Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Review

[Halcyon.]

The massive gap left by the break flourished Darksiders series is the latest title in the Castlevania series. An action / adventure in the spirit of God of War or Dante's Inferno, Lords of Shadow 2 walks, sometimes disappointingly much on the beaten track like it belongs.
lords-of-shadow-classical narrative 1Dispozitivele appear very soon - a protagonist is endowed with divine powers stripped of skills in the prologue and should gradually regain its status; interactions with various creatures and characters inspired by the culture related represent windows in mythology Castlevania or running from to there after objects you coming, little by little, the boss finally through a world metroidiană which unfortunately does not nothing new formula, although scrupulously respects.
The story resumes at the end of the first events described LoS, namely the transformation of Gabriel Belmont in Dracula, which opens in theory, a lot of interesting possibilities for the moral dilemmas which imposes an arc so radical a religious zealot.
Unfortunately, it's quite clear from the exhibition as chosen path producer is already far-too-offering smoking such a "monster kill monsters," this Tropea who turned three-quarters of anti-heroes of contemporary a Piranha variety of health to which forgives anything that ultimately saves the world.
I ended dubbed this strategy narrative syndrome Butt Naked, after a boy a little horrorshow of Liberia who was pardoned by the President after killing tens of thousands and practiced cannibalism at a level that makes Hannibal Lecter to pear vegetarian, provided in the [CENSORED]ure to build churches and inform the masses about the benefits of forgiveness and redemption Christian (seriously).
Thus, Dracula's mission is to regain mortality, possible only through a brief career as a ball boy for Zobek, founder of the Brotherhood of Light became satanic pawn in the first Lords of Shadow backstage.
But there are two big problems with this approach: first, it started a premise similar stories, but much better Blade of the Immortal built in. Secondly, if its purpose is to die, Father vampires can fulfill the mission of the first pack of mobs (although, it is true, bringing pond life from scratch we return to the menu without having to show us sucombarea own -zisă consumer hemoglobin).
Indeed, one of the first actions of Dracula is a family massacre helpless in the street, the tone of action following 12-14 hours, as it will take to carry out the adventure.
Return it to vampires as bloodthirsty monsters is somewhat welcome, but the characters, led by the protagonist, are so one-dimensional and lacking in charm that even Patrick Stewart and Robert Carlyle does not can save Zobek and Belmont cruel destiny of a mediocre script.
For about three quarters of the game, overall direction and motivation suffers from a general lack of cohesion objectives come one as a shopping list that you're about as invested emotionally as suffering Pac-Man fate of the grain they swallows, and in the absence of any tangible downside of life without death, all running after eternal sleep does not seem very convincing. In defense game quality, in large part, to alergăturii itself makes you forget that you have no idea what plan you have, actually.
In other words, while art and innovation in Castlevania are absent altogether, crafts behind the game reveals a passion to gameplay and impressive graphics.
lLaturile are most successful title without much respite deliberation combat the aesthetics. Fight fluid, elegant animations and fast pace, without seeming rushed, they are all the more spectacular as the effects of optimization and site level art are all flawless.
If models enemies will not write history (most are generic, some seem out of place in the studded with Gothic churches and in total there are so many enemies as in, say, Darksiders II), dancing with them is an absolute delight.
The required accuracy stall eschivelor and combos is reasonable, and control is natural even when using peripherals typical PC (for reasons that include gravity, windows open and a blunder monumental in a platformer that I will in May never mention, we had a functional gamepad and I had to settle with the mouse and keyboard, which, surprisingly, is not as terrible as you would expect).
Camera mobile mapping easier and intelligently inventory and skills even make full use of the decisive advantage that you have a mouse over any gamepad in the world (rate), and the only section in which I had trouble controlling was a puzzle by the end of the game should be rotated pieces of mirror with scrolling and went intermittently. Apart from that experience isolated but can not blame for any failure of control, optimization or framerate drop, simply because I have not met such unpleasant events.
