Lords of the Fallen Review (PS5) | Push Square

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Imitating the infamous Souls-like formula is no small feat, and Lords of the Fallen knows it. You can’t just copy and paste Dark Souls and call it a day anymore, which is forcing developers to find new ways to innovate the genre. Already this year we’ve had the mechanically tinged take in the form of Lies of P, but Lords of the Fallen takes it one step further by delivering a distinct mechanic that completely changes how you play the game. But is it enough to proudly stand as part of the Souls-like pantheon? Well, the answer to that is a decidedly mixed bag.

Lords of the Fallen drops you a thousand years deep into a timeline established by the 2014 game of the same name. The demonic God Adyr, imprisoned for millennia, is back with a vengeance and spreading their evil across the lands of Mournstead. It’s up to you, a Dark Crusader and Lampbearer, to defeat Adyr and end their malicious rule of tyranny. True to the genre, Lords of the Fallen takes a laid back approach to its storytelling, and for the most part lets the world do the talking. From frosty peaks to swampy bogs, you’ll soak up each and every detail of its world, and it’s a brilliant feeling as you piece it all together.

If you’ve ever played a Souls-like before, then you mostly know what to expect. Crunchy combat, difficult enemies, shortcuts to unlock, and Vestiges (bonfires) to activate. Earning Vigor, the game’s currency, you’ll steadily upgrade your character’s stats and weapons, which you'll come to use when you face off against one of the game’s bosses. This part of the game, when looked at in isolation, is good, but not incredible. Combat never feels quite as finely tuned as something like Elden Ring, enemy variety leaves much to be desired, and the space