Posted by Tim Fischer on January 15, 2010

Darksiders

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“Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a huge sword.” Revelation 6:3

The Bible’s Book of Revelations tells the story of the end of the modern world brought forth by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse with the breaking of seven seals, which then leads to a holy war between Heaven and Hell. Sounds like the making of a great video game.

Vigil Games has taken this prophecy and given it a twist: What if all but the last seal were broken and one of the Four Horsemen was blamed for the resulting war? Welcome to Darksiders. Human population 0.

You play as the character War, one of the Four Horsemen, who enforces the edicts of the Charred Counsel, a neutral body that pretty much sets the rules between Heaven and Hell. When the apocalypse occurs on Earth, angles and demons are fighting in the streets before War arrives without being summoned. This leads to the annihilation of the human race at the hands of one called the Destroyer. tiamat-2

After War returns to the Counsel he is blamed for the destruction and stripped of most of his power. He is then sent back to Earth a century later to avenge the premature war and the destruction of civilization. The Watcher, a sprite bonded to War by the Counsel, is sent with him to ensure that he follows the order. He also acts as a guide when you do not know exactly what to do next.

As you progress through the story you come to realize that things are not as they seem. Finding out who the Destroyer is and how to stop him is not necessarily as straight forward as you think. This is Heaven and Hell we are talking about. Things can not be taken at face value.

Darksiders is an action/adventure game (with some puzzle thrown in for good measure) in the same vein as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (exploration of different connect lands) and Devil May Cry (combo moves and purchasable upgrades). You progress though the levels earning back your strength and power by finding chests which contain items, defeating boss characters and using Volgrim, a vendor of items that can be purchased with the souls of defeated enemies and by selling 27 artifacts that are scattered throughout the world.

War can acquire powers through Volgrim. These four wrath abilities can be upgraded through Volgrim for a price. Blade geyser (ring of swords), immolation (fire) and affliction (poison) are all great for crowd control. The Forth wrath ability, stoneskin, increases durability and offensive damage. samael-screams2

Being that War is a being of rage and vengeance, he does come equipped with the means to smite his enemies. Chaoseater is War’s sword and only weapon at the start, but you can buy a scythe from Volgrim and find the Tremor Gauntlet while playing. All three weapons’ power can be increased up to four levels simple by using them to strike enemies. There are also enhancements that can be assigned to each weapon giving War abilities such as increased damage, more souls per kill, increased armor, and other talents.

Also be on the lookout for equipment that you will need to progress though the levels. There are a total of six pieces of gear that you will need to find. Two, the crossblade and Mercy, are weapons. The other four, the Abyssal Chain, Voidwalker, Earthcaller, and the Mask of Shadows, either help you to progress through levels or see objects that were hidden before. With every new piece of equipment you find you are going to want to go back to previous levels to see how the new ability helps you find chests.

Overall the game is what I would consider average. The story which is compelling at first, turns into the predictable “It’s all for the greater good” scenario, but if what you are looking for is a solid action game to occupy you for about 15 hours give Darksiders a shot.

ESRB Rating: Mature Avg. playtime: 15-20 hours One-time playthrough Gamerscore: 810 Replay value: Low Multiplayer: No

-Tim Fischer

Managing Editor

Gamertag: porkroll1711