Lords of the Fallen

 Xbox One
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 186 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 100 out of 186
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 186
  3. Negative: 48 out of 186
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  1. kingzardoz
    Mar 23, 2015
    7
    Not a terrible game but there are clearly many areas that needed to be polished as well as some overall concepts that were never properly executed. The gauntlet (projectile weapon) is goofy and although it can sometimes be useful just feels tacked on and poorly utilized. If an enemy is blocking and it visually looks like your weapon will strike around the shield or you could sneak anNot a terrible game but there are clearly many areas that needed to be polished as well as some overall concepts that were never properly executed. The gauntlet (projectile weapon) is goofy and although it can sometimes be useful just feels tacked on and poorly utilized. If an enemy is blocking and it visually looks like your weapon will strike around the shield or you could sneak an attack in, the attack will simply register as being blocked. All the polish of Demon Souls/Dark Souls combat is not present because its just too much work to deal with all those hitboxes and animations. The hitboxes for you are also inconsistent, on occasion you can roll through attacks that obviously look like they should hit you yet on other enemies you can't get away with the same tactic which creates some frustrating encounters because the game is not establishing a clear set of rules. Visually the game is acceptable although I don't think it lives up to the marketing. The visual style isn't unique enough to elevate the game past looking like a really nice Unreal Engine tech demo. I haven't used any of the magic except the first level spell because I've read other reviews that have said the magic ranges from really op to underwhelming so I didn't even want to bother with it. I would recommend this game if you could buy if for $10-15, it's not the type of game that pulls you in and makes you keep coming back so if you're a busy person or you have many A+ games your interested in then this might not be worth your money.… Expand
  2. Cstriker01
    Nov 15, 2014
    9
    Pros: Fun combat system, feels weighty, meaty, and totally manly. It is accentuated by great sound effects of metal clanging on rock and iron helping the feeling of weight to the combat in addition to great particle effects during combat adding to the ambiance (sparks and chunks of rock actually fly and have a phsyical presence in the game). The health/stamina/mana system are well balancedPros: Fun combat system, feels weighty, meaty, and totally manly. It is accentuated by great sound effects of metal clanging on rock and iron helping the feeling of weight to the combat in addition to great particle effects during combat adding to the ambiance (sparks and chunks of rock actually fly and have a phsyical presence in the game). The health/stamina/mana system are well balanced by a well designed leveling system.

    The level design IMO is great, I got lost a couple times which to me added to the adventure and game me a feeling of actual dungeon delving and exploring. Plenty of secrets, shortcuts to find, optional areas, and lore. The areas are beautifully rendered with great effects, though there is not a ton of variety in the locations. Lots of snow and castle like areas.

    Cons: Story...insert dark fantasy trope here...thats pretty much it, come for the gameplay and leave the story alone. Voice acting is meh, though I do like the main character even if he is a walking trope (I like the anti-hero protagonist).

    Short game, though this is offset by an expansion coming soon!!

    IMO a great buy, I bought it at full price, though waiting for a price drop would be a-okay as well. VERY fun game.    … Expand
  3. AdG
    Jan 2, 2016
    1
    Absolute load of rubbish. I bought it cheap (-75% release value), and thought it was a rip off then. The controls are a slow unresponsive mess. You press a button and it takes a whole second for the on screen character to respond. Don't get me started on the stupid camera. And dear god the voice acting is pathetic. Just stay away.
  4. MrDestro
    Apr 5, 2016
    4
    Besides performing at consistently jarring low frame rates and supporting terrible input recognition, this game offers nothing of substance its character design, story, or combat.

    Such an obvious (attempt) clone of the souls franchise would have quite a lot going for it considering the possibilities that come with the genre, and at first glance, the pulled back camera, and auto locking    Besides performing at consistently jarring low frame rates and supporting terrible input recognition, this game offers nothing of substance its character design, story, or combat.

    Such an obvious (attempt) clone of the souls franchise would have quite a lot going for it considering the possibilities that come with the genre, and at first glance, the pulled back camera, and auto locking systems, would lead you to believe it another fun dark fantasy, border line character action adventure. Immediately however you are placed in control of a slow clunky character who looks more from the WoW universe than the dark fantasy world the developers attempted to create. The weight placed on your character feels more like a burden than a power, and the simple weapon arts make it feel even less eventful. The story itself is bland and beyond poorly written. One of the first encounters you have can lead to your character cutting a monks arm off, he will continue talking to you as if he isn't in extreme pain. The lore drops feel out of place and forced, and the design is more or less what you'd expect from a c tier metal bands album art.

