Lords Of The Fallen

Lords Of The Fallen

I already see it in your haggard looks. You probably think, "But what is it that she still has the otter to put quotation marks everywhere? " Beh yes, what follows is almost only the name of preview. Indeed, an invitation was kindly sent by Namco Bandaï, who is in charge of distribution, for an hour-long session on Lords of the Fallen. But, no bowl, I was the only reporter extreme available on Paris to go.

It was indeed not good for many reasons. The first being that Lords of the Fallen is a Dark Souls like, the gameplay looks very similar, although it is not a clone so far. But this kind of game is what's called a die & retry. As much to say to you that when one has reflexes neighboring those of a bulot, to execute actions according to a precise timing raises the wager. The second reason is that this session was done on PS4; a slight flutter in the air occurred when I saw the joysticks on entering the room. Having been raised on the keyboard / mouse since my earliest childhood, I must admit that my dexterity with these little beasts is quite laughable. At the point where I am, I will not hide the last reason either: before receiving this invitation, I was not really interested in Lords of the Fallen, did not see any trailer, nor did I know what exactly he was returning to. The context is now clearly set, so here is my little return on this session.

It was crystal clear from the start: here we will live a linear adventure, that of Harkyn, a criminal rehabilitated to bastard villain. The story, without being more original, will play with all the clichés of the genre to propose something intense. So, that brave guy has his face covered with tattoos, and each one of them represents a sin he would have committed. Manner of saying that you play a big badass who takes pleasure in handling his sword. I spoke a little higher linearity, and it is a bias that not to offer the player scenarios alternatives, or an open-world. First observation after the video intro and the beginning of the tutorial: graphically it's very beautiful. He wants to be a cross between Dark Souls for the gameplay part and a Darksiders for the visual part. Moreover, side atmosphere, we do not find the oppressive side of the hit series From From.

While I ravage the first monsters with my warrior (I could have chosen to be a priest or an assassin, but I opted for the delicacy of a nag), I realize that some elements of the decor are destructible ; Before I was whispered in the ear how to lock an enemy, I sometimes (often) hit the wind or barrels. But at least I understood how to parry the blows with my shield. By the way, by the way, when the enemies make a heavy hit on the shield, they are slightly dazed by the shock of the impact. You then have the ability to perform light or heavy attacks, with sequences or not. Whether attack, dodge or parry, it consumes endurance, indicated by a yellow bar below your life bar. It should be managed properly, otherwise your character will be out of breath and will be less responsive.

All this leads me to arrive in a chapel where the first boss is waiting for me. A huge demonic knight not very friendly awaits us behind a row of benches, armed with a large sword, a shield, and dressed in heavy armor pieces. His life is broken down into four fragments. With every quarter of life removed, this brave beast gets rid of parts of his armor (preferably on you), to get rid of his huge shield and to handle more than his sword more quickly. And believe me, I did so many tests that several days after this session, in writing these lines, I still remember exactly all the sequences he could do. The boss can therefore give a violent shield that puts you on the ground if you do not dodge it. He can also do two quick attacks, or four heavy attacks. Finally, his last attack is a big blow of the sword immobilizing it for a second (or immobilizing you if you do not dodge it in time). That's when you can hurt him the most. Yes, like a Dark Souls, once you have assimilated the pattern of your opponent, defeat will pose (in all logic) significantly less trouble.

During my tries, I was whispered in the ear some advice far from being superfluous. For example, there is a weight management of the weapons and armor you wear. The heavier it will be, the slower you will be. In the character sheet, the weight gauge will gradually turn yellow to indicate a possible overweight. So I unmated my helmet and my gauntlets to be a little lighter, and can make pretty rolls a bit faster. When you think about it, it should not be super practical to roll in heavy armor; try at home, you'll see!

If during a try you have destroyed some elements of the decor, they will remain in the state for all the next tries. It took me a good 30 minutes to destroy all the benches in the chapel, to become a pro of the roulade and make the run almost perfect. Almost because the watch was playing against me and my gaming session was coming to an end. Arrived at the last quarter of life, the boss does not have any more heavy armor nor shield, but handles his big sword more quickly. On the end, having dodged brilliantly all his attacks during three quarters of his life and having a reserve of life all that is most comfortable, so I typed like a savage while cashing his drunkards. It was very dirty, but I got it. Moreover, the reward you get from killing the boss will vary depending on how you kill him (taking damage or not ...). I did not care what I got, but it should not fly high, I guess.

That's all ? Well yes, that's all. At the death of the boss, I exulted with joy inwardly not to scare my guests. But relativising, it must be said that after an hour, I came to the end of ... tutorial. The handling of the game is not in question, far from it because it reacts rather well. Only my polio was involved. Since other testers do not have webbed hands and they have already skated all the Dark Souls with brio, they can easily raise the level during its test to be released soon. In the meantime, since it will be playable at Namco Bandaï booth at Paris Games Week 2014, I'll have something to catch me by replaying!