Darksiders 3 rides into stores today
Always look on the dark side of life
I never thought I'd see another Darksiders released after the implosion of THQ, but Darksiders 3 is out now and developed by Gunfire Games. The latest in the overblown post-apocalyptic action adventure series is apparently an odd beast. Folk can't seem to decide if it's rubbish or great, and our Alec Meer reckons in his review that it's both, thanks to its own confused identity. Sometimes it's a bit Diablo, other times it's all rather Dark Souls, and generally it sounds a bit too straight-laced for its own good, as hinted at by the serious (and potentially spoilery) launch trailer below.
With such a wooly reception to the third game, I'm just left wondering if this one might end up the last in the series. I hope not, though - even if it's wonky in places, I want to see more of this over-the-top aesthetic. Twenty-foot-tall flaming megademons battling in amidst impossibly massive structures both man or mystical-made. Even without comic artist Joe Madureira this time round, Gunfire Games (mostly the original Vigil Games crew reformed) have managed to replicate his style well. They've got a good eye for excess, and it'd be a shame to see that forgotten.
I'm personally fascinated to see such a wide range of opinions on Darksiders 3 - reviews are all over the place. The first game might have set the series up as a heavy metal comicbook Zelda-like, but its sequel had more open-worldish action RPG ambitions. To this day, people still argue whether the second game ruined or saved the series, so I'm looking forward to trying this one for myself and seeing how I do with it. Still, being a full-priced retail game with DLC yet to come (including serpent holes to be plumbed, ooerr), I might wait until the next round of sales, though.
Darksiders 3 is out now on Steam, Humble and GOG, and costs £45/€60/$60 for the regular edition, and £60/€80/$80 for the deluxe edition, including the DLC season pass. It's published by THQ Nordic.