TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
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Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 - |OT| - Dead and Loving It!
- Thread starter Ahasverus
- Start date
It's like making Link turning into Ganon. It just seems like a petty, poor plot twist. It then gets exacerbated when you take the major villain of the series, replace him with a worthless villain and imply he is somehow even worse (Satan) and dumb down the potential Dracula has as a villain by having him act like Solid Snake at certain points. It's a series of points that make the Lords of Shadow Dracula probably the worst one the series has seen to date. Even Judgment's Dracula was more in line with what Dracula ought to be, even with the hilarious nipple canons.
It was my GOTY in 2010. But I find this to be a massive disappointment by comparison. The feeling of going on an epic journey is just not here. The story is awful, the pacing is a mess and the modern environments clash with the more epic settings. It has it's moments, such as the boss fights, but everything else leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Its actually pretty good, if you look at what it is and not what it isn't.
See my last post about the story, I think some people have difficulty digesting what is actually driving the disconnected nature of a lot of the segments of the design.
At least on paper. Its not perfect, but I see what the game is trying to portray
swazzyswess
Member
Krusenstern
Banned
No, it's not.
People tend to deem the whole game shit because of the modern day sections. The game still shines in the castle areas and the boss battles.
It's only ok. A regular game. Don't waste full money for it if you're really not into it.
If Lords of Shadow was the Matrix. This game would be the Matrix Reloaded of the bunch. Take that how you will.
I would totally hide from that.
Agreus is in the castle so... Yeah. There's that.
This game is what you would expect the LOS sequel to be, tbqh. I mean Mirror of Fate told you how fucked up things were going to be here.
brandonh83
Banned
Matrix Reloaded was awesome. That freeway scene.
It's a reboot. Los has its own lore/story. Just borrows names, themes, etc.Not if you can kill a giant stone statue as human
And sorry for the post above, I just realized that I've said that thing in another post in this thread, I forgot it.
By the way, is this game in canon?
This Dracula is the same one from Symphony of the Night and other Castlevania?
Krusenstern
Banned
What's wrong with Agreus? The chase section you mean? Don't tell me people were annoyed by it.
Not if you can kill a giant stone statue as human
And sorry for the post above, I just realized that I've said that thing in another post in this thread, I forgot it.
By the way, is this game in canon?
This Dracula is the same one from Symphony of the Night and other Castlevania?
Iirc no, it's not canon.
Not if you can kill a giant stone statue as human
And sorry for the post above, I just realized that I've said that thing in another post in this thread, I forgot it.
By the way, is this game in canon?
This Dracula is the same one from Symphony of the Night and other Castlevania?
I was just making fun of the unfortunate typo
Kotaku got stuck there for 4 hours.
I still think it's very stupidly implemented, especially when it's followed by a fight immediately(I was hiding...why?), but hard these sections ain't.
liquidekkah
Member
So the only reason it's "bad writing", it seems, is due to expectations.
Seeing as there's like 20 Links, having the first Hero of Time become the holder of the Triforce of power and becoming the age-old opponent of all the other Links isn't actually bad writing in and of itself.
I mean, sure, it makes no sense in the original timeline, but if you're writing a new story from scratch, there's nothing bad about the writing.
Now Victor? THAT'S bad writing.
Not if you can kill a giant stone statue as human
And sorry for the post above, I just realized that I've said that thing in another post in this thread, I forgot it.
By the way, is this game in canon?
This Dracula is the same one from Symphony of the Night and other Castlevania?
It's just that the game does a very weak job of making Dracula weak. After you get the Chaos Claws, there's no need for stealth or to call him weakened, yet...
This game is an alternate timeline. It's own thing. So, no for all your questions.
Krusenstern
Banned
They even gave the game a NO. *smh*
How can you get stuck on that part for 4-5 hours? No, seriously. This is surreal.
It took me 15 minutes or so to figure it out.
butman
Member
Ot put it like this:
LoS games are like the Batman Forever and Batman & Robin movies of the Castlevania universe.
Waiting for the "Nolan" Castlevania...
