Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is a game of conflicting duality

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 brings Dracula into the modern age, but has Mercury Steam delivered the solid sequel we hoped for? Find out in Dave Cook's final PS3 verdict.

The ending of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was one of my defining moments of the last generation. It was an incredibly brave finale that took over 25 years of series lore and spun it entirely off its axis, and I can still recall the feeling of sheer excitement as Gabriel flew threw that cathedral window and into the present day. In an instant the studio had written a big cheque, and none of us were sure if the team could cash it.

I interviewed Konami producer David Cox about the ending back in 2011 for another site, and he told me that Mercury Steam was never guaranteed the chance of a sequel, so it decided to go for something truly mind-bending to go out on. That ending has since become canon, and the studio has been given space to elaborate on its story. While the modern setting is clearly at odds with Castlevania's medieval backdrops - save for the futuristic Sorrow series - Lords of Shadow 2 isn't all skyscrapers, cars and technology. Far From it, in fact.

Once you get past the game's rather epic tutorial - which is essentially the demo released by Konami a few months back - the plot begins in current times with Dracula awakening in the ruins of his castle, which now serve as foundation to a vast British city. He's old, feeble and still reeling from defeat at the hands of his ancestors in Mirror of Fate. So out into the new age he goes, looking incredibly out of place and bewildered by the tattered empire before him. All he really wants is to die and to be freed from his immortality. His old pal Zobek emerges to cut him a deal: halt Satan's return and he'll deliver him to death's door personally.

Gabriel agrees and sets off to restore his lost power and kill Satan's four acolytes, who have since become great power-mongers in the business world. The first thing I noticed about the game's modern day components is just how similar they are to those found in Bayonetta and DmC. The environment is littered with menacing gothic spires, intricate stone archways, peppered with neon signs, parked cars and red phone boxes. You're in Britain, remember? I like the concept of moving to the present day, but there's something a little jarring about seeing a shirtless vampire lord whipping beasts on a city high-street. This isn't ruinous mind you; it just takes a little suspension of disbelief.

It's not long before you start jumping back between the present and past thanks to a vision of Gabriel's son Trevor who appears before him as a child. If you prefer your Castlevania games set in the dark ages then you'll appreciate these moments, which see you fighting a range of nasties in the bowels of Dracula's castle in search of power-ups and Mirror of Fate shards. The contrast between the castle's former glory and the metropolis it's now become is quite stark, and if you're invested in Gabriel's sorrow and regret, you'll likely be taken aback at everything he's lost. That's only if you become invested.

And that's a key point, because Mercury Steam really wants you to feel bad for Gabriel; a man who went on a crusade from god, only to become the antithesis of everything he fought for. He'll often look mournfully at his crumbled empire, or ruffle Trevor's hair in a rare display of affection while Oscar Araujo's genuinely beautiful orchestral score rumbles throughout. You'll feel for him a little, but then in a heartbeat he's back to his savage, thoughtless and murderous self, biting the necks of innocent human scientists or thrashing beasts with his whip. He's a hard character to side with, and maybe that's intentional, but this could stop you from becoming fully engrossed.

When you're not watching cut-scenes you're either climbing around the scenery or battling enemies. Platforming is as you'd expect with plenty of hand-holds and dusty old beams to shimmy along. It's pretty standard, uninspiring fare that is occasionally let down by the game's free camera. Your perspective does tend to get tripped up in tight spaces, and this is something I'll touch on again in combat, but because nearby climbing points are flagged by a screeching swarm of bats, you'll have little trouble figuring out where you're supposed to go. There was one quite infuriating puzzle involving chains early on, and a few sections involving swinging cages that felt really clunky, but neither were game-breaking.

Stealth sections do bog the game down significantly, and the first example sees Dracula trying to infiltrate a laboratory protected by hulking demonic guards. Your tool-set allows you disorientate patrolling targets so you can slip by undetected, but while they are screaming and thrashing around, their comrades go about their duties within earshot, entirely oblivious to what's going on. You can even possess a guard and shuffle your way past locked doors unconvincingly or transform into a pack of rats and scurry through vent shafts without raising alarms. Detection results in near-instant death, making these poorly designed and tiresome sections something of an unfortunate feature.

One stealth encounter in Pan's garden is hands-down one of the most frustrating sections in a game I've played for some time, and it smacks of a poor understanding of the genre. As your enemy tries to track you by smell and sound, you must shimmy along the edge of stone fixtures to avoid standing on dead leaves, while hurling daggers at bells to create distracting sounds. It's fine on paper, but in practice it's a nightmare. Your pursuer catches up with you all too fast, and there are sections where you can't help but trample on the dried-out foliage. I don't know if this is intentional or simple a mistake of design, but you will die here often and curse the studio for it.

