Lords of the Fallenhas more history in the Soulslike subgenre than some fans may already know, and that history has been made more obscure or confusing with a developer swap and a rehashed title for the successor.Lords of the Fallenis receiving a mulligan in this instance, and what has been shown from the successor already seems to offer a polished dark fantasy experience that fans ofFromSoftware’s action-RPGshave come to demand from imitators. Its predecessor, however, has had fewer positive remarks made about it.
The originalLords of the Fallenfrom Deck13is widely considered one of the earliest Soulslike entries to be lackluster for a few reasons, but each of those reasons culminates in its product delivering less than what a FromSoftware Soulslike could. That is an awfully high bar to clear by any means, and it is anyone’s estimate whether Hexworks’Lords of the Fallenwill be received any better. In the meantime, though, because of how popular and prolific Soulslikes have become, it seems likeLords of the Fallenis already being received well during its pre-release marketing.
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Lords of the Fallen Was Mostly Ill-Received, But Its Sequel Outweighs That Comparison
Lords of the Fallenis by no means a terrible game, but when put up against the games that inspired it, it is surely underwhelming if not disappointing.Lords of the Fallenlays bare the weathered cracks in an otherwise beautiful oil painting that FromSoftware is somehow always able to illustrate, andLords of the Fallenfalls on its sword due to trying to emulate that same structure without conceiving enemy encounters and boss fights to the same standard.
Otherwise, it is entirely realistic that some fans may have generally dislikedLords of the Fallenbecause it wasn’tDark Souls. That would have been a fair critique back whenLords of the Fallen wasreleased in 2014, which was only a few years afterDark Soulshad been released and less than five months beforeDark Souls 2launched.
Therefore,FromSoftware’s Soulslike endeavorswere relatively early and still certainly niche enough that it hadn’t enveloped as large of a fanbase as it has now. Because there as so many Soulslikes that have come out since and have had to suffer comparisons to FromSoftware’s games, a greater knowledge of what makes these games fantastic is afforded to developers.
Hexworks and CI Games’ upcomingLords of the Fallenis poised as an ideal successor now, and it is likely that this is because of a dramatic shift in the industry and how fans perceive Soulslikes. It is arguable that fans are more open to the idea of non-FromSoftware Soulslikes because they want to see healthy competition in a beloved subgenre, but the quality that supports some of these latest Soulslikes is enough of an incentive to see them through regardless.
In what little has been shown from eitherLies of PandLords of the Fallen, for example, it is clear that an incredible amount of polish has gone into making these Soulslikes look pristine. Looks aren’t the only thing that can hook fans of this subgenre, but a large portion of what makes Soulslikes engaging is the world-building they establish, and that is made all the more succinct and intriguing when a game’s art direction is equally spectacular—especially if it tends to hue toward the beloved art direction of a FromSoftware game.
FromSoftware games have arguably never been praised for their graphical fidelity compared to other AAA titles, and that is certainly one area that Soulslike imitators could capitalize on if they have the budget to do so.Lords of the Fallenhas the visuals fans of dark fantasy will flock to, but now it remains to be seen if the game can perform and play better than its predecessor.
Lords of the Fallenlaunches on October 13 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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