You will get the feeling of "Been there, done that" if you played games like God of War and Devil May Cry.
Genre: Action
Developer: Vigil Games / THQ
System: Steam (PC)
Total Score: 80/100
Value Score: 8.0/10
• Story: 8/10
o The Kingdoms of Angels and Demons have been at war for such a long time. However one day a third kingdom was made: The Kingdom of Man. A pact was signed that would stop the fighting in respect of the existence of the third kingdom and the Charred Council was placed to make sure the balance is kept. Representing the Charred Council are the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. One day one of the seals of the end of the world was broken: War of the 4 horseman was sent out to stop the warring Angels and demons. However he finds out that he was duped into coming into the battlefield. Without his other horseman brethren, his powers drained by the Council and being a enemy to all he must now find who, what, why and how the seal was broken so he could clean his name out of any blame. • Characters: 8/10
o There are several characters in Darksiders, although at first it may seem like a small cast the cast is quite diverse and more than your average action game. You have War who is the main protagonist, the Charred Council who watch over the balance, the Shadow guard who stalks War while keeping him on a leash, Samael who is neither with the demons or the angels but on his own side willing to help War with a price, the angels and their leaders, and the demons and their leaders. Along with that there are several different enemy types ranging from all sorts of demons and fallen angels and riddled with sometimes machines who will attack you as well. The character roster for Darksiders is nicely done and you'll enjoy the variety which is a rarity not seen in many action games.
• GamePlay: 9/10 o Darksiders uses a wide variety of different types of gameplay. For one thing it is a action game like God of War or Devil May Cry but consists of several elements from adventure platformers such as The Legend of Zelda. Just like in these games you get several different items and power ups which affect your gameplay in battle and out of battle. There are several tools you can find which allow you to reach places you could never before or for a future location so expect to do a lot of back tracking to unlock new paths which lead to treasures which power you up. You have Vulgrim, a merchant who is willing to sell you items and power ups for your equips but with the price of souls which you can collect from enemies. There are three types of souls each which has distinct color and a purpose. Blue souls which are mostly found from enemies and objects being destroyed in the environment serve as the money figure for Vulgrim's shop, green souls replenish health and yellow souls replenish Wrath which is the equivalent of Mana which is needed for special skills. You can assign special skills and weapon swaps through the menu so you can easily swap between whatever you want to use with the touch of a button. You can collect shard pieces for to increase health and wrath - you can also find a health container at the end of every boss battle which will increase your health. There are several puzzles in the game that will test you with timing, item usage, and etc. You can backtrack to older locations and you will get access to far more areas within the old zones once you progress through the game.
• Graphics: 9/10
o Darksiders' visuals are quite nicely done and is like what you would expect in a game of its generation. Great looking environmental effects such as water, plant growth and the detailed designs of the enemies and the characters is very nicely done. However the design of the characters themselves may be a bit too western oriented and bit over done to make the game look more serious than it should be.
• Sound: 9/10
o Darksiders' sound effects are as good as its music OST and as detailed as the visuals. You'll hear different sounds from walking/moving on different environments and is actually noticeable and not repetitive as other games of the same genre. The voice acting although is OK but nothing special or praise worthy except for a few certain characters who have amazing voice acting.
• Music: 7/10
o Darksiders' music is as noticeable as any other action game, you'll be too busy focusing on the sound effects of the enemies and the action upon you. Darksiders' music OST is similar in tone and depth as God of War where there are some soothing tracks when there isnt anything going on and exclusive themes for certain types of enemies and battles.
• Length: 7/10
o Darksiders' playthough should take you no more than 20 hours to complete and that is if you did not go after some of the extra items and power ups which are optional. The game has about over 5 distinct areas which you will explore and focus on along with a few other smaller zone areas which play a part in the game.
• Replay Value: 5/10
o There's not much replay value in the game other than the fact that there are multiple difficulty levels of course only if you are a player who plays normal mode and then a harder difficulty. There's no incentive to replay the game as there are no actual rewards outside of the main game itself like you would expect in another game from the same genre.
• Player Value: 8/10 o Darksiders' storyline is a bit better than most action games and its gameplay is quite detailed with all sorts of ways to travel, fight and explore through the game's world. The game's sound and characters are nicely done and adds a unique feeling to the overall atmosphere along with its amazing visual styles and unique art style to the genre. However the game falls short in terms of its replay value and music which is more unnoticeable than any other OST you would hear from a game. Regardless if you are itching for some action and demon slaying, this is the game for you. If you enjoyed games like God of War and Devil May Cry, this game will be worthy of a purchase especially at the price it goes for on Steam.