History VideoGame / CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow2

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Surprisingly ''yes'', for a series that contains such tragedy. It was a long time coming, but Gabriel finally redeems himself by killing Zobek, avenging Marie in the process, then goes on to kill Satan for good. But God only knows how many people are dead from the virus released by the acolytes, and Victor is dead too, having sacrificed himself to lure one of the acolytes out of hiding and leaving Gabriel and Alucard as the last living Belmonts. Gabriel has also earned Alucard's forgiveness and [[LivingForeverIsAwesome decides he wants to live and see what the future holds next]]. And as long as Gabriel and his son do live, the future looks bright indeed for humanity.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: It was a long time coming, but Gabriel redeems himself by killing Zobek, avenging Marie in the process, and killing Satan for good. But God only knows how many people are dead from the virus released by the acolytes, and Victor is dead too, having sacrificed himself to lure one of the acolytes out of hiding and leaving Gabriel and Alucard as the last living Belmonts. But as long as they live, the future looks bright for humanity.]]

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The protagonist of this game is a ruthless vampire lord, but he fights against Satan who is even ''worse''.

* ''VideoGame/ChzoMythos'': This happens twice.

-->-- '''Dracula'''

-->'''Dracula:''' I am the only one who lives forever!

-->'''Satan:''' If I cannot rule the world of men... ''then no one will!''

-->'''Raisa Volkova:''' We killed Him and His precious son! And you two are next!

* FiveBadBand: Naturally.
** BigBad: Lucifer the Fallen, for self-explanatory reasons.
** TheDragon: Guido Szandor, Satan's third acolyte, is the one in charge of the CorruptChurch and the ReligionOfEvil, both of which contribute to Satan's power.
** TheBrute: Abaddon, a fallen angel in charge of all the lesser demons accountable for the HellOnEarth.
** EvilGenius: Nergal Meslamstea, Satan's second acolyte and an EvilSorcerer who had brainwashed the national police force into serving him.
** DarkChick: Raisa Volkova, the first acolyte and the head of a pharmaceutical corporation responsible for turning people into soldiers worthy of her father.

* NormalFishInTinyPond: Inverted. Nergal is such a powerful opponent on Earth that Dracula has to lure him into Castlevania so they can fight on equal ground.

** Although Dracula is pretty much a demigod who can go toe-to-toe with Satan himself and come out on top, he is incapable of defeating Golgoth guards in straight-up combat and must always sneak past or avoid fighting them if they do spot him.

* OneManArmy: Dracula is shown wiping out half a million knights by himself.

** The map rooms that Dracula uses to warp around the city and castle look like they were taken right out of the opening credits to ''LiveActionTV/GameOfThrones''.

** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen A scrapped concept]] for the game involved Satan having [[OneWingedAngel a second form]] of a [[Literature/BookOfRevelation crowned, seven-headed beast]].

* KillTheGod: [[spoiler:Gabriel ''[[CessationOfExistence kills Satan]]'' at the end of the game.]]

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: Castlevania City looks like any other real-life urban environment which makes sense, considering all magic has been relegated to the footnotes of world history.

''Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2'' is an action adventure game developed by [[VideoGame/CliveBarkersJericho Mercury Steam]] published by {{Creator/Konami}} for UsefulNotes/{{PS3}}, UsefulNotes/XBox360 and PC, and the sequel to the 2010 ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' ContinuityReboot OriginsEpisode ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' (aka ''God of War'' in Europe with friggin' werewolves). It was released in North America on February 25, 2014; Europe on February 27; and the UK on February 28; a demo was included for free with the download of ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadowMirrorOfFate Mirror of Fate HD]]''.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Of an odd sort, [[spoiler: with Zobek/Death. Granted, in the original continuity Death has always been a villain, but he was also a close ally of Dracula's, with the games often referring to him as Dracula's confidante. In this game, he's an undeniable EnemyMine to Dracula who cares nothing for anyone and is pretty clearly manipulating Dracula for his own personal gain. Death does occasionally refer to Dracula as 'friend,' but in a way that is practically dripping with venom.]]
* AdaptationalWimp: Played straight with Abaddon. In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'' Abaddon was a locust demon with the ability to [[MookMaker summon swarms of insects against you]]. Even a single rush of his swarm could stun-lock and potentially kill you, leading many players to consider him ThatOneBoss. ''Lords Of Shadow 2'''s version is just a generic demon of the fallen angel variety. He's a very ''big'' generic demon, mind you, but not really special and is generally considered a BreatherBoss despite him being immune to Dracula's GameBreaker Whirlwind move.
* AIBreaker: A downplayed one present in Agreus' hideout. Getting caught into his vision cone will cause the faun to bellow and rush you. But achieving this ''purposefully'' and then using the mist form or your own agility to evade him will yield Agreus... skulking away from your position, frequently to the other side of the garden which, obviously, gives you a ''whole lot'' of time to finish up the puzzle. 

** The memorials found in-game imply that four hundred years had passed between Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2's prologue, during which Dracula ran rampant. The scrolls also seem to indicate that the year the game takes place in [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2057]].
** Producer Dave Cox has clarified a few story points on his Twitter account, such as [[spoiler: the fact that Satan was [[CessationOfExistence killed off for good]], that Gabriel saw his destiny in the Mirror before shattering it, and that he is now the master of the Earth]].

* AlwaysNight: Justified, as the entire game takes place in a [[ExtremelyShortTimespan single night]]. However, it is heavily implied that the shadow encompassing the castle is [[WeatherManipulation artificially]] [[TheNightThatNeverEnds created.]] 
* AnotherSideAnotherStory: The DLC is an add-on story campaign that focuses on what Alucard was doing before and during the main game. 

* BackFromTheDead: 

** Another appropriate one from the daughter of Satan to both Gabriel and Zobek, considering God's continual absence from the apocalyptic equation. 
-->'''Raisa Volkova:''' We killed Him and His precious son! And you two are next! 