It's also bad writing that if you were to take the original release of LoS, you have about four or so plot twists done in the span of 30 minutes. None of these were done well. It is bad writing, it's like a 14 year old came out with the plot twist (LoS1 somehow had four writers on it). It's like if you thought to yourself "please don't go with dumb, predictable, childish plot twists" this is the series of games that runs with them at full speed. In fact, in the Lords of Shadow series, it doesn't even explain how Dracula becomes the vampire he does to the extent of being a demonic king. Lords only explains how he becomes a vampire, not how he becomes a vampire with reign over other monsters, or most monsters. This is something covered in the original series as early as the third main entry (Dracula tricks the deity Galamoth, which in turn grants him such power that he can have an army and wage war in Wallachia). Nothing is said in the reboot that really explains why Dracula is so powerful, but this is the same series that turns Dracula into a fucking chump that he has to hide from certain enemies ripped from Quake.
I perhaps come from a position that I find Dracula, even in games with no narrative, to be one of the best villains in video game history. There is a sense of consistency in the position he has as lead mean big baddie that Lords absolutely defecates over. I am baffled that games without even text to accompany Dracula's appearance are a more convincing effort than Lords of Shadow has been. But at least it's probably over now, right?
This game feels like such a mess. For every good idea, there are 2 bad ones. Really makes me wonder if they let people play the game outside their team. My main complaints:
1. Control delay - Perhaps it's the same as the first game, but the delay from button press to action on the screen feels really large.
2. Environment traversing - Not that terrible, but its problems really become apparent when you need to traverse a certain path in a very limited amount of time. Controls are just clunky.
3. Stealth - The Prince of Darkness battles bad ass demons and has to hide from some lackey guards? Really out of character, and the converting to a rat and sluggishly traversing some ducts is just plain dull. Don't get me started on how ridiculous was the part with Agreus.
4. Maps - Is there a Castlevania/Metroid like map I can access anywhere that will allow me to get a handle on the world? It just feels so disjointed. After many hours of play, I don't know much how to move in the world.
For what it's worth, I really enjoyed the first LoS game. It felt well constructed and cohesive.
1. Control delay - Perhaps it's the same as the first game, but the delay from button press to action on the screen feels really large.
2. Environment traversing - Not that terrible, but its problems really become apparent when you need to traverse a certain path in a very limited amount of time. Controls are just clunky.
3. Stealth - The Prince of Darkness battles bad ass demons and has to hide from some lackey guards? Really out of character, and the converting to a rat and sluggishly traversing some ducts is just plain dull. Don't get me started on how ridiculous was the part with Agreus.
4. Maps - Is there a Castlevania/Metroid like map I can access anywhere that will allow me to get a handle on the world? It just feels so disjointed. After many hours of play, I don't know much how to move in the world.
For what it's worth, I really enjoyed the first LoS game. It felt well constructed and cohesive.
Like the Castlevania's lore was sacred anyways,
.Maybe Forever, but Batman and Robin can suck it.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
She's a demon I believe and thats like 20minutes after the demo section from the beginning.
Its because you don't have all you abilities yet, many games do this Tomb Raider 2013 did it too
I thought that at first then I realised it doesn't make any difference, but you said you deleted after the first half hour so how do you know?
I wouldn't swy its non-existent but it doesn't present itself as well and isnt as epic as LOS1, LOS1 had Sir Patrick Stewart telling you the story
This has nothing but what you see in the cut scenes, which are good but could have been more like LOS1
But like I said above, how do you know you more or less played the demo really.
I thought the scene when Dracula says
I was like you once... But your God has showed me a different path. That's why you cannot defeat me; I am his chosen one!
no indeed, they are 1-2 minute sections spread very far apart from each other, and Zobek told you are too weak, is it that hard to understand?
I agree, but the city has some nice monuments the factory is only one area, you would know this if you played more of it.
I respect your opinion, but it wasn't based on playing the game was it? Sounds like you hated it before even trying it
Just so you know I had to go back and change my reply as I read your post and realised you haven't even played 15 minutes past the demo
liquidekkah
Member
I'm going to disagree with the plot twists in LoS being done poorly. I thought they were well executed, and they didn't come out of nowhere. When playing through the game a second time, you can see how heavily seeded the game is in setting up for the twist.
Additionally, his raw power is explained in the DLC of the first game, so there's that, and it's not much of a logical jump to consider the fact that weaker monsters would want to serve the strongest of all monsters. On top of that, his army is largely implied to be made up of the armies of Carmilla and Cornell, as well as any other castle denizens that have chosen to serve their new master.
