Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Steelbook) (Xbox 360)

In this follow-up to the 2010 game Lords of Shadow and its 3DS sequel Mirror of Fate, players once again take control of Gabriel Belmont, now better known as the Prince of Darkness, Dracula.

One thousand years after his victory over the Lords of Shadow and Satan himself, at the cost of his own humanity, Dracula is visited by his old “friend” Zobek, bringing dire news. Satan is about to return, and only Dracula can stop him and his minions from destroying the world. If he succeeds, Zobek promises to free him from the curse of immortality. But before Dracula can take the fight to Satan’s acolytes, he will have to recover his old powers.

As its predecessor, Lords of Shadow 2 combines exploration of 3D environments (now with full control of the camera), melee combat and platforming sequences. Instead of a linear succession of levels, however, Lords of Shadow 2 offers a semi-open structure, more similar in spirit to Symphony of the Night. The game alternates between sequences set in modern-day Wygol City, as Dracula tries to undermine the efforts of Satan’s acolytes, and dreamlike visits to Dracula’s castle. The Prince of Darkness must explore the now-hostile fortress to locate his lost powers and other upgrades.

New gameplay features include a new set of weapons and abilities for the protagonist, like the Void Sword capable of draining the enemies’ health and the Chaos Claws used to break armours and other destructible objects. Dracula can also use various vampire powers, such as drinking blood to restore his health, or turning into a plague of rats during stealth sequences.