* BiblicalMotifs: Golly, where to even start? 
** The armor-clad brutes you encounter early in the game are called ''Golgoth'' Guards. Golgotha was the name of the site where Jesus Christ was crucified. 
** The first boss you clash with, a paladin by the name of Roland de Ronceval, bears an inexplicit resemblance to ArchangelMichael, stature and portrayal wise. 

** A scrapped concept for the game involved Satan having a second form of a [[Literature/BookOfRevelation crowned, seven-headed beast]]. 
** [[FallenAngel Dracula himself]].

* BlackSpeech: The language spoken by Satan's demons. The fact that that it is immediately translated via subtitles and that Dracula responds to the [[BossInMookClothing Train Demon]]'s taunt, confirms that he understands it. 

* BloodMagic: 

* BrutalBonusLevel: The Kleidos Challenges are similar to the first game's trials, but have a twist. You have to fulfill ''multiple'' (as opposed to ''Lords of Shadow'' only) criteria and ''survive'' to unlock the next challenge. Fortunately, they don't involve any specific [[TimedMission platforming-time trials]], but they're still a lot more difficult than that rest of the game. 
* ButThouMust: It is impossible to avoid the slaughter of an innocent family in the beginning of the main game. Refusing leads to a... ''[[IncrediblyLamePun fiery]]'' NonstandardGameOver. 

* CityNoir: The modern-day city you get to explore is this, rife with corruption, decay, indoctrinated political leaders and police force who are just puppets in the hands of the Satan's [[CoDragons children]]. 
* ColossusClimb: 

** [[spoiler: The Gorgon]] too has be scaled in order to reach each of her heads.
** [[spoiler: The final battle begins with another, much shorter climb up the Leviathan.]]
* ContinuityNod: 

** [[spoiler: The beast Satan summons is called Leviathan. You might remember its man-eating spawn swimming through the depths of the castle in the first game's ''Reverie'' DLC.]]

* CreepyCathedral: Beside being decrepit and dusty, the walled-off floor of the old stone church Dracula wakes up in is covered in demonic-looking statues. 

* DamageIncreasingDebuff: Some of the Void Sword's attacks, like Blizzard, Icy Crest, and Hoarfrost Fog accomplish this. Not only do they freeze the target into a solid block, but also make any other attack with the whip or the claws inflict greater damage for a limited time. 
* DarkerAndEdgier: Taken even further than the first game. If the first game's moral conflict could be summed up in Light Gray vs. Black, then this game is beyond question a very, very Dark Gray vs. Black.

** The same type of reprise can be heard during the latter parts of the [[spoiler: final battle against Satan.]]
* DemonicPossession: 

** There's also the Ensnared Demon, which is stated to be a {{steampunk}} battery that is [[MagicPoweredPseudoscience fueled]] by, you guessed it[[SealedEvilInACan a captured demon]].

** [[spoiler: Leviathan, an ancient, godlike beast imprisoned by Satan for thousands of years. He plans to destroy the world with it.]]
** [[spoiler: Inner Dracula, also known as a blob of blood given a purpose and sentience.]]
* EldritchLocation: The [[LoadingScreen transition areas]] between the castle and the city, the blood-soaked arena conjured by [[spoiler: Inner Dracula]], and the final battle which takes place on ''[[spoiler: the Leviathan's decapitated head]]'' definitely qualify. 
* EmpathicEnvironment: ''Aplenty''. AlwaysNight, GraveClouds, and [[spoiler: CueTheSun]] are just the crown of a glacier of ''Lords of Shadow 2''[='s=] environmental symbolism. 

* FinishingStomp: Done to [[spoiler: the second Acolyte]]. Also combines with YourHeadAsplode.
* FiveBadBand: Naturally. 
** BigBad: Lucifer the Fallen, for self-explanatory reasons. 
** TheDragon: Guido Szandor, Satan's third acolyte, is the one in charge of the CorruptChurch and the ReligionOfEvil both of which contribute to Satan's power. 
** TheBrute: Abaddon, a fallen angel in charge of all the lesser demons accountable for the HellOnEarth. 
** EvilGenius: Nergal Meslamstea, Satan's second acolyte and an EvilSorcerer who had brainwashed the national police force into serving him. 
** DarkChick: Raisa Volkova, the first acolyte and the head of a pharmaceutical corporation responsible for turning people into soldiers worthy of her father. 
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: 

** Although Dracula is pretty much demigod who can go toe-to-toe with Satan himself and come out on top, he is incapable of defeating Golgoth guards in straight up combat and must always sneak past or avoid fighting them if they do spot him.
* GasMaskMooks: The [[EliteMook Riot Police]] all wear pseudo-GP-5 gas masks. Justified, as, by the time you run across them, there will be a [[SyntheticPlague manufactured virus]] blanketing the city. 

** All prayers and/or chants are predominantly in Latin. 

* GrievousHarmWithABody: Dungeon Jailers can attack by grabbing and hurling a minion at you. They make the toonish 'poing!' sound effect when they bounce off the walls.

* HeroAntagonist: Both the Brotherhood of Light and the Belmonts, with the latter being a clan of heroes who have sworn to destroy you. They are also [[AntagonisticOffspring your descendants]]. [[spoiler: In reality, however, the last Belmont, Victor, becomes far more open-minded when Gabriel offers his aid.]]

* HopelessBossFight: After waking up in the present day, Dracula stumbles upon one of Satan's demons. At this point Dracula is blood-starved from being asleep for several centuries and can barely attack or dodge. Zobek's bodyguard winds up bailing you out right before it can deliver the finishing blow.

* HyperspaceArsenal: It is quite amusing to witness Dracula tuck the [[spoiler: recovered Vampire Killer]], which is almost as long as his shin, inside his coat with no difficulty whatsoever. ''Beside'' all of his remaining relics.
* IAmTheNoun: Both Dracula and later [[spoiler: his doppelganger]] love this trope.