    Not the worst game, but being associated so heavily with the souls series due to how much it copied: "bonefires", xp dropping on death, two hand and dual wield mechanics, even certain spells, the times where the developers did try to be original, the "jaw" weapon obtained in early game, stand out as exponentially worse, design wise and mechanically.    … Expand
  5. Nefairo
    Apr 27, 2016
    0
    Lords of the Fallen is the absolute worst game I have ever played in my 20 years of gaming. It's a sad excuse for a game, it has the worst animations of an action game ever, it has the most dull protagonist of all time, the crappiest, laziest written story of any game of all time, the entire combat system isn't even remotely hard, it's just broken and lazy. If you want a real challengingLords of the Fallen is the absolute worst game I have ever played in my 20 years of gaming. It's a sad excuse for a game, it has the worst animations of an action game ever, it has the most dull protagonist of all time, the crappiest, laziest written story of any game of all time, the entire combat system isn't even remotely hard, it's just broken and lazy. If you want a real challenging experience, play a Souls game, not a cheap knock off poorly done by incompetent amateur developers. 0/10.… Expand
  6. FriedKarma
    Oct 30, 2014
    7
    This is an "OK" game for someone that can tolerate a high frustration level and can live with a lot of "do-overs". The game camera is awkward and clunky, almost like the game was made a decade ago. The camera makes it difficult to fight enemies in corridors or fight multiple enemies, for example. While the graphics look great in a screenshot, putting the game in motion reveals a lot ofThis is an "OK" game for someone that can tolerate a high frustration level and can live with a lot of "do-overs". The game camera is awkward and clunky, almost like the game was made a decade ago. The camera makes it difficult to fight enemies in corridors or fight multiple enemies, for example. While the graphics look great in a screenshot, putting the game in motion reveals a lot of flaws with regard to lighting, etc. The fight system and controls are good, though it takes some getting used to. It could also use better documentation or tutorials. Even after several hours of play, I'm not sure what some of the scores, abilities and items actually do. As of right now there are not a lot of wiki and google results to help answer these questions. I'd recommend this game to select individuals. Its not for most people.… Expand
  7. Guardian1911
    Oct 30, 2014
    5
    Let me start this review with a simple fact: Gaming is something I do for fun. I don't see it as a contest to determine the fastest reflexes, most hours played or hardest difficulties played through. As such, this game is not designed for me, or people like me. I hated the small portion of Dark Souls I tried to play, because difficulty took precedence over entertainment value.

    The    Let me start this review with a simple fact: Gaming is something I do for fun. I don't see it as a contest to determine the fastest reflexes, most hours played or hardest difficulties played through. As such, this game is not designed for me, or people like me. I hated the small portion of Dark Souls I tried to play, because difficulty took precedence over entertainment value.

    The exact same thing is present here.
    There is no way to make the game easier. I played about 6 hours of the game and decided I'm through with it. The story is lackluster initially and you have no incentive to keep dying and facing the exact same enemies you just encountered. If you're like me and wish to see your kills pile up and mean something, go elsewhere.

    I would personally rate the game a 3 or 4, but objectively the value to many gamers is higher. In summary: If Dark Souls is your favorite, play this. If not, try something else.    … Expand
  8. Axel293410
    Mar 26, 2016
    10
    I played this game 2 times now thanks to xbox gold games.
    In my opinion this game deserves a 8.5
    Positive: nice customization, a ok for story and great gameplay, similar to Darksouls. Bad things: You cannot edit your character´s face. Some minor Bugs. Some enemys are really unfair . doesn´t mater how strong you are, they will always have an unfair advantage ( yeah, thoes humans and    I played this game 2 times now thanks to xbox gold games.
    In my opinion this game deserves a 8.5
    Positive: nice customization, a ok for story and great gameplay, similar to Darksouls.
    Bad things:
    You cannot edit your character´s face.
    Some minor Bugs.
    Some enemys are really unfair . doesn´t mater how strong you are, they will always have an unfair advantage ( yeah, thoes humans and giiants with the big shields)
    But really folks, its an awesome game :)    … Expand
  9. Moffi
    Oct 28, 2014
    10
    amazing beautiful game with fantastic gameplay!! I play as much as 5 hours and I can not break away. As the good old days. I hope that the game is long and we get some DLC in the near future because as it goes on like this for 2-3 days it did not end up getting up from the console!!
  10. wesker2012
    Oct 31, 2014
    6
    I was looking forward to this game as I love the Dark Souls series. The game just didn't work for me though. The main problem I had with the game was the camera. When I have to fiddle with the camera almost every second of the game, its just not worth it. Also, the combat felt very clunky and not in a challenging way. When a game tries to emulate Dark Souls so much, it makes you feelI was looking forward to this game as I love the Dark Souls series. The game just didn't work for me though. The main problem I had with the game was the camera. When I have to fiddle with the camera almost every second of the game, its just not worth it. Also, the combat felt very clunky and not in a challenging way. When a game tries to emulate Dark Souls so much, it makes you feel like it should also control as well as Dark Souls. I will wait until Bloodborne to play a new title in the Dark Souls Series. I think if you really can't wait for that game, then this game will be a good game to play around with.… Expand
  11. sniper1337
    Oct 29, 2014
    10
    I've been waiting with patience veeery long for this game... Just played it and im so happy I did it.
    In plus: graphics, music, fighting, leveling, world, story.
    In minus: sometimes game crashes.
    Very Good Job CI Games and Deck 13 .... Good Job Tomasz Gop!
  12. unleashbass
    Oct 30, 2014
    9
    As a huge Dark Souls Fan, all I can say is, to anyone who likes the Souls series. Get this game now!

