Genre: Action

Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: Konami

Classification: 16 (PEGI)

Trying to find something constructively critical to say about Castlevania is like trying to find the end of eternity – impossible.

The Castlevania franchise is one that’s held in high regards by fans across the globe and so for Lords of Shadow, it’s largely a case of big shoes to fill. But new developers Mercury Steam haven’t just filled the shoes, they’ve gained an extreme case of gigantism and have completely torn through the fabric of it's boundaries.

Pulling away from the games traditional 2D side-scrolling action, Castlvania: LoS plays as a 3D hack and slash similar to the God of War series.

What has stayed true to the series' roots are the RPG foundations that the rest of the game is built on. Every step of the way, experience is rewarded and an in-depth skill tree is provided. Players have much customisation over the attributes and are constantly receiving upgrades through progression.

Combat plays a huge part with players able to unlock and execute an extremely long and intricate move list. As well as physical and long range attacks, magic can also be used to thwart enemies and to aid main protagonist Belmont in his quest to save the world from the Lords of Shadow.

There are quick time events in which players will need to press a button at the correct moment. These points aren't that frequent so they never get too annoying or hinder the flow in any way.

The boss battles are absolutely breathtaking in the fact that the enemies are so huge. Each requires patience to work out how to defeat them and as with much of the combat, no boss is a walk in the park - but to defeat them, players are rewarded with relics that add an extra skill to Belmont's repertoire.

It’s a non-stop action fest that’s as long and as packed with goodies as it’s beautiful and crammed with detail. The scale of the adventure is truly epic whilst always maintaining a graphical standard that puts even the best of videogame developers to shame with it’s lush, expertly crafted landscapes.

The replay value of the levels is massive, with parts of levels that couldn't be reached before becoming possible later because of the new skills learned.

Cutscenes are spliced liberally and seamlessly throughout, with no loading times for each, resulting in a joyride of fantasy storytelling and wonderful combat action that's an absolute joy to play.

SCORE: 9 / 10