Developer: Squidbit Works Publisher: Plug In Digital SAS Release: 02/14/24 Genre: Action Also on: Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Castlevania fans are eating pretty good right now with the rise of indie games. The fans that grew up playing the series have now become developers in their own right and are creating games inspired by that classic franchise. I suppose if Konami will not feed the public they will do it themselves. The great thing about this is that they follow the Belmont formula while avoiding some of their more frustrating elements to create games that are more accessible than their brutal forefather. Lords of Exile is a love letter to the games we grew up with except modernized. While it does not rise above its inspiration from it remains a good game in its own right.
Lords of Exile takes place in Exilia, a land ruled by Galagar the Wrathful. A young orphan named Gabriel is raised by a noble family and instructed in swordsmanship and chivalry. However marauders attack his village and kill everyone, leaving Gabriel a broken man. In his rage he becomes Galagar’s most vicious henchman and kills hundreds. Gabriel was so brutal Galagar has his wife killed as a warning to keep him in line. However Gabriel turns his hatred toward his former master instead…….
In the beginning Gabriel has a limited move set. Your sword has limited reach, you are a little lumbering and cannot dash but can slide which is not useful. As you progress after every boss battle you will receive an extensive set of new abilities. These include a double jump, an earthquake downward stab, and an increase to your maximum item capacity. In addition you earn two shadows to assist in navigating the levels by crossing gaps or destroying blocks. While they look cool as they follow you like a JoJo stand their combat utility is non-existent which sucks.
The Castlevania DNA is strong with this one. The controls and gameplay are similar although they are not as rigid. Sub-weapons come from the Belmont playbook but are more common to the point you will rarely be without one. You will recognize the same deliberate enemy placement and platforming but the better controls make it less frustrating. Generally the level design is strong even if it skews a little too close to the Konami playbook. Lords of Exile starts to feel a bit too familiar at times which on its face is not bad. The elements are there to make this game more unique with the various abilities and shadows. But they are not fully explored and feel like a missed opportunity.
The boss battles are one of the game’s biggest highlights. Each boss has an easily identifiable pattern as they telegraph all of their attacks. The cycle never changes meaning even if you die a few times in short order you will adapt. That being said they have four or five attacks and it still comes down to execution. The bosses are spongy and it is easy to become anxious and make mistakes. Even I screwed up a few times with my almost forty years of experience with this style of action platforming. But I can confidently say it was my fault every time.
For those dreading a brutally hard action game you can breathe a sigh of relief. Lords of Exile is easy in comparison to the 8-bit titles it takes after. To some extent it might be too accommodating. Every new screen is a checkpoint and there are no lives so death has no penalty outside of losing a sub-weapon. You can buy life restoring hearts with gold but with the frequency of checkpoints and minibosses that also drop them it is not necessary. I will say that the final level features a sharp spike in difficulty that would make Konami proud. But that is nothing any veteran of these kinds of platformers is not familiar with.
Lords of Exile is about medium length and its relative ease means you will see its end quickly. There are a few bonuses that unlock afterward to prolong the experience. The boss rush allows you to relive the generally excellent boss battles without trudging through the levels. Speed run mode is self-explanatory and I wish there were incentive to do so. The most substantial is a new character. Lyria is the game’s easy mode as she has many advantages over Gabriel. She is twice as fast, attacks with unlimited long distance kunai, and begins with nearly all of the abilities Gabriel earns like the double jump. It would have been cool if she had alternate paths through the stages as In Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon but her addition is cool nonetheless.
In Closing
Lords of Exile offers a nostalgic experience for fans of classic action platformers. While it successfully emulates the retro aesthetic and provides enjoyable combat it does ape Konami’s shtick a little too heavily. In emulating Castlevania so closely it barely has an identity of its own. Its unique elements like the spirit companions are underutilized and could have made the game more unique and are a missed opportunity. However that does not prevent the game from making for an entertaining few hours of fun.