    I have only played the first couple of hours but, its pretty much the same as DS. The graphics are far superior to DS, the combat the same. The difficulty is pretty much the same to with great boss battles and the level design, at least so far, is a lot like DS1. A huge castle with    As a huge Dark Souls Fan, all I can say is, to anyone who likes the Souls series. Get this game now!

    I have only played the first couple of hours but, its pretty much the same as DS. The graphics are far superior to DS, the combat the same. The difficulty is pretty much the same to with great boss battles and the level design, at least so far, is a lot like DS1. A huge castle with numerous routes, locked doors all interlinking.

    A true next gen - DS. Great!!    … Expand
  13. LtGoose
    Oct 31, 2014
    9
    Challenging yet rewarding, Lords of the Fallen is a beautiful game in a rich and breathtaking world it takes a more direct story telling method than the souls games through direct dialogue choices and cut scene. The landscape is sprawling with multiple paths to take, everything feels very grand in scale the castles are huge with tons of hidden nooks to explore.

    I struggled with the    Challenging yet rewarding, Lords of the Fallen is a beautiful game in a rich and breathtaking world it takes a more direct story telling method than the souls games through direct dialogue choices and cut scene. The landscape is sprawling with multiple paths to take, everything feels very grand in scale the castles are huge with tons of hidden nooks to explore.

    I struggled with the combat style initially with the slower more weighted attacks but it really flourishes once you understand that unlike souls games where you can take a very methodical chess like combat style to a more flowing style that rewards unbalancing your opponent then pulling off large combos of attacks this is also aided by the strength of the roll in this game in which is much more lenient in regards to iframes compared to souls games, one issue i have with the combat is and levelling up system is that to unlock the higher tier of class abilities you are required to points in faith which im generally not a huge fan of since i would prefer it to be linked to your primary damage stat str/agi respectiverly

    The best thing in this game without a shadow of a doubt is unequivocally the enemy design they're varied and all come with their own unique challenges which once you understand their weaknesses allow you to take them apart extremely satisfyingly they also have extremely punishing attacks that if not shown the proper respect will kill you in 1 or 2 hits with the lighter amour, the bosses in this game are a mixed bag the first few bosses are the most boring big dude with a big shield but that later on you get the more diverse and challenging they get with some really interesting mechanics required to get an edge in the fight

    In summary a great game that tries new things and succeeds at alot of them if you can move past the souls comparison and take it as its own game with an much different combat system you'll more that likely love it but be warned there are quite a few bugs and crashes at the moment which i would hope will be fixed in the future    … Expand
  14. bwgrawerton
    Oct 28, 2014
    10
    It's beautiful game... Really worth spent cash. Amazing combat techniques, cool experience system, so many ways to build your own character. Beautiful looking game world, superb playability.
    As owner of next-gen console - you must try it.
  15. Sanchit
    Oct 29, 2014
    10
    Amazingly beautiful game, very detailed models and swift animations, especially the bosses, they look real badass!! Awesome to play and nice to look at.
  16. Jhack
    Oct 28, 2014
    10
    Dark Souls was an ok game....Dark Souls II went overboard on the difficulty of the game, not to mention the dismal graphics. Dark Souls II is the worst game I have ever played....Not kidding. Lords of the Fallen is the Dark Souls everyone can play, it's at the right difficulty, the graphics are amazeballs and there's even a story line too it!
  17. TheDahaka
    Nov 3, 2014
    6
    A potentially amazing game ruined on console by a disgusting frame rate that rarely ever maintains 30fps even post day one patch. I really hope that CI will fix the performance issues of this game on console. I am getting tired of developers rushing unfinished games on console and prioritising bells and whistles over performance - especially when the performance is this bad.

    I rate this    A potentially amazing game ruined on console by a disgusting frame rate that rarely ever maintains 30fps even post day one patch. I really hope that CI will fix the performance issues of this game on console. I am getting tired of developers rushing unfinished games on console and prioritising bells and whistles over performance - especially when the performance is this bad.

    I rate this game 6.5/10 due to the terrible fps. This game would otherwise be an 8.5/10 if the developers reached the rock solid 30fps they promised in interviews.

