Darksiders Review

I've decided to write some brief game reviews on some games I have played/completed from the holiday season. The first of these reviews is on Darksiders, a third-person action puzzler for the PS3 (as well as the XBOX 360):

Without giving much away, Darksiders is a fantastic blend of swordplay, platforming, and puzzling. You play as War, one of the four horsemen who has awaited the coming Apocalypse, only to be unleashed before his time for havoc has come. While the story is fairly simple and limited in scope, it establishes an interesting setting set in the distant future, long after the Third Kingdom, Man, has been destroyed in the war between Angel and Demonkind. The reasons for your premature release (you can laugh now), are unveiled over a course of well animated cutscenes with surprisingly well-performed dialogue. The only exception to the interesting cast of characters is War himself, who is given a laundry list of generic one liners and a standard gravelly, grumbling voice.

The graphics in Darksiders were particularly enjoyable for me, being a fan of comic-book artwork and diverse, colorful environments. I never bored of the settings, ranging from medieval/gothic cathedrals to flooded subways overgrown with plantlife. The amount of backtracking through the world, which opens up to larger landscapes as you progress, never became repetitive. The animations also complement the intricately designed characters, adding life where too many titles fail (sorry Bethesda, I love your games, but I've grown tired of watching people move around like they are hiding a turd in their pants).

The most important factor of any game is its gameplay. I spent seventeen and a half hours traversing the post-apocalyptic world of Darksiders, and enjoyed nearly every minute of it. The beginning of the game is truly the worst part with linear progression and limited combat and equipment. After an hour or so, the possibilities really begin to open up in the game as you unlock new combat moves, weapons, and tools for solving puzzles. It becomes apparent that Darksiders is not just an action game like God of War or Devil May Cry, but more akin to titles such as Okami and the Legend of Zelda. Everything a fan of Zelda could enjoy is in this game, including dungeons, creative gadgets, and even a horse.

After completing Darksiders, I was left wanting more, which is promised by the final moments, and I can only imagine what will happen once the creators are further able to spread their demonic wings into new territory. Darksiders is a beautiful game, filled with exhilarating moments, and the best parts of familiar titles. A year from now I'm sure to pick it up again for another play through, just like any good Zelda title.