The action RPG Lords of the Fallen did not convince players on Steam at release. However, now that the developers have released Update 2.0, you should give the game another chance – especially if you enjoy playing with friends.
What kind of game is this? Lords of the Fallen is a dark fantasy action RPG from the developer studio CI Games. It is a reboot of the game of the same name from Deck13 – a studio from Germany that has also developed games like The Surge.
Now the new Lords of the Fallen is getting a major update that aims to address many criticisms of the game. In a new trailer, the developers present these innovations.
You can see the trailer for Lords of the Fallen – Version 2.0 here:
Developers rescue a mixed release
Lords of the Fallen had a rather mid-level reception at release in October 2023: Taking into account all reviews on Steam, the overall rating is “mixed” with 64% to date. However, after the 2.0 update, a positive trend can be observed: The recent reviews are “mostly positive” and have risen to 74%.
Many reviewers praise that the developers have stayed committed and have not given up on the game.
- AKGGamer99 writes: “Absolutely yes!! This game – and the love that its developers continuously put into it – deserves at least a ‘Mostly Positive’ rating, if not even ‘Very Positive’.” (via Steam)
- The Drop of Black agrees with this sentiment: “I approached this game cautiously, due to all the negative reviews and feedback I had heard since release – but in its current state? Man, this game deserves so much more recognition.” (via Steam)
Friends can now play for free
What improvements does Update 2.0 bring? One of the biggest innovations for Lords of the Fallen is the new Friend’s Pass, which also serves as a kind of free demo:
- Once you have downloaded the Friend’s Pass, you can play through the game with any of your friends – provided they own the game.
- The Friend’s Pass also gives you full access to the character editor and the tutorial, even if you are not playing with friends.
In addition, the co-op experience has also been significantly improved. As long as you have defeated about the same number of bosses, you both retain the story progress made. Additionally, both players can take their loot and revive each other, which was previously only possible for the host.
But the update also contains improvements for those who leave co-op behind. The combat should not only feel better but also sound better: smoother animations, improved dodge rolls, and a complete overhaul of how weapons sound are just some of the innovations.
If you enjoy playing a souls-like game with friends, unfortunately, there aren’t many options. This is partly because FromSoftware itself pursues a very “specific” co-op approach in most of its games. One woman has fixed the terrible co-op in Elden Ring by herself, and now she is taking on Dark Souls.
