Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Oh Rats! No I’m serious actually…and bats as well. Just like a bat out of hell Dracula has furry friends in both low and high places. Awaken from an extremely long eternal night and find some nice necks to chomp on. Whip your blood back and forth (Whip it real good). Explore Dracula’s back to the future adventure. Talk about a miserable pile of secrets. You are the prince of darkness! The dragon Dracul! What a terrible night to have a curse.
This is the direct sequel to Lords of Shadow 1, which was one of my favorite Castlevania games. It feels like you are playing a medieval version of God of War. If you liked the GBA/DS SoTN style Metroidvania ones you might not enjoy this one.
– Real player with 62.1 hrs in game
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I think I need to add this to the “games that most people hated which I actually enjoyed” list. Admittedly, I’m biased because I really dig Castlevania, enjoyed the first Lords of Shadow and Mirror of Fate, and am a sucker for the idea of playing as Dracula himself. But even at its most frustrating moments, Lords of Shadow 2 isn’t nearly as bad as Edge Magazine (which gave it a 4/10) or any of the other mainstream reviews would have you believe.
Bloodsucking awesome stuff:
- I feel like combat’s speedier and more responsive than it was in the first Lords of Shadow, and there’s less reliance on quicktime events. This might have to do with the fact that I’m just more experienced with the combat system after playing through the first game and Mirror of Fate, but I had a lot of fun beating up some of the bosses, which leads me to the next point…
– Real player with 42.0 hrs in game
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Ultimate Edition
First off, I’m a huge fan of the Castlevania series. So that foundation may color my opinion of this game and it’s ensuing interquel and sequel (which I’m currently in the midst of). Something about medieval through Enlightment era Europe with a heavy gothic/baroque aesthetic, corrupted through dark forces that threaten the world? Awesome. Tons of monsters pulling on a multitude of inspiration from the myth cycles of antiquity through the modern Universal monsters? Yes, please.
Konami struck gold initially by creating these dark adventures that took a quite serious tone for the early Nintendo systems, offering a beefy challenge of vintage Nintendo difficulty through several increasingly impressive platformer games. They then evolved into the famed Metroidvanias with the release of Symphony of the Night on the Playstation - trading a bit of the reflex-intensive difficulty for massive sprawling environments that took forever to explore and fully unlock - and followed this formula with several excellent installments on Nintendo’s handhelds where they found their most sustainable home and success through the late 2000’s. Then Konami, sensing the increasingly stagnant nature of the series as it became mired in repeated iterations of SotN’s sprawling platformer/RPG hybrid, started searching for a way to revitalize the series again, just as SotN ignited a sort of Golden Age for the series.
– Real player with 98.7 hrs in game
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(Important note: This game, for whatever reason, doesn’t like being set to fullscreen + max res on a display other than that which Windows / your video card identifies as Display 1, regardless if it’s your primary display or not. Weird bug but easy to fix.)
Lords of Shadow is a flawed but polished masterpiece and a triumph of artistic direction. It’s shortcomings are forgivable. That said, since you can expect to sink upwards of 40hrs into this, I’ll go into some more detail.
Presentation wise, this game is stunning. Masterful visuals paired with smooth and optimized 4K performance make for an eye-popping experience. The art team went all out on this and it shows. I’ve never taken so many screenshots of a game before. Two major detractors though: 1. Some of the cutscenes were pre-rendered for console are unimproved by modern hardware (they still look passable but they’re jaggy af); 2. Godrays are a weak point. The score is powerful but not iconic; you’ll love it in the moment but try to recall the music later and you’ll likely struggle, for the most part. This isn’t objectively a bad thing, as it simply means it’s enhancing the experience without overpowering it but I was disappointed by the lack of iconic singles and the abscence of a Bloody Tears revamp.
– Real player with 47.4 hrs in game
Skeleton Crew
Welcome to the crumbling world of Karpathia where humans are the endangered species. Only the Yeoman Eldritch Extermination Team can protect humanity against the hordes of chaos.
Fight battles solo or with friends in this frantic gothic butt brawler, platform-brawling, co-op adventure for 1-4 players. Experience fast paced tactical combat as you battle a host of enemies, minibosses and giant bosses
Pick up, aim and kick everything you can lay your hands on - stunned foes, skulls, brains, rocks, cabbages or even friends
12 playable diverse gothic heroes to find, recruit and upgrade. Unlock and collect an array of usable scrolls, potions, weapons, traps, staffs, grenade bags and many other items
17 hand-crafted non-linear levels to explore across 3 vast regions. Lush, hand-painted artwork complemented by glossy VFX depicts an atmospheric world of ghosts, demons and ghouls that chills and charms
Coming soon
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DARK MAGIC
This is a great platformer game, honestly you should get this game for it’s price. Great lore, well thought out platforming, fun combat with interesting enemies, for the most part great sound design, all around great game.
The only issue i have with the game is the sound that plays when you attack is a little harsh, i think it should be a quieter, more subtle sound that doesn’t drown out all other sounds and the music. 8/10 game.
– Real player with 0.6 hrs in game
Death Realm
Game looks beautiful as hell, and combat is silky smooth too.
