It’s not every day you see a game being released with the exact name as it did nine years ago, and especially when it’s a vastly new title that’s neither a direct sequel, a reboot or a remake, but more like a bit of all that. The 2023 version of Lords of the Fallen is quite different from its original 2014 release, and here are all of the things it does differently from its predecessor.
All Differences Between Lords of the Fallen 2014 and 2023 Versions
Aside from better graphics and new available platforms, the two games also have plenty of differences and would easily pass as different titles altogether if it wasn’t by their names. Here are the most important changes.
Story and Setting
The 2023 version happens roughly 1,000 years after the original Lords of the Fallen. So almost any connection that it could have with its predecessor is gone within the sands of time. This makes it more like a sequel than anything, but considering how the original LotF 2 project was changed, moved studios and eventually became the LotF 2023 we have today, it’s basically like a new game with the original settings from the original entry.
Like in the 2014 version, Adyr is still the unseen big bad that’s trying to bring calamity over the world, but you also have other threats like the Putrid Mother from the Umbral Realm. You also have multiple endings depending on your overall choices and alignment, so there’s that for replay value.
Combat
Being a modern game and all, the 2023 version presents a more fluid combat system filled with more Magic options at your disposal. With 11 different classes to choose from (some of them being hidden and needing to be unlocked beforehand), your options aren’t limited to just hitting-and-run for the entire boss fights. You’ll do a lot of that, but there are enough options to not be forced onto the same strategies over and over.
Unique Mechanics
Lords of the Fallen does a few things different from other Soulslikes such as its unique take on the death cycle. Thanks to the Umbral Lamp, you’re thrown at the Umbral Realm after dying for the first time, and this gives you a second chance to defeat the surrounding enemies and emerge to the surface (the Axiom).
You’re not welcome in the Umbral, so more enemies than usual will march their way toward you. Your only way out is to find an effigy or a Vestige to go back to the living realm. But you’ll always find yourself willingly returning to the Umbral to explore hidden areas only accessible in this realm.
There are also things like Co-op and invasions (PvP), which can spice up your playthrough even more if you want to. Those aspects are common in the genre, but Lords of the Fallen is one of the few games that has almost no limitations about it.
In all, the newest version is quite different from the original, and if you told an unaware player that those games had no connection whatsoever, they would probably believe you wholeheartedly. Unless they started reading the story, of course. Despite some performance issues, the new entry can be quite enjoyable overall.
