Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 doesn't waste any time in letting fans know the new release is taking a completely different direction for the franchise. The game casts players as Gabriel Belmont after the events of the first game with his new found Dracula powers. Players can move freely through the world from early on in the game, and Gabriel now has the ability to move through the different areas of time to change the scenery and the missions available for players to complete. The open world shift is a big one for the Castlevania series, but it works well here and allows players to feel the freedom of non-linear gameplay for the franchise while completing missions and searching out valuable, hidden collectibles scattered around the various environments.
The new storyline for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 seems interesting at first, with Gabriel learning how to use his newly acquired powers while also attempting to avoid hurting those closest to him. The game also features many other characters from the entire Castlevania series that offer some interesting moments, but the exciting moments of the narrative are broken up and too few to completely carry players through the entire campaign. One mission may have a notable boss battle or character interaction but be followed by a couple hours of monotonous missions that never seem to capture the true essence of what makes the series so special, and players will be left bored until the pacing picks back up. Though some of the sequences in the game are laughably terrible, there are some good scenes included along the way, and for what it's worth, the game finishes on a high note that will make players excited to see where the Castlevania series will go from here.
Combat in the game is done well even while mostly playing it safe for the genre. Fighting enemies is done so with a mixture of light and heavy attacks to deal damage, while using dodges, rolls and strafes to escape enemy attacks. What Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is with the introduction of the three different weapons Dracula has at his disposal for the majority of the game. The main weapon is the Blood Whip that gives many different combination attacks that feel authentic to the series while offering some freedom in movement to land unique blows on enemies. The Void Sword is completely new for the series, and though the weapon deals the least damage of the three main weapons, it is possibly the most helpful thanks to an ability that allows Dracula to regain health with each successful attack. Finally, the Chaos Claws is another important new weapon that is mostly used to fight against heavily protected enemies with slashing attacks that can penetrate even the most durable shields. Learning to use each weapon effectively in combat is plenty of fun and one of the most enjoyable aspects of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.
There are a good variety of enemies introduced in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. The series has always been known for its crazy enemy design and massive boss battles, and the new title is no different. There are plenty of towering boss battles to enjoy in the 3D world that will challenge players to quickly master newly acquired abilities such as the double jump and classic turning to mist spell in order to dodge dangerous attacks and get in close for devastating attacks. Rather than always fighting against demons, werewolves and other classic horror monsters, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 includes many unique enemies from futuristic robots to humans with firearms and other weapons. The diverse cast of enemies is comparable to older games in the franchise and is a nice change for the current console series.
One major problem in the new release is the several stealth missions scattered throughout the game. The developers clearly tried to add too much diverse content to their game with the inclusion of these missions. Not only do the missions feel terribly out of place in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, but many can be infuriating to complete in order to progress further into the game's campaign. The missions don't control well in a game that is designed for up close combat, and the terrible AI can be a nightmare to understand while trying to determine what will and won't get the player caught. Even more confusing is why the all powerful Dracula would need to hide from anyone in the first place. This is the same demon that has been the final encounter of nearly every release to this point in the Castlevania franchise thus far being afraid to be spotted by much lesser enemies, but no matter how you slice them, stealth missions in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 are hard to swallow.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is a great looking game that might look best when played on PC with the HD texture pack available for free on the Steam platform, but the game looks nearly as good on consoles as well. Character models are highly detailed and move through the world with grace stemming from high quality animations. The lighting is excellent in some areas and really transforms some cityscape into areas that players can't wait to explore. The game rarely slows either, so players can expect fast paced fights to last in this action title, when the few poorly designed missions aren't interrupting the gaming experience. There are also plenty of hidden collectibles in the world for players that enjoy fully completing each game they play.
All of this is complemented by excellent controls that are easy to use and master despite the three main weapons that must be carefully balanced throughout. Learning to use the different weapons cohesively is terribly addictive and an important part of strategy that gamers will need to utilize in many battles to progress. Other parts of the game's presentation aren't quite as excellent including a few poor voice actors that break the immersiveness and some themes that definitely aren't as addicting as some of the great themes featured in the classic games.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 doesn't live up to the expectations set by the first release in the Lords of Shadow series, but it's not a bad game. The title presents some great ideas and design choices that are not limited to new weapons that add depth to combat and gameplay, an open world ready to explore from early on in the game and fantastic graphics, but problems stemming from bad mission design and a storyline that stalls out every time it's about to get really exciting keeps the game from ever fully reaching its potential. Fans of the series will undoubtedly still have fun with the new release, but the game doesn't do enough to draw in a new crowd to enjoy all of the good qualities the game and series has to offer. Look for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC via Steam starting today!
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is now available from all major retailers for the MSRP of $59.99 and can be purchased for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is rated M by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language & Nudity. For more information on the game, check out the official Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 website.
Game Features:
- Single Player
- Harness the Powers of Dracula
- Open-World Exploration
- New Weapons and Abilities
- Trophy/Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: MercurySteam
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC (reviewed)
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Score: 6 out of 10