I can definitely understand your dispute with the portrayal of Dracula in LoS2, as yes, he doesn't really live up to the big baddie status that he was supposed to have. I have issues with it myself, but I can't agree the same in LoS or MoF. LoS told a fairly straightforward tale of his fall, and MoF set him up quite nicely as a "Lord of the Castle".
I don't see why they relate other than both being bad games in their own bizarre way.
You just get a game over.
They're too different to really compare. But really, LoS1 was also polarizing so I'm not surprised to see it continue here.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I agree, the story gave Dracula(the main character of the series) more character and depth, and a connection with the player
It was brilliantly done and its shame the series isnt gonna continue that as the legacy of Dracula and the Belmonts.
I don't see anything polarizing in Simon's Quest. The first game that was polarizing for me in this series was LoS.
liquidekkah
Member
I will miss the heavily intertwined destinies of the Belmonts and Dracula.
Leon's "My lineage will fight you because I deem it so!" was serviceable, but I thought the Father/Son/Grandson connection to be a lot more compelling. Instead of being pledged against Dracula because of the ancient grudge of an ancestor, they fight Dracula because he is their own ancestor, and they belong to the order that he was once a part of and now diametrically opposed to.
Of course, this connection becomes a lot weaker since Dracula disappears for 500 years, and their handling of Victor was atrocious, since nobody really seemed to give a crap whether he lived or died. But his whole inclusion was just riddled with bad writing.
Simon's Quest is often agreed to be bad or at least "not good", though I'd say enough people think it's fine, so that's make it polarizing.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I also prefer Alucards story ( from what I know) in LOS, it makes more sense then Dracula having it off with a human imo.
Keep in mind I haven't played MOF, although I've just brought it so.
Alright, time for impressions. I kind of write this like a review so that I can copy over to steam, so skip the introductory bit if you'd like.
Lords of Shadow 2 is a game that I found myself pretty hyped for. 1 year ago I had never played a Castlevania game, and I randomly grabbed LoS off of a steam sale and grew to like it a lot. I had no history with the games or series that it had supposedly "borrowed" its main designs around, so I didn't really have a source of reference for the combat or the lore. I suppose this level of blindness allowed me to enjoy the game for what it was as a package, rather than compare it to its peers. The downfall of the sequel, however, is that it doesn't even favorably stack up to its predecessor, not even considering any other action games that the first entry was largely unfavorably compared to.
LoS2 has improved primary combat from the first game. The Void Sword and Chaos Claw mechanics feel distinctly unique from the main whip weapon, but unfortunately they do not really feel different from each other, except for the range of attacks and the focus on healing and damage. Even DmC, a contentious game in its own right, had more unique offerings when it came to weapon specialties. The Claws and the Sword have the same base combos as the whip, and while they offer more options once you learn the available skills, it still feels like the game is played largely the same regardless of which weapon you have equipped. The ability to dodge into enemies to interrupt some attacks, as well as dodging vertically or block from an aerial position, are welcome. It would still be nice for the dodge to have some window of invulnerability, for the cases where the camera is not being nice and you are unable to exactly avoid a tracking charge move or the like. Speaking of, the camera assist does seem to be helpful, but at the same time there are a few instances where I find myself needing to find the center of the room just so that I could get situated again with the camera and enemy placement.
Overall, the combat is the only real improvement that the sequel provides, and everything else changes for the worse (with one exception). The story starts off really interesting, but nose dives quickly. Zobek is the game's instant chaperon, declaring to Dracula what needs to be done and why. This is kind of an instant turn off. The idea that Dracula has become an "errand boy" for a man who has deceived him in the past is a bit silly. Story threads seems half-baked, and some ideas are created and forgotten faster than the player anticipates. Early on the game focuses on an antidote subplot which drags further on into the story than it needs to, but the result of this is never really made known. Later plot threads involve putting an item back together, which of course is made up of various pieces held by various antagonists. The plot shifts back and forth from the modern day tasks set forth by Zobek and from emotionally declared tasks requested by Dracula's own desires. It's a bit vague but it's hard to be clear without spoiling things. The idea is that the shifting of gameplay between the City and the Castle is reflected in the story itself, and it is never really made clear which plot threads end up important and which don't.
