Skip to main content

Lords of the Fallen review

Lords of the Fallen finds success in the shadows of others

Lords of the Fallen screenshot 1
Lords of the Fallen
MSRP $60.00
“Lords of the Fallen plays fast and loose with the established ideas of better games, but the results don't suck.”
Pros
  • Fun and challenging combat
  • Interesting twists on familiar mechanics
  • Detailed and complex level design
  • Unique risk/reward systems
Cons
  • Highly derivative
  • Technically and mechanically sloppy
  • Story is cheesy gibberish

Lords of the Fallen walks a fine line between imitation and interpretation. It has plenty of attributes all its own, and no shortage of personality, but at a primal level it’s a flagrant clone of Dark Souls and its ilk. This is what you’d get if an aspiring painter on a week-long bender did a self portrait in the style of the Mona Lisa. Is it a masterpiece? Hell no. But can we study it, enjoy its merits and learn something new from it? That depends on the viewer.

Lords of the Fallen walks a fine line between imitation and interpretation.

Lords is a dark fantasy hack-‘n’-slash RPG with influences ranging from Darksiders to The Witcher, in addition to the obvious one. Much like those games, it follows a named and non-silent protagonist, which alone sets it apart from many others in the genre. This man, Harkyn – no option for a female hero, unfortunately – is by no means a boring character, and he actually embodies many of Lords of the Fallen‘s best and worst qualities.

He’s bold and enigmatic, with a clearly troubled past that’s never fully revealed. He doesn’t speak often, and when he does it’s usually just to move the story along. Harkyn is a powerful mage and warrior, but he’s also sloppy. And most importantly, he doesn’t give a damn what the people around him want, whether they’re asking him favors or barking orders. He’s going to make up his own mind in the end, and it might just be worth it – even if that means betraying someone’s trust.

Look at the game’s combat. That more than anything else is ripped wholesale from the Souls series – light and heavy attacks, raising your shield and parrying are all mapped to the triggers and shoulder buttons, while the face buttons dodge, run, change your stance, and use consumable items. It feels instantly familiar – more than that, it’s so very identical – to anyone who’s enjoyed From Software’s Souls series.

But like Harkyn when he decides to cave to his own whims, Lords of the Fallen has its own wrinkles and differences that set it apart from contemporaries. For example, a gauntlet that can be equipped at the tap of a button fires magical blasts and bombs with hugely varying effects that can be manipulated via a simple but rewarding system of equippable runes. These can be applied to weapons and armor as well, adding effects ranging from more damage to health-sapping attacks, or simply greater poise so you’re not staggered so easily by enemies’ attacks.

More generally, combat in Lords of the Fallen is sloppier and looser with the rhythms of its mechanics. If Dark Souls‘ encounters are a delicate ballet or a fencing match between champions, Lords‘ are a drunken fistfight outside a bar at 1am. Rather than dodging or using your shield, with the right equipment and spells you’ll simply rain blows on your opponents like you have nothing to lose. And surprisingly, this often works.

Part of this may stem back to the same reason no other developer has tried to capture the magic of the Souls games: because these types of systems are really hard to get right. Developers Deck13 and CI Games made it easier on themselves in part by leaving out multiplayer; Lords of the Fallen is a purely solo experience, which perhaps freed them from the type of fine-tuning that may have otherwise been necessary. That also lets you pause whenever you want, which is only a luxury if you’re used to the Souls series.

In any case, it’s not a bad thing. In fact, after hundreds of hours of those games it feels freeing to just wail on some monsters, secure in the knowledge that you’ve pumped so much experience into your endurance that they won’t be able to make a dent. Lords is still very difficult, particularly early on when your equipment sucks, but overall you can cruise control it a little more than you might expect coming off the other series.

There’s little worry that Lords of the Fallen will ever overtake Dark Souls as anyone’s fantasy action RPG of choice.

The experience system too is an example of something that Lords twists into new shapes, despite its resemblance to what the Souls games do. Die and your shade is left behind, with all the experience you were carrying on you, at the point where you died. You have to trek back there – no matter how far it is from your last checkpoint – to get everything back. But the longer you take, the less of your experience will be left when you arrive. Twist!

You can periodically turn these points in to level up and avoid losing them, but doing so resets a multiplier that can double the experience you gain from defeating enemies. It’s a very smart system that rewards you directly for putting your progression at risk.

Unfortunately Lords often feels technically sloppy as well, with many common glitches plaguing a 20 to 30 hour play through, plus a frame rate that ranges from mediocre to abysmal. It may crash your system, losing some of your progress along the way – the game’s save system isn’t nearly as smart as Dark Souls‘ – or you may simply be unable to use a checkpoint or damage an enemy who’s raining blows on you, like a dream in which your arms turn to jelly. Either way the result is the same, and it’s not good.

