There’s no shortage of challenging games in 2023, as Lords of the Fallen aims to take on Lies of P and the recently released Remnant 2. If you’ve been ticking the days off until the Lords of the Fallen release date, then you’re in for a treat, as developer Hexworks unleashes a 17-minute Lords of the Fallen gameplay trailer with a look at the game’s combat, boss fights, and rich lore.
If there’s one element we can’t wait to see in Lords of the Fallen, it is undoubtedly the game’s “seamless” co-op. FromSoftware gave us some S-tier games with the Dark Souls franchise, but co-op has never really excelled in the soulsborne series. In this fresh gameplay footage, Hexworks shows us just how easy it is to play with friends or random players – by simply spawning them into your world at the game’s Vestige points.
Essentially the equivalent of a bonfire, summoning your buddies doesn’t seem to require any specific items, charms, or spells to make take on the threat of Adyr, the Demon God. But before you even think about taking Lords of the Fallen co-op style, you’ll need to acquaint yourself with some pretty crucial elements. Death isn’t the end, as players can be given another chance to succeed in the game’s punishing boss fights by entering the afterlife-style world of Umbral.
The environment around you reflects this change, forgoing vibrancy in exchange for muted, dull aesthetics. Umbral is your “final chance to survive”, with the defeat of a boss leading to the availability of Vestige Seedling points. You’ll need significant resources to bring one into existence, but doing so will allow you safe passage back into the living realm of Axiom.
With two worlds existing in parallel to each other, you’ll likely be hunting down the game’s secrets and alternative “pathways” for hours upon end. Hexworks ensures that Lords of the Fallen won’t skimp on the number of bosses you’ll be fighting, either. In fact, you can expect over 30 different enemies to slay.
Of course, comparisons to last year’s Elden Ring are already rife, but that doesn’t mean Hexworks can’t carve out its own niche in the genre. The developer is more than aware of the impact that enemies like Malenia have had – and one LOTF boss might be quite similar to them.
Nevertheless, we’re up to the challenges that Lords of The Fallen is ready to throw at us. There’s stiff competition out there, but it may just be one of the best PS5 games and best Xbox games to drop soon.