PixlBit

Reverie was the first DLC released for Lords of Shadow and is, in my opinion, the more worthwhile of the two. Picking up literally right after the end of the core game, we find Gabriel Belmont contemplating the recent events of his life, when the voice of Laura, the little vampire in Carmilla’s castle, invades his mind and begs him to return to the castle. Gabriel, though disenchanted with the world, decides to heed her call and heads off.

It turns out that when Gabriel destroyed the Lords of Shadow he unwittingly removed the only thing holding an immensely powerful demon below the castle. Laura pleads with Gabriel to make his way to the cage and destroy The Forgotten One once and for all.

The story-book style narration and in-engine cutscenes from the original are partially replaced here with storyboard-style motion scenes. While impressively illustrated, it’s a little jarring to suddenly see them replace what came before, and I did so miss the soothing tones of Patrick Stewart.

This DLC is short, maybe two to three hours long, and consists mainly of puzzles. These are the highlight of the experience. They aren’t very difficult, fairly easy in fact if you just take a moment to sort them out before you start, and every one is unique and suited to its specific area of the castle.

Gabriel has to work his way through the Founder’s Quarters with Laura, (the Founders being the Lords of Shadow before they became evil) searching for the keys to open the portal. But you don’t just travel with Laura; several times you get to control her. These sections are pretty fun, as she plays similarly to Gabriel but feels like her own character. She casts lightning at her enemies and when she dodges she dissipates into a cloud of mist and bats.

The problem with Reverie is that if you are not incredibly precise and patient then you’re going to die a lot. Especially if you’re like me and haven’t played the core game since it was released.. The first new area you reach is so full of one-hit-kill traps that if you try to rush through it you are going to be replaying it several times.

The other big problem is the price. $9.99 for roughly two hours play time is steep. I’d recommend you pay for this one over its counterpart, but really think about whether or not it’s worth it for you.