Darksiders (PS3)

Darksiders is an action game with a few RPG elements. Some people might find it too unoriginal for borrowing its aspects from a lot of successful games like Legend of Zelda, God of War and mainly Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. But this is exactly where this game shines. Every facet of these great games is synergized so well that you can't help but feel this is more of a tribute than a rip-off. Darksiders is a game made by gamer lovers, and they are not ashamed by honoring the games they adore.

You play as the Apocalyptic Horseman War who is caught in the middle of the war between Heaven and Hell. In the beginning it plays basically as a God of War or Devil May Cry, later will feel more like Zelda, then there are elements from a third person shooter and even some Panzer Dragoon. Lastly I realized more Soul Reaver aspects than any other. To me this is called variety: no one can say this game is a rip-off of any of those. Soon Darksiders puts you in front of well thoughtful puzzles while you use amazing abilities to crush your enemies and step forward into the game's wonderful world..

In a lot of other action titles, as soon as you get a new ability, you replace the old ones or never use them at all. This flaw doesn't apply here. I found myself using the primary abilities in the few last hours as well as those I got more recently. Every magic, every ability and item is useful until the end, without exception. You may not like all of them but you're forced to use them extensively, both in puzzles and in combat. This aspect adds a lot to the fun and just proves how successful this game is.

A specifically ability deserves a mention here: the Voidwalker. With it in your hands you are able to traverse portals and teleport objects from one place to another. This may sound simple but you can't imagine what you're able to do with this. I never saw anything like it and the boss where you're obliged to use this skill is the best in the game, it's a must see. Go to youtube and digit "Straga boss voidwalker" or something like that, a gamer can't die without playing against this so well thought boss.

Even with a lot of abilities and some cool weapons, the combat isn't very deep. You can experience the combo system better while playing on the hard setting but won't be long until you realize the combos are simplified and straight-forward. The controls are really not a strong point here, being complicated and even unresponsive at times, but nothing major. Overall, the combat is fun and some of the harder enemies and bosses are amazing, requiring strategy, usage of distinct abilities and clever puzzling at the same time.

Technically, the graphics are nothing special. But artistically they are a joy to any Comic Book - a.k.a. Graphic Novel - Marvel, DC Universe or Vertigo fan. The usage of colors is perfect, the exaggeration and art present in some creatures (from angels and demons, to the bizarre monsters and the few humanoids) are amazing. The world feels fresh and colorful with a lot to behold. There's nothing generic here, artistically speaking.

I always like to emphasize the difficulty in games: this is an important aspect directly connected to fun factor and pacing. In Darksiders the difficulty is, in the lack of another word, awkward. Playing on normal difficulty, everything is too easy and I got bored really fast while in combat, the puzzles being the only challenge. Playing in Apocalyptic (Hard) the beginning was insanely hard while in the final stages it got pretty easy. Darksiders has a good progression but the difficulty isn't consistent because in the end, your character becomes too powerful even if you don't bother with the collectables too much. However, I'm happy I played on Hard from the beginning: I can't imagine how easy the normal setting is.

Vigil Games succeeded by taking a lot of good elements from some of the best games ever made. With a story that could suit any Comic Book, artistically flawless graphics, great dungeon designs, clever puzzling and sense of progression, Darksiders should not be missed by any fan of action games. Don't mind the controls, soon you will feel very comfortable with it and having a lot of fun playing this truly tribute to videogames. I just can't wait for a sequel with (maybe) the four horsemen together spreading havoc across the world!

A summary for those who may want to skip the long text:

+ Variety, clever puzzles, sense of progression, Comic Book artwork, length singleplayer.