I am by no means an expert gamer. It might take me a bit longer to realize I can’t always just Rambo my way through games, just hacking and slashing enemies left and right. It might take me a bit longer to get that mindset out of my head and sit down and focus on mechanics, because the longer I don’t, the longer the game keeps handing me my ass and Lords of the Fallen is one of those games.
In Lords of the Fallen, you play as Harkyn, a convicted criminal who is released from prison by a monk named Kaslo, to defeat the invading demon forces of the fallen god, Adyr. As you fight your way through a monastery deep in the mountains, you come across various beings known as Rhogar Lords. Eventually you come across the Pathway which serves as a portal to the Rhogar Realm, a temple of Adyr, sealed away with his defeat.
When you start the game you choose between three different magic types and three different equipment types. I opted to choose the Brawler magic type and the most knight looking armor because they sounded and looked cool. Was this a mistake? Maybe. The game is a very Diablo-esque game, just in third-person instead of bird’s eye and that’s cool because Diablo is cool. The game starts with a cutscene introducing your character and then drops you into the game at a point in time afterwards. As you play, the tutorials show you how to move, combat, etc., after that you are on your own. Combat against normal enemies isn’t too bad and, once you start upgrading your stats and armor it can be a piece of cake. The boss battles, however, is where the game kicks your ass. As I said, I am, by no means, an expert gamer, and Lords of the Fallen’s boss battles frustrated me to the point where I constantly wanted to give up. I usually tend to like to charge in and attack like there’s no tomorrow, circle around a bit, rinse and repeat. You can’t do that in this game. You need to fight like you are actually fighting. You need to use your dodges and rolls, keep your shield up and wait for the right moment to attack. You also need to not only keep track of your health but also your stamina. Once your stamina is depleted, you are slower to move, slower to evade, slower to attack. You don’t need to attack with just your weapon though. As the game progresses, you acquire a variety of gauntlet and magic powers, which differ based on which magic type you chose from the start. Keeping track of all of these is the key to defeating the bosses and, when you finally beat it after the 20th or so try, it is oh so rewarding.
Lords of the Fallen Complete Edition comes with the base game on a disc, plus a voucher for a pack that contains all previously released dlc, which are, the Demonic Weapon Pack, Lion Heart Pack, Monk Decipher, The Foundation Boost, The Arcane Boost and the Ancient Labyrinth campaign. The weapons packs may serve useful at the beginning of the game but will ultimately serve useless once you progress past the first Lord.
Ultimately, Lords of the Fallen isn’t a game that you can just sit back and relax and play without a care in the world. This isn’t a game where you can go all Leeroy Jenkins and just charge into boss battles. This is a game that will frustrate you and test your skills as a gamer, and once you finally get through it, it makes you feel accomplished.
Lords of The Fallen
- Story - 8/108/10
- Gameplay - 7.5/107.5/10
- Mechanics - 7.5/107.5/10
The Verdict
Lords of the Fallen’s high difficulty might not be for everyone, but when you persevere and finally beat that one boss the keeps handing you your ass, it makes it ever so rewarding.