The duality of the gameplay locations itself is a similar mess. Ignoring motivation or plot reasons, exploring the castle is pretty fun. The locales are pretty unique, ranging from a leaved garden, to a snowy tower, to a theatre and workshop and fire-lined deep halls and moonlit balconies. While the platforming is not terribly intricate, jumping and exploring paths between the castle sectors wasn't ever really boring, outside of the rooms that clearly act as loading areas. Too often does Dracula find himself in an "airlock" where he has to close off the path behind him and open that in front of him to continue on. While during the initial run through of a place, these parts aren't bad but are merely annoying. However, they make exploring after the fact a large chore. I found myself actually dreading shifting from one area to another if it meant passing through one of these airlocks, especially if I found I needed to run around and go through it again. Aside from those however, the castle is damn gorgeous and is generally a pleasure to visit.
The City, on the other hand, is a wreck. This doesn't just limit itself to the location itself, but also the way that it plays differently. First off, the locations of street level roads, parking garages, a church, a train station, industry hatches and factories... there's some variety but it just doesn't compare to the ornate castle areas. Most everything is drab, dark, and cramped. It's just boring. On its own this isn't something that is a deal breaker, but the fact that areas are often separated by underground hatches leading to cramped hallways and elevators and such, again, make exploring the areas after initially playing through them to simply not be very fun. These areas are also full of "airlocks" where you have to pull a switch and then wait 15 seconds to proceed. Not only are these equally at annoying as the counterparts in the castle, the idea of Dracula waiting for a female robotic voice to initiate and finish some sort of generic sterilization protocol accompanied by some sort of disinfectant gas or whatever is simply hilarious in a bad way. Since the rewards for exploring visited areas is mostly limited to extensions to your health or magic bar, or perhaps background lore, these factors make backtracking around not the most appealing thing to undertake in the first place. Secondly, the enemy types found in these modern areas included demons with shotguns or grenades, as well as robot police type mechs. These enemies are not terrible, but having to avoid various manners of ranged attacks on awkward enemy types just make them not as fun to fight. The city area does have the spectre/wraith type enemies, which I do enjoy fighting, but it doesn't compare to the jailers, harpies, blood skeletons, brotherhood knights, and such of the castle areas.
The Boss fights of this game are spectacles, and while the motivation for fighting each of them is a bit silly, some of them are really well done. The boss designs are creative, fun to look at, and most importantly, fun to fight (generally). The boss fights do a fair job of mixing up how you are best to tackle them, including using ranged or aerial attacks, or using Void and Chaos power, as well as prioritizing positioning and reflexes. It's just unfortunate that one of the most interesting boss fights, the one you fight in the theater, ends up also being one of the easiest in the game. There is a challenge set of maps also available, but these feel so separate from the main game. Sure, you can "farm" experience through these, but you could just do that with enemies anywhere, and you don't have to skip a cutscene every time you want to enter the challenge area. I understand that for many players, the challenges being present for a sake of variety is plenty, but I would have liked some sort of exp bonus for each completed challenge as some sort of motivation for completing them during the main game. Aside from that, the challenges themselves are pretty interesting and some are fairly challenging. The limitations forced on the player for some of the later challenge rewards allow you to think of other ways to dispatch enemy types. For instance, a later challenge that required to freeze monsters readily taught me about the void power variant of the mist form, which normal gameplay might have never pushed me to attempt otherwise.
Final thing I want to touch on is the stealth. Outside of some admittedly shameful ineptitude from certain review sites when it comes to finishing the stealth sections, I will say that the reviews themselves are not wrong. They just seem unneeded, and they interrupt the pace of a game that needs all of the pacing consistency it can find. Even with the idea that the stealth sections are more like puzzles in the guise of stealth, they still feel manufactured and present just to be present; I think I would have preferred more Zelda-eqse puzzles like in the first game rather than avoid unkillable enemies as the immortal prince of darkness disguised as a rat. While puzzles can become an iterative process where you learn the patterns needed and slowly make progress to a solution, these stealth sections seem more like trail and error where you simply try out which combination of bat, rat, and possess needs to be done in what order in order to progress. Some may argue that there simply should just not be puzzles or stealth at all, but I think I would rather move blocks or shift tiles around if that was the only other option. The infamous stealth section in the garden area was the largest of the game, and while mechanically it wasn't much different from any of the numerous smaller stealth sections, it felt the most unneeded since the fight the it precedes make the whole section seem pointless (where at least the quake-like enemies found otherwise are never directly engaged).
