single game.… Expand
  18. Kermie
    Jun 1, 2012
    9
    9.5 - Forget everything you know about adventure games and play Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. This is a remarkable and extremely phenomenal game. Castlevania is an astoundingly epic adventure that will take your imagination on a joy ride. The story is action packed and intense (a little sacrilegious at parts), balanced combat is deep and rewarding, and the boss battles can only be9.5 - Forget everything you know about adventure games and play Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. This is a remarkable and extremely phenomenal game. Castlevania is an astoundingly epic adventure that will take your imagination on a joy ride. The story is action packed and intense (a little sacrilegious at parts), balanced combat is deep and rewarding, and the boss battles can only be described by the carbon copy term of the decade: Epic. Castlevania is an absolute epic from start to finish, I can't stress that enough. It does suffer from some blemishes, such as some very strange camera angles leading to confusion on screen, some imbalanced and downright cheap moments during later battles, and iffy platforming. But to be honest, you can easily look past these blemishes. The graphics are incredible and the attention to detail is astounding. The art design and level design is bar-to-none some of the most genuinely creative, and the world that you journey in is an incredible feast for the imagination and the senses. Lords of Shadow creates such an intense sense of insignificance and smallness as you journey to the different and often gigantic locales, a feature that is missing from adventure games of late. A gorgeous original score accompanies your adventures, and the sound effects and voice acting are top notch. (Although it is sad to see Sir Patrick Stewart a...whoops spoilers!) The puzzles in the game actually require some thinking as well, a welcome change of pace for "god of war" style games. It may have it's blemishes, and they may even be frequent, but I could care less. This is an expertly crafted, intense, epic, and downright phenomenal game with a great sense of scope and imagination that never ceases to impress me. A must play for Castlevania fans, and a must play for any gamer looking for a refreshing twist on epic action adventures.… Expand
  19. Mohammad22
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is an AWESOME game!, one of the best games this generation.. Its really underrated, i dont know why it gets much hate from castlevania fans! I know it not a side-scroller caslevania but that doesnt mean it a bad game! Its a GREAT game
  20. Ps3blaze22
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    I dont care what people say! This game is AWESOME!!! one of the best games this gen.. Its sooooooo **** underrated, i dont know why it gets much hate from castlevania fans! Just because it not a "TRUE" caslevania doesnt mean that it sucks! Its a GREAT game
  21. DeVr33z
    Feb 19, 2012
    9
    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is an awesome game. I've played some of the 2D Castlevania games and I enjoyed them but I can honestly say that I think this is a great new direction for the series to take. Lords of Shadow has a few flaws, and can be a bit frustrating at times, but the rich world, excellent combat, and epic story combined with the game's length make up for that in the longCastlevania: Lords of Shadow is an awesome game. I've played some of the 2D Castlevania games and I enjoyed them but I can honestly say that I think this is a great new direction for the series to take. Lords of Shadow has a few flaws, and can be a bit frustrating at times, but the rich world, excellent combat, and epic story combined with the game's length make up for that in the long run, which is why I'm giving it a 9 out of 10. Anyone who likes grandiose adventures should go buy this now!… Expand
  22. Nero97
    Jan 18, 2012
    8
    The game is pretty good. I loved the graphics, they make the game look cooler. Not just cooler, but they make the game don't get really boring. Each map (or dungeon) is the same: You climb, run, climb, run, all the time. If the game was like Tetris: just square blocks, it would suck. You climb, run, fight some guys, climb more, and more and more...good thing the graphics make the game cooler.
  23. The_Maverick
    Sep 23, 2011
    8
    I give it an "8". The game has some breathtaking scenery and is fun to play once you get a couple hours into it, but the difficult boss battles and frozen camera angle kind of detract from it. Game does borrow heavily for God of War, but is that necessarily bad? I enjoys Dante's Inferno, and that was a rip off as well , but very fun none the less. It's a fun game, but a little too long.I give it an "8". The game has some breathtaking scenery and is fun to play once you get a couple hours into it, but the difficult boss battles and frozen camera angle kind of detract from it. Game does borrow heavily for God of War, but is that necessarily bad? I enjoys Dante's Inferno, and that was a rip off as well , but very fun none the less. It's a fun game, but a little too long. I'm about 10 hours in, and just put in disc number 2. At my age I kind of want to wrap up a game in 10 hours and move onto something else, but ill probably finish this up anyway....… Expand
  24. dragoonie
    Sep 18, 2011
    9
    This game tells an epic (maybe too epic, if that's possible) tale of Gabriel Belmont, the latest, and in my opinion greatest of a long line of Castlevania vampire hunters. The game is gorgeous. The monsters and characters are well done enough, but the backgrounds and levels look FANTASTIC! I got nearly creamed by more than one troll or vampire spawn simply because I was in admiration ofThis game tells an epic (maybe too epic, if that's possible) tale of Gabriel Belmont, the latest, and in my opinion greatest of a long line of Castlevania vampire hunters. The game is gorgeous. The monsters and characters are well done enough, but the backgrounds and levels look FANTASTIC! I got nearly creamed by more than one troll or vampire spawn simply because I was in admiration of the scenery. Konami rebooted Castlevania in a wonderful fashion and I look forward to experiencing the now re-sparked future of this series.… Expand
  25. Weggy
    Mar 15, 2011
    9
    This game was frikin awesome! I loved the boss fights they were wicked! Okay so the games REALLY long but thats a good thing to surely right. Value for money. I enjoyed this so much and I'm glad I went out on a limb to buy it. They can thank their trailer team for that as thats why I bought it. Damn my impluse.
  26. Acbrothrhood
    Mar 4, 2011
    10
    Castlevania is a great game, which takes you through an amazing journey that never stops being entertaining from start to finish. Is it derivative? Absolutely! But it's also a great game.
  27. Zerodiego07
    Jan 31, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Score (10.0) It's a really good game. I recommends this game. If you look for an adventure game with a good story maybe you should to try with This game. I hope can to rate more games.… Expand
  28. puppeteer
    Jan 10, 2011
    10
    The first and the most important is strong 10 for enjoyability. I hardly remember any other game that would keep me spending days playing it without getting bored at all. The gameplay is a perfectly glued mixture of hack'n'slash, platforming and puzzle which in conjunction with loads of very well done cut scenes and choreographed boss battles resulted in a dynamic and consistent actionThe first and the most important is strong 10 for enjoyability. I hardly remember any other game that would keep me spending days playing it without getting bored at all. The gameplay is a perfectly glued mixture of hack'n'slash, platforming and puzzle which in conjunction with loads of very well done cut scenes and choreographed boss battles resulted in a dynamic and consistent action game.

