In a gaming landscape that seems insatiable for punishing fantasy horror action RPGs, Lords of the Fallen has managed to carve out its own niche. Following the footsteps of hits like Elden Ring and Lies of P, and despite facing early performance criticisms and competing with RPG giants such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield, Lords of the Fallen has now crossed the impressive threshold of one million copies sold, as confirmed by its publisher.
Lies of P, another notable title in this genre, achieved the same milestone, although it took a bit more time to reach that pinnacle. Notably, Lies of P drew comparisons to the renowned Bloodborne, albeit with a unique twist involving Pinocchio.
Lords of the Fallen’s development studio, Hexworks, shares a similar passion for the Soulslike genre popularized by FromSoftware and doesn’t shy away from acknowledging its inspiration. Studio head Saul Gascon expressed earlier this year the studio’s ambition to become “the second reference [after FromSoftware]” in the Soulslike genre.
While the debate on whether Lords of the Fallen truly stands as the best non-FromSoftware Soulslike continues, it undeniably offers an engaging experience. Reviewer Harvey praised its exhilarating boss fights, even going as far as stating that his second playthrough surpassed the enjoyment of the first.
However, Harvey also highlighted one of his significant complaints about the game: the prevalence of surprise ambushes and somewhat tedious mob tactics. His subsequent playthrough improved because he was prepared for these unexpected challenges.
Harvey suggests that if Hexworks had tempered the abundance of sudden enemy encounters, Lords of the Fallen could have delivered a more enjoyable experience right from the start.
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Players should brace themselves for these surprise attacks and difficulty spikes. Yet, once adequately prepared, they can anticipate exceptional boss battles and a delightfully macabre world filled with a multitude of proper nouns related to evil gods and those who oppose them.
A unique feature of Lords of the Fallen is the ability to traverse two distinct worlds. The game introduces a lantern that allows players to peer into or step into the eerie realm of the dead, portrayed with a blue filter that accentuates its grotesque nature, even more so than the dark fantasy world it conceals.
Although it may not have resulted in the most intricate puzzle design, it undoubtedly adds a fascinating dimension to the game.
Lords of the Fallen currently maintains a “mixed” user review rating on Steam, with a growing number of positive reviews gradually outweighing the negative ones.
Recent negative reviews are less focused on performance-related issues, thanks to a series of post-launch patches that addressed those concerns. Instead, they tend to echo Harvey’s comments about surprise ambushes and express disappointment regarding co-op support.
Regarding the co-op experience, the game’s publisher, CI Games, has announced an “expansive patch” scheduled for deployment, which will reactivate PC/console crossplay. This feature had been temporarily disabled by Hexworks shortly after the game’s launch as they worked on enhancing the gaming experience.
