Eerily beautiful horror-fantasy adventure

First of all: I've only been part 4 gambles of the old Castlevania games once briefly. And so I can not speak of disappointed expectations, because I lack the comparison to the series.
Otherwise, I just knew only Castlevania - Lords Of Shadow 1, and I devoured and loved.
And when his successor I felt exactly the same way, although this again makes many different and does have its weaknesses.

But first things first: First of all,

the Story:
This is certainly not a masterpiece of the art of writing, but still enjoyable. You play Gabriel Belmont, the hero from the predecessor who has become Dracula. After a tutorial that still plays in a battle around the Castle of the Prince of Darkness in the time, you wake up in the 21st century weakened - and people have built around our castle a modern city. From old mentor Zobek you will be informed about the fact that the servants of Satan do everything possible to revive their Lord, so that he can conquer the world - and the only previously believed dead Dracula has counter this. Weakened by äonenlangem dead sleep of his powers must, however, first of all regain ...
As I said, nothing special, some entertaining with a few surprising twists that are declared but sometimes not quite logically comprehensible, yet.

Gameplay:
As in the predecessor Lords Of Shadow 2 plays back like a mix of melee action game and climbing and puzzle passages à la Prince Of Persia. The opponent's monsters to defeat again with numerous learnable combos that make the fight never degenerated into dull thrashing. This one has again a standard weapon - the shadow whip, the Vampire Killer to Äuquivalent of LOS1 - and two different magic abilities with also their own, diverse special moves and combo options, as in the predecessor, the light and shadow magic. Here it was the one the emptiness sword with the Void Magic that the opponents withdraws life force and adds one's own health, and the Chaos claws, a fire power, let the break through armor and shields. Both can be used tactically in combat and is often sorely needed.
In many places one gets ahead only by climbing, jumping or puzzle-solving, sometimes not find ways at first glance. And at some point special skills are then asked which one learns at certain points of the game, as the mist form, the double jump or even the ability to transform into a swarm of rats. The latter is, however, only at certain points in the game possible and thus has little enigmatic character - could have been better implemented.
Another skill that can only be used at certain points, which, certain opponents is "accept" to - one simply takes over their mind and can control them a while before they perish and die under the appropriation. That is at some points quite a mystery element and requires some tactical consideration.
New combo skills you learn by distributing experience points, which are obtained by defeating enemies or often from destroyed objects. And both the vitality and the energy bars of the two magic-types can be expanded and increased by the discovery of so-called pain Applicators - which can then easily lead to a collective delusion. Some of these pain-applicators are also to achieve is not always the same when they are found, because it has an ability required for not yet learned. This increases the motivation to visit already played by regions again.
There are additional items, such as the Holy Tears (Healing Potion) or the prisoner demon (sphere that makes infinitely usable for a short time, both types of magic) that you can carry in limited quantities and obtained from fallen foes. By searchable upgrades to the number that you can perform from these objects with increases.
The biggest differences to its predecessor are (but which one always leaves in visions, to visit the old world in Dracula's castle) next to the setting in the modern world nor the fact that you play around the castle in a relatively open world, what a little looks like in Dark Souls, and the boss fights. Although the individual areas in this open world are still tube levels, but they act more coherent and more open than in the predecessor. The boss fights are unfortunately no time überheroischen battles against gigantic monsters more who have no more space on the screen. That's a shame, the fact that it is, however, I noticed only after the end of the game, also shows again that it has not necessarily been missing. Were the struggles against the gigantic bosses in Part 1 rather puzzles than fight, so you then with some bigger, tougher opponents to do it here with more energy, for which one needs a bit of tactics and their weak points you have to find some.
A point, there is also that I find illogical: In the beginning we learn that a certain type of enemy, heavyset guards, deal always secretly you have, because the still weakened forces are not sufficient to allow it to take me with them. The changes, however, also towards the end not when one is already back in full possession of his powers, with which one in the tutorial at the beginning of a whole army (!) Platt makes single-handedly.
Otherwise, the challenges that were associated in the predecessor to the respective levels and which one had to master a 100% Accounts and for bonuses, moved here in an extra mini-game section were. Power for less linear gameplay with its open areas that you already have to visit more than once in some cases, but even more sense but is a bit of a shame, because the challenges in the previous read more motivated to play a level again.
Here you have the collective delusion, but then once every pain applicators found in the section, one is no longer a volunteer in an area, as long as the game does not send a re there.

For graphics:
The game just looks hammermäßig good! This surprises me a little, you had the previous time already must distribute on two DVDs, but here was enough a DVD - without having to accept compromises in the graph. And the eerily sinister game world - whether in the modern city or in Dracula's medieval castle - was not only beautifully decorated with all sorts of details, but even comes on my rather old TV still razor sharp over. The old X-Box360 is actually able to still some power, sometimes I wonder how much better games on the new console generation look like.

All in all, I Castlevania - some long evenings entertained for two weeks Lords Of Shadow. It does have weaknesses, but that's whining at a high level - over trifles. Overall, it's fun to fight through the dark, creepy world, climbing and puzzle. And that you have to use tactically his abilities not only in combat, but also sometimes to get past invincible enemies, and combine, makes the game more interesting and varied. And anyway - it's really cool that you as Dracula Prince of Darkness plays himself!