The game is a decent run through, especially for fans of the initial Lords of Shadow, but for anyone waiting to jump in or wanting to be proven wrong about their opinion on this latest outing by MercurySteam, this game isn't going to make believers out of the doubters. It can only hope to retain the majority of die-hard fans who have already accepted the game for what it is, flaws and all. I would still suggest that fans of action games give this a try, at least with a rental or a steam sale, but anyone just wanting to jump in blind and curious I would rather redirect to LoS1, if not another series entirely.
Lords of Shadow 2 is a game that I found myself pretty hyped for. 1 year ago I had never played a Castlevania game, and I randomly grabbed LoS off of a steam sale and grew to like it a lot. I had no history with the games or series that it had supposedly "borrowed" its main designs around, so I didn't really have a source of reference for the combat or the lore. I suppose this level of blindness allowed me to enjoy the game for what it was as a package, rather than compare it to its peers. The downfall of the sequel, however, is that it doesn't even favorably stack up to its predecessor, not even considering any other action games that the first entry was largely unfavorably compared to.
LoS2 has improved primary combat from the first game. The Void Sword and Chaos Claw mechanics feel distinctly unique from the main whip weapon, but unfortunately they do not really feel different from each other, except for the range of attacks and the focus on healing and damage. Even DmC, a contentious game in its own right, had more unique offerings when it came to weapon specialties. The Claws and the Sword have the same base combos as the whip, and while they offer more options once you learn the available skills, it still feels like the game is played largely the same regardless of which weapon you have equipped. The ability to dodge into enemies to interrupt some attacks, as well as dodging vertically or block from an aerial position, are welcome. It would still be nice for the dodge to have some window of invulnerability, for the cases where the camera is not being nice and you are unable to exactly avoid a tracking charge move or the like. Speaking of, the camera assist does seem to be helpful, but at the same time there are a few instances where I find myself needing to find the center of the room just so that I could get situated again with the camera and enemy placement.
Overall, the combat is the only real improvement that the sequel provides, and everything else changes for the worse (with one exception). The story starts off really interesting, but nose dives quickly. Zobek is the game's instant chaperon, declaring to Dracula what needs to be done and why. This is kind of an instant turn off. The idea that Dracula has become an "errand boy" for a man who has deceived him in the past is a bit silly. Story threads seems half-baked, and some ideas are created and forgotten faster than the player anticipates. Early on the game focuses on an antidote subplot which drags further on into the story than it needs to, but the result of this is never really made known. Later plot threads involve putting an item back together, which of course is made up of various pieces held by various antagonists. The plot shifts back and forth from the modern day tasks set forth by Zobek and from emotionally declared tasks requested by Dracula's own desires. It's a bit vague but it's hard to be clear without spoiling things. The idea is that the shifting of gameplay between the City and the Castle is reflected in the story itself, and it is never really made clear which plot threads end up important and which don't.
The duality of the gameplay locations itself is a similar mess. Ignoring motivation or plot reasons, exploring the castle is pretty fun. The locales are pretty unique, ranging from a leaved garden, to a snowy tower, to a theatre and workshop and fire-lined deep halls and moonlit balconies. While the platforming is not terribly intricate, jumping and exploring paths between the castle sectors wasn't ever really boring, outside of the rooms that clearly act as loading areas. Too often does Dracula find himself in an "airlock" where he has to close off the path behind him and open that in front of him to continue on. While during the initial run through of a place, these parts aren't bad but are merely annoying. However, they make exploring after the fact a large chore. I found myself actually dreading shifting from one area to another if it meant passing through one of these airlocks, especially if I found I needed to run around and go through it again. Aside from those however, the castle is damn gorgeous and is generally a pleasure to visit.
