Deck13 Interactive and CI Games' Lords of the Fallen is an action RPG that wears its influences on its sleeve, lifting heavily from From Software's popular Souls series. Thankfully, it's not just an empty clone. It's a sound execution of that forumula, and while it doesn't reach the same lofty heights, its borrowed features and own deviations have kept me occupied for multiple playthroughs. With that in mind, let's take a look at the best and worst of Lords of the Fallen.
Best
Build Customization
The first decision you have to make is between one of three magic specializations – Deception, Solace and Brawling – and then a set of light, medium or heavy armor. Beyond those choices, you're not locked into any specific playstyle. You could play a rogue wielding healing magic heavily invested into the spellpower attribute, or a warrior who ignores magic altogether. There's room for experimentation.
Combat
If you've ever played Demon's Souls or Dark Souls, Lords of the Fallen's combat will be instantly familiar. You similarly dodge roll to gain invincibility frames, attack from behind to occasionally inflict devastating backstabs, switch between holding your weapon in one or two hands, stun your enemy with parries and shield bashes, and so forth. They're satisfying mechanics, but what makes it for me is the weight each attack can deliver. You really feel the impact of each blow and how heavy some of these slabs of metal must be, thanks in large part to its quality animations. Enemies and player alike are sent reeling from their strikes. The camera shakes and ground trembles. It's supremely gratifying.
Risk & Reward
Every kill and completed quest earns you experience to bank into either attribute points or for the purchase of new spells. This can only be done at manual checkpoints, and like in the Souls franchise, when you die you drop what you've been hording. Die again or fail to pick up you've lost within a certain period of time and all that experience is gone for good. Back to the square one.
However, Lords of the Fallen does something a little different from its muse that makes it worth your while to ignore those checkpoints and hold onto your cache of experience. As you kill enemies, you'll start building up an experience multiplier. This is an effective way to level up faster if you're confident in your abilities. Furthermore, drop rates for gear increase the longer you wait to save. This adds a layer of nervous tension that's rewarding as it is risky.
Loot
Speaking of gear, there's a lot of it. You'll constantly be earning equipment and slottable runes from chests, enemies and challenge rooms. Some of the better items require a bit of work to acquire, too, such as meeting certain conditions during boss fights. Best of all, there are no weight limits determining how much you can carry.
Visuals
At the highest settings, Lords of the Fallen is a visual delight. Textures are sharp. Animations blend well. Volumetric lighting is used frequently, casting thick, reactive beams of warmth against a cold world. And those cloth physics! I'm a bit of a geek when it comes cloth in games, from flags to capes. Rest assured, they're fantastic here.
That's just on the technical side of things. The art style equally impresses. Every piece of armor is sculpted with wonderful detail that makes for an impressive sight no matter what type is being worn. Heavy armor in particular casts an imposing shadow, looking like something straight out of the Warhammer universe. That's not something I'd ever complain about.
New Game++
After the credits roll, there's no need to stop playing. Hitting continue puts you at the start of a new game with your attributes and items carried over. Moreover, you get to select another magic specialization in addition to the one(s) you already have. By the third playthrough you'll have all three.
New Game+ is also a chance to take different quests paths. Why be compassionate or cruel when you can be both? Quests will open and close depending on how you choose to act. You can't do everything nor see all the endings on the first go.