The same goes for a similar section in a library, which sees you spilling your own blood on four altars to unlock a grand door. You're constantly being chased by a boss who can undo your efforts with their own blood, so it's a race to get to all four altars before them while remaining hidden. If you get caught in this area you're treated to a cut-scene that shows Dracula being defeated, before being given the option to try again. You can skip said cut-scene however, but it's still a pain that reminded me of Too Human's notorious death animation. It's another design error on the team's behalf, of which there are several, but these examples are by far the worst.

Elsewhere; Mercury Steam has opted for the Metroidvania world approach that was popularised by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, except in a much smaller, linear fashion. You'll start out relatively ill-equipped and unable to reach several tantalising collectibles and pain traps, which reward gems to boost your health, Void or Chaos meters. As you progress you will unlock new powers such as the ability to transform into a mist cloud, allowing Dracula to float on the breeze or pass through sluice grates. You'll also earn a pair of angel wings that allow for double-jumping, and it's around about this point that the world starts to branch out a little.

Combat is - of course - the real meat of the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 experience and it's a much tighter fight mechanic than its predecessor, if not overly-familiar. I played through the game on hard mode and it doesn't take long for enemy AI to start really punishing you with unblockable attacks and other dirty tricks. Star of Dracula's arsenal is the Shadow Whip, which is superb for dishing out quick attacks and crowd control sweeps, while his Void Sword offer mid-range brutality and health regeneration with each hit, backed up by the Chaos Claws, a pair of flaming gauntlets that crush armour and shields after a few blows.

New weapon combos can be purchased using experience points earned by defeating enemies, and these can be mastered by using them often in battle. This unlocks more moves in Dracula's skill tree, and over time you'll find yourself with plenty of options at your disposal. You can also stun an enemy by getting them close to death, leaving them open for a big old neck-bite, which restores a sliver of your health. There's plenty going on here, and fights are often chaotic and further on in the game; potentially fatal encounters. You'll fight hard and come out the other end either relieved or very, very frustrated. This all depends on how tough you like your hack-and-slash games of course, but I just felt I had seen all of this too many times. Little was 'new.'

But grand as Dracula's command list is - together with items such as the time-stopping hourglass and ranged daggers - I was killed often by sneaky off-camera attacks that continually caught me off guard. While the free-camera is welcome this time around it can be your downfall if you're not careful. Granted; you can hear when an enemy is about to unleash an unblockable attack off-screen, as a way of giving you a warning, but it's all too easy to get caught unaware. The Bayonetta fan in me did enjoy the challenge to a point however, and similarly to Platinum's opus, you will feel yourself improving over time if you put the practice in. That's rewarding, certainly.

Parrys, dodge dashes, counters and juggles are all yours to unleash, and you'll need the lot once you're wrestling with bosses later on. These guys are arguably the game's main event; with many difficult, intimidating encounters coming in quick succession at points. I won't spoil Dracula's more remarkable opponents, but chances are you've seen the Toymaker battle, with its giant snake puppets and wooden knight sub-boss. It's a great fight that's preceded by a stage play of his backstory, with Dracula selecting backdrops and puppets to help the production along. Most of these encounters are big, hard-hitting and full of eye-popping moments that see buildings levelled and plenty of blood spilled.

It's often air-punching stuff, but then you go back to another stealth section where enemies half the size of Dracula can kill him with one hit upon detection. That makes no sense, not after he's just sliced a 30-foot hell beast in half with his Void Sword without the slightest hint of trouble. It's inconsistent, and the same could be said of the game's plot which - again - requires a great suspension of disbelief. I'm a years-long Castlevania fan, so I'm fine with the sight of Patrick Stewart's centuries-old Zobek standing there huffing on a Benson & Hedges, wearing a shiny pinstripe suit and staring out across the city with his weird, demonic eyes. Others may find it hilariously ridiculous, in the same way I felt Devil May Cry 2's modern city environments were a bit 'off.'

As I said earlier; you can go back to medieval times if you wish, but only after finding a Wolf Medallion portal and walking through a long loading corridor. It's here that you'll use the Chupacabra's shop - which is useful for topping up on essentials - and drink in more of the story. It's a game wrapped around the concept of duality; with two contrasting timelines, a pair of conflicting settings, and the inner turmoil of a man who doesn't know if he wants to be Dracula or Gabriel. Likewise; Castlevania fans will probably be split down the middle on this one. Some may argue that a modern day setting knifes Konami's previous canon in the back, while others will appreciate the change of tone.

For this veteran, my previous love of the series saw me driving onward through several frustrating encounters, cheap deaths, painful boss battles and whiffy dialogue, at least thankful for the fact that I was able to play another competent entry to one of my all-time favourite franchises. It's not perfect - no game is - and it stumbles where other genre-mates excel; such as God of War, Devil May Cry 3 and Bayonetta, but we've also had several poor 3D Castlevania titles. Lords of Shadow 2 is not one of them but it's also far from the defining experience many of us were hoping for. It's just a bit average.

Disclosure: To assist in writing this piece, Konami sent Dave a PS3 copy of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.