Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

Everyone knows that 3D and Castlevania are two things that never seem to work together. Every time before a new one is released, we are told that they got it right this time; this will be the good one. And for once, it’s actually true. This is probably the best 3D Castlevania game ever. That may be considered a backhanded compliment at this point, though.

But Lords of Shadow gets a lot right – mostly through imitation. It follows the standard formula used in almost every action game of this era: simple 3D beatemup combat, cinematic platforming, and plenty of key and switch puzzles. Some of the ideas are lifted directly from its contemporaries, like the beam-balancing sections from God of War and the light and dark magics from Dante’s Inferno.

Most of those elements are handled well, and the story is interesting despite the flowery and excessive dialog. The story is narrated by Captain Picard, who occasionally escorts you as an ally. You are also sometimes helped by a horse that talks like a Dracula. But there are some rough spots. The camera is a mess, and it often zooms out until you are a mere handful of pixels or shifts suddenly and locks your movement to a direction that is no longer in relation to the camera angle. It is sometimes too picky about where switches are activated, and the control mapping is messy and sometimes confusing because it relies on too many shift keys and context-sensitive actions.

There’s little here to remind you of any previous Castlevania games. The music, art style, and tone of the game are completely different. It has to be said that this is a long game, and I feel certain that it took me at least twelve hours to complete its twelve chapters. Whether or not you enjoy those hours will not be determined by how much of a Castlevania fan you are, but rather how much you enjoy this type of action game.

I enjoyed the game. I played for a couple hours at a time. The game had a ton of cut sceens which you could easily skip but added to the storyline. Over-all the game play was good and the graphics really were amazing. Even though the game was good, I didn't feel it was as good as Castlevania Curse of Darkness. Some of the puzzles are challenging and it is hard to find some of the hidden items throughout the game. The bosses weren't that hard particularly the last boss. It is worth renting the game and playing for a while. I"ll buy it when it goes down in price or becomes and XBOX platinum title.