* ImmediateSequel: The game starts at the end of Lords of Shadow's epilogue. Played with, however, in that the sequel game to the main plot of the first game, ''Mirror of Fate'', is a long time before this one. This serves as an immediate sequel to the DistantFinale of the first game, but not to the gameplay.

** [[spoiler: In fact, this is how the majority of bosses die as well.]]
* InfantImmortality: Zigzagged with young!Trevor. Early on in the main story you're expected to protect him from the frenzied Dishonored Vampires, and during that sequence, Trevor's unkillable. That being said, it is still possible for him to die if you loiter and let the vampires slit his throat via a scripted grip attack.

* KillTheGod: [[spoiler: Gabriel ''[[CessationOfExistence kills Satan]]'' at the end of the game]].

** As a code, it allows accessing the Cheat Menu. Entering it during the loading screen makes Dracula (or Alucard in ''Revelations'') wink at the player themselves. 

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Dracula suffers from this at first, [[spoiler: but manages to remember everything by the finale of the game.]]
* LateArrivalSpoiler: 

** Somewhat averted with Zobek. From the trailers and first couple of hours of gameplay, it's clear he's a much darker character than the noble knight he initially presented himself as, but it's not outright shown that he's in fact [[spoiler: the third Lord of Shadow]], which was arguably the first game's big reveal.
* LevelMapDisplay: A plain automap is filled in as the player progresses; unfortunately it's two-dimensional, shows only a few rooms at a time, and the only alternative view is a ''drawing'' of the castle or city that does not show level geometry.
* LimitBreak: The Dragon Talisman: When you have five dragon scales, using it causes Dracula to go into a cutscene where he turns into a dragon made of shadows and chaos, before crashing down and doing damage that will kill just about everything in the game short of boss in one hit. It also makes Dracula invincible and locks him into stronger than normal chaos claws for about half a minute after.

* MemoryGambit: The entire plot of ''Lords of Shadow 2'' is based on one of these. [[spoiler: During the prologue, Alucard convinced Dracula to fake his own death because he knows it's the only thing that would cause both Zobek and Satan to come out into the open, allowing Dracula to destroy them both in one fell swoop. LaserGuidedAmnesia would accompany that fake death. The “memory” part of the gambit played out when Gabriel teamed up with Zobek: Death couldn't read his blanked-out memories.]]`
* MundaneUtility: 

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the beginning of the game the blood-starved Dracula murders and drains an innocent family. After he's restored, he peers into the room, sees what he's done, and turns away his head in shame.
* MythologyGag: 

** [[spoiler:Inner Dracula's]] first form bears an unearthly resemblance to [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Menace.]] 
** The head of the Bernhard Family first encountered in ''Lords of Shadow 1'' was named [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence Walter]]. 

** The icon of the “Start the Path” achievement/trophy features Dracula's classic 8-bit sprite from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaI''. 

** When you first encounter Nergal Meslamstea, he begins subjecting Dracula to [[AgonyBeam electric torture]]. If you don't limp away from him [[spoiler: and lure him to Castlevania where he's weak enough to even the odds]], you get a cutscene where Dracula is set on fire as Nergal [[DraggedOffToHell opens a portal to Hell for Satan to capture him.]]

* NothingButSkulls: The [[LethalLavaLand City of the Damned]] is practically littered with countless, deformed skulls. Skulls also represent Dracula's and Alucard's available experience points. 

* PoweredArmor: Some of the enemies wear such armor, with medieval design touches. [[spoiler: Alucard also wears such a suit - not that he needs it, but it obscures his identity until TheReveal and makes him look badass even with the helmet off.]]

** Dracula's rat transformation is very similar to a scene from ''Film/BramStokersDracula''. Another similarity to a scene from that movie is the cutscene [[spoiler: after Carmilla is defeated]], where Dracula pets the white wolf that transports him between the city and castle while Marie watches.
** When Dracula and Victor have to jump out a window to get a momentary respite from Abbadon, the way Victor jumps, combined with his white hooded ensemble makes him very closely resemble [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed an assassin.]]
*** Additionally, when leading Dracula up to the back entrance into the underground catacombs where the survivors are living, Victor uses Parkour after double jumping up a series of beams. More specifically, He uses the [[Franchise/PrinceofPersia Prince's]] wall run before diving onto balcony.

* SpotTheImposter: [[spoiler: Towards the end of Carmilla's chapter, Dracula is put into a Spot the Imposter scenario with his wife Marie and Carmilla pretending to be Marie. It's fairly obvious which one is the fake, since Carmilla still talks like TheVamp.]]

* ATasteOfPower: You get to see a full powered Dracula destroying entire armies through opening tutorial, but then have to reacquire all those abilities as a weakened Dracula in modern day.

* UnexpectedGameplayChange: Stealth sections. Zobek explains that due to your current weakness, any encounters with the heavily-armored Golgoth Guards will be best approached with stealth rather than brute force. But then that's applied to ''every'' section where these Guard come along. Presumably even with all of his power intact, Dracula still doesn't have the necessary strength and experience recalled to face them [[spoiler:until just before the FinalBoss, when no more Golgoth Guards appear]].
* UnexplainedRecovery: 
** It's never really explained how Zobek survived [[spoiler: seemingly being killed off by Satan]] at the end of the first game, though it is heavily implied that he is just as undead as Dracula. 

* UnholyGround: What common folk thinks of Dracula's castle and the wasteland surrounding it. [[HumansAreSurvivors The first settlers dared set foot onto it only in the middle of eighteen century.]]

