If one has to break the gaming experience down into its fundamentals, I think it's safe to say that probably the most important aspect of all, is the pursuit of pure escapism. We play these games because we want to be absorbed into a new world, to switch off from reality for a couple of hours and be whisked away to some fantastical new playground. Vigil Games seems to have cracked that, then, with Darksiders, an action adventure title which, while perhaps not entirely original in terms of gameplay style, does wonders to immerse the player in its gripping tale of cataclysmic proportions.
Let us be clear about one thing here: Darksiders wears its inspirations on its sleeve. If you go into this post apocalyptic world expecting to find a whole new way to play action games, you may well be disappointed, because the basic premise will be familiar to most seasoned gamers. It would be unfair to pigeon-hole Darksiders as a clone of any one specific game, but it does take liberal dollops of inspiration from a number of popular franchises and blends them all together. What Vigil Games has done, however, is take what could already be considered tired action gaming cliche's and crank them all up to 'overload', with the end result being an overwhelmingly explosive and enthralling experience.
To pen this twisted tale, the writers used their artistic license to build a story based on the biblical book of Revelations. In the Darksiders version, our anti-hero War is awoken to ride for the end of the world, only to find that he arrived at the party early, in what was effectively a premature apocalypse. Naturally his superiors, the Charred Council, who are responsible for maintaining balance between the factions of man, angels and demons, are rather annoyed with this mistake and hold War personally responsible. To prove his innocence, War is sent back to a now broken Earth to find the one responsible for his costly error and so the scene is set for hours of ruthless aggression against the backdrop of the End of Times.
Naturally, being War, the only way to really solve this problem is by the use of extreme force, and it is in this aggressive style of play that Darksiders really shines. The controls are initially very basic, requiring little more than a bit of jumping and a whole lot of smashing the 'A' button to attack. At first this button-bashing feels a bit too simplistic, but as War unlocks more complex attacks he really becomes a force to be reckoned with. On the down side, the button inputs for these complicated attacks become a little overwhelming if you don't take the time to really practise each one properly. In a possibly unintentional sidestep to that problem, the game allows you to choose which new moves you add to your arsenal, so if you want to keep it simple, then that's also an option. I found that focusing on around four additional attacks was enough to dispatch most enemies to from whence they came, while not feeling weighed down by a load of tricky button inputs. Believe me, once you find yourself in an arena with around ten demons of varying size and strength, each with different attack strategies and weaknesses, you really won't have time to ponder which elaborate special move to pull off. That said, even with the option to structure your combat repertoire in this way, the overall control structure does become cumbersome as War learns new abilities, and this overcomplication of an otherwise simple (but gripping) game is one of the weak-points which stands out during play.
If that paints a picture of a game which is somewhat complicated and unpleasant to play, that couldn't be further from the truth. Stick to the moves you know, and soon rampaging through hordes of demons becomes a gruesome pleasure the likes of which you probably haven't experienced in quite some time. War really is an awesome lead character, and he becomes more fun to control as he becomes stronger as the game progresses. There is brutal satisfaction to be found by clearing a room filled with enemies with almost artistic flair and much spraying of blood and gore. It's this feeling, the way that War really steps into his role as a Horseman of the Apocalypse, that will plaster a wicked grin on your face more than anything else. For the most part, the action hardly lets up at all, with an almost constant flow of demons, and later angels, to literally tear through, and the pleasure of destroying this seemingly unending barrage of enemies is what gives Darksiders its addictive "just one more hour" nature. Oh, that's right, don't expect to whizz through this story in one sitting, War will demand your full attention for around ten or so hours to get the job done.
