Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Demo

When it comes to fighting games, the consoles hold the monopoly on everything that involves combos, ludicrous bosses, and furious gods spreading death in far away lands filled with monsters and suffering. God of War, Devil May Cry, Shadow of the Colossus, they all left a mark on the genre and they can probably never as fun and exciting played on a keyboard, although that didn’t stop the developers from trying anyway.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadows may look young and fresh at a first glance, thanks to the flashy graphics and the new-age visual style it displays, but the series is actually older it would ever admit to its friends. In fact, the first few episodes were released back in the 8-bit era, so this reboot comes after a rather long time and it carries a lot of responsibility on its shoulders.

In case you are not familiar with it, the Castlevania franchise is all about werewolves and vampires, although many other apparitions are welcomed to the party as well. In this release, you play the role of Gabriel Belmont, a holy knight whose task is to deal with the evil that roams the realm and protect the innocent. Naturally, this means that he is more than capable to stab, punch, and eviscerate a variety of furry creatures.

Gameplay-wise, you need to be prepared to make a few concessions, especially when it comes to camera control and the combat sequences. While they are indeed incredibly fun and outrageous in a good way, you really need a dedicated gamepad to properly enjoy them, otherwise frustration is guaranteed. Even so, there are no controls for the camera, so you need to pray for angles on a regular basis.

Quick-time events are present as well, although they do seem a tad more atmospheric than usual and maybe not as annoying. Visually, the graphics engine is well-optimized for a change and it looks very nice, especially when it comes to character animations and special effects. There are some jagged edges here and there, as well as some clipping from time to time, but everything comes out looking decent in the end.

All things considered, Castlevania: Lords of Shadows gets most of it right and you can certainly re-live some of the greatest gaming moments in the genre. However, the experience can be a tad annoying every now and again, mostly because of the controls, the camera, and the unfair difficulty in some cases.