Lords of the Fallen 2has seen a troubled development to say the least, with the game being trapped in development hell for the past few years. The sequel to the firstLords of the Fallenis not being abandoned yet, though, as a new studio has been formed to tackle the development ofLords of the Fallen 2.
Known as Hexworks, the team is built up of developers with prior AAA experience. They’ll bereplacing previous developer Defiant StudiosforLords of the Fallen 2’sdevelopment, and the new team seems focused on getting the game right and pleasing fans of the Soulsborne games. As stated within a press release, Hexworks opened its doors in both Barcelona and Bucharest back in March. Since then, they have been hard at work on creating a superior sequel.
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The last time it was discussed publicly,Lords of the Fallen 2was confirmed to be releasing on next gen consoles. That is still the case according to Hexworks, with a PC version of the game on the way as well. The studio discussed that it is taking more of an indie approach regarding the game’s development, which is why it has kept quiet despite having made good progress on the game.
It is exciting to hear something about the game, though, asLords of the Fallen 2was supposed to release way back in 2017. When Deck 13 found success with theSurgeseries, however, the sequel to the original Fantasy RPG was passed on from developer to developer. The studio’s creative director, Cezar Virtosu, shared that COVID-19 has impacted development, as “it is challenging to develop combat focused games remotely.” Virtosu ensured that the Hexworks team is up to the challenge, however, as the development team is made up of “massive Soulsborne fans” that are eager to get the game right.
The originalLords of the Fallendipped its toe into the Soulsborne formula, but never fully committed. As such, it isnot placed highly on many best Soulslike rankings, largely due to the game’s struggle to forge its own identity. Hexworks seems ready to right that wrong, however, as it is taking “community feedback from the first game” into consideration when making the “shift from the original’s power fantasy to a dark fantasy.” According to Hexworks, the sequel will be far more challenging than the first in terms of combat, with the game’s target group being the “Soulsborne and Souls-like communities that the developers themselves are a part of."
With theDark Soulsseries concluded and From Software working (very) quietly onElden Ring, the Soulslike genre has become more popular than ever. Fans of the incredibly challenging and rewardingSoulsgames are always looking for more titles like them, and withnewer Soulslike games likeMortal Shellsuccessfully replicating the formula,Lords of the Fallen 2has a real chance at being a success if done right.
Lords of the Fallen 2is in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.
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