Occasionally interrupting the ultra-violence are a number of basic puzzle elements, starting off with your most basic "find the right key for the right door" scenarios, which add a little more cerebral activity to the proceedings. This is appreciated, because otherwise the breakneck pace of the action could become quite exhausting after too long. At some stages later in the game, however, the puzzles are shifted up a gear, sometimes to the point of frustration. The brain teasers become overly complicated for a game of this nature, and it happens almost without warning, just as you become accustomed to the flow of the combat and puzzle-lite key hunting exercises. In fact, some of these sections are so vast that when you eventually finish them and once again come face to face with a room full of Hell's minions, it takes a moment just to remember how to fight. Granted, the puzzles are far from obscure, and if you've spent much time playing this sort of game in the past it shouldn't trouble you for too long, but when combat is as strong as it is in Darksiders one has to think that the developer should have stuck to it.
War's minor movement issues are also magnified during these long-winded sections. Jumping, and especially double-jumping, can be a little clumsy at times, and while this is of little consequence in the heat of battle it can become really annoying when you are trying to manoeuvre around a fiddly puzzle area. Then again, once you are face to face with a gargantuan demonic bat creature you will quickly forget the half hour you just spent trying to open a trap door or cross a broken bridge. That pretty much sums it up right there... the intense battles which make up so much of Darksiders are so wild, so manic, it makes up for just about any of the small niggles found elsewhere in the game.
Speaking of demonic bat creatures, maybe we should take a quick look at the ridiculously over sized boss monsters which War squares up to over the length of his campaign. An action-packed third person adventure like this wouldn't be worth the disc its written on if it didn't bring huge salivating beasties to the party, and Darksiders delivers here, make no mistake. These showdowns sometimes span across multiple stages and phases, really adding weight to the scale of the war going on here. At the same time, while the battles may seem daunting at first, action veterans will have very little trouble figuring out how to bring these bad boys (and girls) down. Doing so always ends in the most gruesome way possible, with a press of the 'B' button when prompted triggering War to put an especially violent end to his enemies.
The world in which all of this takes place is a subtle blend of post apocalyptic Earthscapes and fire and brimstone underworld, and all of it has been created with deep consideration of the aesthetic. From the smouldering pits of lava to the decaying skyscrapers, you can see that Darksiders was designed by people who know how to build immersive gameworlds. Nothing feels out of place, and though you would expect to see a colour palette of muddy browns and dirty reds usually associated with a destroyed world theme like this, Vigil Games' creative team have taken great care to paint lush and vibrant landscapes. Everything here has a visual weight to it, with a solid and chunky feel to the characters and geography. Besides the gruesome and sometimes massive enemies War comes into contact with, there are a number of unusual allies who help him in his quest, although usually only to help achieve goals of their own, and these characters are also stunningly created. Richly detailed and textured, the character models look fantastic close up or from afar. Another visual aspect which you hardly notice because of the games frantic pace, but which deserves special mention all the same, is the quality of the distant backdrops. Towering inferno's, smouldering buildings, snowy mountaintops, they all have an almost water-coloured texture to them.
A less blatant but equally important part of the Darksiders experience is the sound direction, which is of a consistently high quality. Music ranges from eerie soundscapes during quieter moments, to sweeping epic pieces which add another layer of intensity to the massive battles which ensue. Sound effects are uniformly excellent in that they don't stand out but rather fit the gameplay perfectly. Voice acting is also brilliant throughout the cast, with a number of renowned industry names adding their talents.
Vigil Games must be commended for taking a chance here, by creating a brand new intellectual property in a time where blockbuster sequels seem to be the order of the day. The chosen subject matter could have caused controversy had it not been handled in such a slick and stylised manner, and there is a consistently high level of polish across just about every aspect of the game. Sure, there are a number of niggling issues which rear their heads now and then, but these are instantly and consummately overshadowed by the sheer brilliance of the action sequences, the exotic landscapes so stunningly realised in vivid colour and style, the dark charisma of the lead character War, and his unexpected allies and his ferocious enemies. With success just about guaranteed for this brutal adventure, I have a feeling that we will see more great things to come from Vigil Games in the future.
Pros:
- Explosive non-stop action
- Brilliant story which lasts far longer than you would expect
- Pure escapism, the reason we play games in the first place!
Cons:
- Puzzles can become tedious
- Some clumsy control issues
Rating: 
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