Lords of the Fallen (2023) (Xbox One/SX)

Lords of the Fallen ist ein wirklich ambitioniertes Soulslike. Es bringt als einer der wenigen eine tolle Innovation mit an den Tisch, vergisst dabei aber neben der oppulenten Optik auch die Technik beisammen zu halten und Bosse sowie Gegner abwechselnd zu gestalten.

So vertraut Lords of the Fallen bei Kampf und Charakterentwicklung wirkt, so motivierend ist das Erkunden der beeindruckend schönen und spielerisch interessanten Kulissen.

When the FPS isn’t dipping, and bosses aren’t cheesing you every step of the way, LotF feels good. But with myriad performance issues, broken multiplayer, and boss fights that increase difficulty through unfair mechanics as opposed to well-developed ones, it really weighs down on the experience.

While Lords of the Fallen has all the right Souls-like elements, its disjointed pacing and painful checkpoint system make much of the game a slow and frustrating march.

It’s exhausting, and the whole game fits that to a tee. Lords of the Fallen isn’t especially hard, it’s tiring. The story is so forgettable that it might as well not exist, and while the ideas in it have a lot of promise, they’re executed poorly. It’s uninspiring, and every time you see a glimmer of promise it’s taken from you instantly by some nonsense.

Indeed, for the most part, 2023’s Lords of the Fallen is a very well-crafted Soulslike that looks phenomenal, plays really well, and has a deep reverence for the source material it’s inspired by. And that’s before mentioning how the game brings some genuinely creative ideas to the table that cohesively fit the tone and theme of the entire experience.

Missing the elegance of FromSoftware, Lords of the Fallen is let down by Soulslike clichés and performance woes.

A beautiful world, distinctive two-realm mechanics, excellent voice acting, and combat that feels good when not over-encumbered by enemies and artificial challenge, create a solid bedrock. But Lords of the Fallen fails to impress beyond that, instead growing more and more frustrating the further into Mournstead adventurers travel.