A 20-minute gameplay preview for the new Lords of the Fallen has dropped, and my cautious optimism has officially entered the realm of excitement for its October 13 release date. I've been keeping tabs on this year's soulslikes—I like getting my digital face flattened into the pavement, doesn't matter where it's from—yet Lords of the Fallen had, until today, been just a small blip on my radar. That's changed, because this all looks exactly like my jam.
A modern reimagining of 2014's middling spin on the formula, 2023's Lords of the Fallen looks to correct the mistakes of its predecessor by getting freaky with both setting and mechanics. Gone are the 2014 game's clumsy, weighty animations—it's all been replaced by zippy-looking action that's pulled a page from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