The strength absolute spearhead of the game's battle mechanics and design necessary and sufficient that compresses everything that's typical action-adventure sites in a Swiss army knife consisting of a few keys. We have basically three weapons: Shadow Whip, Void Sword and Chaos Claws (practically the same triumvirate that compose the arsenal of the first game, "black" - whip replaces the cross claws replaced Shadow Magic and sword is the same) and we buy various combos for each successively stronger.
Using a certain level of mastery increases his combo, and once filled this resource can transfer weapons, increasing the damage in three steps. It's a very smart approach, forcing you to use the whole arsenal of combos if you want to "grow" beyond a certain point, because each skill can be transferred only once.
lUtilizarea Void Sword and Chaos Claws is limited to one handrail for each justified by the effects of additional that they bring with them these weapons: sword poor life from enemies that hits them, shoot ice or invoke a shield It protects you from damage, while claws destroy armor, shields and launching projectiles significantly facilitate fire fighting enemies bulky.
Speaking of which, Lords of Shadow 2 up to giants of the onset reboot's, and while bossfight sites are decent (nothing new under the sun, but enough dynamic, especially the Prince of Darkness, enough risk that have to be technical at all to finish the game), boredom sets over fights with trash packs once you have reached the stage where not miss a dash / parry / somersault.
Basically, after you learn to form combos and do juggle (immobilize enemies small through combos which rises into the air), the game becomes a farm experience in alternating different types of attacks to counter the machine enemies a tango clicks very simple memory (most combos consist of repeating or holding down a button, along with a modifier) the challenge is rather not to touch any attack and have bar combo full than not die itself.
Experience the form of souls, is the only monetary unit, being used both in improving and acquiring combos and purchases supplies from his store Chupacapra (comic relief-ul-merchant, for one valve hilarious game not very funny).
Influences anime of the series are more than obvious, from the character designs to fireworks animations fighting and Inserts ridiculous in an ocean scenes grave (the clearest example would think when Dracula as Baron Munchausen, surfează on a gas cylinder in the same manner in which the latter travels on a direct shot Pasha palace).
Consumables are even useful - use head can save you from the clutches's reload and shortens even the fiercest battles. Besides the "potion of life" that you temporarily increase health site above the maximum, we hourglasses that augments attacks with a debuff that slows enemies, supplies growing mastery site and provide a boost temporarily experience some balls we endows infinite temporarily hand or birds lead you to the nearest secret.
Pain Box sites often contain fragments which, in sets of five, increase life void chaos hand or hands, but sometimes hiding and upgrades that allow you to carry more supplies.
An inventory shaped wheel lets you access any object in the inventory without too much trouble, and control scheme (must hold down the button to use item to use tool selected) prevents consumption accident - happened to me countless times forget to change the item and press the use of reflex.
If he would have held down hăbăucii like me was screaming mouth snake that game design is thus and so.
On the other hand, control is not available to test large majority of the time. In contrast to the rather intense combat, platforming site it is so simple, straight and devoid of risks that could be replaced with a level of Frogger for there to be some kind of challenge or tension.
Despite structure open-world game, progress through the quest principal is a line as possible right and obstacles in portions of climbing is not too thick nor unusual (in several segments, you will need to sync your jumps to avoid the pitfall and flames, but this happens rarely).
Otherwise, the only barriers are raised areas that you can not access before you get your hands on some tools (such as wings you endow with double jump or spell that turns you into a fog, allowing you to pass through the bars).
Occasional invisible wall annoy us (we are reminded from time to time that the world Zelda / Metroid / Darksiders, open-world is more a convention than a feature value literally), but much less than in the first LoS.
The puzzles are so simple, few and insignificant that besides the episode of the mirror, you remember rather because of the question of control, we sincerely trouble remembering if we can fit any piece of game this category.
