Review: Darksiders

Written by JB Thursday, 07 January 2010 18:44

When a game cast a shadow as big as GOW, every game within the genre is going to draw comparisons.  The main challenge for any game is to go beyond that shadow and grab its own light.  Darksiders has done that in a big way. 

You are War, one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.  Charged by the Charred Council, it's your job to signal the Apocalypse then referee Heaven and Hell's war during Armageddon.  You are summoned and arrive alone on Earth, the other Horseman suspiciously absent, signalling the beginning of the final war between Good and Evil.  Heaven and Hell erupt in war, prematurely ejactulating a fat load of Apocalypse all over Earth.  You are blamed for false-starting the war; your power taken from you and given to the Four Chosen of the Destroyer.  Now powerless, with both Heaven and Hell against you, you must learn the truth and take revenge on those responsible.  

The Darksiders plot is a masterly crafted tale, full of shocking twists and unexpected turns.  A magnum opus of treachery and betrayal, it is one of the best written games I have ever played.  It's a portrayal of Heaven and Hell like you've never seen, full of rich, complex and flawed characters deeply developed and conceived.  It is unpredictable and fast-paced, you'll be hooked instantly.  

Vigil created a giant, lush world for all this treachery to take place.  It's a huge, beautifully rendered universe full of detail.  War travels through ravaged cities, deserts and buried ancient cities on his quest.  Not enough for you?  You'll have to swim through hidden underwater passages and fly through the air, mounted on flying beast fighting angels.  Normally, navigating a world this big would take forever, but this world has Serpent Tunnels- passages that quickly let War travel to discovered locations quickly.  You also have Ruin, War's horse and partner-in-destruction to take you quickly from A to B.  

The combat in the game solid and multi-dimensional.  Although you can get by with generic attacks, the game is better suited for adept combos than sausage-fingered button mashing.  Darksider's combat system is intuitive and evolves with you as you progress though the game.  The flow of combat is smooth and stylish, culminating in huge combos and geysers of blood.  Weaken an enemy enough, and you have the option of killing him quickly with a prompted one-button attack, resulting in a flourishing attack and awesome deathscene.  You are also capable of Wrath attacks, magically powered special moves with varying effects on the enemy.  Kill enough and your Chaos meter is filled, and you can transform into War's Chaos Form- a humongous, fiery demon whose invulnerability is matched only by the massive damage of his attacks.

War is armed to the teeth with varied weaponry.  His main weapon, ChaosEater, is a soul-absorbing sword with ancient power.  As War progresses he is presented with different weapons, each specialized and whose possession is critical to solving puzzles and advancing through the game. War is also equipped with a copious amount of tools.  His Hookshot-esque Abysall Chain lets him to swing across gaps and grab otherwise unreachable items.  You are able to slow down time with the Chronomancer ability.  The real star of the show however is the Voidwalker, a reality-bending device that tears a hole in time-space and allows Waro travel through walls, ceilings, and floors-Portal style.

The Hellspawn getting to be too difficult?  Not a problem.  Each weapon and attack can be leveled up, as the player absorbs the souls of the slain dead he is able to purchase items and upgrades at the shop of Vulgrim- a Demon entrepreneur with new combos, upgrades, and items for sale.

Darksiders isn't an all sword, no brain kind of game.  The puzzles are worth mentioning too.  The initial block puzzles were Down's Syndrome simple.  The light and mirror puzzles in the middle made me kick my dog.  The end's puzzles involving elements, portals and time control reduced me to a wife-beating manchild, baby-drunk on rage and futility. It is an exercise in observation and patience.  

Darksiders is a very good game in its own right.  Anyone who gives the game a chance through a slow beginning will find a beautifully complex, and enormous game surrounding them.  At about 2 hours of gameplay, Darksiders leaps forward and doesn't stop. It charges hard into familiar territory with a few innovative twists.  Darksiders is more than just a hack-and-slash action game with a few puzzles; its wide array of weapons and attacks, as well as changes of pace and epic story make up for the inevitable GOW comparison.  I was kind of upset the other Horsemen weren't featured at all.  Maybe Vigil has sequels in mind for Conquest, Death, or Famine. 

That being said, I need to make it clear that Darksiders is by no means perfect, it does have its share of flaws.  Ok, it has two.  The game makes a lot of fuss about its Wrath attacks and War's Chaos form, but in my gameplay I almost completely forgot it was there.  It seems like they would make these special attacks more important, or just leave them out completely.  Also, in mass combat, the targeting reticle was difficult to control, making it hard to select the intended target.  These minor grievances are the only mars on an exceptional game. 

I'll admit it.  I played Darksiders and immediately expected clone, and I was disappointed in two ways: (1.) It is a different game with it's own feel and presentation and (2.) I was hoping to be able to dismiss and ridicule as such, but was too busy immersed in the 20+ hours of fantastic gameplay and design artisanship.  Playing it, I'd say Darksiders is much closer to LOK: Soul Reaver with the combat elements of Devil May Cry.  Beyond all that, it is a great game on it's own.  If you want God of War, wait till March.  If you want a great game with crisp, precise combat and domestic-abuse inspiring difficulty, pick up Darksiders. 

 

 

 

 

                                                                               

 

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