    These comments were made after applying the day one patch. Apparently the unpatched version of the game is nigh on unplayable.    … Expand
  18. B5HARP
    Mar 18, 2016
    0
    This game is a POS. The "tutorial" is a joke. It tells you how to light hit, heavy hit and dodge. That's it. No help at all on how to heal yourself or what even those Ghost Shards are for. The control input takes a second or longer to transmit to your character. Why do you have to lock onto a target when that target is the BOSS and the only other character besides yourself? CameraThis game is a POS. The "tutorial" is a joke. It tells you how to light hit, heavy hit and dodge. That's it. No help at all on how to heal yourself or what even those Ghost Shards are for. The control input takes a second or longer to transmit to your character. Why do you have to lock onto a target when that target is the BOSS and the only other character besides yourself? Camera view is also horrible. Sadly i could not even get past the first real boss. Got sick of trying to dodge and the character not reacting at all and resulted in my Rage-uninstalling. This game was free for Gold Members, so i am glad i didn't shell out any money on this garbage.… Expand
  19. Atticas14
    Oct 29, 2014
    7
    Despite my previous negative review I'm now really enjoying the game. (A 5GB patch on launch day is a curse on people with slow internet) It's certainly not Dark Souls, but it's a good game in it's own way. The graphics are beautiful, game play smooth, the environments and armor/weapon models are amazing, combat requires intelligence, but not as much as in Dark Souls. It's an overallDespite my previous negative review I'm now really enjoying the game. (A 5GB patch on launch day is a curse on people with slow internet) It's certainly not Dark Souls, but it's a good game in it's own way. The graphics are beautiful, game play smooth, the environments and armor/weapon models are amazing, combat requires intelligence, but not as much as in Dark Souls. It's an overall enjoyable experience worth the $60, but a few hiccups keep this jewel from really shining.

    - There are some serious frame rate issues on the Xbox One. I regularly drop down into the low teens in areas that really aren't that graphic intensive

    - The crafting system doesn't even deserve to be called crafting. It simply consists of "gambling" to unlock runes, which are for all intensive purposes gems (from games such as Diable and WoW); and then placing said gems into socketable armor and weapons. That's it, and while it adds some interesting aspects to the game I was really expecting something deeper.

    - I confess I haven't completed the game yet, but I'm a good 12 hours in. The magic system in the game seems to be lacking. There's just not enough versatility, and magic resources are seriously limited. I'm put a good amount of experience into raising my mana pool and I can barely cast two spells before running out of power. It also seems strange that the gauntlet runs off the same power as spells because it really limits the players freedom to forge their own play style. Because of the small mana pool and long cooldowns on spells, a magic only build simply isn't viable.

    - There is a huge bias toward strength based weapons. I've collected 35 weapons so far and twenty of them are strength based, a few faith based, and the remainder are agility based. I really regret assigning my points toward agility because all the cool, big damage weapons are in the strength category. You might be thinking that agility weapons would be balanced by being able to run in and strike your opponent multiple times, but you'd be wrong. The typical boss fight doesn't not give you a large enough opening to string up a combo. If you'd going to run in and get one attack, your much better off using a large heavy hitting weapons, the type that I don't have access to.

    - The last critique is a small one that I can get over, but it's worth mentioning that the lip syncing is absolutely non-existent.

