As a game that takes heavy inspiration from videogame greats like Zelda and God of War, it was always going to be a challenge to stand out from the crowd. Darksiders does this however, and whether you fondly remember classics you’ve played in the past or wish you were playing those games instead, this may well be the first must play game of 2010.
With God of War comparisons present from the get go, it’s obvious that Darksiders knows the style of game it’s going for. As War, one of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, you find yourself answering a false alarm to begin the end of the world, forcing you into exile. Things need to be done on earth though, and War is the only one capable of ridding the world of the cause of the false alarm, and so with his council’s permission is set on course to uncover and destroy the culprit. Accompanied by a demon-The Watcher (voiced by Mark ‘Joker’ Hamill)-he is tied to a powerful leash in case you decide to stray off the mission. This dynamic adds an unsurity to War’s actual motives, never a problem for Kratos in God of War, but with the complicated lore introduced in the opening section it seems a tad misguided.
As a narrative, Darksiders tries a bit too hard, never reaching the over the top nature of Devil May Cry for instance, despite some interesting characters and concepts the game deals with. War is on Earth to do one thing however, and in Darksiders, it’s the thing you’ll enjoy the most.
With combo based combat, War is effective when dealing with the various foes Heaven and Hell have left on Earth following humanity’s extinction, both requiring differing tactics due to their specialist elemental properties. With his trusty Chaoseater sword, pulling off combos is as easy as mashing the square button, with careful dodging and countering being added to the mix as you progress. With a two slots for additional weapons to be selected, a scythe and a gun for example, you can develop much more varied combo sets switching styles on the fly.
Each of these additional items are useful in battle, though the brutal finishers-activated by hitting circle after dealing enough damage-are the key to succeeding in combat, the brief invincibility you gain while performing them being an extremely effective way of avoiding excessive damage. It’s not as fluid as say Devil May Cry 4, where switching fighting style and in turn weapon is a snap, instead you’ll have to sift through the odd menu to activate specialist skills; a Horn used to pass Stone Golems leading to dungeons, or a spinning Cross Blade used as a makeshift boomerang for example. If both these items remind you of a certain other Action Adventure series, don’t be too surprised to find even more links between Darksiders and a certain tunic wearing warrior.
Structure wise Darksiders is a direct copy of The Legend of Zelda, even if it only becomes apparent a few hours into the 15 hour game. With 4 dungeons, each with a distinct style, you navigate an expansive set of rooms, completing puzzles and fending off waves of enemies to eventually reach an end of dungeon boss. Exactly like in Zelda, you unearth items such as a claw capable of destroying crystal walls at just the point where the item would be needed to progress any deeper into the dungeon. This makes for a healthy use of recycled rooms and multiuse of items. First dungeon boss Tiamat for instance needs to be hit with a bomb, which then has to be lit with a flame from your Cross Blade. If you’ve ever played a Zelda game, the stop start nature of Darksiders’ dungeon sections should be familiar enough to give you the same explorative urges seen in Link’s adventures. Every Zelda staple has been addressed too, from pushing blocks down to lower areas to allow climbing higher elsewhere in the dungeon, to a water dungeon-a key thing to note then that the Water controls in Darksiders improve upon the ones in Nintendo’s series.
It’s unusual with all the Zelda references and links to see such a brutal game apeing the child friendly franchise. Yes Twilight Princess was darker than most Zelda titles, but I can’t remember the last time Link chops off an arm, and then rips the head off his foes. Technically the game runs at a fair clip, with impressive environments that sustain the detail the developers attempted to create in the narrative of Darksiders. The heaven and hell theme is realised well too, with War himself retaining the broad, dominant look of many mythological godly figures. Presented with a flair that God of War misses on occasion, it’s easy to forgive Darksiders for never looking as clean or as crisp as Kratos’ games.
Darksiders is a nice surprise to be fair. Early coverage of the game was making me unsure whether any new ground would be uncovered here. While I was right about that, I didn’t anticipate the game being so enjoyable and entertaining to play. Innovative and original it may not be, but Darksiders is a likeable, polished experience that is a great way to start the gaming year off with a bang. For those eagerly awaiting Link’s next adventure, supposedly coming out later this year, Darksiders is a worthwhile choice to keep you adventuring.
Rating: 
Leave a Reply