    Visuals. Design and look are most admired by majority of gamers and reviewers and here is where I totally agree that it's a "pinnacle of awesomeness". The game is incredibly beautiful.

    Though many people speak negatively about the linearity, locked cameras and "invisible walls" that limit one's possibilities to investigate the locations I see these as a big plus. Linearity and fixed cameras give a feeling of "playing a movie" created by a feature film director and where-can-go limitations do not let one distract from the storyline with getting stuck on looking for some possible treasures hypothetically hidden somewhere on an enormously huge location. As for me locations are just as big and stashes are just as well hidden as it is needed for making the game entertaining rather than frustrating and boring.

    Another thing in gameplay I've found quite useful is that one can skip some puzzles in the game which is a good thing for those who haven't got a big affection towards logical mini-games. However, puzzles are easy and some can be solved within minimum effort, so good idea to give it a shot before skipping.

    Next stop - animation. I am far not new to this craft ( for some years now I've been working as a creature technical director / character animator for feature films and animation movies ) and must say guys at Mercury Steam rock! the animation is fantastic, both in-game 3D and 2D combo demos in the book (special thanks to MS for that one). The battles are dynamic and not messy as ALL combos are easy to perform and lots of incredible combinations available once you obtain the relics, magics and secondary weapons. Boss fight choreography is just fabulous.

