DeVuego ES_COR

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is a big budget project gone horribly wrong. The graphics and voice acting are top notch, but everything else is a complete wreck. Environments are boring and repetitive, combat is uninspired, platforming is a joke and the stealth elements are some of the worst ever conceived from a major publisher. It’s a dismal affair through and through and an absolute slog to finish. MercurySteam has publicly stated that they don’t want to be the “Castlevania studio,” and that is abundantly clear in this phoned-in mess of a game.

Much like its title, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate plays with multiple concepts attempting to garner widespread appeal, but would be better suited focusing on just one. Still, MercurySteam clearly understands how to design a sidescroller, with Mirror of Fate featuring a huge map packed with content that recalls some of the better level design in the series. If one can get past the insipid visuals and derivative combat, there’s a fine adventure here that acts as a primer for the franchise’s continued viability on Nintendo’s handheld.