    Despite all the negatives above I still recommend getting the game if you enjoy the genre. I'm actually enjoying it.    … Expand
  20. osprey
    Oct 30, 2014
    4
    This game is not for me. I have abandoned it twice in frustration because I am just not having any fun. I am very surprised that everyone else seems to love this game so much when for one thing the camera is the worst I have ever seen. That is not the only issue, there is no fun in exploring as you are constantly pounced on by multiple powerful enemies that take forever to defeat andThis game is not for me. I have abandoned it twice in frustration because I am just not having any fun. I am very surprised that everyone else seems to love this game so much when for one thing the camera is the worst I have ever seen. That is not the only issue, there is no fun in exploring as you are constantly pounced on by multiple powerful enemies that take forever to defeat and drain all your resources. The boss fights go on forever but were not fun or challenging just annoying. I did not want to give up on it as it was a full priced game and one that I was really looking forward to so I came back to it to give it another chance and hung in there for several hours but finally had to surrender to the fact that this is not fun for me. Others seem to love it so make your own choice but I would recommend borrowing it from a friend or waiting for a sale.… Expand
  21. labtoy
    Nov 5, 2014
    6
    Could have been a great game, if they had polished it and framerate was higher than 2. Such a shame. Looks great, at times it seems great, but the stutterinmg graphics give me a headache.
  22. cabbages
    Apr 28, 2016
    0
    Whats the point of putting a super hard boss you need to fight in the first 10 mins of the game. 3 hits and your dead, you have no health, you do no damage to him, Just stupid, there's a reason every other game slowly progresses you to hard and hard stages, it's called common sense.
  23. CheezeWuz
    Nov 14, 2014
    5
    I just feel the games too clunky, plus with frame rate drops and lighting problems there's just not much to say why you need this game, not to mention unfair combat. Now is it hard...yes at times, but is it fair? a lot of times... NO. Some enemies you can kill blindfolded others are like pulling teeth, how they turn on dimes, never stop blocking, ski around you, or just impossible to getI just feel the games too clunky, plus with frame rate drops and lighting problems there's just not much to say why you need this game, not to mention unfair combat. Now is it hard...yes at times, but is it fair? a lot of times... NO. Some enemies you can kill blindfolded others are like pulling teeth, how they turn on dimes, never stop blocking, ski around you, or just impossible to get to... overall I'd say "stay away," there are other games like this that are better... (Demon souls, Dark Soul)… Expand
  24. partyintheback
    Nov 3, 2014
    9
    Very impressive. It's true that this game is in the same genre as the Souls game, but it also brings its own feel and flavor, and that's much appreciated. This is a very challenging game, but it's also incredibly satisfying once you learn how to defeat a foe. It also has amazing graphics, much better than the Souls games. I look forward to the sequel.
  25. Tlpmsoul
    Nov 19, 2014
    8
    Great game ! You can say that its a Dark Souls clone, but clone something that is good is ok ! Simple storyline - no additional useleless patos, just do what you need to do and go. Weapons have their weight , actually you can feel it when smashing something . I would add dismembering your foes, but its ok without it. Dark and heavy game :)
  26. Eradicate
    Nov 3, 2014
    8
    Honest review here! I am a huge fan of the Soul series and I was really excited to get this game (and I am glad I did). This is a really good game but there is some disappointments. I found a lot of glitches in the game (enemy's can shoot through walls) and the story is not good at all. The graphics, art design, and game play are amazing though. I am giving this an 8 because it is notHonest review here! I am a huge fan of the Soul series and I was really excited to get this game (and I am glad I did). This is a really good game but there is some disappointments. I found a lot of glitches in the game (enemy's can shoot through walls) and the story is not good at all. The graphics, art design, and game play are amazing though. I am giving this an 8 because it is not worthy of a 10 because they could of spent a little more time on the glitches and story line but other then that, it is a wonderful game. Do yourself a favor and pick up this game if you love the Darksouls.… Expand
  27. Nataraja
    Mar 11, 2015
    7
    TL;DNR: A more accessible version with a different form of difficulty that inevitably draws inspiration from the Souls series and a bit from Diablo. The game is overly warrior centric, especially when it comes to the final boss. However, if you want to up the difficulty, like in Souls, play as an agile rogue character to increase your difficulty and use the deception tree. The clericTL;DNR: A more accessible version with a different form of difficulty that inevitably draws inspiration from the Souls series and a bit from Diablo. The game is overly warrior centric, especially when it comes to the final boss. However, if you want to up the difficulty, like in Souls, play as an agile rogue character to increase your difficulty and use the deception tree. The cleric class is a bit easier and warrior tends to be the easiest. Good graphics but significant sound issue and game breaking bugs on the Worshiper boss during new game +. Its worth playing if you are looking for a game to tide you over waiting for something better, or so we hope, such as Bloodborne. Rent it or buy it on sale.

    This is not a fantastic game - dialogue is hit and miss but generally terrible in delivery and HORRIBLE animations - but the story is, as a whole, interesting enough. The risk-reward system of holding experience is interesting but the first play through, at least early on, will see you definitely banking experience and increasing stats. Magic is decent but can be overpowered in parts and underpowered in others, particularly in boss fights.

    Its a decent action RPG that requires some skill but is nowhere as punishing as the Souls series (personally I find Souls to be overly punishing).

    Be warned if you play as an agile rogue - the final boss WILL be maddeningly difficult. While I finished it, it must have been over 40 attempts to take him down. As one person said - "as a rogue this boss made me want to murder kittens!"    … Expand
  28. UL747
    Dec 19, 2014
    10
    Lords of the Fallen is one of the few games released this year that's truly Next-Gen. It's not an just a graphical upgrade for the Xbox One like Call of Duty or Far Cry 4. No, CI Games worked hard to make a true next-gen experience exclusive to XB One, PC and PS4.

    LotF is an RPG similar to the Souls franchise, only better. Great combat and interesting upgrade system makes Lords of the    Lords of the Fallen is one of the few games released this year that's truly Next-Gen. It's not an just a graphical upgrade for the Xbox One like Call of Duty or Far Cry 4. No, CI Games worked hard to make a true next-gen experience exclusive to XB One, PC and PS4.

    LotF is an RPG similar to the Souls franchise, only better. Great combat and interesting upgrade system makes Lords of the Fallen one of the best RPGs in years.