* UnwinnableByDesign: It is physically impossible to [[spoiler: uncover the hideout of the third Acolyte before Alucard. ''Even'' if you dart to the Cathedral ''right after'' you defeat Zobek and disregard any optional fight on your way, – the quickest way being warping to the Arts District using the Downtown Map Room, and then backtracking through the museum – Alucard would still be waiting for you to turn up.]]
* UrbanFantasy: Much of the game involves you playing as an immortal vampire in modern day.
* UselessUsefulSpell: The Bat Swarm sounds fascinating on paper, but in practice it's going to the shelved really quickly. Most of the more powerful enemies are outright immune to it, so it leaves you with the weakest of the mooks to use it on. But even then, there are two outcomes. Either the blinded/stunned enemy will remain fixed in place trying to shake the bats off, or the opposite, go berserk and start running about, ramming into anyone it its way. Yes, than includes you, which is obviously more bad than good. The one good thing about the Swarm is that after it wears off, the mook in question will immediately enter the “low-health/grapple-able” phase (regardless of its hit points), thus allowing you to run up to it and execute it with a finisher.
* VampireBitesSuck: 

** Alucard gets a subverted version of this, preferring to first slice open his victim's throat with his Crissaegrim and only then either feed or lick the blood off the blade.

* IamTheNoun: Both Dracula and later [[spoiler: his doppelganger]] love this trope.

* MemoryGambit: The entire plot of ''Lords of Shadow 2'' is based on one of these. [[spoiler: During the prologue, Alucard convinced Dracula to fake his own death because he knows it's the only thing that would cause both Zobek and Satan to come out into the open, allowing Dracula to destroy them both in one fell swoop. LaserGuidedAmnesia would accompany that fake death. The “memory” part of the gambit played out when Gabriel teamed up with Zobek: Death couldn't read his blanked-out memories.]]`

** When you first encounter Nergal Meslamstea, he begins subjecting Dracula to [[AgonyBeam electric torture]]. If you don't limp away from him [[spoiler: and lure him to Castlevania where he's weak enough to even the odds]], you get a cutscene where Dracula is set on fire as Nergal opens a portal to Hell for Satan to capture him.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Lots.

** The Lair of the Gorgon Sisters, being a single block suspended on chains above a pit, strongly resembles an Inferno faction's outpost building from [[VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic Heroes of Might and Magic V]].

* HauntedCastle: Bernard Castle, an centuries old keep filled with a FantasyKitchenSink of monsters and spirits.

* RipVanWinkle: After an encounter with Alucard in the Middle Ages, Dracula is comatose for centuries until 21st century comes around. As a result, he loses many of his memories and powers, and has to retrieve them.

* HeroAntagonist: The Belmonts, a clan of heroes who are sworn to destroy you. They are also [[AntagonisticOffspring your descendants]].
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: A continuing theme from the [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow first game]].
** The once heroic Dracula has become a monstrous GodOfEvil.
** The Belmonts have become so obsessed with restoring their honor that they're willing to doom the world as long as it means killing Dracula.
** Friedrich Nietzsche's TropeNamer quote is also invoked.

* HideYourChildren: Averted. One of Dracula's first acts upon waking up in the 21st century is to butcher a young girl and her parents to revive himself. The girl's actual death isn't shown, but her scream (and her corpse) leave no doubt.
* HopelessBossFight: Inverted in the prologue; Dracula can't take damage from ''anything'' (because he's Dracula, and Dracula is ''that'' powerful), so while the Golden Paladin can juggle you a bit, there's absolutely no chance he can actually kill you.
** Played straight in the scene after; Dracula wakes up in the present day and stumbles upon a demon. At this point Dracula is blood-starved from being asleep for several centuries and can barely attack or dodge. Zobek's bodyguard winds up bailing you out right before it delivers the finishing blow.

* IAmTheNoun:

* AnIcePerson: The Primal Void Gem allows Dracula's Void Sword to shoot clouds of ice that freeze enemies on contact.

* ImmediateSequel: The game starts at the end of Lords of Shadow's epilogue. Played with, however, in that the sequel game to the main plot of the first game, "Mirror of Fate", is a long time before this one. This serves as an immediate sequel to the DistantFinale of the first game, but not to the gameplay.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice:
** Dracula impales a monster through the head with his sword after it grabs his son.
** When Dracula performs a finishing move on a harpy, he will often impale her with her own spear.
** The ways in which [[spoiler:Past!Carmilla, Zobek, and Satan]] die.

** As a code, it allows accessing the Cheat Menu. Entering it during the loading screen makes Dracula (or Alucard in ''Revelations'') wink at the player themselves.
** In-universe, one of the knights attacking Dracula's castle went insane and was going over a ritual that involved all of the steps, with "grab the air" for B and "jump" for A. [[TooDumbToLive He fell to his death while attempting it.]]

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Dracula can't even remember his name when he first wakes up.
* LateArrivalSpoiler:

** Somewhat averted with Zobek. From the trailers and first couple of hours of gameplay, it's clear he's a much darker character than the noble knight he initially presented himself as, but it's not outright shown that he's in fact [[spoiler: the third Lord of Shadow]], which was arguably the first game's big Reveal.
* LevelMapDisplay: A less-than useful automap is filled in as the player progresses; unfortunately it's two-dimensional, only shows a few rooms at a time, and the only alternative view is a ''drawing'' of the castle or city that does not show level geometry.
* LimitBreak: The Dragon Talisman: When you have five dragon scales, using it causes Dracula to go into a cutscene where he turns into a dragon made of shadows and chaos, before crashing down and doing damage that will kill just about everything in the game short of boss in one hit. After the cutscene ends, Dracula either remains in his dragon form for a while, becoming invincible and with a new and devestating moveset, or if the arena is too small for his true form, it still makes him invincible while it locks him into stronger than normal chaos claws for about half a minute after.
* LooksLikeOrlok: The dishonored vampires you encounter early on in the game are plain ''repulsive''; with an ill-shapen skull, protruding jaws and nonexistent ears they bear a resemblance to the first game's ghouls, rather than vampires.

