Back in 2014, CI Games and Deck 13 released Lords of the Fallen, a Soulslike aiming to capitalize on the newfound popularity of From Software’s Dark Souls. Now, Hexworks has given the game a soft reboot that, according to creative director Cezar Virtuso (via the latest edition of Play magazine), is intended to be everything the original wasn’t.
Our first order of business was pretty clear: we had to increase the speed of melee combat [and] we had to also deliver players more freedom in their builds.
In the original Lords of the Fallen game, a good amount of criticism was leveled at the low speed of combat and the lack of real builds, as the game eventually began to focus on hard-hitting, large melee weapons. According to executive producer and studio head Paul Gascon, however, the new game has a great deal more ways for players to go through the game.
We designed nine starting classes, giving players a glimpse of the endless possibilities ahead. Our goal was to offer diverse archetypes, covering various player fantasies, which is why we provide a wide range of options.
While players can use heavy combat classes like the Knight, there are also options for things like rangers, mages, and more, letting players use a wide variety of options in combat, some of which were shown in gameplay videos. Each one also, according to Virtosu, has its own unique feel and playstyle.
We have gone to great lengths to give distinct advantages and disadvantages to each archetype so that they feel unique.
However, playstyles and classes aren’t the only way that the game has increased customization. Gone is Hardyn, the protagonist of the original Lords of the Fallen game. Hexworks has, according to art director Alexandre Chaudret, also made use of modern technology to give players more freedom.
We had to offer players the ability to create their own unique virtual personas, so we built upon [Unreal Engine] 5’s technology to create a character editor. We believe that customisation is a strong lead to immersion and wanted to allow our players to incarnate the hero (or bulky horror) of their dreams.
With everything that Lords of the Fallen is shaping up to be, hopefully, the added customization options, along with the added polish given to this version of the game, will allow it to have all of the success that the original game found out of its reach. The game launches on October 13 of this year for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, and PC.
