Dracula, that immortal figure that has been feared by generations, and inspired many movies, books, legends and stories is back in Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2. The Dracula we encounter this time is somewhat different than the one of legend, and from the past encounters throughout the Castlevania series. Dracula has been banished from Heaven, hunted by Lucifer, feared and outcast by the humanity he must so often feed on, and struggles with the loneliness the chains of immortality has brought him. Constantly remembering what he has lost, once a vampire hunter, now king of all he once fought so hard against, he wises to once again be able to sleep and even die as mortals do. He has been awakened from his deep eternal slumber, to find himself beneath a city where once stood his dark and imposing castle that cast a shadow over all who feared him, but why?, why has he awakened?. Zobek, soon returns to shed some light on this question, and the answer? Lucifer is up to his old tricks again and is trying to take over all of humanity. Zobek enlists you to help him defeat Lucifer, with the promise to end the torment of immortality. Dracula must restore his powers to even have a chace of defeating the Prince Of Darkness, however Dracula is in a weakened state, struggling even to take a step, you must feed. Zobek also has the answer to this, and in his room you find a family, shaking and shuddering in the corner. The smell of fresh warm blood coursing through their veins fills the air and excites you, you must feed, but there is a child, you must feed, and feed now!.
Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2 starts out with a boss battle reminiscent of those from God Of War, a mighty mechanical beast controlled by the soldiers of God, and soon after eases into a somewhat slower pace, enabling you to gradually grasp the combat controls and weapons available to you. Three weapons are available to you as you progress through the game and the first one you will have at your disposal is a whip born of Dracula’s own blood and your first line of destruction in many battles. Secondly, is the Void Sword that is somewhat of a ghostly apparition that sucks life from your enemies to restore your own health, and finally are the Chaos Claws, born of 
fire they are a formidable weapon against foes that use shields to avoid your blows. All of these weapons are fully upgradable in the form of skill charts, but be warned, magic is needed to use their other abilities which are needed mostly during boss battles. These bosses can range from gigantic monsters to fast devastating foes, but as not to spoil the surprises too much I won’t go into detail on these, lets just say that my personal favourite was born of three sisters that moved like they were straight out of the Exorcist.
Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2 promised an open world experience to the player, and it delivered. Looking back on the previous series releases we were constricted to a linear path across the levels, but now we have the freedom to roam around the game world at will, and fast travel to different locations through the map rooms. You will also be able to explore your former castle in all it’s splendour through your thoughts and apparitions. I have to say that exploring the castle, with it’s mountainous backdrop, was somewhat more satisfying than the modern day city with it’s dark gothic feel and drab surroundings. The two worlds, although centuries apart, seem to mingle and intertwine seamlessly. At the start of the game you will be without most of your powers and this will force you into situations that require stealth. This is one part of the game that just didn’t gel with the whole experience. At the start I can see the reasoning behind having to avoid certain enemies, by hiding in the dark, transforming into a rat to chew through electrical wires, using bats to distract, or possessing the enemy, and all because of your weakened state. But, as you progress and regain your powers, gradually growing stronger in the process, you are still unable to engage these certain guards in combat, who I might add are a fraction of the size when you look at the boss you have just slaughtered. Another frustrating flaw that I found in Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2, was the sometimes awkward camera angles during battle, which dirtied an otherwise exhilarating experience.
Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2, still retains some old niggling issues, like how many times do I need to be reminded on screen that I can view artwork by going here, or the amount of hints you get over and over as you fail a section, there is just no need. One good option is the ability to turn off quick time events, one that I welcomed with open arms. Despite the little flaws and frustrating camera angles, I found the game stayed true to the series, and without spoiling it for you, was a fitting end to the trilogy as a whole. This is going to be one of those games that you will either love or hate, and if you are a fan of the series it’s a definite no-brainer. For those of you that are not quite so familiar with the complete story of the trilogy, and just want a good action game, again for me I would have to recommend it. Castlevania Lords Of Shadow 2 is not ground breaking in any way, but it delivers an exhilarating and sometimes unexpected experience that few games have managed of late, and the combat enables it to wash away many of its sins.