    CI Games knocked it out of the park with Lords of the Fallen. Can't wait to see what the make next!    … Expand
  29. Hollified-Ninja
    Jul 15, 2015
    8
    I love this game so much BETTER than cheap dark souls problem is framerate is pretty bad unless you tip toe through every area.die to many times and the games audio when picking up scroll cuts in and out restart game to fix it works good enough now with patching in beginning it was unplayable.dlc crashes sometime.like I said with patchs works good now this is the true dark souls unless theI love this game so much BETTER than cheap dark souls problem is framerate is pretty bad unless you tip toe through every area.die to many times and the games audio when picking up scroll cuts in and out restart game to fix it works good enough now with patching in beginning it was unplayable.dlc crashes sometime.like I said with patchs works good now this is the true dark souls unless the dark souls 3 is good which im sure will be crap like all the others.… Expand
  30. blackeclipsevii
    Feb 26, 2015
    7
    Not the level of quality of the dark souls games, but still work your time. The game is flawed but very enjoyable. Frame rate drops, lack of a map, and narrow corridors hinder what is otherwise a good first entry in a series.
  31. Terpander
    Mar 30, 2016
    7
    Lords of the Fallen is an interesting game which many unique mechanics. It is a dungeon crawler-style game that has Harkyn, a mercenary with a dark and unknown past, pitted against the forces of chaos and order in the world.

    The game from a mechnical point of view is very interesting. It draws much of its content from Dark Souls, with its potion consumption model, absence of minimap and    Lords of the Fallen is an interesting game which many unique mechanics. It is a dungeon crawler-style game that has Harkyn, a mercenary with a dark and unknown past, pitted against the forces of chaos and order in the world.

    The game from a mechnical point of view is very interesting. It draws much of its content from Dark Souls, with its potion consumption model, absence of minimap and tough opponents. It is not however like Dark Souls in many ways. Firstly, it's much easier than Dark Souls and much shorter. Secondly what Dark Souls succeeds in doing with no dialogue during the game, Lords of the Fallen does not. It tries to explain its mythology by leaving hints throughout the world, but by also outright explaining to the player. The problem lies in that it has an identity crisis. Dark Souls excels because of its minimalist approach to storytelling. Lords of the Fallen's semi-side quests and character dialogues takes away from the game's overall story in a strange way. By trying to explain the story half-way it make the story appear muddy and half-way thought out.

    In a similar structure to Dark Souls, it has major level bosses which various mechanics. The bosses are terrifying, but in my opinion very uninteresting. There is no real sense of horror the macabre. Instead the bosses are pseudo-alien/divine creatures that are reminiscent of Gears of War locusts using melee weapons.

    The mechanics were great and could be developed into something truly remarkable, however the story was boring and I forced myself to care enough about the game to finish it. I would recommend it if you're gearing up for Dark Souls 3 and want a light game to tide you over until its release.    … Expand
  32. TheNickage
    Dec 20, 2014
    4
    I was looking forward to this game for a long time, but I am very disappointed so far. Controls are extremely sluggish.. I feel as if I have to MASH the A button to dodge, because otherwise my character simply won't listen, and the computer gets a free hit on me. It also seems to give AI special privileges when fighting.. Difficulty is not a bad thing by any means, but when I clearly hitI was looking forward to this game for a long time, but I am very disappointed so far. Controls are extremely sluggish.. I feel as if I have to MASH the A button to dodge, because otherwise my character simply won't listen, and the computer gets a free hit on me. It also seems to give AI special privileges when fighting.. Difficulty is not a bad thing by any means, but when I clearly hit an enemy in the back, they should not be able to magically turn around and block it, as if they had been facing me the entire time. The saving grace of this game is the graphics, and the fact that it has a very interesting story.. At least in my opinion. I think the game still has some bugs to work out, but has potential to be great.… Expand
  33. FraggyMuffin
    Apr 10, 2016
    4
    This would of been a good game if the combat wasn't so terrible. The game looks great, the sound and music are good but that becomes irrelevant because of the atrocious combat. The attacks are painfully slow even the lightest weapons take forever to swing. There's no reacting to anything like dark souls, there's no guard break, you basically just hold your shield up and wait for them toThis would of been a good game if the combat wasn't so terrible. The game looks great, the sound and music are good but that becomes irrelevant because of the atrocious combat. The attacks are painfully slow even the lightest weapons take forever to swing. There's no reacting to anything like dark souls, there's no guard break, you basically just hold your shield up and wait for them to attack and then you attack. Once you swing your weapon you get stuck in the animation so there's no option to run, dodge so you get hit everytime. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't next to impossible to damage some enemies without taking damage the big shield guys in particular. I consider myself a good gamer i like a challenge i've played dark souls NG+7 dark souls 2 NG +3 but this is the most frustrating combat system i've ever played that has zero depth. I got this game free with gold, a game that's free after only being out for only a year and a half i think that says it all… Expand
  34. Blackrift
    Apr 8, 2016
    2
    The control layout and the ridiculous input lag make this simply unplayable. What a joke! Level design is done well, shame about the rest of the game. I wouldn't bother with this title
  35. roady73
    Feb 7, 2015
    4
    Look, I get it. Lord of the Fallen's developers set out to make a game that is challenging, made for the real, stay at home, no job , gamer. Hurray! They accomplished that. I'm all for a challenge. Where they get it wrong is in the transitioning into the more difficult stuff. It just throws you right in, wiping me out time after time before even getting the hang of the combat, UI,Look, I get it. Lord of the Fallen's developers set out to make a game that is challenging, made for the real, stay at home, no job , gamer. Hurray! They accomplished that. I'm all for a challenge. Where they get it wrong is in the transitioning into the more difficult stuff. It just throws you right in, wiping me out time after time before even getting the hang of the combat, UI, inventory, etc etc. Also, the UI, character development, etc, is not very intuitive and smooth. I also find the combat too slow and clunky. I get it , he wears heavy armor, you want to keep it as real as possible, etc etc.. but most console gamers want an action to immediately occur as soon as the button/stick is pressed/moved. Having to wait seconds for the toon to swing his hammer, maneuver, etc is ridiculous! The game would have been better served with cooldowns and quicker toon response, instead of the slow-mo play... I really want to like this game, but it is far too frustrating. Graphics/art are awesome! Too bad.. Hopefully they'll come out with a better sequel.… Expand
  36. Werepuffin
    Jun 9, 2015
    9
    It's basically a prettier and smoother running version of Dark Souls without the multiplayer feature.