The game’s world is comprised of three main areas: a sprawling citadel and fortress, an extensive network of catacombs and dungeons, and a demon realm reached through a portal. There are no fast travel options, but the environment is honeycombed with shortcuts that take you back to previous areas. You’ll open a door in the final levels and feel a shock at the fact that you’re back in the game’s very first area.

Lords of the Fallen screenshot 5
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are countless secrets to discover, and most of them are only ever vaguely hinted at within the game itself, if that. It rewards replaying and collaborative sleuthing with an online community, and there are tons of cool stylistic choices – how time slows for the space between breaths just as you land a killing blow, or the way treasure chests budge a grudging inch when Harkyn slams their lids open with a heavy-booted foot.

Lords manages to set itself apart best in its narrative and aesthetic elements, for better and for worse. Here’s where the Darksiders influence rears its steel-tipped head: the characters are stocky and cartoon-like, the conversation trees are simple, and everything is covered in demon horns or spikes.

Choices are few and far between in Lords, and those that exist usually result in either a shallow change – this guy dies and this guy lives, or vice versa – or one that’s either objectively good or bad, which isn’t any better. There are three character classes and three magic types to choose from, but they all play similarly, and there are no bows, or spears, and many of the spells are only slight variations on one another.

It’s like this: there’s only one type of armor in Lords of the Fallen, and it’s the badass kind. If you want to put on butterfly wings or a mage’s robe, go play a different game. Some weapons are so comically large that they literally take four seconds – four seconds – to swing. When it gets to that point Lords seems almost like a parody of itself, but it remains ever serious, sometimes to its detriment – especially as the story begins to make less and less sense.

Contrary to the Dark Souls school of thought, obfuscation of narrative elements does not automatically equal depth. There needs to be something more under the surface for that, and too often when Lords‘ facade cracks it simply reveals more gibberish and predictable plot twists underneath.

Lords of the Fallen is an interesting lens through which you can examine the whole gaming industry, particularly the dynamic between mobile and traditional games. The clever and likable Threes was ripped off wholesale within weeks as 2048, and that copycat proved somehow more popular than the original. Yet there’s little worry that Lords of the Fallen will ever overtake Dark Souls as anyone’s nail-bitingly hard dark fantasy action RPG of choice.

This type of experience is just too difficult to replicate. Lords of the Fallen is a very good game, but its struggle to escape the shadow of the better games that preceded it colors every minute of the experience. At least Bandai Namco timed it well; if you’re hurting for more of this type of pain while you wait for Bloodborne to drop, you won’t do much better than Lords of the Fallen.

This game was reviewed on Xbox One using a download code provided by the publisher.

Highs

  • Fun and challenging combat
  • Interesting twists on familiar mechanics
  • Detailed and complex level design
  • Unique risk/reward systems

Lows

  • Highly derivative
  • Technically and mechanically sloppy
  • Story is cheesy gibberish

Editors' Recommendations

Michael Rougeau
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…
How to get every ending in Lords of the Fallen
The Lords of the Fallen undead scene.

Soulslike games love to have multiple endings that are just as cryptic and mysterious as the overall story is to unlock. Lords of the Fallen borrows this same idea in addition to the huge swath of weapons and gear to hunt down and experiment with. It will be tough enough for most players to just reach the end of this punishing game, but for those who are looking to go the extra mile, there are multiple endings with very specific requirements that lock away some very appealing rewards. The process of getting a new ending is far more difficult than answering a question or choosing a dialogue option at the end of the game. It will take quite a bit of preparation, so we'll detail exactly how you can get each ending in Lords of the Fallen and what it will give you.
All Lords of the Fallen endings

There are three unique endings you can unlock in Lords of the Fallen known as the Radiance, Inferno, and Umbral endings. All three are tied to a Trophy/Achievement, plus unlock a new class.
Radiance ending
We'll start with the most basic ending that you will probably get by default. The Radiance ending is unlocked if you cleanse all of the beacons, which is your explicit goal, and then move along the main path and beat all the bosses.

Read more
The best weapons in Lords of the Fallen
A knight with a large sword prepares to stab a dragon in Lords of the Fallen.

