Lords of the Fallen has arrived, bringing the much-awaited twist and adventure-packed gameplay to the Souls-like genre. The punishing (yet, rewarding) game will feature 30 bosses, and let players journey across a narrative that has three unique endings.
According to the creators at Hexworks, the game also features 194 weapons and shields, 339 armour pieces and 13 personalised classes to choose from (along with 4 secret ones).
👥 400+ Developers
— LORDS OF THE FALLEN (@lotfgame) October 10, 2023
⚔️ 194 Weapons & Shields
📅 3 days until launch#LordsoftheFallen pic.twitter.com/1RpfNfcZQQ
Lords of the Fallen Has a Variety of Bosses
In a lot of Souls-like games, players initially struggle with the difficulty and world-building they come across, only to find themselves adapting to the gameplay as they progress. A big part of this has to do with bosses. And, mini-bosses who lurk around corners and secret parts of the map. However, even with a variety of different bosses, having 30 is a big number for a studio that has spent just over four years developing the game. 30 bosses equate to 30 unique move sets and mechanics players may have to learn as they cross paths with them.
During the initial hours of the game, almost every Souls-like introduces you to its world with a ‘tutorial boss’ that gives the player a gist of what’s to come ahead. As they dwindle their starting weapons against the tutorial boss, players learn more about what kind of gameplay they would like to adapt to, and how to build their character accordingly.
Creative director Cezar Virtosu had some impressions about the tutorial boss:
The tutorial boss is beautiful. And it’s not a typical tutorial boss. It is actually by all accounts a raid boss with multiple phases, transformations, emotions… It doesn’t feel like a tutorial boss, but she still teaches you how to play the game.
Similarly, multitudes of madness can be expected from further bosses, as some of them are extremely twisted and gruesome, making for a spine-chilling combat experience. Take for example a boss (and its twin) who can crack bones and transform itself (at least, its armor) into a four-legged monstrosity.
Without spoiling anything, the 30 bosses will be visually stunning yet scary to face. For instance, another boss is, well, made up of human corpses. If that’s not a pretty picture, get ready to build an appetite for all the Lords of the Fallen has to offer. Many of these bosses will wield a variety of weapons (even crossbows, in some cases) and practice historical martial arts.
From these descriptions, the bosses show variety not only in their origin and supernatural abilities but also in how they approach combat and what kind of playstyle-adaption it demands from the player.
Lords of the Fallen Features Personalised Gameplay Styles That Make Boss Fights Feel Unique
The game’s unique take on player death gives you more than ‘chances’ to get better at facing bosses. Lords of the Fallen features two realms: Axiom and Umbral. These add to the game’s lore and learning curve. When you die in Axiom, you can find yourself at Umbral; in the land of the dead. Your gameplay will revolve around in how you choose to traverse and fight against the game’s dreadfulness.
From axes and swords to spells and daggers, Lords of the Fallen gives you 194 weapons to choose from. As the Souls-like tradition has trained players over the years; taking your time and adapting to enemy movement will decide your fate here. Be too aggressive and thoughtless, and you’ve met your demise before you know it. Be too slow and hesitant, and you’re too late to maneuver larger boss attacks.
It’s a wonderful blend of patience and adaptability that will make each boss encounter unique to your play style. After all, every Souls-like game differs in terms of boss variety and how the world around it shapes up to the player’s skill set. And, Lords of the Fallen is no different. These boss fights, along with the many different encounters players have in the world, will lead to three different endings based on their playthrough.
Unfortunately, since the game has launched fans around the world have been complaining and criticising the game for a variety of reasons. Reviews were incredibly mixed, with some calling it a cheap knock-off, others praising it beyond belief, but nearly every review out there includes the damning performance issues.
The developers are currently working day and night to provide fixes for players, be it the texture dropout, the frame rates slowing to a crawl or the cheap and needless difficulty spikes represented by random groups of enemies. The situation is worrying the fledgling developer, purposefully created solely for this game, and they’re worried they may be in a similar situation to how CD Projekt Red was with Cyberpunk 2077, just without the size and earned goodwill.
The game certainly has its fair share of expansive bosses, large weapon and armor sets and a unique, real-time, two world system, but is that enough for fans and players to overlook the issues that is currently plaguing the game?
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