* MagicPoweredPseudoscience: The Ensnared Demon is stated to have originated as a {{steampunk}} battery that had implausible mechanics that only really served to use a [[SealedEvilInACan demon]] to fuel the battery itself.
* MeleeATrois: Corporate and Demonic enemies will fight each other, but there aren't a lot of areas where the two are encountered at the same time.
* MentalWorld: Bernhard Castle could count as this, as it's constructed from Dracula's own memory. This explains how characters long dead can show up there (including some whom Dracula never actually met at that point in their lives, like Child!Trevor and Human!Carmilla).
** The DLC story appears to disprove this, as Alucard can freely travel through the Castle itself, and is shown to be placing things for Dracula to find later on. The castle itself is shown to be physically present. So either there's a lot of time travel involved, or there's something else going on that is never explained. Alternatively, it may be taking place both in the real world ''and'' in Dracula's mind, since it's been proven that Alucard can go there and [[spoiler: Marie]] tells him that the Castle ''senses'' some form of danger, possibly in regards to Dracula's potential redemption, which would mean he might turn his back on the castle, which is ''not'' happy about the idea and spends much of it's time begging Dracula not to leave it behind.
** You also have to bring Nergal there to fight him, and he does not see it as a mental construct whatsoever, but actually refers to it as if it is a real structure, rather than just something in Dracula's head. The castle seems to also sap most of his power, except his ability to possess statues and use the powers those figures are supposed to have.
* MundaneUtility:

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the beginning of the game a blood-starved Dracula murders and devours an innocent family. Later, the restored Dracula peers into the room and sees what he's done, and turns away his head in shame.
* MythologyGag:

** One of the Brotherhood of Light bosses uses Richter's ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' line, "Die, monster! You don't belong in this world!" too.
** The Belmont encountered in this game is Victor, one of the main characters from the cancelled ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaResurrection''.
** The Toymaker says, "Heh heh heh, thank you!" much like the shopkeeper from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''.

** One of the preorder bonuses is an "Armored Dracula" skin, which gives him black armor and clothing reminiscent of ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight SoTN's]] Dracula. It even grows out his beard a bit more to make the resemblance more apparent.
** In Castlevania City, there is a local business called Bernhard Metals, Ltd.
** The prologue starts with [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight holy warriors taking Dracula's castle by storm, and breaking into his throne room to find him drinking a glass of ...wine.]] Only this time, [[VillainProtagonist you're Dracula.]]
** [[spoiler:Inner Dracula's]] first form bears an unearthly resemblance to [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Menace.]]
** The head of the Bernhard Family first encountered in ''Lords of Shadow 1'' was named [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence Walter]].
** The icon of the “Start the Path” achievement/trophy features Dracula's classic 8-bit avatar from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaI''.
** Combining the two DLC skins by manipulating the menu results in Dracula taking on an appearance ''extremely'' similar to his classical counterpart from VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight.

** When you first encounter Nergal Meslamstia, he begins subjecting Dracula to [[AgonyBeam electric torture]]. If you don't limp away from him [[spoiler: and lure him to Castlevania where he's weak enough to even the odds]], you get a cutscene where Dracula is set on fire as Nergal opens a portal to Hell for Satan to capture him.

* NothingButSkulls: The [[LethalLavaLand City of the Damned]] is practically ''littered'' with countless, deformed skulls. Skulls also represent Dracula's and Alucard's available experience points.

* OrcusOnHisThrone: In the opening siege, Dracula doesn't bother getting off his CoolChair until the invaders actually breach his throne room.

* PlayerInventory: One of the novelties if compared with the first game. The inventory is now divided into infinite-ammo subweapons powered by a regenerating gauge, and six limited-amoo items that grant new abilities. One of these is essentially the old Dark Crystal SmartBomb subweapon (only now requiring five parts instead of four), while the others are a health potion, an item to briefly grant infinite magic power using the same mechanics as the introductory chapter, an item for finding secrets, an item that grants a temporary boost to mastery (weapon level) and unlocks all abilities, and an item that renders enemies extremely vulnerable when struck and grants experience per hit rather than per kill.

* RevengeBeforeReason: Dracula is willing to take the rest of time to get revenge on his enemies, even though it means never seeing his loved ones again.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Dracula, against Satan, the Brotherhood of Light, and anyone else who's crossed him.
-->'''Dracula:''' I will have my vengeance. Nothing will stand in my way. They will pay. Even if it takes an eternity, they will pay.
* RuleOfThree: The number 3 is surprisingly a big motif in this series; There are three Lords of Shadow, Gabriel had to find three pieces of the God Mask in the first game, there are three kinds of gems that increase his health and magic bars and you have to find 30 of each, Satan has three acolytes, you play as three different characters in ''Mirror of Fate'', and Trevor asks Gabriel to find three pieces of the mirror in this game. There are more instances of the number three appearing, but there are too many to list here.

* TheSiege: The Brotherhood of Light laid siege to Dracula's castle in the past, only for Dracula to wipe them out single-handed.

* StealthBasedMission: Various stealth-based elements, which involve the use of Dracula's Plague of Rats power and others.

* ATasteOfPower: You get to see a full powered Dracula destroying entire armies through opening flashbacks, but then have to reacquire all those abilities as a weakened Dracula in modern day.
* TeleportSpam: Dracula's new dodge move has him blink from place to place by transforming into a flock of bats.

