Best described as a dark fairy tale, Lords of Shadow casts the player as the mysterious Gabriel. At its heart it is a vast third-person-viewed adventure, but combat and puzzle solving also play a major part in the main quest, while dark artifacts can be used to enhance Gabriel’s powers.

Lords of Shadow also utilises a unique multi-functional weapon system called the Combat Cross, wherein Gabriel’s favored armament can serve a multitude of purposes. For ranged attacks, an extendible chain can cause major carnage but also grip enemies, for melee the Combat Cross can be extended into a stabbing weapon, or changed into a heavier night stick style device for defensive capabilities.

With a play area that spans forest glades, underground catacombs and snowy wastelands, Lords of Shadow is a key title for Konami. It represents the most ambitious offering from the European Product Planning department to date, with the beautiful visuals married to fine-tuned gameplay that features a wide range of monstrous enemies and huge, screen-filling boss creatures.

“Lords of Shadow is a momentous title for us,” commented Dave Cox, Executive Producer and Head of Product Planning for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “Every element of the game pushes the host hardware to its limits, with Mercury Steam producing a game that has breath-taking visuals, incredible cinematic qualities, and varied and engrossing gameplay. It is truly an epic game but telling a human and emotive story. This is a title we hope will set a new standard for action-adventure titles