The City, on the other hand, is a wreck. This doesn't just limit itself to the location itself, but also the way that it plays differently. First off, the locations of street level roads, parking garages, a church, a train station, industry hatches and factories... there's some variety but it just doesn't compare to the ornate castle areas. Most everything is drab, dark, and cramped. It's just boring. On its own this isn't something that is a deal breaker, but the fact that areas are often separated by underground hatches leading to cramped hallways and elevators and such, again, make exploring the areas after initially playing through them to simply not be very fun. These areas are also full of "airlocks" where you have to pull a switch and then wait 15 seconds to proceed. Not only are these equally at annoying as the counterparts in the castle, the idea of Dracula waiting for a female robotic voice to initiate and finish some sort of generic sterilization protocol accompanied by some sort of disinfectant gas or whatever is simply hilarious in a bad way. Since the rewards for exploring visited areas is mostly limited to extensions to your health or magic bar, or perhaps background lore, these factors make backtracking around not the most appealing thing to undertake in the first place. Secondly, the enemy types found in these modern areas included demons with shotguns or grenades, as well as robot police type mechs. These enemies are not terrible, but having to avoid various manners of ranged attacks on awkward enemy types just make them not as fun to fight. The city area does have the spectre/wraith type enemies, which I do enjoy fighting, but it doesn't compare to the jailers, harpies, blood skeletons, brotherhood knights, and such of the castle areas.
The Boss fights of this game are spectacles, and while the motivation for fighting each of them is a bit silly, some of them are really well done. The boss designs are creative, fun to look at, and most importantly, fun to fight (generally). The boss fights do a fair job of mixing up how you are best to tackle them, including using ranged or aerial attacks, or using Void and Chaos power, as well as prioritizing positioning and reflexes. It's just unfortunate that one of the most interesting boss fights, the one you fight in the theater, ends up also being one of the easiest in the game. There is a challenge set of maps also available, but these feel so separate from the main game. Sure, you can "farm" experience through these, but you could just do that with enemies anywhere, and you don't have to skip a cutscene every time you want to enter the challenge area. I understand that for many players, the challenges being present for a sake of variety is plenty, but I would have liked some sort of exp bonus for each completed challenge as some sort of motivation for completing them during the main game. Aside from that, the challenges themselves are pretty interesting and some are fairly challenging. The limitations forced on the player for some of the later challenge rewards allow you to think of other ways to dispatch enemy types. For instance, a later challenge that required to freeze monsters readily taught me about the void power variant of the mist form, which normal gameplay might have never pushed me to attempt otherwise.
Final thing I want to touch on is the stealth. Outside of some admittedly shameful ineptitude from certain review sites when it comes to finishing the stealth sections, I will say that the reviews themselves are not wrong. They just seem unneeded, and they interrupt the pace of a game that needs all of the pacing consistency it can find. Even with the idea that the stealth sections are more like puzzles in the guise of stealth, they still feel manufactured and present just to be present; I think I would have preferred more Zelda-eqse puzzles like in the first game rather than avoid unkillable enemies as the immortal prince of darkness disguised as a rat. While puzzles can become an iterative process where you learn the patterns needed and slowly make progress to a solution, these stealth sections seem more like trail and error where you simply try out which combination of bat, rat, and possess needs to be done in what order in order to progress. Some may argue that there simply should just not be puzzles or stealth at all, but I think I would rather move blocks or shift tiles around if that was the only other option. The infamous stealth section in the garden area was the largest of the game, and while mechanically it wasn't much different from any of the numerous smaller stealth sections, it felt the most unneeded since the fight the it precedes make the whole section seem pointless (where at least the quake-like enemies found otherwise are never directly engaged).
The game is a decent run through, especially for fans of the initial Lords of Shadow, but for anyone waiting to jump in or wanting to be proven wrong about their opinion on this latest outing by MercurySteam, this game isn't going to make believers out of the doubters. It can only hope to retain the majority of die-hard fans who have already accepted the game for what it is, flaws and all. I would still suggest that fans of action games give this a try, at least with a rental or a steam sale, but anyone just wanting to jump in blind and curious I would rather redirect to LoS1, if not another series entirely.
Castlevania wasnt much about the writing LoS tried to do a more narrative heavy game and IMO suceeded with fun gameplay. (yet flawed) On LoS2 they went on the complete opposite making the story feel almost non existent and trying hard and failing to deliver a plot on the last quarter of the game. Level design was mostly flat areas on the modern city meanwhile the castle level design seems more varied and pleasing to the eye. Enemies I felt sad by the lack of variety of enemies after LoS1 had fitting enemies per area/chapter.