** Such as Alucard

* ThemeTuneCameo: A music box version of the ''Belmont's Theme'' from ''Lords of Shadow 1'' can be heard in the Toy Maker's Theater after Dracula completes the associated puzzle.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: The Book of Dracul.
* TooDumbToLive: The Brotherhood of Light in their scrolls and memorials get bopped on the head with this every now and again ([[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow not the first]] [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadowMirrorOfFate time either]]). Despite rooting out evil, they seem completely under the masquerade of the creatures of the night. One of the memorials even has a building christened in Zobek's honor... while also pointing out that he's 112 years old (and this was in 1903, the game presumably takes place in the 2000s) and impossibly healthy, they just attribute it to being in good standing with God due to his altruism.
* UnexpectedGameplayChange: The stealth sections are new, compared to [=LoS1=]. Zobek explains that, due to your current weakness, any encounters with the Golgothan guards will be best approached with stealth rather than combat until you've regained your powers, but then that's applied to ''every'' section. Presumably even with all of his power intact, Dracula still doesn't have the necessary strength and experience recalled to face them [[spoiler:until just before the FinalBoss, when no more Golgoth guards appear]].
* UnexplainedRecovery:
** It's never really explained how Zobek survived [[spoiler: seemingly being killed by Satan]] at the end of the first game, though it is heavily implied that he is just as undead as Dracula.
** Likewise, Dracula recovering from his apparent death at the end of ''Mirror Of Fate'' is never elaborated on, though the fact that his dissolution at the end of the battle was different from that of other vampires indicates that he [[FakingTheDead wasn't gone for good]], and Alucard was waiting for when he would come up again.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Virtually ''none'' of of the Castlevania City citizens find the fact that an emaciated old man just got slingshot straight through the church's stained-glass window, landed and ''survived'' a fifteen-stories-high fall, and that another man in a splendid business suit just ''levitated'' down all that astounding, and resume their normal activities mere ''minutes'' after everything settles down. Justified, as, according to all the memorials you can discover, weird... ''stuff'' – mysterious disappearances, sightings of an ethereal wolf, semi-regular earthquakes – has been happening all over this city for ''centuries''. People simply got used to it.

* VampireBitesSuck:
** When Dracula chomps into an opponent, he not only reduces them to a dessicated husk, his lower face gets covered in bloody spatter.
** After feeding upon an opponent, Dracula can also dismember his victim with his bare hands.

* WalkingShirtlessScene: Dracula. He does at least wear a coat, but it's always open in the front. It might be a concession to his extremely messy feeding habits.
* WalkingSpoiler: Just getting a good look at Dracula or hearing him speak gives away TheReveal from the first game that Gabriel Belmont became the vampire lord.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Dracula's RageAgainstTheHeavens is driven by the horrors inflicted upon him and his bloodline in the past.

* WhamEpisode: The last flashback sequence, in which Dracula learns [[spoiler:the MemoryGambit he made with his son, and fully cements his HeelFaceTurn]].

* WouldHurtAChild: One of Dracula's first acts in the modern day is to drain a family dry, including their young daughter. Though afterwards, once he's rejuvenated, he catches sight of the bodies and the look on his face implies he's ''very'' unhappy with what Zobek fed him while he was in a blood-starved frenzy.
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:Satan [[TearOffYourFace murders]] [[OffingTheOffspring Guido]] for failing to kill Dracula before his return.]]

''Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2'' is an action adventure game developed by [[VideoGame/CliveBarkersJericho Mercury Steam]] published by {{Konami}} for UsefulNotes/{{PS3}}, UsefulNotes/XBox360 and PC, and the sequel to the 2010 ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' ContinuityReboot OriginsEpisode ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' (aka ''God of War'' in Europe with friggin' werewolves). It was released in North America on February 25, 2014; Europe on February 27; and the UK on February 28; a demo was included for free with the download of ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadowMirrorOfFate Mirror of Fate HD]]''.

* ActionCommands: Quick-time events return in the sequel, though unlike the first game, you can turn them off from the menu with no repercussions. If ticked, Dracula will succeed all of the [=QTEs=] without the player's input.

RuleOfThree: The number 3 is surprisingly a big motif in this series; There are three Lords of Shadow, Gabriel had to find three pieces of the God Mask in the first game, there are three kinds of gems that increase his health and magic bars and you have to find 30 of each, Satan has three acolytes, you play as three different characters in ''Mirror of Fate'', and Trevor asks Gabriel to find three pieces of the mirror in this game. There are more instances of the number three appearing, but there are too many to list here.

* RecurringMotif: In this series, the number 3. There are three Lords of Shadow, Gabriel had to find three pieces of the [[MagicalMacguffin God Mask]], there are three kinds of gems that increase his health and magic bars and you have to find 30 of each, Satan has three acolytes, you play as three different characters in ''Mirror of Fate'', and Trevor asks Gabriel to find three pieces of the mirror. There are more instances of the number three appearing, but there are too many to list here.

'''''Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2''''' is an action adventure game developed by [[VideoGame/CliveBarkersJericho Mercury Steam]] published by {{Konami}} for UsefulNotes/{{PS3}}, UsefulNotes/XBox360 and PC, and the sequel to the 2010 ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' ContinuityReboot OriginsEpisode ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' (aka ''God of War'' in Europe with friggin' werewolves). It was released in North America on February 25, 2014; Europe on February 27; and the UK on February 28; a demo was included for free with the download of ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadowMirrorOfFate Mirror of Fate HD]]''.

* LimitBreak: The Dragon Talisman: When you have five dragon scales, using it causes Dracula to go into a cutscene where he turns into a dragon made of shadows and chaos, before crashing down and doing damage that will kill just about everything in the game short of boss in one hit. It also makes Dracula invincible and locks him into stronger than normal chaos claws for about half a minute after.