While you technically could get through a game like Lords of the Fallen bare-handed and wearing no armor, most people will have a far better experience using real weapons and armor. Weapons in particular are key to soulslikes since the weapon you want, or at least the type, is key to how you will want to build your character and distribute your stats. Just like a FromSoftware game, every weapon has different stat requirements and scaling grades that make some objectively better than others. While it isn't terribly difficult to compare the weapons you find, Lords of the Fallen gets crazy with just how many different weapons there are across all the different types. Rather than build using the wrong stats for a weapon that will be outclassed, here are some of the best weapons in Lords of the Fallen for any build.
The best weapons in Lords of the Fallen

With hundreds of weapons across all the different types, we've narrowed our list down to some of the best that cover all the major builds you would consider running.
Pieta's Sword
Swords are going to be one of the most popular weapon types in this game. Not only are they kind of the default weapon for soulslikes, but Lords of the Fallen has an almost overwhelming number of them to pick from. This shortsword can be purchased fairly easily from Molhu at the Remembrance of Pieta for 40 Umbral Scourings. This is a boss weapon that comes from none other than Pieta herself and is one of the best zoning swords in the game. It is made for Radiance builds, and comes with the Smite status effect of 100. You need your Radiance stat to be 25 or higher to wield it, and it scales starting at a C and ends at an A- rank with that same stat after upgrades.
Hallowed Praise
To throw a second short sword into the mix for consideration, we turn to another early-game option. Unlike the last pick, this sword is more traditional and works best for agility-focused builds, but with the added effect of 80 Bleed on each hit for some spice. You only need 12 Agility to equip it, again making it great early on, and it scales starting at C, but can go up to A with Agility.
Bloodlust
Despite the name, Bloodlust actually isn't as focused on Bleed as Hallowed Praise. That said, it has both 60 Bleed and Burn damage on hit. What pushes this to a top-tier sword, though, is the special effect of restoring a small amount of HP for each kill. You'll need to build to at least level 3 in both Agility and Inferno to use it, but it's more than worth it. Bloodlust scales with both Agility and Inferno, starting at a C in both and ending at an A-.
Hushed Saint's Halberd
Polearms are a more niche choice, but those who know how to handle them are almost untouchable. The Hushed Saint's Halberd is another weapon you should save up to buy from Molhu for 20 Umbral Scourings if you are going for a Strength and Agility build. It admittedly doesn't scale as high as other weapons on this list, but it does come with an insane 150 Poison effect that can easily make up for the lack of raw damage. You'll need a decent 19 Strength and 16 Agility to make use of it, and its dual scaling for those stats starts at C and D, but works up to B+ and C+, respectively.
Iron Wayfarer's Hammer
Another boss weapon that you can claim, this time by beating the Iron Wayfarer, is that character's hammer. If you are anything like us, seeing how deftly this boss utilized it against you will inspire you to try it out for yourself, and boy is it worth it. If you're using a Strength build, this could be the last weapon you ever need. It will take a huge 31 Strength to even hold, but this is a powerhouse. Despite scaling with Strength, Agility, Radiance, and Inferno, you really only need to pay attention to Strength. It starts at a B- but turns into an S by the time you hit +9 with it, while all other characteristics only go from E to D at best.
Charm of Fortune's Sight
We haven't forgotten you mage builds out there! Sure, catalysts aren't technically "weapons" in the strict definition, but they serve essentially the same purpose for spellcasters. Again, pay a visit to everyone's favorite vendor Molhu in Skyrest to buy it off him. What's so special about this catalyst in particular is that it lets you use four different spell types at once, in addition to boosting their power. You will need to be a bit of a mixed build as it requires 12 Radiance and Inferno, which are the two stats it scales with as well. To start, you get C- scaling in both, but end up with B when at +9.
Bow of the Convert
Spellcasters might be a small percentage of players, but archers are even less popular. However, they're a completely viable build in Lords of the Fallen, especially with the Bow of the Convert. Just looking at the stats, it might not seem all that special, but it has an 80 in Bleed, Burn, Poison, and Frostbite. If you add on elemental arrows, you're likely to hit an unsuspecting enemy with four or five status effects in a single shot. You only need 16 Agility to equip this bow, and the scaling isn't even that bad once you upgrade it. It starts at a C and ends at a B+.

Read more
One of the year’s best reviewed games is coming to Xbox Game Pass
Issac Clarke exploring ruins in Dead Space Remake.

Microsoft revealed the next batch of games coming to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service this October. While no Activision Blizzard games are coming to the service just yet following that acquisition, one of 2023's best-reviewed games is: this year's Dead Space remake.

Dead Space came out in January and is a stunning remake of a 2008 horror classic. The game follows an engineer named Issac Clarke as he searches for his girlfriend Nicole on a gigantic spaceship called the USG Ishimura. It's overrun by disgusting creatures called Necromorphs, though, leading to plenty of horrific situations as Issacs looks for answers on the ship. The original was an atmospheric and tense horror game, and developer EA Motive only enhanced all of that with this remake that updates the game's visuals and makes some other tweaks to bring the experience more in line with future games in its series and other modern horror games.
It's a great choice if you're looking for a new horror game to play this month, so we recommend checking it out when it hits Xbox Game Pass on October 26. It's not the only game coming to the service during the back half of this month, though. Here's the full list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass throughout the rest of October.

Read more