I wish the combat elements get picked up and improved on the next CV game. Please scrap stealth as it was clearly unnecesary on LoS. Only way stealth would work is if its a human character but Dracula doing stealth was stupid considering he can not die and he is OP as hell.
I'll be okay with an interconnected world CV with fixed camera angles. Kinda like DMC4 but on greater scale. The warp system could be improved. Activate all wolf areas and work like Dark Souls bon fire on castle areas and map room changed as a time traveling area on what could be a hub area (City of the Damned was hub like except with enemies in there but otherwise you had the wolf and world map next to each other.)
I found tedious the need to travel back to the castle area just to buy stuff. There could be a merchant somewhere on the city to make it faster.
More random talk later. Lol
I wish the combat elements get picked up and improved on the next CV game. Please scrap stealth as it was clearly unnecesary on LoS. Only way stealth would work is if its a human character but Dracula doing stealth was stupid considering he can not die and he is OP as hell.
I'll be okay with an interconnected world CV with fixed camera angles. Kinda like DMC4 but on greater scale. The warp system could be improved. Activate all wolf areas and work like Dark Souls bon fire on castle areas and map room changed as a time traveling area on what could be a hub area (City of the Damned was hub like except with enemies in there but otherwise you had the wolf and world map next to each other.)
I found tedious the need to travel back to the castle area just to buy stuff. There could be a merchant somewhere on the city to make it faster.
More random talk later. Lol
Yes it is. It changed the formula from the first one. People complained about how cryptic it was as well. Lords of Shadow(1/2) suffers the same polarizing opinions.
Edit: If mags were a bigger thing back then, I'd wager we'd see the same variety of reviews as LoS2.
It was still Castlevania. The gameplay changed, but it retained most of the elements from the first game. Surely, it does have it's problems. But it still feels like Castlevania, just with different gameplay. Same with Zelda 2 on the LoZ series.
I understand what you wanted to say though. It was a polemic game.
LoS feels like many things, but Castlevania.
Of course it doesnt feel like Castlevania as it aint recycling sprites. JK
swazzyswess
Member
Really good write up. It might not have been intentional, but the part about the airlocks had me cracking up. Freaking Dracula waiting for airlocks.... that's funny enough on its own.
Shmuely Bully
Member
It's clearly a game compromised in a major way by the limitations of its engine and by Mercury Steam making the game bend to their ideas instead of the other way around. Given the poor scaling and quality of some assets (e.g. roof shingles) it probably was also compromised to some extent by schedule demands.
One thing I found interesting (and unfortunate) is that the art suggests more environments had been planned than actually wound up in the game. Art for
the asylum
The worst example of that last one is sadly the
art district, its name notwithstanding
Shmuely Bully
Member
If you play for awhile without finding it (1-2 hours?) the game will tell you, but if you really need to know right away
it's the church where you started out
Screw that, headed there now. I want to beat this and get it out of the way. Thanks.
Simon's Quest is actually my most played of the Castlevanias. LoS is a reboot, but they tried to infuse some essence of the series, which shows in LoS1 as it channels Super Castlevania IV. You might not agree with me, but it's pretty much all we have at the moment. I'd love a high-resolution 2D Castlevania of the SOTN mold, but I'm not sure it's feasible on Konami's end.
And credits. Gee, thanks for a real shitty non-conclusion, Mercury Steam. The last little stretch before the end saw the game get a bit better, but it ultimately fell flat on it's face with something that feels like a 'stay tuned for DLC' ending. Pretty disappointed overall and can't give it any higher than a 6.5. It had some fun boss battles, but that is about it for me. Back to Gamefly it goes.
FrostuTheNinja
Member
Just realized that I stop playing whenever a rat section pops up. It's not that they are hard, poorly designed or any of that, they just crop up far too often. This might have been an interesting ability if used sparingly...
Anyone else wondering about lore collection, videogamesblogger has a location guide for Memorials, where you can cross check with your menu entries. Not one up for Diaries yet, assume it will be soon.
Just as a heads up. Found one I was missing in the Arts district.
Just as a heads up. Found one I was missing in the Arts district.