Beginning of the End
If you're one of those barking nutjobs who rants that the apocalypse is actually going to happen, then you're really going to like Darksiders.
The premise is that the events described in the book of Revelation have already happened, though somewhat prematurely. Taking the role of War, one of the horsemen of the apocalypse, it's up to the player to find the other three horsemen and discover who triggered the battle, all while being embroiled in a continuing war between the angels and demons. Tough day at the office.
A Horse Called Ruin
Initially with only his trusty steed, Ruin, for company, and sporting a much-depleted set of powers, one of War's objectives is to regain his weapons and special abilities in order to unlock new areas of the game and to better take on the foes he will encounter - and what a freakish cast of characters they are.
Featuring artwork by Joe Madureira, the bloke who brought the Uncanny X-Men comicbooks to life, Darksiders is visually striking.
Featuring artwork by Joe Madureira, the bloke who brought the Uncanny X-Men comicbooks to life, Darksiders is visually striking with a bunch of characters quite unlike anything you've encountered before. On your travels you'll meet the Charred Council (those responsible for stripping War of his powers), The Archangel of Death, The Destroyer (who rules Hell), and even Death himself, a buddy of the horsemen who wields a mighty scythe called The Harvester (we don't really want to know what that does).
Post-Apocalyptic Zelda
Gameplay-wise Darksiders is a bit of a mixed bag. It's been likened, by its creators, to a Zelda game. And it's true, there's a limited amount of exploration and collecting to be done, and the underground sections of the game involve a certain amount of puzzle solving. But a closer comparison might be God of War as much of the emphasis is on combat using weapons and special moves of various descriptions.
The underground sections of the game involve a certain amount of puzzle solving.
At its most basic the combat involves War and his foes smacking the hell out of one another until one of them is sufficiently weak to be dispatched with a stylish finishing move. Fighting gets more exotic as the game progresses though. As well as using swords that can be enhanced over the course of a game, War will also acquire more interesting trinkets, like miniguns and spectacular special moves. In this way, what starts out as a somewhat repetitive style of combat later becomes a lot more interesting.
The only problem is that despite the amazing characters and visual flair of the game, these comparisons with God of War and Zelda aren't going to do Darksiders any favours. Those are big shoes to fill and while Darksiders is without doubt an interesting new creation, it has a way to go before it can stand shoulder to shoulder with games of such a high pedigree.
GAME's Verdict
- Visuals from legendary Joe Madureira.
- Amazing characters.
- Cracking post-apocalyptic plot.
- Exploration and combat.
- Upgradable weapons and abilities.
Review by: Simon 'Satan's Nosehair' Kirrane
Version Tested: PS3, Xbox360
Review Published: 17.12.09