Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

• I don't know why the swamp is the first "regular" level because it is not very good and is not representative of the quality of the game as a whole. Tough it out because the game will get much better.

- A safe way to fight any monster is to hit once or twice with quick attacks and then dodge its retaliation. It will take a long time to kill anything but you will not take much damage. Useful when you just need to survive a battle.

- Don't be afraid to use your dark crystal. It will clear the screen of anything that's not a boss and it doesn't take very long to get back.

- The challenges, should you want to do them, can be accomplished on any difficulty.

- Make sure to stick around after the credits for one final, bizarre scene.

- There's a few unreachable areas that will unlock later in the story with upgrades. Keep note of crumbly walls, or chests slightly out of reach.

- If you're into floating damage numbers, you can enable them in your options screen.

- Your whip never gets stronger as far as raw damage.

- You lose out of xp rewards if you auto-solve puzzles.

- Bosses will have QTEs. Don't put your controller down when you finish them off.

- Burn through all your sub weapons. The game gives you plenty.

- Unlock whatever skills look good or cool to you. The earlier stuff tends to be the more important and new skills that are unlocked with story progression. Regardless you'll have them all by the end of the game.