There are some portions that almost make you think, but it's fundamental notions we derive from similar experiences rather than identifying any innovative algorithm. In fact, the only times it slowed progress are those where the game tries to be anything other than it is.
Which reminds me of a detail that I would like it or forget: there are stealth sequences. Since that. Which, in the eyes of some people less flexible than I could remove all the merits of a game, because lack of respect, creativity, functionality and fluidity working in unison to break the rhythm and alternate useless gameplay given that anyway story it's pretty slow.
Where you put it in total discrepancy with the profile of the characters, given that same vampire in red coat who beat death itself until all that remains is a porridge viscous blood and rags must hide several armed guards with routes patrol formats in one single straight line of about five meters.
The environment is what it says on the box: a Gothic city in 2057 combines rosettes, arcades, churches with high and sharp dark statues infrastructure, decor and atmosphere of a metropolis more or less contemporary.
The color palette is more accurate than the canon Castlevania Lords of Shadow first and lush portions have disappeared, replaced by a somewhat gray art direction.
That's not necessarily bad, because the rivers of blood, desolate atmosphere and evidence needed a permanent night as scenography and, from my point of view, Lords of Shadow 2 is more in the spirit than the first game in the trilogy franchise.
Exploring the dark recesses rewards us with pieces of lore, crystals which increase the amount of life or mana, whole sections accessible by purchasing supplies or finding keys, unlocking challenge altaruri secret sites or artworks used in the production game.
It was expected to have available the way New Game +, although Castlevania City can be explored freely after Mission Main and without access to it, but given the fairly high number of stuff collected, LoS2 earn between 5 and 8 hours of "picnic" Additional binding targets.
Music and sound design are suitable and integrates well into complex facade elements that constitute hearing of the town which we walk, but not bought vinyl material.
The actors, as I said above, there are more than brilliant, but the material they work with has depth and curdling a script by Damon Lindelof, which means that there are a bunch of wires "hanging" and maybe a record for a story so few characters speaking role, fully air leaves the fate of some characters we might care about any little.
Before the game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, I believed that the Holy Trinity This one genre of games is God Hand, Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry. Now that I played, my opinion has remained exactly the same. In a hierarchy that values button mashing technique's expense amid tales of mythic proportions, LoS2 lies somewhere under antemenţionat podium, but above God of War or Bayonetta.
That's partly because it borrows from what has worked well in sacred monsters - (Kusari-Gama of NG2 striking resemblance Shadow Whip website, as combos, how it works juggle site is borrowed from DMC and despite the fact that it's a bit slower than Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania maintain a steady pace of combat by integrating scarcity attacks and magic moments in the break to put chicken on supplies).
The property vampire sword to shield that it may create, there are quite healing and damage prevention in the battle that you are not cut movie every time you pick inadvertently attack giving him and instantaneous change and without penalty, allows various weapons and fighting italics, any combination of enemies (with advantages and vulnerabilities related) would come his way.
So if hunted game in the next messiah "and parry sword", you will not find here. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 makes some excellent things (I can not stress enough how the course is combat site and how good is optimization), but fails miserably equally in departments that, for many of us, are decisive in the acceptance or rejection of a game - weak story, gameplay battles naked outside a disappointing final boss and stealth sequences about the only good thing that can be said is that they are few and do not last long.
In fact, in a way, they are a variety of puzzles, because the solution is pretty simple in general and not complicate alarms, routes multiple or more than two spells - a crowd control as a bunch of bats and Possession, a nearby spell that allows you to pass security doors before changes in state of the victim in a fine mist of red vapor are the only two instruments that will help in these segments.
If you do not mind a setting craziest, a faster alternative and more sophisticated in requirements is Revengeance, but for me the present title has failed to meet three things I needed for several years: a game Castlevania decent 3D a game Vampire Blood Omen 2 in the spirit of the mainstream and implement a model of game where quick-time event sites to be optional and not an integral part of gameplay.