Lords Of The Fallen is a third-person, dark fantasy, souls-like RPG, or as I like to call it, Dark Souls, but different. Essentially, that is the gist of it, and for fans of the Soul’s games and Elden Ring, this game will not disappoint.

If I can be so bold, I also found it harder than Elden Ring, and to be completely transparent, I found it harder for both good reasons and bad. Mostly good though. Developed by Hexworks and published by CI Games, who have called this a spiritual sequel/soft reboot of the 2014 Lords Of The Fallen, the story is set one thousand years after the original 2014 game, and it’s available now, so all of you self-punishment-loving gamers best get on it.

Following an era of the most brutal tyranny, Adyr had finally been vanquished, but eons later, his return looms on the horizon. As the new Lamp Bearer, you travel through both the domains of the living and the dead, confronting monumental perils on your path. How Adyr managed to garner the strength to rise once again is unknown, however, the beacons of light have been corrupted. The beacons tower over the land of Mournstead, a prominent region where the game is set. Adyr’s dark forces festered and defiled them, rendering Adyr’s shackles weak and volatile.

You find the mysterious lamp, or rather, the lamp finds you, giving its bearer the ability to breach two worlds – the world of the living, Axiom, and the world of the undead, Umbral. As a bearer of an unknown special ability and having multiple lives, you, as a crusader, will travel the land of Mornstead to cleanse and revitalize the Five Beacons of the Sentinels to thwart Adyr’s Resurrection.

In this perilous journey, prepare to encounter monstrous and demonic beings beyond imagination, testing your skill, resolve, and patience. The Crusader will traverse burning cities, unearthly caves, nightmarish forests, intricate citadels, and more to save this already bleak world from further darkness.

Lords of the Fallen is a Soulslike game, so expect a similar design; stamina management, well-timed dodges, and precise combo attacks. Expect deep and intricate enemy attack move sets, especially when dealing with elites or bosses. Like the other Soulslike titles, players will be given the chance to overcome adversaries in a multitude of creative ways, such as using spells, a vast array of weaponry, or playing with different classes.

Lords of the Fallen will provide a challenge for casual gamers, and a whole lot of fun for the Soulslike pros used to this kind of experience. The one issue that almost made me rage quit was the targeting system. Oh boy, it caused some unyielding rage. It is very temperamental in that it doesn’t allow any camera movement but the angles can spasm and throw off your view, ultimately causing death if you are not careful.

Lords of the Fallen players will have the freedom to select between nine classes upon starting the game, but these only affect the starting special abilities, starting stats, and some equipment you have, and overall progression will still depend on the player’s preference and playstyle. We can easily compare it to Elden Ring where the classes only affect the previously mentioned areas. I was a little disappointed that I haven’t come across any actual ranged weapons as a main choice. There is the Blackfeather Ranger, but still, it’s classed as one of the throwable/ranged weapons like knives, holy light explosives, and the like.

I’ll admit that I was a little concerned that it would not look all that good, but it proved me wrong. The cinematics, cutscenes, and the world in general all look amazing. Even the transitions between Axiom and Umbral were always seamless, and the enemies, monsters, bosses, and NPCs were impressive, seemingly inspired by Souls.

Now and then, enemies would get stuck in the environment, but it was never that big of a deal, and having one less enemy can sometimes save your life. I also had a small issue before the game even started, just before character creation and while I was adjusting the contrast and colour. Everything sort of froze and I had to restart the game, but this kind of problem only happened once.

The voice acting was well done, with each character giving off their unique personality with a dark and sometimes creepy voice, and some intense, almost Lord of the Rings-like music plays as you fight off stronger enemies. Eerie ambient noises play as you explore the worlds, the sounds of combat are absolutely brutal, and the sounds when using spells and abilities add a mystically powerful feeling to the game.

I have a love-hate relationship with Souls games. On one hand, I find them to be enjoyable and love the fantasy aspect of them, however, I tend to lose my patience with them easily, especially as I tend to lose myself in these games, but then die, all of that experience is lost, and if I can not make it back to that point, I feel like I wasted so much of my time.

While that loss of time annoys me, leaving me feeling like I could have been doing anything else more productive, I always go back because it is fun for the rest of the time. There’s no denying that this is a Souls-like game, and I encourage fans to check it out. It will really test your skills, and if you’re up for the challenge, it won’t disappoint.

Written by: Adam Brasher