Gameplay Impressions
Gameplay ImpressionsDespite it having a heavy focus on combat, the action in Darksiders is remarkably varied and exciting. Gaining access to more visually arresting combos and special powers regularly as you progress makes it feel like the next milestone is never very far away, so you're driven forward by the clever and unrelenting pace of War's character progression.
The action flows well and combat is tight, responsive and exciting, with some brilliant animations and powerful finishing moves. Initially, the gameplay in Darksiders is fairly predictable and banging on the pad will bring success as you slash through hordes of undead, but it soon builds in momentum, switches gameplay styles and keeps you on your toes with a creative and varied bestiary. We soon discovered that button-mashing doesn't win the day, but instead a combination of defence, attack, special powers and cleverly executed combos are the only way to ensure success. The depth of the combat in Darksiders, particularly later on in the game, opens up an endless amount of possibilities for the way in which you wish to tackle enemies.
The aptly-named Chaos Eater, your trusty sword, is a powerful companion, but you also get access to a variety of weapons from portal guns to scythes to tackle your foe. Wrath powers and special abilities add a further dimension to combat and are extremely entertaining to watch as you use the likes of the Gauntlet, which allows you to pummel your enemies into dust, or trigger seismic quakes. There’s great variety to the range of powers. Stoneskin, for example, turns you into stone so you're impenetrable against attack, while a geyser of blades can be triggered, shoot daggers up from the ground and penetrating anyone in your immediate vicinity.
All of War's abilities are upgradeable, so there's a tremendous amount of customisation that affords you with the luxury of being able to build your character to fight the way that you want to fight. Though the amount of powers and combos can get a little overwhelming later on, you do feel like you're controlling an incredible and powerful killing machine and a diverse and engaging super-hero.
We're hard pressed to think of any boring moments while playing Darksiders. Just as you feel the combat is starting to get a little repetitive, up will pop a mini-boss or one of the epic God Of War-like big boss battles to contend with. Or, the gameplay will change totally so that instead of fighting, you're required to test out your platforming skills by working out how to navigate to a certain area, perhaps sliding down a zip-line, scaling a wall and then double jumping across a gaping, fiery chasm.
Puzzle solving also adds a welcome respite from the combat, compliments the action superbly and always feels relevant to the plot. Whether you're pushing gargoyle statues to trigger rivers of blood or collecting fire from torches around the cathedral rooftop in order to blow up bombs stuck to the belly of the bat-winged demon, Tiamat, there are plenty of puzzles thrown in to really make you think. The inclusion of gear items such as the horn, which when blown can open up a gateway, also means that you often have to open your inventory and think about what you need to use to solve a puzzle. Cleverly, many of the gear items can also be used in combat, for example, you can use the Abyssal Chain to latch onto enemies in the air and then you can chain combos together to deliver a devastating blow.
Overall, Darksiders is a top notch production. Mark Hamill joins the cast of actors who deliver believable performance and the musical score does an excellent job at complimenting the fast-paced action. Though the graphics never quite live up to the brilliant opening sequence, Darksiders has stylised graphics and an art-style that has allowed the artists to create some devastating looking bosses, great animation and an entertaining bestiary.
It's clear that the developer Vigil Games knows what a gamer wants: to be entertained. And it achieves this through well-paced character progression, depth of combat, memorable characters and gameplay variety. Darksiders is one of the first games in 2010 and if it’s any indication of the quality of titles coming up we’re in for a great year.
Final Score - 9/10
