Review: Darksiders

Game: Darksiders (2010)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Hack-n-Slash
Developer(s): Vigil Games
Publisher(s): THQ
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, PC
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Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Stunning graphics/animations, varied arsenal, compelling story
Cons: Unoriginal gadgets/puzzles, lack of interesting combat combos
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   Darksiders begins in conflict, as angels and demons war against one another on Earth. The player takes on the role of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, sent to pass judgement on angels, demons, and humans alike. War quickly discovers, however, that this Apocalypse isn't all peaches and cream as he is the only Horseman sent to Earth to hack things apart. This act violates the terms of the Apocalypse (even though the angels and demons started it!), so War is banished to face the judgement of the Charred Council. Once he is stripped of his powers, War is given a second chance to fix HIS mistake, and then sent back to Earth.


   While Darksiders was entertaining to play and had an interesting, original story, its gameplay didn't seem as original. The combat system is very similar to God of War's: button smashing enemies to death, hitting (circle) to perform a finishing move. However, the combo system isn't as involved as God of War's, with [square] and /triangle\ being the only attack buttons and no way to intermingle them. You use souls to purchase upgrades and items (similar to GoW), restore health, and to restore Wrath (mana). The gadgets and puzzles that you solve are very similar to those found in the Zelda games: a hook-shot-like device, a bladed boomerang, using bombs to blow up crystal formations, collecting parts of an item to increase your health (heart containers), pushing heavy objects, etc. Lastly, there is a gadget called the Warpgate device, which shoots blue and red portals to solve puzzles... like in Portal.


   While I do deduct points for lack of originality, Darksiders is still a fun game because it consolidates the fun elements of those other games into one game; those elements worked for those games, so they work for Darksiders. What I have come to learn about game design is that all games build off previous games in some way, either mirroring or expanding on proven design techniques.


   An element unique to Darksiders that I enjoyed was the weapon-rune system. You could collect runes that, when attached to a weapon, grant War additional benefits. For example, there are runes that grant additional weapon damage, increase the amount of souls collected from each slain enemy, increase your armor, or allow you to gain rage more quickly (allowing War to hulk out into a demon-like creature). Each rune also alters the look of War's sword, which adds a nice aesthetic touch. While these runes added a little customization and flavor to the game, I wish the system was a tad more developed. It didn't seem like the bonuses granted by each rune was very significant or noticeable. You essentially had to assume that they were making a difference.


   All in all, the game was fun and entertaining to play. The story and graphics were stunning, leaving me eager for the sequel (spoiler alert!). However, the game lacks replay-ability: There is only one path you can take through the story, weapon runes are interchangeable, and there is no multiplayer functionality. I full-heartedly suggest playing this game, which is possible to beat in about 10-15 gameplay hours, or over a renting period.