    There's just one thing that pissed me off: if doing such stunningly awesome characters with brilliant job on handling really challenging technical tasksâ    … Expand
  29. pommegenozide
    Dec 8, 2010
    10
    On the technical side, the controls are responsive and the actions in the game are really fluid and intense. The platforming (climbing and stuffs) sections are 'okay', they worked but I'd imagine them being more fluid like of those in Assassin Creed, Prince of Persia or Saboteur games. It's not a hack and slash game where you can pound through hordes of enemies by constantly pressing theOn the technical side, the controls are responsive and the actions in the game are really fluid and intense. The platforming (climbing and stuffs) sections are 'okay', they worked but I'd imagine them being more fluid like of those in Assassin Creed, Prince of Persia or Saboteur games. It's not a hack and slash game where you can pound through hordes of enemies by constantly pressing the attack button, there are many puzzles in the game (with unlockable hints which would prevent you from receiving EXP for clearing them) and the difficulties of the puzzles are moderate and reasonable. And there are a lot of moments which you face non-stop enemy respawning unless you clear the puzzles which intensified your gameplay experiences. The enemies are interesting to fight with because they all had different behaviors and fighting patterns as well as methods to kill them, boss fight are epic and difficult but not cheap at all. Hidden items and collectibles are easy to miss, but usually visible if you're careful enough, they were never placed in some crazy secret caves like some other games that forced you to go use walkthroughs or go nut.

    There are quicktime events, but not quite 'quicktime-esque' because instead of matching the colors which appeared on-screen with the correct face buttons on your controller, you will have to match the timing with any action button which I personally think are more challenging and they work better than the regular quicktime events in any other games. If you failed, you would know that it was your mistake and can't blame it on excitement, the intensity of the battle and adrenaline-rush for making you press the wrong button. Quite a smart move on the developer side.

    Replay value is high because you can try to finish all stages playing hardest difficult and try to clear them 110% (just like how you love the recent Castlevania games to be) and each stage also has its own trial challenge which you will have to clear it under a specific condition which I think is really fun. The graphics are nice but definitely not topnotch and the game has bugs here and there but from my experience, I haven't faced any problem that prevented me from advancing and finishing the game. The usual bugs which happened to my experience were getting stuck in free fall animation when land on breakable objects after a double-jump (the object will break eventually and you will land safely after), clipping to the ground (which can fix by just jumping out of it) and sometimes I was able to get behind wall or boundary which led to a free-fall death (most annoying but happened only twice since I started playing the game for almost a month already). There are some frame-rate dropping moment but not too often.


    On the art side, this game is one hell of a gold pot. The first things I need to mention are musics and voices. It has one of the grandest and most beautiful music I've heard from games this past few years. It's really difficult to describe, you just have to hear for yourself to believe. The voice actings are awesome, especially the story was narrated by Patrick Steward and his voice was full of emotions which helped connecting players with Gabriel and his adventure. The story and script are epic, there are parts you can guess the twists but you wouldn't know there are twists within twists and those, my friends, will make you scream.

    The game has really nice animations and character designs (although some secondary characters' models should definitely receive more love) but the best part of the animation aspect is in the combo tutorial pages where the previews of your moves were hand-drawn animations and they looked beautifully gorgeous! I can just keep switching pages and enjoy looking at them for really long time (I'm an animator after all :D).

    One thing (western) critics and gamers complained a lot is the fixed camera angles but because they are fixed you've got to see great compositions that you would never have seen with behind-the-character cameras. And the cinematic qualities are topnotch! I was able to buy the boss fights storyboards from the 'extra' menu but I would love for Konami to release official art book with all hi-res concepts and detailed storyboards! The ending cinematic was just WOW! It hinted for a possible of a sequel but not in a cheesy way because if the sequel actually follows the ending movie of this game, it would definitely be one really interesting Castlevania game!    … Expand
  30. ettorillo
    Nov 8, 2010
    10
    10.0 It's necessary to pass through some levels to understand the really proposal of this game. More than a game is such an experience. Although it changes the original way to do things on a castlevania title, it makes magic with the franchise. A true master piece. Music, story, gameplay and above all... emotions.
    A must play game. Don't lose the experience.
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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

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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.
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  2. Cynamite
    Jan 16, 2011
    85
    Fabulous action game with nice riddles and cool fights, but with lacks in camera perspectives.
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  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.
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