Darksiders Genesis Review

This latest entry in the Darksiders series eschews the over the shoulder viewpoint of the prior games, instead preferring an isometric view more akin to the Diablo games or Path of Exile. It does however keep the series’ trademark character action as the fourth horseman, Strife, makes his playable debut with guns blazing.

Darksiders Genesis is a prequel, taking place before the main series of games. It focuses on Strife, a quippy hotheaded gunslinger as he takes on Lucifer who is causing trouble by upsetting the power balance with other demons throughout Hell.

Unlike the prior games which used an over the shoulder third-person view, Genesis translates the action combat of earlier games to the new overhead angle quite gracefully. Strife predominantly uses his pistols Mercy and Redemption like a twin-stick shooter although he does have blades on hand when enemies get up close and personal.

Genesis actually has you play two characters however. War, the protagonist from the original Darksiders, can be switched to at any point and focuses on melee attacks. This gives combat a strategic element as both characters unlock different abilities for use both in and out of combat. This also means you’ll be swapping between them to solve environmental puzzles as you progress.

Gameplay has more in common with a twin-stick shooter than an action RPG like Diablo, especially as there are no loot drops in the traditional sense. Strife and War have a power level which you improve by collecting creature cores that enemies have a chance to drop.

These cores can be slot in to a simple upgrade board where matching the type of core with the type of slot gives a boost to one of three specific stats; Attack (which affects general damage), Wrath (which affects special move strength) and Health (which adjusts your overall health pool). This system is simple enough to understand with each different type of core also providing a different benefit.

From simple buffs like bonuses to health and attack to changing skill properties like making Strife’s Caltrops ability have a chance on activation to drop health orbs. Each core can be improved by collecting more of the same orb, ultimately making them more powerful; figuring out the best way of mixing and matching cores to how you play can make a surprising amount of difference.

It also highlights one major issue with the game, the grind. As you progress through the campaign you’ll potentially hit roadblocks where you don’t quite meet a power recommendation for the chapter, you can still attempt it though it will be harder than intended. This encourages you to replay earlier chapters to grind out cores to improve the ones you have which in turn bumps up your power level.

Some cores, like from bosses, have a pretty high drop chance but ones from regular enemies are a bit rarer which can make the whole experience feel a little too grindy when you require 30 or so to improve it. This is made a little easier once you unlock the Arena around a third of the way through the campaign as it allows you to fight waves of enemies in a more controlled manner but it still feels a little off.

The campaign itself is a lot of fun, initially Strife’s quippy characterisation makes him come across as if he’s trying to channel Deadpool, with occasional fourth wall breaks. He did grow on me however and the interplay between his rash, shoot first attitude and War’s super serious deadpan nature make for some seriously entertaining banter as the game goes on.

Their voicework along with that of the returning cast is solid all around and really helps mask the somewhat repetitive nature of the game loop. The grindiness of the core collection/upgrade mechanics do detract from the experience but the combat and overall feel of movement really does offset it quite a bit.

As mentioned, the game feels a lot like a twin-stick shooter, especially when playing as Strife, as the long range specialist he ends up unlocking different ammo types which give different attacks like a beam or slower more powerful shots. He does still have some melee ability but that is more War’s wheelhouse as he’s much tankier and unlocks different elemental attacks.

Both characters can unlock more moves by spending souls and coins you obtain through levels and the arena. Because of the amount of variety and sheer number of options, combat is never a dull affair and it controls beautifully making it extremely satisfying to play. It really does feel like you are playing one of the earlier titles, just with the camera pulled way up above the action.

Darksiders Genesis is a surprising game in that it feels like a true Darksiders game even with the drastic departure in approach. The repetitive upgrade loop is the only real problem the game has but it’s a potentially big enough one to put folk off the game entirely.

For fans of the series though there is a lot to like and it has enough of the Darksiders DNA to make it easy to recommend. Those expecting a focus on gear and loot based on the game’s appearance will be disappointed but if the idea of an isometric character action game sounds like fun you can do far worse than this.