Castlevania’s Resurrection DLC Is A Chink In Gabriel's Armor

Extreme excitement does not begin to describe the emotion I felt following the conclusion of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Something so unexpected happens to Gabriel Belmont that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on MercurySteam/Kojima Production’s rumored followup. Naturally, I was happy to learn Konami would be releasing two story-expanding DLC packs: Reverie, in which Gabriel helps out vamp-child Laura, and Resurrection, in which Gabriel destroys a forgotten evil and is bestowed with great power. I’ve finally gotten my hands on this final piece of Castlevania DLC, and it’s a definite disappointment.

Gabriel begins by entering a void to another world, which was opened at the end of the Reverie DLC. Once within, players have a fleeting moment to brush up on thier combat chops by beating on some wraiths. Throughout his trek through Resurrection, Gabriel consistently falters, clutching his chest as he suffers the effects of Laura’s vampiric bite. The hero recollects himself and discovers a lava pool, from which a gigantic, armored, horned beast called The Forgotten One emerges and begins climbing up the wall of a chasm.

Now the player embarks on what I found to be the most difficult platforming segment in the entire Castlevania: Lords of Shadow collection. It doesn’t help that I haven’t played the game since it released last September. You must climb ledges and use your combat cross to quickly evade rising lava. But not too quickly, otherwise the ascending Forgotten One will spot and decimate you. If you’ve played the game recently, this section might not be an issue, but I died well over a dozen times. This trial and error section was infuriating to say the least.

Platforming is broken up by two boss fights with The Forgotten One. The core fight mechanics are one of my favorites: destroy chunks of the titan’s armor and hack away at the vulnerable spot beneath. The thing is, Castlevania’s combat is more about manically slashing in a general direction, not precision assaults on small areas. Landing hits on the beast’s weak spots was a real chore, and I died too many times (even after switching to easy mode). These battles throw out the graceful, beautifully balanced boss fights from the core game, replacing them with spammed radius attacks and too-narrow attack windows. After I vanquished the horrible nightmare I sighed with relief and prepared for an insightful cutscene that would explain more about Gabriel’s fate after the credits of Lords of Shadow. What I got instead was an unsatisfying clip which left me with even more questions.

If you’ve played Lords of Shadow recently, or are in the process of beating the game, there’s a chance you’ll enjoy this DLC more than I did. I think 800 MS Points or $9.99 on PSN is a pretty steep asking price for something that lasts only two hours, doesn’t incorporate the game’s signature light/dark magic gameplay, and stretches the platforming to its breaking point. I’m still excited for the sequel to Lords of Shadow, but these two lukewarm DLC add-ons dampened the core game’s conclusion for me just a bit.