Darksiders 3 review: Sign up for Fury duty in this apocalyptic adventure
The third instalment of the Darksiders franchise packs a hell of a punch, but feels a little off
Darksiders, the fantastical post-apocalyptic action series, is back with a furious purpose in this third game. For the unfamiliar (or those in need of a catch up), the franchise revolves around the Book of Revelations-style Armageddon kicking off earlier than the Afterlife higher-ups (and lower-downs) had expected, with the Earth in ruins after the conflict between angels and demons lays waste to human civilisation.
As we all know, any good Apocalypse needs some Horsemen, and Darksiders gives them a stage to shine. The original game had you playing as War, with its follow-up putting you in the shoes of Death.
For this second sequel, you are Fury who, along with the as-yet unplayed Strife, is a more video gamey replacement for the traditional Famine and Pestilence.
You are tasked with hunting down the personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins on Earth. All of this is set against the games’ overarching plot of finding out why the end times were triggered early, and War being framed for the crime.
Darksiders 3 carries on the series Metroidvania-style format, namely featuring a large, interconnected world ripe for exploration, with progression to new areas gated by obstacles that require you to obtain specific new abilities to overcome.
Third-person combat remains as integral as ever, with action-packed encounters using fierce melee attacks and magical powers. However, unlike its forebears whose fighting was more often than not a flurry of carnage against large mobs of foes, the combat in Darksiders 3 packs a bit more of a challenge, with enemies being fewer in number but decidedly more powerful.
In fact, it’s difficult to shake the sense that developer Gunfire Games (which features some members of the previous games’ now defunct dev team Vigil) have perhaps taken a few cues from the notoriously tough Dark Souls games.
Even basic enemies can kill you in a handful of hits if you’re not careful, and perfectly timing your dodge is now a matter of life and death. While the challenge does mix the series formula up a bit, as a veteran of the franchise I felt the change to be quite jarring.
Losing progress and having Fury be sent back to a checkpoint after a simple misstep against what would have previously been simple fodder for War and Death quickly becomes frustrating, and in more than a few instances actually discouraged me from exploring for hidden secrets off the main path - something the Metroidvania genre is known for - for fear of a cheap death and having to replay a whole section.
Even on the game’s easiest difficulty setting - called ‘Story’ for those who prefer to just experience the plot - combat requires a certain amount getting used to.
Healing and character progression also take a leaf out of Dark Souls’ book, with an item called Nephilim’s Respite playing the role of Dark Souls’ Estus Flasks - a restorative consumable with limited capacity that needs to be replenished. Meanwhile Dark Souls’ collection of fallen enemies’ Souls as both spendable XP and shop currency is present here as well.
Even if you’ve not played the previous Darksiders games, this new lean to more deliberate and punishing combat might feel a tad at odds with Fury’s blisteringly fast moves that are all about a rapid and aggressive style. Combined with a lock-on system and camera that can feel ill-suited to the more considered method the game is pushing, it’s easy for this Dark Souls-lite vibe to come across as a poor fit.
It’s a shame, given that the rest of Darksiders 3 works so well. The quality of design in both the levels and the art is as good as the series has ever been, with some of the boss characters (the aforementioned Sins) having some outstandingly detailed and unique looks to them.
The character of Fury is also a marked departure from that the other Horsemen we’ve seen so far. Her ferocity is matched by her cynical and occasionally sarcastic dialogue, a million miles away from the self-serious War and forlorn Death.
Verdict
The first two Darksiders games were loved by fans for their modern yet classic-feeling take on the Metroidvania genre, wearing their Metroid and Legend of Zelda influences on their sleeves. Darksiders 3 certainly carries on that spirit. It’s also a franchise that doesn’t want to rest on its laurels.
For instance, the addition of a well implemented crafting system in Darksiders 2 brought much needed depth to what could have been a shallow sequel.
Darksiders 3 is for the most part a fun and well made adventure that you’ll want to see through to the end. But while the different approach to combat is indeed an attempt to push the series somewhere new, in the end it leaves the whole experience feeling slightly off-balance, coming across like a watered down Dark Souls in spots when it should have had enough personality in its own right.
Platform: Xbox One, PS4, PC
Price: £44.99 - £49.99
