[Review] Darksiders

Creating a game which draws its influences from some of modern gaming’s biggest series is a bold move on the part of developer Vigil Games, but it’s certainly one that has paid off. By enlisting the help of artist Joe “Mad” Madureira the slick visual style on display in Darksiders alone is enough to make the game stand out. Add to that a combat system that’s as deep as it is rewarding along with a handful of massive boss battles and you have a game that goes well beyond the title of clone.

You play as War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Representing the Charred Council, a group of spirits who are neither good nor evil, War’s purpose is to maintain balance as well as bring about the end of man through a colossal battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell. And that’s exactly where the game kicks off – at the end of the world. However, it soon transpires that War has been tricked by a demon known as the Destroyer into sealing the fate of mankind. With his only other option execution, War vows to take down the Destroyer and make him pay for his crimes.  Of course, it’s never that simple and soon War is sent far and wide on his quest for vengeance.

Along the way War will encounter many enemies but he’ll also meet a few “friends” or rather individuals with mutual interests. These range from Vulgrim, a merchant and collector of fine artefacts to the sinister Watcher who is assigned to keep a close eye on War on behalf of the Council, and ensure War’s loyalty at all times – even with force. There’s plenty more to encounter, each with their own traits and agenda but the one universal constant is the quality and depth that they each possess.

You’ll spend most of the game in the company of the Watcher (voiced by Mark Hamill) and even though the character seems very  similar to Hamill’s interpretation of the Joker, it still works very well.  Twisted and always eager for bloodshed the Watcher has little patience but will occasionally help you out if you’re ever stuck. Then there’s Ulthane, a man mountain, and blacksmith who’s over eagerness for combat is match only by the level of his booming voice. In short, he fears no one even going so far as to refer a few angels he’s just defeated as “pigeons”.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the character of War. Granted, he’s meant to be neutral so he can’t be seen to exhibit either evil or good traits but the result is a lead that’s just dull. The voice-acting by Liam O’Brien is almost monotone and so there’s never really anything that holds your interest – instead it’s up to the other characters and the plot itself to do that.

You’ll encounter many more creatures and characters and it often won’t be until near the end of the game when you discover their real motives for either helping or opposing War. The same is also true for the game’s plot. Whilst it keeps moving during the main portion of the game, it’s not until the latter sections that everything is revealed and there’s more than a few twists along the way. Given its action origins, Darksiders was never likely to feature a deep plot line, and whilst there’s little character development save two, you may be surprised by how complex the ending of the game is. The fact that you see a vision of part of the ending a few hours before it only adds more questions. But by the time the credits roll you should feel very satisfied with all major plot lines being tied off.

Of course, you’ve a long way to go before reaching the game’s finale. With a completion time that can be over 20 hours, there’s plenty for you to do not least kill a few demons. Initially you’ll only have to face slow zombie-like figures but come the end of the game you’ll be facing general enemies that can take five minutes to kill! The enemy design is fantastic with a wide array of foes for War to face off against, each with their own unique attacks as well as a weakness or two. Whilst some of the low creatures can simply be cut down, you’ll soon face off against enemies that will require a far more tactical approach, take for example the Sisters; dual-wielding spirits who can make themselves ethereal or corporeal in an instant. Fights against the sisters are often some of the most challenging yet rewarding in the game.

With army of demons as well as a few angels to deal with, War will need more than his trusted blade. Along your way you’ll collect several items to improve War attacking options. These include items such as the Scythe (great for defeating multiple enemies) and the Gauntlet (which allows War to smash objects as well as weaker enemies). There’s plenty more to discover as well as few abilities for War too such as his impressive demon form. As you inflict damage a Rage meter will fill up and once full, War can temporarily become a huge flaming demon. Whilst in this form, War is invincible and his damage increases drastically so naturally it’s a blast.

Throughout the realm of Man, you’ll also encounter enchantments which have various effects. Some give benefits even whilst they’re not in use but most have to be equipped to one of War’s weapons before their effects kicks in. Their benefits generally take the form of increased damage or a higher number of souls (which are used as currency) for killing enemies. There are also a few legendary enchantments which, as the name would suggest, are considerably more powerful than their common counterparts. They’re more difficult to find, but their effects are often devastating.

