As I explained in my review of Castlevania, I've been trying to fill out my knowledge and experience with this iconic franchise, as well as fill out the site's coverage of the series. Ben recently reviewed the beloved GBA launch title, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and he also had previously reviewed one of the Nintendo DS entries, Order of Ecclesia. I'll eventually get around to playing those two games, but thankfully Ben took them off my hands, at least in regards to the games needing reviews. So, I pivoted to one of the console Castlevania titles. A game that most fans of the franchise enjoy quite a lot, and one that I have some qualms with: Lords of Shadow.
Lords of Shadow released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC in 2010, and was developed by MercurySteam; a studio that would eventually go on to work with Nintendo on a couple of Metroid titles. The really noteworthy thing about this game's development is that the acclaimed designer of the Boktai franchise, Hideo Kojima (also known for creating the Metal Gear and Death Stranding franchises), served as the Executive Producer of Lords of Shadow. Apparently, this game really only saw the light of day because of Kojima's guidance and advice to MercurySteam. Konami sought to reboot the Castlevania franchise after the barrage of handheld titles started producing lighter sales. At a point early in development, Konami instructed MercurySteam to pull the plug on the game, but when one of the game's producers showed off their concepts to Konami senior management, Kojima offered to help and got the game back off the ground. Beyond resurrecting the game, Kojima assisted in some key areas, like instructing MercurySteam to redesign the protagonist from being another barbarian, like Simon Belmont, into a new, more relatable character.
I don't typically bother going into all of this backstory in a game review, but I felt like Lords of Shadow deserved the context for my complex, and ultimately mixed thoughts upon completing the game. I think this game took a bold, incredibly ambitious approach to rebooting the Castlevania brand into a gritty 3D action-adventure title, and it earned my respect for the big swings it took. MercurySteam took the series into a considerably darker and more graphic direction than many of the prior series entries. The platforming and puzzle-solving are much more complex than anything I've seen in the series up to this point. The story and setting are grounded in a vague European Middle Ages, while simultaneously steeping the game's universe in a sort of blend of European folklore and pseudo-Christian culture.
Gabriel Belmont is our protagonist. He serves the Brotherhood of Light, essentially a paladin or crusader order of sorts, where he and his fellow men protect people from evil and supernatural threats. His wife Marie was murdered at the very beginning of the game, and because of a strange spell looming over the lands, the souls of the dead are unable to pass into the afterlife, leaving Marie trapped in a limbo state, where she serves as a spiritual guide of sorts for Gabriel throughout his journey. Gabriel's ultimate goal is to find the means to resurrect his slain wife, and there's only one way that he knows of that will grant him the power over life and death: to defeat the dangerous, and enigmatic Lords of Shadow and usurp their near God-like powers.
I won't spoil any more of the story, but most of my issues with this game come from the way that the story develops, culminating in a genuinely unbelievably stupid reveal for Gabriel at the end, in a post-credits scene. I appreciate Lords of Shadow trying to reinterpret Castlevania into a slightly more serious, grounded story, and establish new lore for the Belmont family and their eternal struggle against the threat of Dracula. This new interpretation of the series gave them an opportunity to
present a more character-driven direction for the franchise.
Gabriel's tragic story of trying to bring back his wife reminded me of
Dante from Dante's Inferno, which was released earlier that same year, and this central story of heartbreak and loss served as an effective vehicle for Gabriel's motivations. Truthfully though, some of these narrative developments at the end of the game are just so absurd that I almost couldn't believe that I was playing the same game that I was a few hours prior. The stakes became so high for Gabriel that it became almost a parody of itself. The final boss fight and the revelation at the end of the game just felt like the story suddenly jumped the shark, and at least for me, concluded the story on such a ludicrous note that I remember actually getting angry at the game.
While Lords of Shadow's story was a mixed bag for me, I think MercurySteam created a pretty solid, action-packed combat system that I'd love to see return in some form, if Castlevania is ever brought back in the 3D action-adventure style. Gabriel wouldn't be a Belmont without a whip, so of course that iconic weapon forms the core of his combat abilities. His whip is unique, as it's retractable, with the length of the whip being tucked into Gabriel's handheld cross, the Combat Cross. You can unlock a few dozen different combos to use with your whip, so there are plenty of options to choose from to figure out what works for your playstyle.
There are also two different magic systems that provide various abilities and benefits to Gabriel. Light Magic serves as a defensive and healing element, and gives Gabriel the power to heal himself through combat or cast powerful spells. Shadow Magic is predictably the more offensive school of magic and can turn Gabriel into a proper killing machine. Shadow magic makes his attacks unblockable and also boosts the general damage of his regular attacks. Also, like with most Castlevania games, there are myriad sub-weapons that can be woven into your combos and boosted with Gabriel's magical powers. Through the RPG-like leveling system in Lords of Shadow, all of these weapons and abilities can be enhanced to augment their effects and increase their potency and lethality.
I come away from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow with torn feelings. My enthusiasm and earnest enjoyment for the game died about halfway through, so the remainder of my time was admittedly soured. I tried to approach the review with an unbiased tone, as much as possible. Ultimately though, a review is often some mix of subjective and objective criticism. Lords of Shadow was nothing if not ambitious, and I think it deserves major kudos for the huge swings that it took. The tone, aesthetic and combat of the game are quite good and feel like a natural evolution of what we've seen in past series entries. The story, while intriguing at parts, was certainly the weakest element of the game and really dragged down my overall feelings regarding the game. I think if you're interested in Lords of Shadow, give it a shot, especially if you can find it for a low price.
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