What kind of game isn’t Darksiders: Wrath of War? I keep trying to figure out where the developers, Vigil Games, keep snagging their influences from, but it seems that they’ve made their way through a berry patch of video games, picking and choosing ripe ideas at will. For the time being though, I’m going to say that Darksiders most reminds me of Soul Reaver… and Zelda… and Dark Sector. Huh?
Wrath of War is set in an alternate version of the future where some baddies have prematurely brought on the apocalypse. No one likes early guests! Well, the upside of the situation is that you get to take control of War, the first horseman of the apocalypse, and his sizable steed as he runs about trying to set things right and get a little revenge while he’s at it. All the details haven’t been filled in for us yet, but we get the gist: Bad stuff is going down, and War needs to wreck sh*t to rectify the situation. I mean, why else would he be this hulking girth of a man with a huge sword, right?
Gameplay in Darksiders falls into the Action Adventure RPG territory, with a good dose of platforming and puzzle solving to fill in the whole experience. In the demo we watched, War was in the midst of one of the game’s many Dungeons. Gameplay largely consisted of entering a room, killing some guys, and then solving a puzzle to leave that room. It’s all very familiar stuff, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a bad thing.
Controlling War in combat is actually much deeper than the experience offered in either Zelda or Soul Reaver. War has both a primary sword attack and an alternative punch attack, which can change based on the equipment present. The right trigger also plays host to any gun or other ranged weapon he may have equipped. The combat we saw didn’t have the speed of titles like God of War, but War himself has a healthy does of maneuvers that will only increase as he travels through the game.
The Darksiders universe is comprised of the Overworld and Dungeons. While we didn’t have the chance to see the Overworld, we’re told that that is where War will encounter sidequests and collect items. It’s a veritable Hyrule, I’m sure of it. Likewise, the dungeons are all giant puzzles that require a key item solve. In the dungeon we saw, that item was the Crossblade--a multi-bladed throwing weapon that returns to the thrower like a boomerang. In a very Dark Sector-ish moment, one puzzle involved sending the blade through a torch flame to light a bomb and open a path.
Of course, all these details only hint at the depth in Darksiders. Almost all the dungeons require return trips to complete. Collected souls from downed enemies can be used to level up your weapons, stats, and armor--all with visible changes on your character. You’ll be able to ride your trusted horse throughout the Overworld. Darksiders is really looking to hit every note that an action/adventure RPG fanboy may want. It’s no wonder that certain elements of gameplay appear more borrowed than original. And you know what? I could care less. Because if there’s one thing that seems pretty apparent, it’s that Vigil Games seems to be doing most everything correctly.
Graphically, Darksiders isn’t necessarily about realism of any sort. War’s thick frame and impossibly large sword are testaments to that affect, but the level of detail in the game is pretty darn impressive. Some outdoor, ruined city, environments that we’ve seen in screenshots have huge draw distances. Even the indoor locations are almost totally composed of vaulted ceilings and adorned in minor details that show the care the developers have put into constructing every area.
I can definitely say I’m very excited for more time with Darksiders. I haven’t had a chance to sit through a game like it since Twilight Princess, which was nearly 2 years ago. Of course, we’ll just have to sit very patiently on this one because Darksiders: Wrath of War isn’t due until sometime in 2009. Expect to have some updated impressions as the months wane away.
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