Lords Of The Fallen review: realm-hopping magic can't keep this Soulslike from getting on your nerves

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Lords Of The Fallen review: realm-hopping magic can’t keep this Soulslike from getting on your nervesLet’s shine a light on this one

Let’s shine a light on this one

Image credit:CI Games

Armoured warrior fights with a spell caster in Lords Of The Fallen (2023)

Raise a light to the dark fantasy world and it’ll reveal a more dribbly parallel universe you can warp between at almost any time. This spooky lantern might open up some cool realm-hopping twists on your grim adventure, and the game as a whole might instil a sense of exploration sure to please souls fans after a familiar hit of uncertain peril, but its finer details chip away at your patience. It’s not long before your tentative pushes through horrible towns and creaky walkways soon give way to wild sprint finishes born from pure frustration.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/CI Games

A screenshot from Lords Of The Fallen that shows the player take on a scythe-wielding wraith.

A screenshot from Lords Of The Fallen that shows the player chatting to a forlorn knight on a cliff edge.

A screenshot from Lords Of The Fallen that shows the player tug a platform towards them using the Umbral lantern.

The player looks out at a blue vista filled with two enormous skeletons in Lords Of The Fallen.

There’s an argument to be made, then, that LOTF doesn’t actually do a great deal to differentiate itself from the Soulslike pack. Fundamentally, you lock onto fire-breathing dogs and take on towering bosses - some of which are neat, like a knight on horseback who takes swipes at you before plunging into the surrounding bogs and re-emerging like an armour-clad great white. Combat has the energy of a slightly clunkierDark Souls II, with weight behind each blow and the usual thrills that come with overcoming challenges. The magic lantern, though, manages to save LOTF from being just another clone… sort of.

If you make it through an Umbral-required section, the game will often reward you with a little statue that’ll get you the heck out of there. Not only does it free you from dribbleville, it returns your extra life. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/CI Games

A screenshot from Lords Of The fallen that shows the player shining a lantern on a previously inaccessible stream, and revealing an Umbral area they’re able to traverse.

Early on, you’re given a magic lantern that reveals the Umbral realm, the tendril-y, more dangerous version of whatever it’s pointed at, basically. Not only is it a technological feat to open a window into another world that runs simultaneously alongside yours, it’s also impressive how you’re able to use it to your advantage. For instance, little moths (the game loves moths) flutter about areas where it might be worth shining your light. It might reveal a spinal column snaking across the sky towards some loot, and as long as you keep the lantern raised, you won’t fall.

Hold a button and you can actually transition into the Umbral realm entirely, causing the area around you to wash a shade of rotten duck egg. Maps are intricate and do the whole loop back on themselves thing, with ladders you can knock down to create shortcuts and doors that only open on one side. Often you’ll be required to plunge into Umbral to traverse a lengthier flooded section where a quick flick of the lantern won’t cut it. The catches being: 1) The longer you spend in Umbral, the more critters phase into existence and take swipes at you; 2) The Umbral realm counts as your second chance at life, so if you die, you’ll have to restart from the last bonfire.

I couldn’t get the game running on Steam Deck at all. I tried forcing Proton experimental and waiting for numerous patches to come through, but each time it would crash to my library. I contacted the devs, but didn’t hear anything back regarding compatibility. Maybe it’ll be added at a later date? |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/CI Games

A screenshot from Lords Of The Fallen that shows an enormous, almost childish face turn to the player.

Despite Umbral being a neat thing, I also found it the start of many little grievances that stacked up to form a large gavel in my brain that pounded, “Enough, I’ve had enough.” As LOTF goes on, it has a tendency to increase the amount of time between Vestiges so you’re reliant on things called Umbral flowerbeds. At these flowerbeds, you have to plant something called a Vestige Seed to grow a checkpoint (you can only grow one checkpoint at a time). I get what CI is going for here! I get that you’re forced to think about how you spend your precious seeds as the checkpoints become trickier to find. But man, it’s infuriating when you’re battered and bruised and there’sstillno checkpoint, so you rifle around your pockets for a seed and come up short.

My other gripes? The game absolutely loves hammering you with loads of mobs. The first couple of zones are fine, but man, the next poison bog and fiery town are crammed with fights where you’re just gagging for an uninterrupted duel between two bros. Transition into Umbral and it gets even worse, with loads of critters constantly nipping at your ankles. I find the best Soulslikes use enemy placements as the equivalent of Gilette lubrication strips, elegantly gliding you towards the next boss room with just the right amount of challenge. A bump here, a smooth patch there, a mixture of baddies best tackled from a different angle to keep things fresh.

I’ll give LOTF credit, though, as it’s far from stingy with the weapon and armour drops, encouraging ample experimentation with rad weapons like flails and greatswords. This drip feed of new toys makes it a particularly flexible Soulslike, perhaps one of the most flexible out there if you’re after lots of fun, interesting builds. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/CI Games

A screenshot from Lords Of The Fallen that shows the player wearing a bell on their head.

While I didn’t get to try multiplayer a great deal, I did find it easy to match up with a random across the interweb and party up alongside them. They joined my world and made the mob clearing a joy, especially when they persisted in my world despite us both dying. Having ploughed through an area with someone else, I reckon it’s a good way to counteract a lot of the little irritants and take the edge off exploration.

I really want to like Lords Of The Fallen more than I do. Sure, its bosses might not be spectacular or its maps brimming with character, but thrills abound when you defeat a tough enemy or finally poke your head into a crumbled house and see the cosy light of a Vestige. Moreso when you shine your magic lantern on a wall and it fizzles away to reveal a secret passage or a levitating platform that looks like the Addams Family’s kitchen island. The lantern almost elevates it into special territory! And at times, there are flashes of a grand adventure to cleanse a kingdom of rot. But there are just too many little annoyances that prevent the journey and its umbral counterpart from ascending into Soulslike royalty.