[9.25/10] Never played any Castlevania games but thanks to Lords of Shadow i might give them a try.
-- Story -- 90/100 --
In the game you play as Gabriel who is on a quest to track down and unite the three pieces of the shattered 'God Mask', which brings almighty power to whoever wears it and could enable him to resurrect his lost love. Who killed her and why though, is just one of many truths that you'll uncover along the way, as you'll quickly learn that all is not what it seems in Lords of Shadow's murky universe, which part of the plot's lure. Ending is Epic.
-- Visuals -- 100/100 --
From intricately Gothic-detailed spires and sheer cliff faces, to fantastical netherworlds, dungeons, catacombs, opulent castle halls, sewers and snowy mountain ranges, every single one of Lords of Shadow's locations are beautifully realised. The game's countless enemies and other characters are all brilliantly animated, and there's not a glitch or imperfection in sight. It's visually perfect despite occasional frame rate downs.
-- Audio -- 95/100 --
A fantastic orchestral score fits Castlevania like a snug gauntlet and the game even finds time during a surreal music box stage, for a sly nod towards the original series' heritage with a familiar ditty. Voice-overs from three fine British actors in Robert Carlyle, Patrick Stewart and Natascha McElhone are also uniformly excellent and a cut above the usual phoned-in performances in most games.
-- Gameplay -- 85/100 --
Castlevania's combat is utterly brilliant, with Gabriel's weaponry growing increasingly versatile as he gains upgrades. The controls are tight and responsive, and over time, cleaving your way through waves of lycans, vampires, goblins, trolls, spiders and other vicious monsters becomes a pleasurable, empowering activity. Puzzles and platforming however, is slightly hit and miss, with the latter marred by a fixed camera. Later puzzles requiring that Gabriel punches small targets on the floor are fiddly, but they're a blip in an otherwise sound selection of brain-teasers.
-- Final Verdict -- 90/100
Lords of Shadow is a superlative start for Castlevania on current-gen consoles and we only hope that developer MercurySteam has more in the pipeline. It might borrow from other hack-and slash-adventure titles of the same ilk, but Castlevania is entirely its own game. With an unforgettable Middle Ages fantasy setting and an epic narrative, Lords of Shadow is the complete package and Gabriel Belmont is the coolest vampire slayer since Buffy.