..."Hunted by Heaven, pursued by Hell"...
Hunted by Heaven, pursued by Hell, Darksiders tells a fantastic story about how something as simple as Armageddon can still be screwed up. Darksiders was released in January of 2010 and was developed by the now defunct Vigil Games. You play as War, one of the 4 horsemen whose job is to hold the balance between the three kingdoms; Heaven, Hell, and Man. With the apocalypse in full swing, War finds himself in the middle of an epic battle between Heaven and Hell in modern day America.
There are a few key elements in Darksiders that, when combined, make for a very unique game.
Combat, which utilizes a simple yet flexible and expansive combo system, is fast paced and frenetic. There is a counter attack system in place but requires the player to actually watch their opponent . Also, some attacks cannot be blocked and must be dodged instead. Learning how to read enemies becomes more and more important as the game progresses. Since there is no visual cue when an enemy is about to attack, (exclamation points or lightning symbols above enemy heads) the player actually feels a sense of accomplishment when a counter is performed. Once you get proficient at this skill, you become an instrument of pure devastation.
Another game play element is that of puzzles. Darksiders uses a formula similar to the Zelda franchise in that as you progress through the game you unlock abilities that allow you to gain access to parts of the world that were previously locked. Progression through the world is often blocked by interesting and intuitive puzzles. As the game nears its completion these puzzle sections test all of your abilities and utilize all of your skills that you have gained in your adventure. They also get harder.
There are a few key elements in Darksiders that, when combined, make for a very unique game.
Combat, which utilizes a simple yet flexible and expansive combo system, is fast paced and frenetic. There is a counter attack system in place but requires the player to actually watch their opponent . Also, some attacks cannot be blocked and must be dodged instead. Learning how to read enemies becomes more and more important as the game progresses. Since there is no visual cue when an enemy is about to attack, (exclamation points or lightning symbols above enemy heads) the player actually feels a sense of accomplishment when a counter is performed. Once you get proficient at this skill, you become an instrument of pure devastation.
Another game play element is that of puzzles. Darksiders uses a formula similar to the Zelda franchise in that as you progress through the game you unlock abilities that allow you to gain access to parts of the world that were previously locked. Progression through the world is often blocked by interesting and intuitive puzzles. As the game nears its completion these puzzle sections test all of your abilities and utilize all of your skills that you have gained in your adventure. They also get harder.
Just as you think you have a grasp on all of what Darksiders has to offer it tends to throw a curve ball your way. This is a good thing since these curve balls inject a new mechanic into the game play. I'm talking here about the arrival of Ruin.
Ruin is for all intents and purposes your in game mount. But it's so much more than that. Ruin comes in about half way through the game and completely changes the way you get around. Instead of trudging all over the world on foot, suddenly you are charging through the wastes of humanity on a burning charred steed boosting and slashing your way through enemies with reckless abandon. The animations and sound effects are crazy and when you are riding Ruin you feel like your character is complete. Almost as if something was missing from War all along but you couldn't put your finger on it. Together, War and Ruin are a true force of destruction.
Ruin is for all intents and purposes your in game mount. But it's so much more than that. Ruin comes in about half way through the game and completely changes the way you get around. Instead of trudging all over the world on foot, suddenly you are charging through the wastes of humanity on a burning charred steed boosting and slashing your way through enemies with reckless abandon. The animations and sound effects are crazy and when you are riding Ruin you feel like your character is complete. Almost as if something was missing from War all along but you couldn't put your finger on it. Together, War and Ruin are a true force of destruction.
..."I'm talking here about the arrival of Ruin"...
..."the disreputable merchant of souls and weapon upgrades"...
The story in Darksiders requires a bit of forgiveness in the very early stages of the game. As you continue however, it becomes easier to understand and quickly becomes compelling as many secrets are presented and doubts about supporting characters become heavier and heavier. Speaking of the supporting cast, the characters that surround War are really intriguing. Your "sidekick" the watcher is voiced by Mark Hamill, who does an excellent job and Phil Lamarr plays the role of Vulgrim, the disreputable merchant of souls and weapon upgrades. Your various weapons can be upgraded through Vulgrim's desire to feast on souls. Spending souls grants powerful improvements to combos, magic attacks, and other abilities.
Vulgirm has another very useful trait in the form of a fast travel system which allows you to move from one point on the map to the next. These transitions aren't made through loading screens however. The player is treated to a simple platform section that acts as a transition between areas. Developers should be doing this more often.
..."Darksiders stands tall among its competitors"...
In a genre that's crowded by some very good titles, Darksiders stands tall among its competitors. It's become the quintessential adventure game in my personal collection and still holds its own when compared to others. If you haven't yet, I would strongly encourage you to pick this game up. It's a rare thing for me when I complete a game feeling refreshed and ready for more, and this game truly delivers.