PC Gamer's reviewer also likes the idea of the lamp used to cross between two worlds, even though he feels that "Hexworks could've done more with the concept". He also writes that using the lamp didn't give performance problems, and the game generally ran smoothly. He likes different effects of using different weapons. According to the PC Gamer's reviewer, the magic system in the game is "a genuine improvement over other soulslikes in almost every way". The reviewer claims the combat system "shines in the game's duels against humanoid bosses". He considers fights with the bosses to be fair, but the rest of the game to be too difficult. [25] Sales edit Nelson, Will (October 12, 2023). "Lords of the Fallen review – in the shadow of Dark Souls". PCGamesN . Retrieved October 12, 2023. Lords of the Fallen sold over one million copies in first 10 days". Gematsu. October 23, 2023 . Retrieved October 23, 2023. Developer Hexworks has issued a long list of updates to its Soulslike following its October 13 launch, improving performance, stability, and optimisation, and making significant balance changes. Enemy density has been “extensively” re-proportioned throughout the game, with some enemies seeing up to 30% fewer foes. Other balance tweaks including reducing the accuracy of ranged enemies at long distance, and improving enemy leashing to players aren’t pursued as far, thereby reducing overwhelming mob clashes. Wilde, Tyler (March 28, 2023). "Lords of the Fallen's creative director showed me its 'horrible pains' and 'fingers of God' and I must see more". PC Gamer . Retrieved May 21, 2023.

At the beginning of the game, players can create and customize their own player avatar, and choose from one of nine character classes. [2] The game is set in an interconnected world, one that is several times bigger than that from the 2014 game. In this game, two worlds are layered on top of each other. The world of Axiom is the realm of the living, but players can use a magical lantern to access Umbral, the realm of the dead. Despite sharing the same physical space, an inaccessible area in one realm may be reached by visiting the other realm. When the player is killed, they will be transported to Umbral in which they must return to Axiom and retrieve lost experience points. When the player is killed in the Umbral realm, they will respawn in their last savepoint and lose their unspent XPs. Savepoints are far and few in each region, though players can craft their own savepoints using materials collected from Umbral monsters. [3] Development/Release editNorthup, Travis (October 12, 2023). "Lords of the Fallen Review". IGN . Retrieved October 12, 2023. In our 8/10 review, IGN said: "Lords of the Fallen is an awesome Souls-like with a fantastic dual-realities premise, even when performance shortcomings and wimpy bosses crash the party." Of course, it’s not just the feel of Lords of the Fallen that we’ve been able to create and enhance through the DualSense wireless controller… it’s an additional layer of sound, too. The perilous journey players face during the game is audible not only through the full 3D sound capabilities of the PS5, but also through the controller’s speaker, as every footstep taken by the Dark Crusader is heard. When players use a weapon to smite their foes–whether it’s one of the hundreds of melee or ranged weapons or many magic spells–their unique sounds pour from the controller’s speaker, too. Lords of the Fallen is a tantalizing dark fantasy set in the devastated land of Mournstead, and takes place a millennium after the demon god Adyr was exorcised from the world. But of course, evil can never truly die. Now, a spreading corruption heralds his horrific return and it’s up to players to take on the mantle of Dark Crusader, overcome Adyr’s minions, and banish him once more. To help them achieve that herculean task, they’ll harness the energy of a powerful and supernatural lamp, an item of ungodly power that allows players to traverse from Axion–the brutal realm of the living–to Umbral, the nightmarish realm of the dead, seamlessly and in real time. Handrahan, Matthew (May 20, 2019). "Defiant Studios dropped as developer of Lords of the Fallen 2". Gameindustry.biz . Retrieved May 21, 2023.

Bayne, Aaron (October 12, 2023). "Lords of the Fallen Review (PS5)". Push Square . Retrieved October 12, 2023. Hornshaw, Phil (October 12, 2023). "Lords Of The Fallen Review - Dark Slog". GameSpot . Retrieved October 12, 2023. Greetings Lampbearer. Next Friday, October 13, sees the launch of Lords of the Fallen, our debut game here at Hexworks, and we hope you have a fantastic time in the epic and terrifying world we’ve spent the last three years carefully and dutifully crafting. Lords of the Fallen is the first action-RPG to be developed using Unreal Engine 5 and, when combined with the power of PlayStation 5 and the unique features of the DualSense controller, delivers an immersive experience like no other. Technically, Lords of the Fallen is the spiritual successor to the 2014 game The Lords of the Fallen. But both games are obviously deeply inspired by From Software titles. The open world, gameplay, and enemy design of the new 2023 Lords of the Fallen certainly bears more than a passing resemblance to games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. Lords of the Fallen is an action role-playing video game played from a third-person perspective. Like its predecessor, players can use both melee weapons and magic to defeat enemies, and the game's gameplay and combat system adopted elements from Soulslike games. The game's campaign can also be completed cooperatively with another player. [1] The game also features a player-versus-player multiplayer mode. [2]Lords of the Fallen, a reboot/sequel to the 2014 Souls-like of the same name, launched in October to strong critical and commercial reception, selling one million copies in its first 10 days on sale. Together with the rich and compelling sound design of Lords of the Fallen, these audio details bring an additional layer of depth to the entire auditory experience, so the daunting tasks facing players as they traverse Axiom and Umbral never sound far away. Stewart, Marcus (May 18, 2023). "Lords Of The Fallen Is Coming This October On Friday The 13th". Game Informer . Retrieved May 21, 2023. The new Lords of the Fallen is set in a world that’s five times larger than the 2014 installment. It’s divided into two parallel worlds, that of the living and that of the dead. You carry a lantern that can give you a glimpse into the other world, where you might find treasure or enemies. Alongside the significant progress already made to performance and stability, we’re confident the latest difficulty balancing updates truly nail the sweet spot between challenge and enjoyability,” said Hexworks executive producer Saul Gascon. Lords of the Fallen is making big difficulty changes.

a b Randall, Harvey (October 12, 2023). "Lords of the Fallen (2023) review". PC Gamer . Retrieved October 19, 2023.

Purchese, Robert (July 4, 2017). "Don't hold your breath for Lords of the Fallen 2". Eurogamer . Retrieved May 21, 2023. Whilst we will do everything we can to meet the delivery times above, there may be factors outside of our control and we cannot guarantee delivery within this time frame. Dinsdale, Ryan (March 23, 2023). "The Lords of the Fallen, Sequel to Lords of the Fallen, Renamed Lords of the Fallen". IGN . Retrieved May 21, 2023. Tapsell, Chris (March 28, 2023). "The new Lords of the Fallen takes aim at Elden Ring's massive soulslike success". Eurogamer . Retrieved May 21, 2023.

Silver, Dan (April 3, 2023). "Lords of the Fallen preview: meet the gorgeous Soulslike reboot hoping to be this year's Elden Ring". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved May 21, 2023. After an age of the cruellest tyranny, the demon God, Adyr, was finally defeated. But Gods… do not fall forever. Now, aeons later, Adyr’s resurrection draws nigh. As one of the fabled Dark Crusaders, journey through both the realms of the living and the dead in this expansive RPG experience, featuring colossal boss battles, fast challenging combat, thrilling character encounters, and deep, immersive storytelling. Cryer, Hirun (February 21, 2023). "The Lords of the Fallen dev wants their game to be "Dark Souls 4.5" ". GamesRadar . Retrieved June 5, 2023. Gurwin, Gabe (August 23, 2022). "The Lords Of The Fallen Reemerges After Nearly 8 Years". GameSpot . Retrieved May 21, 2023. Fall in the world of the living, and rise again… in the world of the dead. You now have one final chance to return to your living state, as all manner of hellish creature descends upon you.Lords of the Fallen introduces an all-new, epic RPG adventure in a vast, interconnected world more than five times larger than the original game. Schwarz, Christian (October 14, 2023). "Lords of the Fallen im Test: Dark Souls hatte selten so starke Konkurrenz (Dark Souls has rarely had such strong competition)". GameStar . Retrieved October 25, 2023.