Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Castlevania [悪魔城ドラキュラ]’s legacy is barely present in Lords of Shadow, which has turned out to be a good thing given it is the finest 3-D entry in the series.

Spanish developer MercurySteam Entertainment, one well-versed in horror titles but not necessarily highly rated ones, has swapped out the Devil May Cry [デビル メイ クライ] influences of recent entries and created a game that slavishly follows the God of War formula. The game’s opening six hours lack imagination, relying too much on rote combos and dodging without offering platforming elements or scenarios that live up to those found in the God of War series.

Eventually, the combat system adds new elements. You will have to make strategic decisions in combat, deciding whether to heal yourself with your limited amount of light magic, or deal additional damage with shadow magic. It’s a novel feature that adds depth and varied pacing to the combat.

Hideo Kojima [小島秀夫] overlooked this title and his influence is most notable in the lavish cut scenes, soundtrack and art direction. Abandoning the series’ past of campy horror and dimly lit castles, this reboot is filled with color and gorgeous backdrops heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings and Pan’s Labyrinth. The problems of the series’ 3-D entries remain: The camera is still the player’s greatest enemy and the game lacks polish. But, for once a 3-D Castlevania is saddled with production values and some fresh ideas that makes these things forgivable.