Note: I'll do my best to keep spoilers to a minimum, but there WILL very likely be gameplay spoilers. Just keep that in mind.
CHAPTER 1:
LEVEL 1: The first level drops us in the middle of a hectic thunderstorm, complete with pouring rain and rainslick... everything, in the middle of an old village. Acting as a tutorial level of sorts (of course), this is where we come to grips with the meat and potatoes of the combat system. Those who have played God of War will instantly feel at home, and, thankfully, it shares a solid, yet smooth feel with its Sony exclusive cousin. Combat is generally tight, though perhaps just the slightest bit looser than some might prefer. Regardless, the core mechanics are fun; you actually FEEL like you're doing some decent damage.
An old wrinkle of Castlevania is back: Subweapons. No hearts this time around, however, as you now actually have a set amount you can carry with you at once, replenishing with drops from enemies. This may seem bad, but at least with daggers, the drop comes up fairly often, and they're actually quite a bit powerful, dropping Lycanthropes with a single toss. Problem, though: the number count for how many of a subweapon you have is incredibly tiny, even on an HD television. I have to squint just to see it.
The boss is a good couple of shades tougher than your usual foe, but with some smart dodging and blocking, he can be taken down somewhat easily. Slacking off can get you killed VERY quickly, however. Finishing off the fight involves lifting up a spear-like tree branch at just the right time as the Warg leaps off a small craggy outcropping after you. Impaling is SUCH a fun way to end a battle.
The game employs an experience system that acts more like a currency system: trade in points for a variety of new abilities, including but not limited to aerial combat moves, subweapon supermoves, and additional counter-attack types.
LEVEL 2: Showing off the variety in the game, half this mission takes place on horseback. You're fending off various Lycans and Wargs while trying to remain atop your valiant steed. Easier said than done, but as long as you recover after each hit with a cool head, you'll be fine.
Regardless of whether you stay atop the horse (it IS possible to be knocked off), you'll go through a couple of combat rounds with Lycans and Wargs, learning about counterattacks. They're pretty dang handy, especially when you get involved with larger crowds, as counterattacks are difficult to interrupt.
LEVEL 3: You're in a big swamp through this area. This level focuses on exploration; much of the bog involves navigating syrupy marshes that fork repeatedly for half the level. This wouldn't be so bad if you didn't move so slowly.
You net the Hook Tip for your weapon, the Combat Cross. It's essentially a hook shot, a la Zelda, save for the wrinkle that you can actually rappel on it. It's a fun addition, and actually gets utilized fairly well in this level.
The boss is a giant swamp troll in the middle of a cemetary. He uses tombstones as weapons against you, but is otherwise fairly harmless, if a bit durable. Afterwards is a platforming segment; it's almost impossible to fall unless you completely screw up a jump, which, again, is hard to do more thanks to rather spot on design and mechanics than hand-holding.
LEVEL 4: A very quiet level with no enemies. Your goal is to find five medallions with runic symbols on them. Luckily, they glow like the dickens so it's not particularly difficult. The medallions aren't exactly necessary to beat the level, but it's best to have as many as possible, as they are used to open a gate at the end. Basically, you match up the runes shown to you with the ones you have. A very easy puzzle if you explored often enough.
Another puzzle comes up: The kind where you have to turn a series of rings with marks on them, attempting to line up the marks. Moving one ring also moves another. There's a limit to how many turns you can take, though there's a Reset option. I managed to get it in five turns on my first try, something I don't think I could accomplish again purposefully.
LEVEL 5: Almost entirely a boss level. You fight a gigantic ice titan. The whole battle is very reminiscent of Shadow of the Colossus, even down to having to attack various runes placed on the titan's body. It's far faster paced, and the game basically tells you how to traverse his body using glowing body parts. It's easy to get thrown off, and it can occasionally be unclear when to dodge, but otherwise, it manages to capture a bit of that feel of SotC remarkably well.
It should also be noted that each mission has a trial you can undergo after beating it. The trials are essentially just tasks you can complete in order to attain more unlocks and percentage points to the level completion goal. Some are fairly easy, like Level 1's, where you have to keep just one survivor alive after the Warg fight, but some seem to be fairly tough, like Level 5's time limit mission, which I couldn't even get halfway through before time ran out. The game sets up fairly early that you're going to need to go back with beefier powers in order to complete the game 100%.
CHAPTER 2:
LEVEL 1: Further giving more visual variety, we're now in a more Mayan-looking area, with plenty of ruins within a slowly dying forest. New things learned here: Light Medallion, which, while you have magic active, heals you with every attack. You can get more energy for it by killing enemies without being in magic mode. You also get a Focus meter, which, for as long as you don't get hit in combat, gives you more magic energy than usual. Pretty nice incentive to learn the combat, actually.
LEVEL 2: Taking place under the rotted remains of an ancient tree, the caves are basically one really great excuse to shove spiders into a level. And I'm not talking itty bitty things there to shave off your health, I'm talking big honkin' spiders who poison you and tackle you. You fight a few of these throughout, and they're pretty fun battles. A few tight-rope walk segments which are actually pretty tolerable as well. New weapon, the Spiked Chain, which allows you to saw through some stone relics.
LEVEL 3: Though called a labyrinth, I'd hardly adjectivize this as "labyrinthine." However, it does add another cool thing: riding your enemies. Warthogs are introduced in this level, and if you can weaken them enough and rid them of their goblin riders, you can hop on their backs and lay waste to all your enemies. This is actually a very fun little segment that is probably too brief, but a great change of pace.
You also fight Greater Lycanthropes (well, one, to be exact), which are a fair deal tougher and faster than their Lesser counterparts. However, they're fought with much the same strategy, except they have unblockable attacks and, in turn, can block as well. We also get a few old cliches: rotating mechanisms that open doors. It's a little annoying, and causes confusion at the end of the level to figure out just how you're supposed to operate one, but it's a short-lived frustration, thankfully.
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TL;DR Version: There are definitely some cliches here. God of War's combat system [for the most part], Legend of Zelda's heart piece system [split into fives rather than fours], rotating winches, Colossus-style boss battles, traditional 3D tightrope walking... But here's the thing thus far: Unlike some games which purposefully ape another game or three, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow understands why some of these mechanics are fun in those games, and actually utilizes them in ways that honestly fit. The levels are just about the right length, all told, none taking up more than ten to fifteen minutes, MAYBE twenty if you're thorough. It is definitely inspired by old school Castlevania, and so far, that's nothing but total compliment.
Stay tuned for the rest of Chapter 2. Each level description's going to get shorter as time goes on as I'll have fewer new things to cover. Anything you guys want to see specifically? More plot references? More descriptions of the mechanics? Less level-by-level description in favor of something else? Leave a comment and tell me what you think.
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