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Ever since the teaser for Lords of the Fallen dropped, players have seen numerous similarities to the Souls game, especially Dark Souls. Since Souls games have been exclusively developed by FromSoftware Inc., this begs the question of whether there’s a new competitor in town. So let’s dig deep to find out if Lords of the Fallen is a Souls game or not.
Is Lords of the Fallen A Souls Game?
Lords of the Fallen is a Souls-like game but not a Souls game entirely. This is because it takes inspiration quite heavily from FromSoftware’s Dark Souls 4, trying to capture its otherworldly, hardcore gamer experience. However, the Souls category is exclusively reserved for Dark Soul-related games, and other renditions can only be Souls-like.
This doesn’t take away from the fact that while Lords of the Fallen does take inspiration from the popular Dark Souls 4, HexWorks (the developers of Lord of the Fallen) have made sure to add their elements of uniqueness.
Ranging from the greater number of classes you can choose from while creating your character to the notion of dual-realm gameplay, Lords of the Fallen has surely stepped it up a notch. The game has also tried to incorporate the aspects of challenging gameplay and hyper-realistic graphics rather than copying the Souls games as it is.
- Explore A Vast, Interconnected World: Journey across two expansive, parallel worlds in your epic quest to overthrow Adyr. While the living realm presents its own brutal challenges, untold terrors lurk in the nightmarish realm of the dead. Encounter a wide array of characters, eager to offer a dubious hand…
- Define Your Own Legend: Fully customise your character’s appearance from a wide array of visual options, before selecting one of nine character classes. Whichever starting path you take, develop your character to your own playstyle by upgrading stats, weapons, armour and spells.
- Master Fast, Challenging Fluid Tactical Combat: Only those that master the deep, tactical combat can hope to survive. Choose from 100s of uniquely brutal weapons, or forgo metal for magic with devastating attacks of the arcane.
- Unite or Fight in Online Multiplayer: Experience the expansive, single player campaign alone, or invite a second player to join your adventure in uninterrupted, online co-op. But be warned – heroes from other realms can, and will invade.
- Wield a Device of Ungodly Power: Your lantern possesses the ungodly power to cross between worlds. Use this dark art to reach forgotten places, unearth fabled treasures, and even manipulate the very soul of your foe.
What Are Souls Games & Why Is LotF Not One of Them?
The Soul genre itself is based on the original FromSoftware game, Dark Souls. Games in this genre are usually third-person RPGs that are harder than your average RPG. Ranging from difficult mechanics to overpowered bosses, Souls games take your gameplay experience to another level. Moreover, one very critical mechanic is the lose everything on death feature.
This is probably one of the main reasons Lords of the Fallen isn’t a Souls game, except for it not being related to Dark Souls, of course. With players being able to respawn in Umbral and get back their items, it’s a stark difference from what Soul games looked like originally.
Why Is Lords of the Fallen Souls Like?
Various aspects of the game lead it to be categorized as a Souls-like game. First and foremost is the dark, gothic atmosphere that’s created in-game with the architecture and environment. This is classic for Souls game and can be seen pretty clearly in Lords of the Fallen.
Another reason lies in the deep progression system as well as difficult combat. The progression system in Lords of the Fallen follows a T-shaped pattern, meaning you’ll have choices as to how to progress your character. If we’re talking about quest and storyline progression, that takes on somewhat of a similar shape, as you do not have to follow a fixed path to completing quests.
As for the combat and bosses in Lords of the Fallen, they’re typically very challenging and will urge players to get better before being able to clear them. The combat is also more focused on melee engagements rather than ranged combat, so you’ll need to learn the intricate mechanics before being able to progress.
For more guides and information on Lords of the Fallen, check out these related pieces from our team: Is Lords of the Fallen Cross Platform? Is Lords of the Fallen Multiplayer?