* ActionCommands[=/=]PressXToNotDie: Quick-time events return in this game, though you can turn them off from the menu.
* AdaptationalVillainy: Of an odd sort, [[spoiler: with Zobek/Death. Granted, Death was always a villain, but he was also a close ally and even friend of Dracula, with the games often referring to him as Dracula's confidante. In this game he's more of an EnemyMine to Dracula who cares nothing for anyone and is pretty clearly manipulating Dracula for his own personal gain. Death does occasionally refer to Dracula as friend, but in a way that is practically dripping with sarcasm.]]
* AdaptationalWimp: Played straight with Abaddon. In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'' Abaddon was a locust demon with the ability to [[MookMaker summon swarms of insects against you]]. Even a single rush of his swarm could stun-lock and potentially kill you, leading many players to consider him ThatOneBoss. ''Lords Of Shadow 2'''s version was just a generic demon. He was a very ''big'' generic demon, mind you, but not really special and generally considered a BreatherBoss.
* AIBreaker: A downplayed one present in Agreus' hideout. Getting caught into his vision cone will cause the faun to bellow you and rush you. But achieving this ''purposefully'' and then using the mist form or your own agility to evade him will yield Agreus... skulking away from your position, frequently to the other side of the garden which, obviously, gives you a ''whole lot'' of time to finish up the puzzle.
* AllThereInTheManual: Some scrolls found in-game imply that 400 years pass between Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2's prologue, during which Dracula ran rampant. The scrolls also seem to indicate that the year the game takes place in is 2057.

* AlwaysNight: Justified, as the entire game takes place in a single night. However, it is heavily implied that the shadow encompassing the castle is [[WeatherManipulation artificially]] [[TheNightThatNeverEnds created.]]
* AnotherSideAnotherStory: The DLC is an add-on story campaign that focuses on what Alucard was doing before and during the main game.

* BackFromTheDead:
** Although the original Carmilla is quite dead, [[spoiler:Inner Dracula]] revives a version of her from Dracula's memories during Dracula's sojourns into the castle. [[spoiler:Marie is also revived the same way, though whether she's simply a personification of Dracula's memories or her soul sent back from Heaven is unclear.]]
** The DLC story ''Revelations'', which shows what Alucard did prior to the events of the game, seems to indicate [[spoiler: Marie]] is definitely something more than just Dracula's memories. Just what she is isn't made entirely clear though.
* BadassBoast: Dracula is fond of these.

-->'''Satan:''' If I cannot rule the world of men... THEN NO ONE WILL!

-->'''Paladin:''' {{God}} is with me, monster!\\

** Another appropriate one from the daughter of Satan to both Gabriel and Zobek, considering God's continual absence from the apocalyptic equation.
-->'''Raisa Volkova:''' We killed Him and His precious son! And you two are next!
* BagOfSpilling: Dracula wakes up having lost most of his powers, and has to return to his castle to regain them. In a strange sense, since he's obtaining his powers from a place made from his own memories, he technically did not ''lose'' them; he simply has to recall them from his mind.
** The DLC story makes it quite clear that he ''did'' lose his powers in the literal sense, as Alucard is shown to locate these powers and place them in areas where Dracula can find them. The DLC also confirms that Dracula's trips to the castle are more than just trips into his own mind, though how this works — to say nothing of where [[spoiler: the young version of Trevor]], whom Dracula has apparently never even ''seen'' prior to the events of the game came from — is never explained.

* BatmanGambit[=/=]MemoryGambit: The entire plot of ''Lords of Shadow 2'' is based on one of these. [[spoiler:Alucard convinces Dracula to fake his own death because he knows that it will cause both Zobek and Satan to come out into the open, allowing Dracula to destroy them both.]]
* BellyMouth: Raisa Volkova gets one when she goes OneWingedAngel.
* BiblicalMotifs: Golly, where to even start?
** The armor-clad brutes you encounter early in the game are called ''Golgoth'' Guards. Golgotha was the name of the site where Jesus Christ was crucified.
** The first boss you clash with, a paladin by the name of Roland de Ronceval, bears an inexplicit resemblance to ArchangelMichael, stature and portrayal wise.

** [[AngelUnaware Dracula himself]], ''especially'' [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic after he regains his wings]].
** A scrapped concept for the game involved Satan having a second form of a [[Literature/BookOfRevelation crowned, seven-headed beast]].

* BigBadEnsemble: The game split the difference between {{Satan}} and [[EnemyWithin the blood of Bernhard Castle]], with the former being the actual objective for Dracula to achieve his death, and the latter being the primary factor keeping him from doing so. [[spoiler:Zobek]] also becomes an important antagonist, but is not given the same focus as the other two.
* BlackAndGreyMorality: The hero of this game is a ruthless vampire lord... but he fights against Satan, who is even ''worse''.
* BlackSpeech: The language spoken by Satan's demons. The fact that that it is immediately translated via subtitles and that Dracula responds to the [[BossInMookClothing Train Demon]]'s taunt, confirms that he ''understands'' it.

* BloodMagic:
** Dracula's mystical Void Sword and Chaos Claws are powered by consuming the blood of his enemies.

* BrutalBonusLevel: The Kleidos Challenges are similar to the first game's trials... but have a twist. You have to fulfil ''multiple'' (as opposed to ''Lords of Shadow'' only) criteria and ''survive'' to unlock the next challenge. Fortunately, it doesn't involve any specific [[TimedMission platforming-time trials]], but is still noticeably tougher than that rest of the game.
* ButThouMust: It is impossible to avoid the slaughter of an innocent family in the beginning of the main game. Refusing leads to a... ''[[IncrediblyLamePun fiery]]'' NonstandardGameOver.
* CessationOfExistence: This happens to [[spoiler:Satan]] after Dracula kills him.
* ChaosIsEvil: After his FaceHeelTurn, Dracula replaces his Shadow Magic with a pair of "Chaos Claws".
* TheChosenOne: Gabriel is ''still'' God's chosen champion, even after becoming the [[GodOfEvil Prince of Darkness]]. This is why holy objects don't harm him like they would other monsters.
-->'''Gabriel:''' The power of your God cannot destroy me... because ''[[WhamLine I am His chosen one!]]''

