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Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow Reverie DLC Impressions
Like a vampire rising to feed during the witching hours, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has come back to suck more of your life force (money). Reverie, the first of two DLC packs taking place after the game’s ending, sees Gabriel returning to Carmilla’s castle to quell a new evil. Don’t be intimidated by the task of destroying ultimate evil, however, because you’ll mostly be solving a fun assortment of puzzles.
Reverie kicks off with Gabriel joining forces with Carmilla’s daughter Laura. She acts as Belmont’s guide through the castle as they seek out the evil hidden within. Readjusting to Lords of Shadow’s combat after months of not playing it is rough at first, and I recommend bumping down the difficulty a few notches to readjust. Whipping and lashing ghouls is still fun, but the wide array of enemies from the main game are absent; I counted three different enemy types throughout Reverie.
The highlight of the DLC’s combat is definitely Laura. Controlling the young vampiress puts you in control of her force lighting-like electricity and mist form. Dissolving into a fog and warping around to dodge works great in combat, and shifting through metal bars a la Symphony of the Night gave me a tingle down my spine. Adding another new fold to Lords of Shadow’s satisfying combat is Laura’s bloodsucking ability. Allowing foes to hang onto their lives by the skin of their teeth so that you can siphon their health is thoroughly satisfying.
When you’re not devastating demons as Laura, you’ll be solving one of Reverie’s multitude of puzzles. These brain-teasers are better than anything I remember from the main game, and I had to call on the help of my coworkers several times. Figuring out these riddles is still supremely enjoyable, which is good considering you’ll spend about half of the two hour DLC solving them. My favorite involves uniting a key with a lock through a series of portals and sliding platforms.
Reverie has a lot to enjoy for fans of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, but there are several downsides, which might deter folks on the fence. Lords of Shadow was it its worst when it attempted to be a 3D platformer, and this DLC is the worst offender in that camp. Also, despite the ending cinematic’s amazing visuals, its big reveal is something that fans will see coming a mile away. The cliffhanger is unsatisfying and feels like an abrupt cop-out given the DLC’s brevity. Lastly, this add-on is priced at $9.99 (800 MS points), which is a high price tag considering the content.
If you loved Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and were as enamored with the ending as we were, then don’t hesitate to play this new chapter. If you weren’t as enthusiastic over the conclusion or core gameplay, this entry doesn’t offer anything so new that you’ll be converted. Let’s hope Resurrection, the second and final DLC, packs a little more punch.
Note: At the time of this writing Reverie is only available on PS3, and the 360 version will be released “soon.”
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