Warning: The following article on how Lords of the Fallen proves traditional multiplayer works for Soulslikes contains spoilers.
Earlier this year, I argued there weren’t too many Soulslikes. Almost five months later, I stand by that statement.
Besides smaller projects, Lies of P and the Lords of the Fallen reboot (as well as March’s Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty) have shown us there’s plenty of space for the genre to grow beyond FromSoftware’s model. Perhaps the first is the most traditional of these three big 2023 releases, aiming to replicate much of what made Bloodborne such a special game, from the very similar setting to a combat system that undoubtedly feels FromSoft but more agile and hostile. Regardless, the final game – unlike the traditional demo – had a handful of surprises and unique mechanics hidden up its sleeve. Like I’ve said in the past, that’s normally more than enough to earn a top spot alongside the genre’s greatest.
I haven’t properly played through Wo Long myself, so I’ll leave Koei Tecmo’s latest out of this discussion. Lords of the Fallen, however, has impressed me so far with its more than convincing take on Dark Souls’ audiovisual identity (plus flavor of its own) and systems that feel both familiar and unique to Hexworks’ reboot of the 2014 release of the same name.
Related: Lords of the Fallen’s Mobs Aren’t Challenging, They’re Frustrating
Much has been written about the game’s rather punishing difficulty (even by the genre’s standards), which mostly comes from a suffocating overabundance of regular enemies in the later levels and permanent checkpoints (you can also “grow” your own) that are spread too few and far between in some occasions. This is arguably the game’s weak spot, one heavily criticized by many reviewers and players for the past couple of weeks. Mind you, we play Soulslikes because we like getting our asses kicked, but the secret to a good Soulslike is making victories feel rewarding and the learning process, enjoyable.
When it comes to rewards in the shape of powerful items and spells, Lords of the Fallen feels inconsistent. Maybe you’ll grab amazing loot from a random location that’s barely guarded and later obtain jackshit (besides sweet currency) from a tough boss. As for the trial-and-error ordeal some areas and bosses might require, well, that depends on how you approach this specific game and the systems and mechanics available. I’ve found that playing it like a FromSoft title will typically end in pain and disappointment.
On top of the Umbral Lamp and the “realm-hopping” layer it introduces, often turning Lords of the Fallen into one of the most stressful puzzle adventure games ever, the most notable variation is that of the game’s online co-op system. Instead of learning what the specific items that enable you to connect and interact with other players are through NPC interactions you might miss and obscure descriptions, the game tells you right away (and as soon as you reach a “bonfire”) that multiplayer can be activated at any moment from vestiges (the checkpoints). It’s simply another entry in the usual menu you get at bonfires. Rudimentary… but actually welcome?
A cool thing about FromSoftware’s games is how the story and background lore are presented. There’s an art and a very specific approach to how the studio handles such matters, and they’re hard to replicate. I’ve seen many developers try their hardest to be odd and mysterious, only to produce convoluted and nonsensical messes that I quickly forgot about. This also affects entire systems and mechanics, as the Japanese studio actually trusts the first batch of players to figure out and experiment with items and spells, later sharing their findings. Some might find this frustrating, but in my humble opinion, part of the beauty of FromSoft’s games is working things out and making discoveries together, resulting in a sense of community nurtured by the mystifying worlds.
If a studio isn’t sure that it can nail that level of meticulous game design and calculated storytelling, I’d rather have more straightforward systems as well as narratives. The two other big Soulslike releases of 2023 each found success by either being more traditional or capturing that “magic” well enough. Lords of the Fallen, on the other hand, admits it might not be able to replicate the full Dark Souls mystique, and isn’t afraid of turning large chunks of the experience into clear-as-day activities. The actual lore does get weird, and the atmosphere is sublime and feels like Dark Souls 4 at times though, so great work there.
It’s not just that the co-op is right there to use without the need for uncommon farmable items (much like the more conventional PvP); you can actually stay connected to hosts and helpers for longer than a single area/boss. Moreover, you can die over and over again as you try to learn the moves and phases of a boss without losing your partner. Like in any traditional multiplayer title, you should only be scared of wonky netcode and bad connections.
Related: Why I Quit Playing Lords of the Fallen
This free-of-charge multiplayer experience also alleviates many of the difficulty pains you might experience as you make your way through enemy-infested areas that often feel overtuned (I’m willing to bet many reviewers largely ignored multiplayer). Even if you can’t play through the whole game with a good friend, you should give co-op a go regularly; random players are almost always helpful, since at the very least they’ll get half the enemies off your back. And so far, my experience when fighting bosses is that they don’t get huge buffs when facing against more than one lampbearer. Furthermore, you can even revive allies as if you were in a co-op shooter!
Most of my best memories playing FromSoftware games come from the splendid co-op experience and ill-timed invasions, but I always wished the former were more seamless, and Lords of the Fallen fixes that. Mind you, its solution isn’t the most elegant formally speaking (“press here to create a lobby”, basically) in the context of this very specific genre, but rules are meant to be twisted, changed, and eventually broken. Looking at how Elden Ring already pushed FromSoftware to include an in-game map and make much of the overall experience not as unkind, maybe it’s time to make their renowned multiplayer components easier to get addicted to as well.
