Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Review

Dracula’s been out of the killing and maiming business for far too long. In the millennia since his defeat at the hands of his son and grandson tag team, the holy warrior-turned-Prince of Darkness has been missing out on some important stuff. Weird broom broom machines have taken over the streets of a gothic, London-themed city and meatbags have started wearing some odd clothes. Oh, and Satan is returning to the mortal realm to enslave mankind.

But first, he wants to find Dracula and make him his bitch: retribution for the defeat he suffered to the bloodsucker at the end of the first Lords of Shadow, when the vampire lord was known by the name of Gabriel Belmont.

Dracula doesn’t seem to care though: he’s more interested in ending his miserable, eternal life than stopping the lord of Hell’s return. A wish that his old ‘pal’ Zobek is more than happy to grant if he helps him stem the flow of hellspawn. Old Fangface is weak from being asleep for so long though, and after receiving a prompt ass kicking from a fluorescent demon in his weakened state, his only option is to reclaim his lost powers so he can destroy Satan’s children - the Acolytes.

MercurySteam’s dual objective premise doesn’t end there either, as there’s two worlds to explore in LoS2. One is the present day - where Satan’s pawns have started infecting the world with some kind of demon gas - and the other is Carmilla’s - now Dracula’s - old castle from the first Lords of Shadow. The latter no longer exists though; instead, it’s a manifestation of memories - a snapshot of Gabriel Belmont’s tragic life.

There’s no doubt as to why the developer has offered two contrasting, beautiful worlds to explore, but the method in which they’ve spliced a modern day setting with a more traditional Castlevania-themed locale is puzzling at best. As part of the story, you’ll be hauled back and forth between the two settings and this would work if LoS2 followed the same structure as its predecessor.

However, the world in which you’ll find yourself is a seamless one, not splintered into multiple chapters or plagued by loading screens. Again, this is, and should be, a great step forward for the series, but the non-linear approach to story and exploration causes some real structural issues. Outside of narrative commitments - where you’re forced to switch from city to castle - Dracula can switch between the two worlds by using designated portals around the map. The concern with this - other than the annoying scripted scene you have to experience each time you use one - is that the game never makes clear the reasons why you should even bother to do so, and outside of collectibles and gems to upgrade your character… there aren’t any.

The world feels empty as a result, which is probably why enemies respawn each time you switch or leave an area in general. If the combat system wasn’t so good, bad words would ensue, but Dracula’s arsenal - and what he can do with it - somewhat justifies having to clear the same room of enemies ten times over.

Just like before, offensive abilities come in three flavours. The old Combat Cross has been replaced with the Blood Whip, a sinewy strand of coagulated red stuff that gets larger as more combos are unlocked. The other two - the Void Sword and Chaos Claws - are activated with a tap of their respective shoulder buttons and come with their own movesets. In addition, if you use a certain combo enough, you’ll be able to transfer its power to an overall weapon level, further increasing its strength.

The Sword (which also heals with each hit) is the weaker of the two, being best suited to subduing enemies with its freezing properties. The Claws, as you might have guessed, deal the most damage, but have the shortest range. The pro and con attributes of all three are balanced well, and mastering the use of each will take a lot of patience, as your foes won’t afford you the luxury of respite.

Other than the default whip, you’ll need energy gained from an uninterrupted combo to use your otherworldly weapons, and if you find yourself face-to-face with one of the big bad uglies present in Castlevania without energy or healing items - you’re best off wishing for a quick death.

But it’s O.K, because you have stealth sections to look forward to. Boring, unnecessary and out of place stealth sections. Justifying Dracula’s need for espionage through his weakened state, there will be points in the story where you’ll need to turn yourself into a rodent, distract some guards, possess one and then use their eyeballs to open a locked door. That’s how it goes. Every time.

The guards in question, Gorgoths, are apparently too strong to be faced head on. Curious, considering the anti-hero has no problem slicing building-sized demons in half on a regular basis. Content for the sake of content?

Even with all these avoidable problems, LoS2’s greatness still manages to shine through. The previously mentioned combat, along with the brilliant cinematic quality of the story (made even better with the return of Robert Carlyle and Patrick Stewart as voice actors) makes the final part in the series worth playing, even if it’s a shorter one than the first (New Game Plus does return to add the coveted replayability factor).

There are further woes, such as clunky platforming controls and an anticlimactic ending to beat all anticlimactic endings, but these are small niggles in comparison to the structural issues mentioned earlier, and far less detrimental.

If you’ve ever seen The Matrix Revolutions, Iron Man 3 or the third of any trilogy, you’ll know how hard it is to stop a series from being crushed by its own weight. LoS2 suffers the same problems. Not on a large scale, perhaps - but disappointingly so, as it gets so many things right.

It may not be the grand conclusion everyone was hoping for, but MercurySteam’s last hoorah for the king of all anti-heroes still manages an enjoyable if flawed climax. Don’t stay away too long Castlevania, you’re still very welcome.