But the best part is that they’re entirely optional so if you just aren’t interested in collecting them, you don’t have to. You can just continue with the story and with so many tools at your disposal you’ll never feel penalised for skipping optional content. If, however, you are the type that likes to unlock extras then there’s a wealth of options for you in Darksiders. By collecting blue souls which are scattered around the areas as well as rewarded for defeating enemies, War can visit the merchant Vulgrim to buy any number of extras. These range from additional combat moves to weapon upgrades as well as vessels which can be used to heal War among other things.

During your travels you’ll also likely come across Wrathstone Shards as well as Lifestone Shards. By collecting four shards you can increase Wars health or wrath (which he uses to perform special attacks). You may also encounter entire stones – typically after defeating a boss or completing an optional quest. Also keep a look out for the 10 pieces of the Abysmal Armour that are scattered around the world as they form a legendary suit of armour that will not only increase War’s attack and defence, it will also convert any damage he inflicts into health. Tracking down all 10 pieces will be tough but it’s well worth it.

But all these items and abilities would be useless with some purpose to use them for – other than slaying demons. There are several dungeons that War will have to fight his way through using a combination of skill to defeat enemies and smarts to solves the various puzzles. Like so many great puzzle games, the puzzles in Darksiders start off small but you’ll soon be completing puzzles that extend between rooms or even entire levels. Your reward for getting past all this is a meeting with that Dungeon’s boss and they’re epic to say the least. There’s nothing difficult about them which is perhaps a little disappointing but the scale of the battles easily makes up for this. Each boss can only be harm in a particular way and this generally involves using your newly acquired item. Figuring out how to hurt each boss is the real challenge of facing them and you best be quick about it as they can take War down in a few hits.

But as with so much in this game, you feel a genuine sense of achievement when you take down one of these colossal beasts. Everything in the game offers so much depth that you’ll never be left feeling as though you were short-changed. The combat has so many different and diverse weapons, each with their own set of moves, that you’ll likely still be uncovering them come the end of the game. Switching between your many items is made easy too with a simple control setup that tries to keep everything tied to one button. What’s important is not how many times you press a button but the timing involved as this will lead War to perform different actions. It works extremely well and once you get the timing down, pulling off even War’s most advanced moves is simple as well as a joy.

It’s then somewhat disappointing that the game’s camera holds the combat back from being stellar. Throughout the game the camera keeps quite close to War which isn’t  a problem when you’re exploring but come fight time, it puts you at a severe disadvantage. Keeping an eye on your enemies and managing between them is a key skill required to play the game but the camera often means that enemies are off screen and able to launch attacks before you can even notice they’re there. It’s not game breaking as you do get used to it and learn to cope but it makes combat more frustrating that it should be – especially given how enjoyable it is excluding the camera problems.

Most of your time in the game will be spent in combat but when you’re cleaving heads, you’ll be able to see the gorgeous visual style on display in Darksiders. Whilst the visuals are not technically that impressive, the varied design as well as one of the most diverse colour pallets I’ve seen in a game for a long time means that it’s a joy to just look around your surroundings.  Some areas are so full of colour and life that you may even forget the Apocalypse has come. The contrast between locations is fantastic and each area does well to convey the tone of what is located within. The Iron Canopy, an area teeming with spiders, is almost devoid of warmth as every colour has a very cold tone to it. When so many developers seems all too keen to use dull and dark colours, it’s so refreshing to see even the evil and twisted section of Darksiders have some element of colour and variation to them.

The architecture is equally as varied. With the game being set about 100 years in the future, much of the areas you’ll explore look like modern days cities and locations – albeit post Apocalypse. But some of the more dated locations such as a well preserved cathedral provide a perfect balance between a modern look and one that feels more typical of the characters and the setting.

The unique art style is what really helps to make the game stand out but it’s the deep and rewarding combat, cunning puzzles, epic boss battles as well as a plot filled with many questions and twists and featuring a cast of wonderful and bizarre creatures that will keep you coming back for more. Often being described as a combination of several different games, Darksiders has struggled to maintain its own identity since inception but now that the concept has been realised it’s clear to see that it’s no mere clone – it’s a genuine contender.