* CityNoir: The modern-day city you get to explore is this, rife with corruption, decay, indoctrinated political leaders and police force who are just puppets in the hands of the {{BigBad}}'s [[CoDragons children]].
* ColossusClimb:
** Dracula fights a massive Siege Titan in the tutorial.
** [[spoiler:The final battle begins with another, much shorter climb up the Leviathan.]]
* ContinuityNod:
** A stone statue of Satan can be seen in Dracula's keep at Bernhard castle.
** Dracula awakens in the very same church seen in the epilogue of ''Lords of Shadow'' 1.
** The sprawling metropolis that serves as the game's setting is none other than Wygol, the snowy mountain village that you visited in chapter V of ''Lords of Shadow'' 1000 years earlier. In the modern day, it has been renamed "Castlevania City".

** Victor Belmont uses many moves Gabriel had in Lords of Shadow during your fight with him, even using his old relics and sub-weapons!
** In Castlevania City, there is a local business called Bernhard Metals, Ltd.
** Baba Yaga's music box from the first game can be seen on Zobek's desk in a cutscene shortly after Dracula kills the second acolyte.
* ControllableHelplessness: Shortly after Dracula reawakens, he shambles down a city street, then encounters a hostile monster; in his weakened state, he can barely fight back.
** Similarly, Dracula can barely walk after being electrocuted by [[spoiler:the second Acolyte,]] Nergal, with you still in control. This turns out to be important; the only way to fight him is to make Dracula crawl [[spoiler:back to his castle]], bringing Nergal with him.
* CrapsackWorld: This game takes place in a world where wars against a vampire lord are historical ''fact'', Satan's followers are unleashing a plague that turns people into monsters, and the riot police of the city are described by in-game text as being unscrupulous. The world of the ''Lords of Shadow'' saga is ''not'' a nice place to live.
* CreepyCathedral: The old stone church Dracula wakes up in is covered in demonic looking statues.
* DamageIncreasingDebuff: Some of the Void Sword's attacks, like Blizzard, Icy Crest, and Hoarfrost Fog accomplish this. Not only they freeze the target into a solid block, but also make any other attack with the whip or the claws inflict greater damage for a limited time.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Darker than the already dark first game in this trilogy. The game doesn't hide the fact that Dracula is an utter monster.
* DarkReprise: Well, "Dracula's Theme" (the tune you hear in the menu screen) is already a pretty somber song, but it comes back when Dracula meets [[spoiler:Marie again]]. The "dark" part comes in when Dracula finally has a VillainousBreakdown.
* DemonicPossession:
** It's one of Dracula's powers, and it allows him to possess beings around him by turning himself into blood and entering in their bodies. However, this doesn't last long, because Dracula's blood deteriorates the body quickly, making it stagger and move slowly, and it eventually explodes into LudicrousGibs.

* TheDreaded: Invoked by Dracula.

** The Brotherhood of Light's aesthetic. Of particular note is the Siege Titan powered by a magical crystal.
** There's also the magic-fuelling Ensnared Demon, which is stated to be a {{steampunk}} battery that is [[MagicPoweredPseudoscience fueled by a]] [[SealedEvilInACan captured demon]].

* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:Leviathan, an ancient, godlike beast imprisoned by Satan for thousands of years. He plans to destroy the world with it. You might remember its spawn swimming through the depths of the castle in the first game's ''Reverie'' DLC.]]
* EldritchLocation: The [[LoadingScreen transition areas]] between the castle and the city, the blood-soaked arena conjured by [[spoiler: Inner Dracula]], and the final battle which takes place on ''[[spoiler: the Leviathan's decapitated head]]'' definitely qualify.
* EmpathicEnvironment: ''Aplenty''. AlwaysNight, GraveClouds, and [[spoiler: CueTheSun]] are just the crown of a glacier of ''Lords of Shadow 2''[='s=] environmental symbolism.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The game opens on the night of the Apocalypse, with Satan returning to bring Hell on Earth.
* EvilVersusEvil: It's Dracula, the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness, versus Satan himself.

* FanDisservice: When fought, [[DarkActionGirl Raisa Volkova]] makes sexually suggestive remarks to Dracula... after showing her [[NightmareFace hellish]] GameFace.
* FemmeFatalons: Dracula has pointy claws for fingernails.

* FiveBadBand: Naturally.
** BigBad: Lucifer the Fallen, for self-explanatory reasons.
** TheDragon: Guido Szandor, Satan's third acolyte, is the one in charge of the CorruptChurch and the ReligionOfEvil both of which contribute to Satan's power.
** TheBrute: Abaddon, a fallen angel in charge of all the lesser demons accountable for the HellOnEarth.
** EvilGenius: Nergal Meslamstea, Satan's second acolyte and an EvilSorcerer who had brainwashed the national police force into serving him.
** DarkChick: Raisa Volkova, the first acolyte and the head of a pharmaceutical corporation responsible for turning people into soldiers worthy of her father.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation:

** Although Dracula is pretty much demigod who can go toe-to-toe with Satan himself and come out on top, he is incapable of defeating Golgoth guards in straight up combat and must always sneak past them.
* GasMaskMooks: The [[EliteMook Riot Police]] all wear pseudo-GP-5 gas masks. Justified, as, by the time you run across them, there will be a [[SyntheticPlague manufactured virus]] blanketing the city.
* GeniusLoci: Dracula's castle is alive, and [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters would rather not]] [[InvertedTrope have the vampire lord leave]].
* GodOfEvil: Dracula intends to be the one and only "prince of darkness", as a screw you to God, Satan, the Brotherhood of Light, and just about everyone else who manipulated him and ruined his life.

** All prayers and/or chants are predominantly in Latin.

* GuideDangit: Trying to get past some of the stealth missions can be frustrating without knowing exactly what to do, and getting through the greenhouse maze can be an exercise in madness itself.