Even a month on from its release, the 2023 reboot of Lords of the Fallen still has clear issues on console and PC. The use of Unreal Engine 5 allows for lumen and nanite technologies here, and this is a true current-gen PS5, Xbox Series X and S game. However this technology isn’t optimised well for its 60fps performance mode on console – with extreme hang-ups dragging play down to single digit frame-rates.
Note: the game was tested for this video on patch 1.1.293, but all issues persist on today’s patch 1.1.310 (or 1.16 in the system menus) – as shown in this Series S re-test below:
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00:00 Introduction
02:24 Xbox Series S Performance
06:08 Xbox Series X Performance
08:44 PlayStation 5 Performance + Three-Way Perf Comparison
10:14 30fps Quality Mode
11:19 Mode Comparison
14:29 Verdict
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A 2023 game that can drop as low as 432p is a perfect case in point where the Jurassic Park Question should have been asked during development. Embarrassing.
So this is why we haven’t gotten ark survival ascended yet
How is the PS5 Constantly out performing the XBSX? 🤨What happened to all this talk about Teraflops and Muh Teraflops bruh? I thought Series X was supposed to be the more powerful console? 🤔
They needed to scale back their ambition or something. Going WAYYY over budgets on their performance targets and that's just nuts to be so out of sync. There ain't no optimizing a 480-720p dynamic resolution game that freezes for few second intervals in normal traversal. hah, like wha? I guess the Series S is criminally underpowered but hey.
OMG💢 😮😮😮😮😮the xbox series x hits 0 fps'' lol wow!!!!!!😂😂😂😂😂😂
So what's this amazing unreal engine 5 we are waiting on🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
"No compromises, true 4K gaming"
At least Sony kept expectations realistic and didn't BS us with outlandish promises.
I actually love publishers who throw in their AAA Beta Versions full price. That means I can grab me the final release version for the price of a pizza. Gaming has never been as cheap.
Often DF says the ps5 runs better than the series x. However, for the most part their comparisons fail to show that, or at times it is the exact opposite based from their own vids. For those same vids, they'll still often toss in "better on ps5". I'm puzzled as to how anyone trusts DF.
I pray to God FromSoft doesn’t make the switch over to UE5 anytime soon. Even developing for cross-platform, AC VI looked visually stunning.
Im still trying to think of the game that had the same mechanic, using ring/light that lite up an alternate realm pathway. Anyone ?
Game devs need to prioritize framerate and clean image quality before they dump resources into making games look 20% better visually which comes at a 60-70% performance cost. Most people do not have GPUs and CPUs that can run such games smoothly not to mention consoles that don't even have DLSS to help them.
It's kinda cool that consoles, even the Switch, are snagging these awesome games. But let's face it, console gaming has never really been about that high-end performance, right? So, trying to match up with PC standards? Not really their thing, considering they're running on older hardware.
Series S is looking worse by the month yikes
Would VRR help the performance mode for both consoles or does the game need to run closer to 120fps for VRR to really do anything? Genuine question if anyone can answer.
PC version om a good build looks incredible with regards to intense detail.
Wow imagine a 2023 console game drop down to 6fps
Lords of the Potato
At some point, I hope more developers go the Bethesda route and just target 30 fps without a busted “performance mode”
Balance the flow of the game, it’s animations, it’s player/enemy speed around the 30 fps cap.
Cool to see devs also carry the torch of poor performance forward from the Souls series. That's some real attention to detail.
The game itself has an amazing mechanic with the lantern, beautiful and breathtaking set pieces, gameplay that feels familiar yet more swift. The technical issues really ruin the experience which sucks so much. Its not game of the year but its still an amazingly fun game.
5fps is terrible to see in 2023.
Patch this mess.
Even a ps4 plays Elden Ring well .
Let alone the series-X or Ps5.
Series S ruining this generation. Good job MS
Ooof those rock textures specifically….
Ray tracing adds its own flavor, but without it the demons souls remake looks better and ran perfectly on launch, on brand new hardware.
Wouldn't even waste my time with this game on Game Pass in its current state. Don't reward developers for substandard optimization.
Performance on PS5 at release was abysmal. Honestly made me want to quit on the spot it was genuinely unplayable but I stuck it through
I had horrific stuttering on PC, refunded immediately. What a waste of resources.
Getting games day one just isn't worth it anymore. Especially with Gamepass.
Wanna turn off some of those performance killing effects so we get a playable framerate? Every UE5 dev says: "Nah."
Another release that looks like there has been zero QA testing and virtually no proper optimisation.
If you have a beefy PC the mantra is 'let the HW do the work' and then everything else just has to put up with it while they patch it all later.
It's pathetic and unacceptable for us as consumers.
I have tried every time (for years) but I don't like Thomas Morgan's videos. I usually find the rest of the Digital Foundry videos engaging, though.
ABBEY OF THE HALLOWED SISTERS : This area is just horrible on Series X, the framerate is often below 10fps and sometimes the image freezes completely, for several seconds! It's a shame that you're only testing the beginning of a game because it's still very, very far from being well optimized.
This game is fun but in this style of game the framerate HAS to be stabe. Blocking or parry are very difficult because of framerate drops.
Thanks for covering this. I got the Xbox series X version of the game on launch and the stuttering and frame times were terrible. I couldn't believe how they could release the game in that state and couldn't find anyone covering the Xbox performance issues at that point. Refunded the game in the end as it was unplayable after the first boss area
Unreal engine 5 is the worst shit i ever seen, lumen makes so little difference for the perfomance hit, i wish ray tracing was only use to replicate manually
Series S dropping the ball….. again.
🤦🤦🤦
@digital foundry, are you guys going to do a graphical breakdown of Robocop for consoles?
Series S is a mess time and again. What a terrible idea to release that console, just keep playing your Xbox One