The TAB menu and some audio stuff are a bit clunky but overall i’d say its really worth a try
– Real player with 3.0 hrs in game
Pretty good game and graphics, needs more time to develop to make something out of it
– Real player with 1.1 hrs in game
Hunt the Night
Hunt the Night is a retro-style action-adventure game that combines a fast, skilled gameplay with dark fantasy lore. Play as Vesper, a virtuous member of ‘The Stalkers,’ and explore the vast world of Medhram, a place filled with ruins and horrors. Go through dungeons full of gruesome enemies, fight challenging bosses, and use your arsenal of weapons and dark powers to take back the Night.
It is the 9th Age of humanity. The cycle of day is ruled by humans, the night one by horrid creatures. Despite its efforts, humanity is annihilated with every arrival of the Night.
A group of humans, calling themselves ‘The Stalkers,’ discovered how to use the power of darkness to their advantage and fought the Night. However, it was not enough, and with every new dawn humanity rose again knowing that, with darkness, comes extinction.
Humanity found the ‘Seal of Night,’ an artifact that allowed them to stop the cycle in an everlasting day. In exchange for a blood oath that The Stalkers were willing to pay, the sun ruled for hundreds of generations and, for the first time, hope was a beacon of light. Yet fate proved unstoppable, and they paid the ultimate price.
Now, as the Night starts devouring every single glint of light, Vesper, a Stalker by right and daughter of the traitor, will travel a dying land trying to save the last embers of humanity. She hunts in a race against destiny, as the shadows lengthen both in the world and in her mind.
Dash through enemies while you unleash your combos, use your weapons or destroy them with your dark powers. You can switch between melee and ranged attack in quick succession: slashing enemies with your sword and then dashing away to use your ranged weapons, avoiding enemy attacks.
Endure the ultimate challenge as you fight the ancient horrors of the Night that have been annihilating humanity over and over in intense boss battles. Learn their weak points, attack patterns and survive through the different combat phases as the battle gets more challenging and extreme.
Create your own build that will adapt not only to your prefered gameplay but also to particular bosses. Customize the upgrades of your arsenal and use the equipment that best suits your gameplay: Critical Damage, Life Steal, Poison, Close Combat, Firepower and more. Collect Sanguine vials, Crow Feathers, Moonstones and Noctilium to increase your stats and get ready to face the Night.
Explore Medhram in a combination of action-adventure and dark fantasy lore. Survive huge dungeons full of traps, enemies, puzzles and challenges. Discover all kinds of locations, from ancient cathedrals and libraries of knowledge to lost kingdoms and devastated floating cities.
Accept a hunt at ‘Crow’s Nest’ and track down the dark beast, find where it hides and hunt the most powerful creatures of the Night. After every completed hunt you will get rewards that will increase your health and dark energy bar.
Meet new characters and open full questlines that will vary depending on your actions: deciding to help them or not, finding them at their next location, failing to achieve the mission requirements in time… Everything counts!
Immersive and adapted music to every moment, boss and location, with the collaboration of Hiroki Kikuta, Secret of Mana composer.
Join the Hunt the Night Discord!
Queen’s Conquest
better than TEKKEN 7
– Real player with 16.0 hrs in game
Great Start
– Real player with 4.4 hrs in game
Anima : The Reign of Darkness
The Opposite of PoE!
Playing Path of Exile since 8/2011, it slowly derailed for me from hack and slash to build (or better copy) , buy , and now study bossfight phases and anounced abilities.
If you want to go back to the roots and frag some stuff 2 sec. after you logged in and dont want to plan heists or syndicates or 10 other timewasters - this may be your game for the next hours.
pro:
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copied the right stuff from 20 other games for a unique feel
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nice Itemsystem ( merge the stats of 2 items and upgrade items 40x 5% in Power)
– Real player with 649.9 hrs in game
This game is an ode to the original ARPG’s like the original Diablo. It’s a ton of fun and I’ve blown almost 10 hours into it already and seems like I’ve been playing for a couple hours tops. The drops are fun and even has lower level legendary and set items to loot and at just a bit over $10.00 is well worth the price. So far at early leveling I have one large tower like dungeon with
many different levels to explore and quests given in town with merchants and NPC. It’s a fun
game and I see a lot of mixed reviews. I think considering the price and the fun it’s well worth $10+
– Real player with 228.5 hrs in game
Night Stalkers
This game is AIDS
– Real player with 0.4 hrs in game
Sunrise Tragedy
Story
After the onset of the Goliaths, humans and vampires take refuge inside an old, abandoned cathedral, where they attempt to live in harmony. The cathedral, once used as a monastery by a long-dead civilization, is not quite as safe as foolishly dreamt.
Gameplay
Sunrise Tragedy is an Action-RPG featuring fast-paced, stamina-based combat. Explore a vast cathedral with interconnected areas full of terrifying monsters. Unlock new abilities, called Vampiric Powers, which can aid you in combat and in exploration.
Engage in brutal combat with powerful foes. Dodge the enemy’s attacks with invincibility frames and make your own attacks when the timing is right. Use different moves depending on the situation to either stun the enemy by depleting their stamina, or go in for the kill by depleting their health.
Level up your stats in whichever way you desire. Use a wide variety of weapons, costumes, accessories, and spells to customize your own way of playing.
Interact with various NPCs to gain upgrades and buy from their shops. Form bonds with them to gain items and hear their philosophies amid the impending apocalypse.
This game also features an elaborate alchemy system, allowing you to brew potions that fit your build. You get a set amount of potions per spawn, and you decide the effects of the potion by choosing the ingredients. For example, a magic build may want to trade some health regeneration for MP regeneration, or in some areas you may want to include a cure for poison.