<s>
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
Lords	I-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
2010	O
game	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
Lords	I-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
,	O
and	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
takes	O
place	O
after	O
the	O
original	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
but	O
this	O
time	O
through	O
an	O
open	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
2	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
opinions	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
while	O
it	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
combat	O
and	O
visuals	O
,	O
the	O
narrative	O
and	O
forced	O
stealth	O
gameplay	O
were	O
criticized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dracula	O
's	O
main	O
weapon	O
is	O
his	O
Shadow	O
Whip	O
,	O
a	O
weapon	O
that	O
is	O
comparable	O
to	O
the	O
Combat	O
Cross	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
mode	O
in	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
2	I-Application
has	O
been	O
stated	O
to	O
be	O
far	O
longer	O
than	O
the	O
previous	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
2	I-Application
features	O
a	O
movable	O
camera	O
,	O
something	O
that	O
was	O
not	O
available	O
in	O
its	O
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
starts	O
out	O
with	O
a	O
recap	O
of	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
and	O
Mirror	B-Application
of	I-Application
Fate	I-Application
,	O
detailing	O
Gabriel	O
Belmont	O
's	O
(	O
Robert	O
Carlyle	O
)	O
transformation	O
into	O
Dracula	O
and	O
his	O
encounters	O
with	O
his	O
son	O
,	O
Trevor	O
(	O
Richard	O
Madden	O
)	O
,	O
whom	O
he	O
kills	O
and	O
subsequently	O
resurrects	O
,	O
and	O
grandson	O
,	O
Simon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dracula	O
then	O
destroys	O
the	O
Mirror	B-Application
of	I-Application
Fate	I-Application
and	O
walks	O
back	O
inside	O
his	O
cathedral	O
with	O
Alucard	O
as	O
the	O
sun	O
rises	O
on	O
the	O
city	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
 '	O
intention	O
was	O
to	O
play	O
as	O
Dracula	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Application
series	O
and	O
conclude	O
the	O
storyline	O
started	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
reducing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
over-reliance	O
on	O
quick	O
time	O
events	O
,	O
removing	O
the	O
fixed	O
camera	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
a	O
360	B-Operating_System
field	O
,	O
and	O
improving	O
the	O
framerate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
also	O
felt	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
was	O
too	O
linear	O
,	O
which	O
introduced	O
another	O
change	O
for	O
the	O
sequel	O
:	O
it	O
will	O
have	O
an	O
open	O
world	O
to	O
give	O
players	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
exploration	O
and	O
avoid	O
transitions	O
between	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
also	O
intended	O
to	O
contrast	O
with	O
other	O
action	O
series	O
such	O
as	O
Tenchu	B-Application
,	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
Kain	I-Application
and	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
had	O
previously	O
done	O
open	O
world	O
games	O
but	O
were	O
disappointed	O
with	O
their	O
quality	O
and	O
believe	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
2	I-Application
will	O
be	O
an	O
improvement	O
over	O
those	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
June	O
2012	O
interview	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
Life	O
regarding	O
Mirror	B-Application
of	I-Application
Fate	I-Application
during	O
E3	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
producer	O
Dave	O
Cox	O
stated	O
there	O
were	O
no	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
Castlevania	B-Application
:	I-Application
Lords	I-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
2	I-Application
on	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
then	O
upcoming	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cox	O
and	O
Konami	O
reaffirmed	O
this	O
several	O
months	O
later	O
after	O
the	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
launched	O
,	O
citing	O
lack	O
of	O
resources	O
for	O
porting	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
12	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
a	O
demo	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	O
Network	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Live	O
and	O
Steam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Álvarez	O
denied	O
the	O
claims	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
stating	O
"	O
Is	O
sad	O
 [ to ] 	O
see	O
people	O
giving	O
credit	O
to	O
the	O
lies	O
and	O
insults	O
from	O
an	O
enraged	O
ex-worker.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
25	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
and	O
only	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
episode	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
entitled	O
"	O
Revelations	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Armored	O
Dracula	O
provides	O
a	O
different	O
look	O
for	O
Dracula	O
's	O
clothes	O
,	O
resembling	O
the	O
clothing	O
the	O
character	O
wore	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
,	O
but	O
with	O
a	O
more	O
armored	O
appearance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
too	O
enjoyed	O
the	O
boss	O
fights	O
,	O
but	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
standard	O
enemy	O
designs	O
were	O
"	O
bland	O
and	O
boring	O
"	O
and	O
some	O
did	O
not	O
fit	O
the	O
Castlevania	B-Application
series	O
at	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Play	O
felt	O
similarly	O
,	O
writing	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
surpassed	O
the	O
original	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
in	O
its	O
visuals	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
"	O
grey	O
and	O
familiar	O
"	O
modern	O
day	O
settings	O
failed	O
to	O
"	O
match	O
the	O
majesty	O
"	O
of	O
Dracula	O
's	O
castle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
's	O
Digital	O
Foundry	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
technical	O
performance	O
across	O
the	O
three	O
platforms	O
,	O
comparing	O
it	O
favourably	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	O
Foundry	O
felt	O
that	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
versions	O
both	O
offered	O
"	O
the	O
same	O
graphical	O
and	O
gameplay	O
experience	O
throughout	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
"	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
run	O
at	O
60fps	O
easily	O
makes	O
the	O
PC	O
game	O
the	O
most	O
attractive.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Álvarez	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
poorer	O
critical	O
response	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
was	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
heightened	O
expectations	O
of	O
a	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tony	O
Vilgotsky	O
wrote	O
in	O
Darker	O
magazine	O
that	O
Lords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Shadow	I-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
dark	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
