Lords of the Fallen II
2026·CI Games
About this game
Look, I'll be upfront about my relationship with soulslikes. I love them deeply and completely - until I'm staring at a death screen for the hundredth time on the same boss, at which point I question every life decision that led me to this moment. So naturally, when Lords of the Fallen II was announced at Gamescom 2025, my reaction was equal parts excitement and mild dread. Here we go again. Developed by Hexworks and published by CI Games, the sequel was revealed with a cinematic trailer during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025, and it's been building momentum ever since. The story is set a thousand years after the events of the first game, in a world where the veil between the living realm of Axiom and the grotesque mirror dimension known as Umbral has grown dangerously thin. The Gods themselves are apparently hiding in fear - which is never a reassuring sign for anyone who has to actually walk through this world on foot. The signature dual-realm mechanic returns, and Hexworks has gone out of their way to address one of the main criticisms of the original - the Umbral timer. The old system forced you to rush or grind against a ticking clock whenever you dipped into the realm of the dead. That's gone now. In its place is something arguably more terrifying: a dynamic, reactive system where the longer you stay in Umbral, the harder it pushes back. Enemies in the living world can now mutate mid-fight into something far worse, and the dead realm bleeds into Axiom in ways that feel genuinely unpredictable rather than mechanical. They're calling it Umbral 2.0, and it sounds like the kind of change that will keep even veteran players permanently on edge. On top of that overhaul, the sequel is reportedly five times larger than its predecessor in terms of world size. New biomes have been revealed including Ysiguen - a sprawling region inspired by Asian mythology, complete with twisted pagoda towers and a towering lightning-infused dragon boss named Lingao the Souring Storm. Weapon variety has expanded too, with scythes and a brand new katana class both confirmed, the latter being one of the most requested additions from the community since the first game launched. Co-op is fully supported with shared campaign progression, and the combat overall looks snappier and more aggressive - faster animations, tighter stagger rules, and boss design described as explicitly punishing hesitation. So basically a game built to target every personal weakness I have. The game is targeting a Fall 2026 release across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and - announced just yesterday at the Nintendo Direct - Nintendo Switch 2, marking the first time the series has ever appeared on a Nintendo platform. I will absolutely play this. I will also absolutely die repeatedly in the most humiliating ways possible. And I genuinely cannot wait.
