The originalLords of the Fallenis an action-adventure RPG that was inspired heavily by theDark Soulsseries. Considering the game’s combat is centered around effectively managing health and stamina while fighting increasingly difficult enemies with various weapons,Lords of the Fallenhas earned its place in the Soulslike category. Even though the original game was considerably easier than traditionalDark Soulsand Soulslike games, it was still fairly well received and a sequel was announced in 2014.
With that said, however,theLords of the Fallensequelremained mostly under wraps since its original announcement with little to no new information being provided to fans. Fortunately, the sequel received a brand-new trailer during Gamescom Opening Night Live that gave some clues into where the game may be heading. Considering the new title isThe Lords of the Fallenas opposed toLords of the Fallen 2, this game may act as an attempt to revive the series and restructure the original game. As seen in the trailer, it seems thatThe Lords of the Fallenis taking some inspiration from popular games, mainly the dark fantasy elements ofElden Ringand the tone and music ofMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
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How Lords of the Fallen’s Soft Reboot Could Benefit the Title
The firstLords of the Fallenattempted to capture the essence ofDark Soulswhile also creating a name for itself. The game was moderately successful in its efforts but may have suffered from identity issues. Though the game showed itself to be a hardcore Soulslike, players found that they eventually became overpowered and could often easily defeat just about any enemy or boss, an occurrence that is very rare within the Soulslike genre. It may be in the series’ best interest to reconfigure the game’s playstyle with the sequel and either lean into the arcade hack-and-slash style that the original game eventually became or stick closer to the punishing yet rewarding style found in Soulslike games.
Based onTheLords of the Fallen’s new trailer, it seems to be drawing inspiration from theexceptionally popular FromSoftware titleElden Ring. Though the trailer did not show any in-game footage, the feel of the sequel seems more reminiscent ofElden Ringand looks more gritty and challenging compared to its predecessor. CI Games has stated that the game will be larger than the first title and will feature a huge roster of characters and sidequests, as well as online co-op and characters creation. Based on this description of the new game, it would be difficult for fans to not directly compareThe Lords of the FallentoElden Ring.
What Combining Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Elden Ring Could Look Like
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxywas met with rave reviewsfrom fans, as it nailed the series’ tone and the character’s bombastic personalities. Perhaps the most crucial aspect ofMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxyis the perfectly placed songs that tie together the game’s atmosphere. It seems thatThe Lords of the Fallenhas adopted this feature by including Danzig’sMotherin its cinematic trailer. The song shifted the tone of the trailer from a dark and gruesome battle into an exciting choreographed fight, implying thatThe Lords of the Fallenmay be curating a similar tone toMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.It’s unclear if it’ll have a similar soundtrack including real-world songs, but CI Games has at least presented it as a possibility.
SinceMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxyis a fairly straightforward single-player game, it lacks some of the freedom and mystery of open-world games, but it makes up for it with an interesting cast and story. On the other side of the spectrum,Elden Ringhas a vast open worldand colorful mixture of enemies and characters with a compelling, albeit convoluted, story. However,EldenRing’s intense setting and characters can make the story intimidating or uninteresting for players who are not fully invested in the characters.
If the first trailer ofThe Lords of the Fallenis any indication of what the final game will be, it looks like it could be combining the most interesting features of bothElden RingandMarvel’sGuardiansof the Galaxy.The Lords of the Fallenhas the potential to uniquely combinethe tone and style ofMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxywith the setting and combat ofElden Ring. Though there is still little information about the final game,The Lords of the Fallenlooks to be setting itself up for a strong comeback that could revive the series.
The Lords of the Fallenis scheduled to release in 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
