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Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 152 Ratings

  • Summary: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow takes place at the end of days. The Earth's alliance with the Heavens has been threatened by a dark and malevolent force - the mysterious Lords of Shadow - darkness reins the world. Across this shattered land, the souls of the dead wander unable to find peace, whilst creatures of evil roam free wreaking chaos and death upon the living. Gabriel is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who protect and defend the innocent against the supernatural. His beloved wife was brutally murdered by the evil forces of darkness and her soul trapped for eternity. Neither living nor dead she realizes the horrific truth of what is at stake and guides Gabriel to his destiny - and hopefully salvation for the world... but at what cost? Thus, Gabriel must travel the destroyed world, defeating the evil tyrants in order to use their powers to bring balance back to the world. Armed with the versatile Combat Cross - the world's last hope must encounter the three factions of the Lords of Shadow and end their unholy rule. Mercury Steam has created a rich, open game world that traverses snowy mountain ranges, Gothic castles, and undead-strewn wastelands in a devastated Southern Europe during the Middle Ages. [Konami] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 70
  2. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a profoundly generous action-adventure game. Filled with content, gifts for fans of the series, but for video game lovers as well. It's full of nods to other games and movies, rich with a large variety of gameplays and lush environments... blessed with an overall Castlevania feel, which is a consistent mark of respect for its forebears. Kudos to Mercury Steam. Despite some rare issues with some gameplay tunings, we can only hope for them to meet the success they deserve as we'd welcome a follow-up!
  2. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is konami's first successful attempt to bring the legendary series into the third dimension. A great atmosphere meets gameplay in the mold of God of War. Only a few faults like a confusing camera and an uneven upgrade system hamper the fun. Lords of Shadow is a great restart for the vampire saga and has sleeper hit written all over it.
  3. 86
    Lords Of Shadow is the revitalization Castlevania needed and deserved.
  4. Length and audio issues aside, this is a solid re-imagining of one of gaming's most iconic series, and far and away the best 3D Castlevania game ever made.

See all 70 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 42
  2. Negative: 6 out of 42
  1. The puzzling, platforming, fighting, graphics and music are all perfect. The story is a bit boring though, and the game is very long, but its packed with PLENTY of action and epic boss battles and never really feels boring. The combat cross is badass, and if that wasn't enough, you're constantly getting new techniques to use in the field and in combat and the skill book is constantly filling with new skills that keep you fighting hard to unlock. Replay value is there, but personally I wont go straight back into it. It's staying on my shelf as a classic though that's for sure. 10/10 Expand
  2. 8
    The game is pretty good. I loved the graphics, they make the game look cooler. Not just cooler, but they make the game don't get really boring. Each map (or dungeon) is the same: You climb, run, climb, run, all the time. If the game was like Tetris: just square blocks, it would suck. You climb, run, fight some guys, climb more, and more and more...good thing the graphics make the game cooler. Expand
  3. i love this game, and the castlevania franchise, besides some flaws, this game still is okay! sure, you have no control over the camera, and yes, i know, some bosses are ripped of shadow of the colossus, and i don't know how people are hating on that, it brings back memories for me! and i'm sure for many other people who have played both Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Shadow of the Colossus Expand
  4. When is Castlevania not Castlevania? When it's a poor immitation of God of War + Devil May Cry + Shadow of the Colossus. All forms of entertainment media nick ideas from others - it's what helps create great games, music, films etc. - but when something does that, but does it very poorly then it really isn't worth bothering with. CLOS as you may have guessed is such a game, from the very outset you just don't feel as if you are playing anything other than a poor rip off. The game itself is gash, playing with a weird, sloppy feel to the combat and a very linear approach to levels and bosses........which wouldn't be so bad if any of it was any fun. However the design of the game itself really feels ported from a bygone era and there's just not very much fun to be had at all. Decent graphics and environments are complemented by some good sound, but boredom poor gaming are all that await under the surface. Awful game and a disgrace to the Castlevania name. Expand

See all 42 User Reviews