Lords of the Fallen's Innovative Healing System Elevates the Soulslike Genre

Highlights

The healing mechanics in Lords of the Fallen cleverly leverage the game's dual-worlds to eliminate the reliance on frequent utilization of the healing flask. This innovative approach introduces a strategic element to healing, elevating the gameplay experience.

In Lords of the Fallen, the Umbral realm introduces a unique gray health bar named "Wither" damage. Successfully landing an attack after taking damage replenishes this bar, enabling players to restore health that would otherwise be permanently lost. Players can access the Umbral realm using the Umbral Lantern to recover Wither, effectively avoiding permanent health loss and saving their healing flask charges. This clever exploit serves as a valuable strategy for navigating the game's world and dealing with enemies.

When playing a Soulslike game, there are certain expectations that come with it. These include methodical combat, high difficulty, managing stats and builds, epic boss fights, and the risk of losing experience with repeat deaths. Lords of the Fallen, while heavily influenced by Dark Souls, manages to add its own unique elements to the genre. One standout feature is its innovative healing mechanic, which combines traditional Soulslike mechanics with the game's dual-world system.

Similar to other Soulslike games, Lords of the Fallen provides players with a rechargeable health flask that can be upgraded in the game's hub area and refilled at checkpoints. However, what sets Lords of the Fallen apart is how it utilizes its dual-world system, called the Umbral realm, to allow players to strategically avoid using the healing flask as often as they would in other games. This clever approach to healing not only benefits observant players but also sets a precedent for future Soulslike games to consider.

The Umbral Realm Adds a Layer of Strategy to Healing in Lords of the Fallen

Similar to other Soulslike games such as Bloodborne and even games like Remnant: From The Ashes and Remnant 2 which are Soulslike-adjacent, Lords of the Fallen introduces its own version of a recoverable "gray health" bar called "Wither" damage. When players successfully block an incoming attack, instead of taking damage to their health bar, it is converted into Wither damage, causing the bar to turn gray. By landing an attack after sustaining Wither damage, players can heal it and restore the health bar to its standard red color. However, if they are hit by an enemy without blocking, they will experience either more Wither damage or permanent health loss.

The game's dual worlds in Lords of the Fallen add an extra layer of complexity to the health bar and healing mechanics. Shifting into the Umbral realm immediately inflicts Wither damage, requiring players to swiftly attack enemies in order to recover before the health loss becomes permanent. Interestingly, players have the ability to shift to the Umbral realm even after losing health from their health bar permanently in the material realm of Axiom, and witness it being restored as Wither damage. Essentially, traveling to the Umbral realm allows players to prevent the conversion of Wither damage into permanent health loss.

Players have the ability to reverse any mistakes that lead to permanent health loss from Wither damage by swiftly utilizing the Umbral Lantern to transport into the realm and restore their health, cleverly exploiting the game mechanics instead of using their healing flask. However, this tactic is only applicable in areas where there is a corpse to travel back to Axiom, and cannot be used in boss arenas. Nonetheless, it is an incredibly useful trick that players can employ in the expansive world of the game while battling enemies and advancing their character's level. In Lords of the Fallen, where healing charges can be scarce at some checkpoints, careful rationing is crucial.

What sets Lords of the Fallen apart from other Soulslikes is its innovative approach to a simple mechanic like managing health and healing the player character, turning it into a strategic element that requires players to navigate the game world with caution. The game's use of two interconnected worlds enhances this aspect, elevating features that would otherwise be overlooked in other games and fostering a deeper sense of immersion. While other Soulslikes may not necessarily adopt the dual-worlds concept of Lords of the Fallen, incorporating layers of tactics and complexity into traditional designs is a small yet significant step towards advancing the genre.

Lords of the Fallen is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.