Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is an action-adventure game from 2014, created by MercurySteam and released by Konami. It continues the story of the 2010 game *Castlevania: Lords of Shadow*, which had rebooted the long-running series. The player controls a weakened Dracula across both medieval and modern environments on a mission to stop his old foe, Satan. Critics gave the game mixed reviews, commending the combat and visuals while finding fault with the story and the sections that force stealth.

The player character is Gabriel Belmont, now known as Dracula. At the start, he has all his powers and weapons. His main tool is the Shadow Whip, similar to the Combat Cross from the first game. Instead of the earlier magic system, Dracula wields the Void Sword, which restores health, and the Chaos Claws, which break enemy defenses and deal heavy damage. He can also turn into a rat to sneak or travel through vents, become mist to pass through bars or glide, briefly possess enemies to open secure doors, and drink blood to heal. The story mode is much longer than the previous game’s. The world is open, letting players choose their path, and the camera can be moved freely—a change from the fixed camera in the first *Lords of Shadow*.

The plot begins with a recap of *Lords of Shadow* and *Mirror of Fate*, showing Gabriel’s change into Dracula, his killing and reviving of his son Trevor (now called Alucard), and his encounter with his grandson Simon. In the 16th century, knights attack Dracula’s castle. He defeats them but is then confronted by the resurrected Trevor/Alucard. Centuries later, Dracula wakes up weak and starving in a modern cathedral, with no memory of how he got there. His former enemy Zobek warns him that Satan is returning and offers Dracula his old weapon, the Vampire Killer, in exchange for stopping the acolytes who are trying to bring Satan back. To regain his strength, Dracula must reclaim his castle, though the cursed blood that sustains it tries to stop him. He gets help from Zobek’s bodyguard, the ghost of his wife Marie, and a younger version of Trevor. He also meets the Brotherhood of Light and its leader, Victor Belmont.

After destroying two acolytes, Dracula prepares to ambush the third but is stopped by the bodyguard, who triggers a flashback to his last fight with Alucard.