Darksiders Review

It's almost expected of games, these days, to share a likeness to one another. As genres become more standardised and what we expect becomes more generalised, it's almost impossible for a game to not share any similarities with any number of games. Darksiders follows with this idea, taking the gameplay pattern of Zelda and combining it with the combat of God of War, but is it better for it?

The game revolves around the story of War, one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who believes he is summoned into the final battle for Earth only to find hehas been  tricked. Stripped of his powers and forced onto a lead by the Watcher, War returns to Earth nearly a century after its destruction to right the wrongs he was tricked into committing. War is a likeable character, though lacking in any real attachment. He's a man on a mission, and doesn't care who dies in the process - think Bruce Willis in Die Hard. It's a basic enough storyline, but told well with some interesting and unique NPCs who'll help you out.

The world itself, and its visual art style, is what draws you into Darksiders. While the graphics may not be as glorious as they could be, the cartoony comic book style makes a nice change. The world itself is an unspecified city of Earth, resembling something of a derelict New York. You'll walk through dilapidated city streets and use abandoned and destroyed cars as projectiles, but at the same time lava will flow beneath the world and hellish rockery shoots up from the ground. It's a stark contrast between the ‘real' of our world, and the fantasy - made ever more apparent by the descriptions of the different areas. While one place may have originally been a graveyard, it suddenly becomes ‘The Choking Grounds' - a far more fantastical name to what would otherwise be a nondescript overlooked place in the human world.

It is this fantasy idea being implemented into a very recognisable landscape that draws the player into the world. And as you explore you'll begin to notice comparisons with Zelda. Many areas of the world are blocked off until you find the right equipment, which are handed out to you as your progress through the game. Early on you'll be gifted the shadowflight ability, which allows players to fly along glowing blue orbs. Later on, in a dungeon, you'll find bombs to use and a crossblade (the boomerang to Zelda fans). This method of exploration is rife in Zelda, and therefore it is clear the inspiration in the game from this.

Even the dungeons themselves show a number of signs pointing to Zelda inspiration - from the puzzles we've completed in any Zelda game previously, to the objects you collect. Each dungeon has a map, a treasure locator and a main item to collect. Once these are done, and you've solved the dungeons puzzles, you'll be granted access to the dungeon's boss - and after defeating this you'll step into a glowing blue portal that'll teleport you to the dungeon entrance. Even the Watcher[DA1]  acts as a darker version of The Ocarina of Time's Navi - the fairy who follows Link on his quest and offers advice. The comparisons are too clear and obvious to overlook.

As for the combat of the game, you'll find it is far more action-based than the Zelda series and more akin to the God of War's of the gaming world. You'll hack and slash through each of the enemies you come across; using the various tools you acquire to help with this. The tougher enemies need to be weakened first, ending with a button press to activate a finisher move that is more than slightly similar to Kratos' finishers. It is a fluid combat system, however, and enjoyable. You can unlock a few new moves to increase your moves list, but ultimately you'll spend your time slashing away regardless. The enemies you fight are varied, each with their own special attributes or ways of defeating - but the combat system is intuitive enough that you won't find yourself struggling.

As you explore the world, the gameplay introduces new set-pieces that break up the game slightly. Initially these are hunting down guardians and undertaking certain challenges to open up the next area - a method that is used regularly throughout the game - but then you'll have more interesting moments, such as taking part in an on-rails shooter as you fly on the back of a griffon or competing with an NPC to earn the most angel kills. It's not serious, but they are enjoyable methods that help refresh the gameplay beyond travelling from A to B.

The biggest complaint is the difficulty of the game. What may appear to be a fairly difficult game at first soon becomes easier when you figure out the enemies and the combat. Add in the fact that, as you collect more heart pieces and newer weapons the game inevitably becomes easier without providing any challenges more difficult than they originally were. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since providing character improvements is key to the game - but it would be nice for the difficulty of the game to scale with it. 

All in all, Darksiders is an enjoyable action-adventure game that successfully merges two ideas - and basks in its appreciation of the Zelda series. The art style and NPCs of the game really draws it into its own, standing it aside from any comparisons between existing franchises. As fun as it is, however, it is ultimately not as good as the games it mirrors. Both Zelda and God of War have a quality that outshines Darksiders but, that aside, it'll be hard for anyone - diehard fan or the other two series or not - to not have a great time playing through Darksiders.