Highlights
- Lords of the Fallen sets itself apart from Dark Souls by offering players access to two overlapping worlds, adding an innovative and engaging element to the game.
- The game's world of Mournstead is a beautifully crafted and atmospheric example of a Soulslike setting done right.
- The inclusion of Umbral, the land of the dead, adds a new dimension to exploration, offering hidden treasures, pathways, and new routes, enemies, and secrets to discover.
Lords of the Fallen is the latest Soulslike on the market from developer Hexworks. A tough action RPG with a dark fantasy setting, there's more than a hint of Dark Souls about the game in almost every aspect, from its main mechanics to the interconnecting world of Mournstead. Despite all the similarities, though, Lords of the Fallen sets itself apart from Dark Souls, and other Soulslikes, in one key way: by giving the player access to two overlapping worlds, with the ability to traverse between either. This innovative feature makes a huge difference and plays a pivotal role in engaging players right from the off.
Lords of the Fallen's predecessor, the 2014 game of the same name, missed the mark considerably with its attempt to replicate FromSoftware's Souls formula. This sequel, besides sharing the title and some vague aspects of lore, barely resembles the original game at all. The much darker aesthetic on display provides an atmosphere that was almost nonexistent in the 2014 effort, and pretty much all the other mechanics have been noticeably changed. Combat is much faster and feels balanced, but despite these positive changes, it's undoubtedly the game's world that steals the show.
Lords of the Fallen's World of Mournstead Sets a High Bar For Soulslikes
Lords of the Fallen introduces players to Mournstead, a grim world that has been torn apart by war since the demon god Adyr was defeated. The setting itself is pretty much what fans of the genre have come to expect at this point, and features the usual array of dungeons, castles, and forests, each of which is crafted in stunning detail thanks to the power of Unreal Engine 5. Even without any other mechanics or gimmicks, Mournstead would still be a great example of a Soulslike world done right. It is the inclusion of a new mechanic, though, that sees this world hit new heights.
Existing parallel to Mournstead's Axiom, which is known as the land of the living, is Umbral, the land of the dead. Thanks to the Umbral Lamp, players are able to peer into Umbral at any moment, simply by lifting it up. Doing so allows players to see an even darker, more twisted world on the other side. More importantly, Umbral often contains hidden treasures, and pathways that make seemingly blocked routes in Axiom accessible. The result of this is that exploration in Lords of the Fallen feels better than arguably any other Soulslike, as many players will constantly find themselves peering into Umbral, making sure they don't miss anything.
Lords of the Fallen's protagonist, who bears the Umbral Lamp, is even able to cross over entirely to Umbral, by sacrificing one of their two lives. Doing so will present new routes, enemies, and secrets. Umbral has been meticulously built on top of Axiom, with some noticeable changes to the terrain and aesthetic. It's a highly impressive effort, and it pays off quite spectacularly. There was a fear pre-launch that this much-advertised mechanic would feel forced and maybe even unnatural, but thankfully this couldn't be further from the truth, with Hexworks having implemented its most innovative feature perfectly.
Despite Lords of the Fallen perfectly nailing its setting, the game has not quite won unanimous praise from fans or critics, mainly due to some performance issues that have seemed to plague its launch, particularly on PC. Hexworks is working hard to fix these issues, and remains committed to improving the experience via post-launch patches. Performance issues aside, the developer has crafted a deeply immersive, impressive Soulslike, arguably one of the best not made by FromSoftware.
Lords of the Fallen is out on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
