Lords of the Fallen II ‘Umbral Gameplay’ trailer

Details on the "creepier and freakier" realm of the dead.

Publisher CI Games and developer Hexworks have released new gameplay footage for Lords of the Fallen II as part of the ninth episode in its “Lifting the Veil” developer roundtable series.

In it, CI Games chief creative officer and creative strategist Ryan Hill is joined by game director James Lowe, lead systems designer Daniel Regan, and producer Alex Harkin to discuss how the team is evolving the original game’s dual-realm mechanic into “Umbral 2.0,” largely inspired by player feedback from the first game.

In Lords of the Fallen II, Umbral promises to be a “much more aggressive and oppressive force” and play a larger role in shaping the player’s journey.

“If Umbral was once the realm of the dead, it has since become the realm of the undead,” said Hill in a press release. “Its former scab-like crust has been ripped away, revealing the raw flesh beneath—an open wound that seethes with newfound hunger.”

Here are the latest details, via CI Games:

The Lords of the Fallen universe contains two unique, yet increasingly merged realities that players can traverse with the assistance of the Umbral Lamp: The classically dark fantasy realm of Axiom with its centuries of titanic clashes and civilizations, and the invasive horror of the Umbral realm, a visually grotesque and visceral mirror world where the laws of physics and death are far more mysterious. Players are able to traverse the Umbral realm to help overcome obstacles and discover new areas, but at the cost of increasingly deadly and unexpected threats that force players to adapt or perish.

Fans of the series can expect a significant evolution of how they will interact with the Umbral realm in Lords of the Fallen II, including:
A Reimagined Otherworld – Radically different environments, key storytelling moments, and a new tendency to bleed into the mortal realm means that Umbral has never felt more alive and oppressive. A wider variety of biomes gives Umbral a more unique and mysterious character, providing players with more incentive to explore.
Dread Redefined – Rather than a linear timer that increases the threat level of Umbral, the world is more influenced by player activity, creating a more organic, hostile sense of danger.
Enemies Reshaped – Discover terrifying new entities lurking within Umbral’s shadows, capable of morphing into even deadlier forms, alongside a vastly expanded array of foes awaiting would-be Lampbearers.
Currently in active development and available to wishlist, Lords of the Fallen II is the next entry in the beloved soulslike action-RPG series set in a human realm besieged by eons of malevolent gods, visceral magic, and unflinching defenders. 1,000 years after the fall of the demon god, Adyr, a lone kingdom stands against the forces of the dead realm known as Umbral and its eldritch master.
As the Lampbearer, players can rend enemies limb from limb with a brand new dismemberment feature and silence them forever with all-new executions in a fast and fluid combat system. An even greater wealth of enemy types and truly jaw-dropping boss battles will test even the strongest in solo play or best-in-class shared progression co-op.