It’s no secret that gamers are getting an itch that they just can’t quite scratch yet on their next gen consoles. Where are the RPGs? Well, rest easy fellow RPG nuts as CI Games is coming to the rescue with its next gen RPG Lords of the Fallen. Recently at a preview event we here at COG were able to take a look at some of the gameplay for the title as well as sit down with some of the development team to fill us in on what Lords of the Fallen is even about. Up until now any information regarding the title has been difficult to find if it even existed at all.
First and foremost it is painfully obvious that this game is going to be compared to the Dark Souls franchise; especially after watching the trailer might I add. The team was very quick to point out that while the comparison is flattering they have much more in store for gamers than just punishing difficulty. In fact they detailed out a rich and complex storyline to accompany the already stellar looking action we managed to see.
Set in a medieval fantasy world where the people are ruled over by a fallen god the player takes control of the most badass criminal in the land to begin their journey of toppling this god from his throne. It’s a nice touch we think to give up the prototypical saviour for a criminal with a long past of misdeeds. While we didn’t get much more it will be neat to see how it plays out in the end. Is this our hero’s road to redemption or will he take the throne for himself?
While watching our host navigate through the game he demonstrated for us many of the game’s weapons, powers and fighting techniques. Wielding pikes and staffs to swords and daggers and spiked gauntlets you’ll have a plethora of medieval themed weapons to aid you in your quest. As well you’ll master elemental style magics in the forms of fire, electricity etc as you progress your character. The hand-to-hand combat looked really impressive and I was quite happy to see the rogue character deliver a spot on Superman punch to one of his victims.
As is the normal with most RPGs of this ilk you’ll have different classes (Warrior, Rogue, Cleric) and varying armors that will either slow you down with heavy protection or offer less safety but more speed. Having the freedom to mix classes and abilities as you see fit is a nice tough as I often hate having to limit myself completely to one style.
As our host advanced even further through the level it was evident that the game is difficult. I don’t think it will be put up on that pedestal of ‘painstakingly punishing’ or ‘controller throwing rage inducing anger’ that the Dark Souls franchise holds but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy either. As he attempted to beat the boss of the level (the same shown in the attached gameplay video) he came near death a number of times and barely escaped. If someone that is demoing a game over and over again still has difficulties (and frequently dies as he admitted to us) you know that an average gamer isn’t going to breeze right on through.
I know I can’t get through this without discussing how it all looked of course. Many of us have high end PCs and shiny black consoles only months old that have the capability to blow our minds and it is fair to say that CI Games is trying their best to work with all three architectures and give us a solid looking game. For the most part all of the gameplay shown was a catacomb/dungeon crawl with lots of torches and flickering light all around. You could see bits of light flicker off the armor as you walked and moisture wicking its way down grimy walls. A lot of fine attention to detail is something that I noticed myself. During the boss encounter a fire attack was used and the way that the flames enveloped the hands and arms of your opponent was impressive as you could see wisps of smoke and sparks fly when he swung those hamfists around in fury.
All in all what was shown, what we were told, and what we could figure out on our own is just a snippet when it comes to a game of this magnitude. Scheduled for release sometime in 2014 (likely near the end of it) we’ll be certain to see a lot more information over the coming months. Keep it locked to COG and we’ll give you as much info as we can as we get our hands on it!
