Lords of the Fallen is an exhausting technical achievement

polygon.com:

How many spirits do you think are surrounding you at this very moment? Lords of the Fallen presents you with this grim newfound curiosity, then hands over the tool to satiate it. A lamp lets you take a peek at the realm of the dead — called the Umbral realm — in real time during your crusade. In an instant, the lamplight reveals that a seemingly inaccessible lake hides a traversable hollow pit, while innocuous corridors become swarmed with floating corpses. Yet, as compelling as this use of dual realities is, Lords of the Fallen can’t escape the cold touch of an array of design and pace frustrations that plague the entire experience.

Lords of the Fallen, not to be confused with its 2014 namesake, is developer Hexworks’ attempt at carving out an identity in the Soulsborne genre, after taking the project over from Deck13 and Defiant Studios. Like this year’s Lies of P, the 2023 Lords of the Fallen takes cues from the later era of FromSoftware works. And unlike its predecessor, you’re no longer forced to play as a gym bro who’s skipped leg day his entire life. Alongside a robust character creator, movement feels far looser and more responsive this time around.

Unlike Lies of P, combat doesn’t revolve mostly around perfect parries in the style of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Parries exist as a mechanic, but you lose health even when performing them successfully. This health can be recovered if you hit the enemy while staying out of harm, à la Bloodborne. As time went on, however, I found that this trade-off discouraged me from trying to break the enemy’s stance altogether. Fortunately, the game offers enough weapon variety, including spells and a plethora of ranged options like elemental grenades and crossbows, to suit