Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition
Review
Room for improvement
by Matt Porter
reviewed on PC
Enjoyable combat, weak platforming (cntd)
Platforming without these beasts provides a welcome break from combat, but is a little stale. There is usually only one path which you can possibly take, so it just becomes an exercise in looking out for little visual cues to point you in the right direction. Another distraction from combat comes in the form of puzzles. These are often simply rotating mechanisms to open doors, or using mirrors to direct light, and are never too challenging. You will usually be able to find a scroll on a dead body nearby which will reveal the solution to you if you wish, but you won’t be granted the reward for completing it on your own, meaning you’ll have to wait a bit longer for that new combat ability.
The visuals and soundtrack hold up remarkably well too. Some of the vistas you visit are very striking and the music which accompanies the combat fits perfectly. Some of the combat abilities look really cool too. The fixed camera angles have their drawbacks and benefits. They do a good job of framing the cool looking aspects of the scene, but I was constantly wishing for a controllable camera during combat. Enemies would often move off screen, leaving me swinging wildly in the hope of hitting them.
Much too long
Games are often bemoaned for being too short. However, it’s been a long time since I’ve complained about a game being too long. By today’s standards, the amount of content in this new Castlevania is staggering, especially when you factor in the extra DLC. Having a ton of levels is all well and good, but I don’t think the content changes enough as the game progresses. The pacing is a good mix between puzzle solving, platforming and combat, but nothing seems to happen for large sections of the game. I had been playing for around eight hours before I even fought my first vampire. In a Castlevania game! Up until then I had been fighting goblins, trolls and wargs. If you’re buying a game purely for value for money, then Lords of Shadow is perfect. You might get a bit bored though, despite the onslaught of new abilities which are thrown at you as you play.
The story line is decent enough, and it is boosted by the great voice acting. The distinctive voice of Sir Patrick Stewart comes through Zobek, one of the few secondary characters, and he also acts as the narrator for the game in between each level. You won’t meet that many characters that have a lot of dialogue, but when you do, the quality remains high. Again, though, the story plods along at a slow pace, despite each level containing quite a lot of action.
Room for improvement
Cutting out a lot of the filler would go a long way to improving my enjoyment of the game. As it stands, combat is the best part of the game: strong with a lot of variety, if a little repetitive. For an aging game, it still looks great, and is backed up by an excellent soundtrack and voice cast. For the price, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Ultimate Edition has a huge amount of content and variety, and is certainly worth a look.
7.9
fun score
Pros
Huge amount of content and a great variety of combat options.
Cons
The story doesn't progress very quickly, and you just feel bogged down in certain levels.