    If you like souls, you'll like this. However, it's really easy to become over powered by the end of the game.
  37. dogget76
    Jan 13, 2016
    5
    Davvero non riesco a capire i metri di paragone, gli strumenti e i gusti di gran parte dei giornalisti. LOTF E' a tutti gli effetti un patetico e presuntuoso tentativo di 'correggere' Dark Souls.
    Che ci fosse bisogno di correggere uno degli action-rpg più belli di sempre già può far storcere il naso a qualcuno (DS non è un gioco perfetto , però..), se poi le 'correzzioni' apportate si    Davvero non riesco a capire i metri di paragone, gli strumenti e i gusti di gran parte dei giornalisti. LOTF E' a tutti gli effetti un patetico e presuntuoso tentativo di 'correggere' Dark Souls.
    Che ci fosse bisogno di correggere uno degli action-rpg più belli di sempre già può far storcere il naso a qualcuno (DS non è un gioco perfetto , però..), se poi le 'correzzioni' apportate si limitano a un framerate più solido e a hitbox (apparentemente) più accurate allora i dubbi cominciano ad affollare la mente.
    LOTF in realtà non ha nulla di tutto quello che ha reso DS così entusiasmante: è difficile, sì, ma nella maniera più sbagliata. E' ingiusto, frustrante, lento e visivamente è solo un garbuglio di scaglie, orpelli e alamari. Scordatevi il design stellare e inquietante di From Software: LOTF sembra più un Gears of War all' arma bianca, solo molto meno divertente,
    Il sistema di crescita è macchinoso e incoerente, i nemici non conoscono l'equilibrio e la stamina, costringendo spesso a fare i kamikaze sperando che la guardia nemica prima o poi svanisca per colpa di un bug. Inoltre non si ha mai la sensazione di avere tutto sotto controllo. Il gameplay è spesso caotico: è facile rimanere vittime di frecce sparate da miglia di distanza o venire travolti da nemici trotterellanti che si fanno beffe dei vostri colpi. E' tutto davvero molto frustrante.
    Lasciamo poi stare il sistema di grind, che costringe a dover morire ogni volta e a tornare ai checkpoint. Noia, noia e ancora noia...
    Lords Of The Fallen è un misto di presunzione e incompetenza, e va lasciato lì dov'è in attesa di un Dark Souls vero e proprio.    … Expand
  38. avid_gamer_
    Sep 28, 2015
    10
    I really enjoyed this game. The story is quite lacking but I can't fault any other part of the game. I think I've played it 3 times already and love the combat so much I may play it yet again.
  39. Wahzammo
    Apr 14, 2016
    8
    Got this as a freebie from XBOX Live... The game looks great, plays great, and is a lot of fun! Similar in some ways to Dark Souls but more the the casual gamer imo... you are still gonna die a lot thou XD
  40. icedog
    Jul 26, 2016
    5
    Story and graphics are excellent but the playability is very hard .If you want to play a game to relax and enjoy after a hard day work this game is not for you ! This game is work , you will spend hours on 1 Boss working out it's weakness .If you go exploring , a group of enemies will ambush you at every corner and all the fights will use up all your health .
  41. PriestRamirez
    Sep 27, 2016
    1
    This game is beautiful. The UI and UX effort spent in its making are par-none. However, the engine suffers from a small issue of Japanese ideology in that alterations to your stats and abilities are notified to you by way of glyphs (or icons, if you wish) that pop up in the lower left corner of the screen.

    The paper manual does not explain what any of these various signs mean and the    This game is beautiful. The UI and UX effort spent in its making are par-none. However, the engine suffers from a small issue of Japanese ideology in that alterations to your stats and abilities are notified to you by way of glyphs (or icons, if you wish) that pop up in the lower left corner of the screen.

    The paper manual does not explain what any of these various signs mean and the internet seems devoid of definition. So you as a Western round-eye have no idea of what has just changed for you and what it might mean.

