Good Game, Bad Game: What’s the Difference?
Part 3: Dark Souls vs Lords of the Fallen
Hello there.
If you’re reading this, then you are one of three people:
1) Someone who has been following my game comparison series thus far and is eagerly awaiting this, the third instalment of analytical goodness
2) Someone brand new who has randomly decided to click on this article to see what’s what
3) My mum repeatedly looking at my articles to bump up their monthly average views
To the first two, I say welcome. To the third — you’re slacking mum. Those are rookie numbers. We need to pump those numbers up.
Now, back to the matter at hand. For a touch of background for Person 2, this series is based on comparing two games that share similar characteristics and figuring why one works, and one….well, doesn’t.
In this case our contenders are the seminal Dark Souls, and the not-so-seminal Lords of the Fallen.
The previous two articles went into a lot of detail as to why Dark Souls just works so damn well at everything it does.
In this one, we’re going to take Lords of the Fallen’s gameplay and t̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶h̶r̶e̶d̶s̶ investigate in a logical way w̶h̶y̶ ̶i̶t̶’̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶i̶e̶c̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶p̶ it’s missteps and failings.
Anddddddddddddd we’re off!
Lords of the Fallen Hopes
For all the schtick we give it now, Lords of the Fallen (hereby reduced to LotF for ease and laziness) had a fair bit of hype behind it before release.
Designs of the games initial areas presented a world afflicted by strife and battle. A world whose history was as grim as its future.
A world ripe for adventure.
There were cool character and equipment models, alongside a Diablo-style loot system which encouraged constant self-development.
Tech demos of the games first boss and enemy fights displayed a complex, skill based combat system involving magic and weapons used creatively to overcome challenges.
LotF seemed not only reminiscent of the Dark Souls style, but downright good in it’s own right.
So where did they go wrong?
Preeeeeeeeeetty much everywhere after that.
LotF, LotF….Whyfore Art Thou Crap, LotF?
I’m gonna start off by telling you one very important thing…..
I played LotF a couple of years ago and did just about everything there was to do. I got all the best gear, beat all the bosses and completed every challenge.
But I only clearly remember about 0.9% of it.
What I DO remember is that, after the first boss fight, I had my weapon type and magic choice locked down. From there, the game was rinse and repeat.
As a wise monk once said:
If your game is designed to be challenging and require skill, but I can spam the same set of skills for every enemy and boss, then you’ve fu$*ed something up.
— A wise monk particularly clued up on videogames
I’d trust him. Sounds like he knows his stuff.
Skills to Pay the Bills — Or Not?
When starting a new game, you choose your starting gear/skill loadout and a magic discipline to supplement that.
I picked a strength focussed build, but decided on “Deception” for my magic discipline (aimed more at rogue builds).
Here’s what I found: Hammers stagger enemies. Like, a lot. And they do a large amount of damage, albeit slowly.
Here’s what else I found: If you take “Deception” and put all of your upgrade points in to the spell “Stab”, you have now won the game.
Yes, really. You’re done.
Sit back, spam, and enjoy the interactive low-quality B movie you are now playing.
It Can’t Be That Bad, Can It?
Yes. Yes it can.
LotF tries to adopt a similar(ish) tact as Dark Souls with its world design. After around the second boss fight, you have the opportunity to choose which areas of the world you explore next.
It attempts to guide you to a certain path by making some enemies a much higher level than you should be at that point in the game. As another wise old monk would say:
Skill based combat and artificial difficulty will down diggity not jive together, brotha’
- A wise old monk with a strange way of relaying information
To clue you in, “Stab” is an ability that sends out a spectral image that attacks enemies for you.
It can be upgraded several times and, much like The Rock’s dick, does significantly more damage when hitting things from the back.
Combine this with the stuns of the hammers (and other skills you can purchase) and any challenge the game offers goes out the window.
Sure, you can’t go rushing into places you shouldn’t be in and expect to not be burst into a bloody pile or armour and leather.
But if you take your time, you can make your way through areas where enemies are literally double your level. One by one, they’ll fall.
By doing this, you can become so overpowered that the entire balance of the game gets messed up.
What’s that you say?
Maybe they accounted for things like this with challenging boss design!
Ah.
No.
Boss Me, Daddy
Bosses in this game do try to have some unique characteristics to define them. For instance, the game’s third boss (seen above) has a signature attack that poisons the entire floor of the arena you’re in.
In order to avoid this attack, there are pedestals you can stand on littered about the place. While it occurs, regular enemies will come to assault you on said pedestals.
However, some quick hits from your trusty hammer and that threat is easily dispatched. Now, you can use that (likely already powered up) “Stab” against the boss during the attack when he would normally be invulnerable.
You can also use it when he’s not doing that attack. Just keep a safe distance, fire it off and watch as it tears his health to bits like an angry baby with some soggy bread.
This same method can be used against the next boss.
And the next.
And the next.
And the next.
Noticing a pattern yet?
At no point in the game was spamming this ability not:
A) The easiest course of action
or
B) The best course of action
Now, I could tell you more about the other enemies in the game. I could go into more detail as to specific tactics for the boss that charges at you, or the one that likes to spam AOE attacks, but it doesn’t matter.
It really, really doesn’t matter.
The gameplay basically became meaningless to me. I was more or less taking a tattooed bad-ass with a hammer for a slightly vigorous walk.
And I’m not even mad. Just disappointed.
It could’ve been so much more.
All Spam and No Play Makes LotF a Dull Game
There you have it. The potential for a true challenger to the Dark Souls throne, brought down to a simple spam fest.
Now, such broken builds do exist in Dark Souls too. Well, maybe not quite as bad, but you certainly can get very strong.
The thing is, you have to EARN that right through patience, dedication and careful item management.
Those crazy one-shot builds where characters fist an enemy so hard it’s dad 20 years ago feels it and gently weeps? Those are literally performed by the most skilled players on the planet.
On the other hand, I stumbled upon that on my very first time through the game. Sure, I could’ve chosen a different starting build, but I wanted to play my generic style cause it usually provides a good challenge.
I didn’t want to “min-max” or go one of the typically busted magic builds.
And that was the result.
For the next instalment, I shall attempt to discuss LotF’s story. To be fair to it, there were indeed some interesting ideas, but much like the gameplay, they unfortunately fell a bit flat. Hopefully I’ll enlighten you a little as to why.
Until next time!
Click here for part 4!
