Lords of the Fallen

Name: Lords of the Fallen
Item: Lords of the Fallen
Rating: 3
Author: Chad Sapieha

Game review by

Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 18+

(i)

Difficult, bloody, predictable RPG has great graphics, bugs.

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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 3 reviews

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X of Y

X of Y

X of Y

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

Positive Messages

Constant, gory medieval-style combat overshadows themes of redemption and honor.

Positive Role Models & Representations

The main character -- a criminal who seeks salvation by battling demons attacking mankind -- is gruff and rude and solves problems with a sword.

Ease of Play

Very difficult. Punishing combat demands skill and strategy. Players who don't save their progress and experience and continue without are risking death and repetitive gameplay -- but the return is gaining experience at a higher rate.

Violence

Players use swords, staffs, and other melee weapons to hack and bludgeon enemies, who scream in pain and gush blood. Crimson stains coat some ground and walls.

Sex

Language

Consumerism

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Lords of the Fallen is a challenging fantasy role-playing game. It doesn't have any sex or profanity, but its violence -- which pits a powerful human warrior against demons in gruesome sword-based combat -- is frequent and intense and the whole focus of the game. The hero isn't a knight in shining armor but instead a confessed criminal with a gruff demeanor who may (or may not) be able to redeem himself by fighting mankind's enemies.

User Reviews

Parents say
Kids say

Adult Written bySam Marrick April 7, 2016

age 16+

Ligher Souls

Sizable blood streams with each hit, sometimes stains surfaces in relatively small amounts Some bloody dead bodies on some maps.

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Adult Written byRappy June 17, 2016

age 12+

Not a concern

Bit of blood, no swearing and blood can be turned off if you want. Definitely should not be an 18 a 16 at most. If your kid goes one the Internet then he has... Continue reading

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Teen, 13 years old Written byrango242 May 15, 2016

age 14+

lords of the souls

when you have finished the souls series play lords of the fallen. Its hard as nails. Im only on the second boss and absoloutly stuck, this doesn't knock th... Continue reading

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Teen, 14 years old Written byeazy__breezy January 1, 2015

age 12+

I haven't played it a ton yet

Its more difficult and the action is slow if you play as a warrior in armor, and violent...

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What's it about?

LORDS OF THE FALLEN stars Harkyn, a convicted criminal languishing in prison. When an army of demons commanded by an ancient god attacks mankind, Harkyn's mentor breaks him out of his cell. What follows is a methodical but intense tread through human keeps and demonic realms as Harkyn uses magic and melee weapons, shields, and dodges to fight the invading creatures. Found weapons and armor augment his abilities, and each kill earns experience points that can be applied to upgrade his attributes and magical skills. Should Harkyn die, he will lose all the experience collected since the last save, as well as an experience multiplier that grows with each kill. The multiplier also disappears each time you save. It's a game of risk: Choose to keep playing without saving, and your rewards increase exponentially, but if you die, you could lose virtually all your progress -- unless you can make your way back to the spot of your death and collect your experience cache before it disappears.

Is it any good?

Software's Dark Souls and Dark Souls II clearly served as inspiration for Lords of the Fallen. As punishing as its muse, the game forces players to carefully consider each battle -- or risk losing huge chunks of progress. Even with care and planning, there's a pretty good chance you'll lose some fights. Combat requires reflexes, skill, and tactics; you need to know when and how to strike and when to block or dodge, all while keeping an eye on your life gauge and your energy bar (when your energy is depleted, your hero can't do much for a while). It's exciting and intense. You may even find yourself sweating when you realize you haven't saved for 30 or 40 minutes and you're about to face down a towering demon of unknown strength.

But it's not for everyone. Losing progress can be frustrating, especially for time-strapped players. The dark and moody fantasy world looks terrific, but the story is predictable, the writing sometimes stilted, and occasional bugs -- such as one we encountered that disables all voice audio -- detract from the experience. Still, older fantasy fans looking for a serious challenge will probably have a good time.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about the impact of violence in media in games like Lords of the Fallen. What rules do you set for your family about violent games? Is the amount of blood and gore the most important factor, or do subject, setting, and character motivation factor in?
Discuss role-playing games. What does it mean to play a role? Is it about inhabiting a character's thoughts and feelings, or is it about controlling how he or she develops and speaks?