    After three boss fight wins and no idea of what the 'magic' icons popping up meant I just walked away. It's all or nothing for me.

    Yes! It's a difficult game, and that's what I loved about it. It's difficult and awesome and beautiful. But the lack of a manual explaining the mystical, yet I suspect important, state changes just blew it for me.

    The script writing is **** and the the story-boarding is poor. Lip movements don't match audio and the physical motions of characters during conversations is on par with the Two Worlds series, which was a rubbish example of how to animate figures and match speech to video. Although, the voice acting in Lords of the Fallen is light years ahead of the Two Worlds series.

    The level design is very sub-par with regard to the amount of space you have to move around in when confronted with a boss fight and the camera has a tendency to "drift off" the locked target (XBox 360).

    I thought that I might get a polished game for the 850 ZAR I paid for this, but after three days I realize that I should have waited a while and picked it up for 280 ZAR in the bargain bin (used, pre-played games) next year. Although, given my experience with it, I would have regretted buying it even then.    … Expand
  42. SenorKoquonfaes
    Nov 14, 2019
    3
    A beautiful, but more tedious and arduous version of Dark Souls. It get's the bare essentials right from the Souls formula, but not much else.
  43. MOLEX3000
    Jun 23, 2020
    10
    A good introduction to rouge-like games! I recomend it if you are new to this tipe of genre!
  44. Enigma0999
    May 25, 2020
    3
    game is crazy hard and frustrating played 2 hours and gave up no fun whats so ever and terrible voice acting and story.
  45. Karottedraak
    Mar 24, 2022
    7
    Good game for starters in the souls-like genre. The combat feels slow and heavy which fits this game perfectly, but the only thing this also creates is that the game just becomes incredibly easy. That is why its good for beginners in the souls-like genre but it can also feel a bit unrewarding. The bosses in this game are also really predictable which once again is good for beginners andGood game for starters in the souls-like genre. The combat feels slow and heavy which fits this game perfectly, but the only thing this also creates is that the game just becomes incredibly easy. That is why its good for beginners in the souls-like genre but it can also feel a bit unrewarding. The bosses in this game are also really predictable which once again is good for beginners and bad for experienced players.

    The world looks pretty good and especially for a game in 2014. The art style is grimmy and almost like a more fantasy style of warhammer 40K. This you either like or you don't.

    The story is just about nothing really, it is there but I did not pay attention to it. Main things about it is just you could save the world by defeating all the lords. Which only you could do. Really generic stuff.

    A perfect game for people to get into the souls-like genre and get a taste of what it has to offer while being a bit slow. (also really recommend for players that want to play as a paladin in these type of games)    … Expand
  46. SergeantDan
    Feb 7, 2021
    7
    Its a souls like game. Like many people have told you. But its also a slower souls like game. So honestly its just slower then your average dark souls game. The attacks are slower the rolls are slower. Parries seems easier.

    I honestly did not find the glitches that have been mentioned time and time again by many reviewers. So honestly the bosses are interesting and they are mostly a    Its a souls like game. Like many people have told you. But its also a slower souls like game. So honestly its just slower then your average dark souls game. The attacks are slower the rolls are slower. Parries seems easier.

    I honestly did not find the glitches that have been mentioned time and time again by many reviewers. So honestly the bosses are interesting and they are mostly a completely different from one another. Hopefully they just fix the issues that were in the game and hopefully make everything a bit better. Because lord of the fallen 2 was announced. So we will wait and see.    … Expand
  47. storygamer
    Sep 4, 2020
    7
    As a big Dark Souls fan I was very sceptical towards Lords Of The Fallen. But if you omit the comparison, the game is really good. Visuals and atmosphere are intense, the fights are challenging and the controls work great! Nevertheless, if you played the DS series, this game feels and plays like a light version of Dark Souls.
  48. luq88
    Nov 9, 2021
    9
    Played it on both platforms - Xone and XSX. It works much smoother on Series X/S with 60fps and Auto-HDR additionally.
    Great and rewarding fun. Nice graphics, interesting opponents, bosses, hidden gear and so on. Enjoyed it much more than Dark Souls, maybe becouse it is a bit easier, but still demanding.
  49. mlnsn
    Jul 15, 2021
    6
    Gameplay : 7/10
    Design (video + audio) : 6/10
    Story : 7/10
    Technical aspects : 5/10
    Repeatability: 6/10

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best Xbox One Game of 2014
26
#26 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2014
6
#6 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Dec 3, 2014
    60
    It's too derivative and frustrating to contend for Dark Souls' crown. [Xmas 2014, p.78]
  2. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 2, 2014
    80
    Definitely inspired by the Souls games, Lords of the Fallen still has enough brutal majesty to stand on its own. [Issue#255, p.66]
  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Dec 2, 2014
    60
    A frustratingly uneven action-RPG that pilfers liberally from the Dark Souls handbook. [Issue#118, p.77]
See all critic reviews »