Review: Darksiders (PS3)

If Zelda, God of War, and Metroid spent a sordid night together, Darksiders would be the outcome. It contains all the elements that make those games great, and yet manages to be a unique playing experience thanks to the compelling story and depth of detail. You play as War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and Gamestyle are confident that he will become as memorable a character as either Link, Kratos, or Samus.

From the start, the story behind Darksiders has you hooked. There are three integral kingdoms in Darksiders; the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of Hell, and the Kingdom of Man. Since the dawn of time, Heaven has fought with Hell. With the arrival of Man, the eternal battle between Heaven and Hell is put on hold, until Man is strong enough to join the fight. At this point, the Endwar will occur, and this will determine the fates of all three Kingdoms. The truce between Heaven and Hell is overseen by the Charred Council, and any breaches are punished by the Council's Enforcers; The Four Horsemen.

There are Seven Seals which must be broken when Man is ready for the Endwar. The game begins in a modern day city, just as the apocalypse begins. War is summoned, and sets in motion the Endwar. This is not the apocalypse, however, and the Seven Seals have not been broken. It would appear that he has been used by the forces of evil to bring about an early Armageddon, and is punished by the Charred Council as a result. He is stripped of his powers, and forced to return to the Kingdom of Man, where he tries to uncover those responsible and bring them to justice.

Armed only with your sword, you are free to roam the ruined streets of the Kingdom of Man. The core gameplay is very similar to the Legend of Zelda games. Whilst all areas of the map are visible, areas are only accessible with certain items, and collecting these items involves exploring dungeons and defeating some truly memorable bosses. You can collect life shards, similar to Zelda's hearts, which increase the amount of damage you can take, and there is a currency system that can be used to buy items and upgrades for your equipment. There are maps, compasses, keys, bombs, boomerangs, and grapple guns, all of which should be very familiar to those who have played a Zelda game. The similarities do not stop there; in his last adventure, Link could adopt the form of a wolf, and in Darksiders War can become a fierce demon to inflict massive damage for a short period of time. The Watcher, who accompanies War on his journey, can easily be likened to Navi, or any one of Links fairy assistants. War can view alternative realties, as Link good see into the Twilight, and War even gets to ride on his trusty stead, Ruin, when traversing the open plains of the world. While the exploration, regaining your full powers, and unlocking of the different areas of Earth is more akin to Metroid, it's obvious that Darksiders has drawn much inspiration from Link's quests.

It would be easy to simply label Darksiders as a Zelda copy, but the dark and desolate environments of an apocalyptic Earth give Darksiders a very unique feel. The combat certainly sets it apart from all of Link’s adventures, and War is quite unsubtle about making his way through the hoards of angels and demons that are intent on stopping him from finding the truth. At first, the combat in Darksiders appears to be no more than a button mashing exercise, and slashing away with your sword yields good results, but you can string a wide variety of combos together, and War has plenty of other toys in his armoury. From swords and scythes to pistols and portal guns, War is able to wield some devastating tools of destruction as the game progresses.

The battle sequences and epic boss fights certainly have a God of War feel to them, and those who have a love for gore won't be disappointed. The hack and slash combos weaken foe, who can then be finished off with a gruesome fatality move, which is strangely satisfying. The game's enemies are extremely varied, and well designed. Human corpses will rise from the dead to attack you, and demon minions will look to overpower you in numbers. You'll even face angels shooting lightning bolts, and demonic worms that lie in wait beneath the ground. Gamestyle’s only complaint would be that some of the larger enemies take time to kill. This isn’t so much of an issue later on in the game, when you are more powerful, but when it takes 10 to 15 hits to kill a demon and avoiding taking damage is easy, it becomes more of a chore.

The characters that War meets on his quest for vengeance are engaging, and the script is very well written. With Mark Hamill among the acting talent, the voice work is impressive. When this is supported by an excellent orchestral score and some superb sound effects, Darksiders becomes an incredibly atmospheric game. During the game, War will find assistance from both good and evil, and there are plenty of twists and turns on the way. With comic book writer Joe Madureira as Creative Director, you would expect a gripping story, and Darksiders doesn't disappoint. The amount of detail in the characters, weapons, enemies, and environments indicate that a great deal of time and effort has been put into developing the game, and it makes for a rich and rewarding experience.

The main story will take around 15-20 hours to complete, but there are side quests to keep your interest once you have played through the main game. For each enemy you kill, you will be rewarded with souls. Some replenish energy, some replenish Wraith Power (which enables you to perform special moves), and some can be used as currency to buy upgrades from the mischievous (and highly entertaining) demon Vulgrim. Reminiscent of the merchant in Resident Evil 4, Vulgrim is only too keen to sell you new equipment, but will also exchange ancient artifacts, which are hidden across the world for you to seek out. To unlock all upgrades, weapons, and special moves, and to find all artifacts will lengthen the game significantly.

Although the combat can get repetitive, and Darksiders has adopted a tried and tested format, the story, style, and atmosphere make playing through Armageddon a unique and involving experience. Gamestyle welcome this new IP, and only hope that there is a sequel on the way. It's far too early to declare Darksiders as game of the year, but it'll certainly be a contender. It sets a high standard, however, and if this is a sign of things to come, then 2010 is going to be a great year for gamers.

Rating: 9 / 10

Words by Chris Thornton