Darksiders was for me one of those titles that seemed to have flown under the radar, but kicked the year off to a flying start. It was so refreshing to not have to live through the hype cycle and be on constant spoiler alert. It was brilliant to be completely surprised by this epic game that came from nowhere and now all I can hope to do is encourage as many gamers as possible to get their hands on it, and look forward to the sequel of course!

Darksiders sees players stepping into the role of War, the first Horseman of the Apocalypse. This formidable foe is deceived into prematurely bringing about the end of the world. Thereafter, War stands accused of inciting a war between Heaven and Hell and is stripped of his powers but decides to return to Earth, which is now under the grips of demonic forces, to punish those responsible. However, the journey he faces across the decimated Earth is not easy as he is hunted by a band of vengeful angels as well as terrifying creatures from Hell, some of whom he must forge uneasy alliances with in order to continue his quest.

The first thing that you will notice after playing Darksiders for a couple of hours is that it contains echoes of a number of popular games from time past. And while some of you may consider this to be a negative thing, let me be the first to assure you that it is not. Most noticeable will be the similarities to epic titles like God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, Prince of Persia and The Legend of Zelda. Familiar elements have been woven together to bring together a similar yet newer experience that is both accessible and highly entertaining.

You’ll be eased into Darksiders with some cut scenes and a couple of basic tasks to bring you up to speed with the story and how to get around. The cut scenes are dramatic and help to build the tension without taking themselves too seriously. You really get a sense of War’s anguish right from the get go. Remember the world has been devastated and it’s your fault, no-one in Heaven or Hell likes you and you have lost most of your considerable powers as well as your epic mount. Generally not a high point in your life.

Now the ability to enjoy a game as filled with potential as Darksiders could have been severely hampered if the control system was lacking. Fortunately, whilst at first it did appear mind-bogglingly complicated to me, you only need a few controls to get through and the rest you can check out in the menu when you need them. If you are one of those impressive players who knows all of the attack combo’s for each player in those fighting games like Street Fighter, you’ll be right at home with Darksiders. For the rest of us mere mortals who can’t remember more than the basics, that’s why the in-game menu system is there.

Now your quest is to take on the Destroyer and restore balance. If you approached the Destroyer at the beginning of the game his mere look would melt you. You first must regain your powers to build up sufficient abilities to pose a serious challenge. To do this you’ll need to trust some rather nasty demons along the way. One particularly useful demon called Vulgrim has conveniently located outlets scattered throughout the world for you to purchase items from. You first need to find them and thereafter can use them whenever you like.

I like taking out the baddies but there is a tiny problem. You have upset the big man upstairs so unless you fight back you’ll get your butt kicked by some pretty upset angels. At first if you are like me you’ll be, “let’s talk so I can explain what really happened.” Then once you realize forgiveness is not on the cards and it is kill or be killed, the feathers begin to fly. Before long you won’t think twice about ripping off the angels wings and your desensitization will be complete.

The areas are vast and filled with enjoyable destructible objects. There is a lot of satisfaction to be had from picking up a car and tossing it around or just smashing the heck out of anything and everything near you. Gamers are always yearning for more of this and I’m thrilled to report there is plenty to trash…you might…just maybe even get a wee bit bored after destroying your 1000th inanimate object.

After much demon and angel slaying you’ll hook-up with Ruin…and he certainly does complete you! It is one of my favorite features when you call Ruin to you and he charges in from thin air. You then swing up effortlessly onto his back Legolas style from Lord of the Rings. Whilst riding on Ruin your damage is amplified, making it less onerous to dispatch large hordes of enemies. Also given the vastness of the levels it is a pleasure galloping around on Ruin rather than on foot. Understandably there are some areas where he just can’t ride, but when he is with you there is definitely a feeling that nothing is gonna stop you. You’ll encounter Soul Bridges, impassable on foot but beautiful to cross whilst riding on Ruin.

Given the size of the Darksiders levels you are going to have to get to grips with the built in map system. Now really it is not complicated but if you haven’t trawled dungeons before and can’t conceptualize different floors within a 2D space here is a learning opportunity for you to improve your game playing skills. Without the map you can trundle through but you are going to get a little frustrated, so figure it out early on and you’ll enjoy the experience a whole lot more. Remember to make good use of Ruin and the Vulgrim portals to get between areas quicker.

Puzzling in Darksiders comes in different forms with moving leavers, pressure plates, using hot and cold aspects, bombs, boomerangs etc… Nothing terribly difficult if you have played games of the puzzling ilk before. I loved the inclusion of these puzzles, especially the ones that reminded me of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. I don’t want to ruin your fun with spoilers so all you need to know is if you like fighting with a bit of figuring how to get to the fight then go buy Darksiders.

You can upgrade your weapons by spending the Soul Currency you’ll accumulate by killing enemies and generally smashing all the destructible bits and bobs to pieces. I loved the Chaoseater (sword) but you’ll have your pick from the glove, scythe, boomerang and gun, once you collect them that is. Each to their own weapon of preference but either way try upgrading that “special” one first, instead of spreading your upgrades across all the available weapons. You should also search out passive abilities that can be equipped to give a boost to your weapons. All these features can be managed pretty easily through the slick inventory management screens which are well presented and thankfully easy to understand.

In a similar manner to God of War, you often enter an area and it seals, filling with plenty of enemies. You can’t escape before you have slain all the enemies, at which point the seals will break and you can proceed. The quick time events play a small but impressive role. Pull them off successfully and you are rewarded with some graphically pleasing kill moves. Some of the seals require you to find a key hidden somewhere nearby and may require some puzzle solving along the way. All in all, good fun along the path of revenge.

Darksiders is an action packed romp from start to climatic finish, but it’s not all blood and gore, it also has a splash of humour. For example, the comic relief of Watcher who has a whole host of classic one liners such as “Here comes the welcome party. War why don’t you introduce yourself?” Darksiders is completely accessible to a wide audience, filled with stunning environments and boasts a sufficiently interesting plot, varied weapons and some puzzle elements that have been combined in a well thought out and enjoyable way. It is fun to play and watch so pick up a copy and enjoy it!

Purchase: