Lords of Shadow is more than just a successful 3D transfer, it's a great action game with charm, beauty and smarts.
Pros:
+Long, engrossing story with some interesting twists
+Smooth, meaty, entertaining combat
+Fantastic presentation
+Great soundtrack
+Plenty of challenges and secrets
Cons:
-Some bewildering design choices
-Wonky defense and dodge functions
The Castlevania series' attempts to go into the elusive third dimension have been met with much scrutiny. To say the least, fans haven't been exactly elated by their existence in the franchise itself. Lords of Shadow attempts to cross the dimensional border once more, and this time the result is far more favorable. Developer Mercury Steam have worked their magic and made something that is highly playable, beautifully designed and lasting to boot. LoS is the 3D Castlevania fans have been waiting for, and even though it doesn't reach the lofty heights of its 2D kin, it's worth the price of admission many times over.
You play as Gabriel, a member of the Brotherhood of Light. The Brotherhood works to rid the world of evil beings but Gabriel is now on a vendetta to destroy who- or whatever killed his late wife Marie. His journey expands beyond his expectations and soon enough, his life will change forever. The tale LoS tells, though often blatantly cheesy, is both filled with emotion, great characters and a terrific atmosphere. It takes normal myths such as werewolves and vampires and puts some clever twists on it, making for a very engaging, high-soaring adventure.
The real adventure stems from the gameplay however, in its meaty combat, sweeping locales and clever puzzles. The combat is in essence traditional: you can perform light attacks, heavy attacks, dodge and guard. There is a bevy of different combos to perform both in the air and on the ground, and that's not including various abilities you pick up and buy with experience points along the way. Attacking is wonderfully responsive and satisfying, there's real weight behind every strike and connecting different attacks is generally simple and effective. Occasionally, after an enemy is down, you can also partake in a quick-time event where you'll have to press a given button in sequence to an on-screen prompt. This leads to many a violent death which are shocking ends to every battle. However, with all the good in the controls, there's one noticeable hitch in how you guard and dodge. Both actions are allocated to the shoulder buttons on the controller, on the R2 and L2 buttons to be precise on the PS3 controller. These buttons are made for occasional use due to their "sinking" design, yet are supposed to be used frequently throughout the game. It doesn't help that to make guarding truly worthwhile, you'll have to be incredibly precise with pushing the button, which can be a pain with such a flimsy button. It's not debilitating for the game itself yet it cannot be completely ignored.
Combat is far from being a button-mashing affair as with many of its peers. The game can be really unforgiving and it's best to rather think things through rationally than to just go out bashing all the buttons on the controller. What gives a true sense of tactical battling is how you can use magic to help you on your quest. You have two types, light magic and dark magic. If you activate light magic, each time you hit an enemy you gain some HP. When dark magic is activated, you deal extra damage. The problem is, you only have a limited supply of magic points to activate the magic so magic orbs must be collected from an outside source. You can only collect magic orbs for one magic type at a time, so you'll often have to choose which type you'd rather prefer. You can also boost the appearance of magic orbs from enemies if you string together combos without getting hit, which is in itself a feat. So the game directly encourages you to improve your skills and find the best way to not only stay alive, but be consistently at the top of your game.
A special mention is to be given to the boss fights. Lords of Shadow has some amazing bosses, the most impressive of which are the giant titan battles. Though the way to defeat them is formulaic in nature, the sheer size of your opponent makes for a satisfying feeling of vertigo. The other bosses, though not as grand in scale, are often smarter and more cerebral. Overall, the game succeeds in ending events with more than just a deft cutscene.
Puzzles are also rife in Lords of Shadow, and they're all relatively clever and thought-out. Most are completely removed from combat but there will be moments where you're in peril while you use your brain for some puzzle-solving. The puzzles act as nice diversions from the relentless combat and uses them to great effect with the environments. Some puzzles are gargantuan in scale and that motif continues into the regular levels. The views you'll experience are often awe-inspiring, ranging from dangling chains between chasms to Gothic halls of a torn-down castle. The sense of scale gives the game an epic feel, where your role in the events are just as minuscule as the role of a normal human being. LoS has astounding graphics to compliment all of this, and is a real looker. The framerate is smooth, animation is wonderful and environments explode with small details that help you become more engrossed in the experience. This effectively makes for one of the prettiest games on the PlayStation 3, both in terms of design and technical prowess. It's brilliant, to put it simply.
What isn't, though, is that the game sometimes forgets its focus. Occasionally, particularly near the end, you'll have to perform some platforming challenges that just don't work as they're supposed to. The game's jumping mechanic is relatively simple, but it's far from being precise as with traditional platformers. Therefore, you'll more likely than not fall to your death a few times before the credits finally roll. Additionally, some camera angles don't give you enough information on where to go next. There's one example where the path ahead literally looks like a wall, which is endlessly confusing. These problems at times make the game a grind, which is a shame when compared to the often-times superb design in other levels, and put a dent on the pleasurable pace.
Maybe one of Castlevania's most famous features is its music, more appropriately its amazing quality. Lords of Shadow doesn't disappoint, though it's slightly different than in many previous iterations of the series. The main focus is now on fitting the grand, open environments, with boisterous choir and emotive strings. It's both fitting and beautiful, and only disappoints in the lack of variety. You'll usually hear the same few tunes over all the levels, uncharacteristic to the series' roots. It's a small matter, however, and doesn't hinder the music from moving the player. The voice acting in Lords of Shadow is also great, even surprisingly so seeing how Castlevania games before it have been known for their cheesy dialogue. The voices are convincing and performed superbly, with the standout being the charismatic main character, Gabriel.
Once you reach the end credits, you'll have enough to do for quite some time. Every level has a special challenge for you to finish and there are also many secret treasures littered around the various worlds. It also helps that the game is split into various missions, so there's no backtracking involved. You'll also have the chance to unlock a mountain of artwork which is genuinely interesting to look at. To top it all off, the story itself should last you at least 15 hours, so there's a bucketload of value to be found in this adventure.
Lords of Shadow is a 3D transition that just feels right. It's far from being perfect but there's something special about it that just works. Whether it's the fantastic design, the smart combat, the grand score or the longevity, there should be something for everyone in LoS. Castlevania has waited a long time for a good move to 3D, and it seems that finally there's one title worthy of that definition.
Story: 8.9/10.0
Gameplay: 8.9/10.0
Graphics: 9.4/10.0
Sound: 8.8/10.0
Replayability: 9.0/10.0
Final score: 8.9/10.0