Darksiders 3 Review

I know, I know, the game came out over a month ago, but here I am. After the holidays, a loss in the family, and a lot of other crazy bits, I'm here now to talk about a game I don't feel got a very clean shake in 2018, and I want to talk about the why.

Darksiders is one of my favorite franchises of all time. Yes, it's up there with Uncharted, The Witcher, Battlefield, and Destiny for me. It's a great blend of interesting story telling, with interesting depictions of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I'm not a religious person, but I like how really not anyone is depicted in a good light, not angels or demons. They are each one version of a certain path, each with their flaws, who think they are doing the right thing. The idea of "good and bad" isn't that one is ALWAYS good or even ALWAYS bad. Angels sometimes do shady things and kill innocents in the name of their faith, and sometimes demons help out our heroes, yeah, they get something in return, but most demons don't negotiate. The biggest mystery still surrounding the game, is who called for the apocalypse early? If you played any of the other two games, than you'll know that's still something we haven't gotten a full answer to, just pieces of a bigger puzzle. For those who haven't played the other two, they are cheap, even the remastered versions, so why not spend $40 bucks or less and go enjoy yourself a couple of classics, hmm?

So the first two Darksiders games came out under the umbrella of the now defunct THQ back in 2010 and 2012 respectively. Both games being made by a studio called Vigil games. The original vision is still scarce on details, as really we still only have rumors and hearsay to go off of six years later. The original vision as told by some, was to have four separate games with different playstyles for each horseman. War being the giant lumbering one, he's seen as a tank, so his playstyle very much plays up that in the first game. Death is far more nimble, with a much more "open world" and an emphasis on loot. I don't remember hearing much about Fury, but I do remember hearing about how Strife was suppose to be a fps. They also wanted a fifth game, a game that would focus on all four horseman coming together to wrap up the story. Once again, this is all rumor, and we have no idea really what the future holds for the franchise, but I will say this, I'm hopeful going forward. Gunfire games has done a solid job in my eyes, moving several pieces forward, even if one or two fell back.

So with Darksiders 3, how is the story? The story is alright. It doesn't wow as much, or grow it's central character as much as the previous two do, but it does introduce a couple of new characters, some deeper lore, and has a main character that takes a while to like, but in the end does wind up succeeding in the end. Where with War you felt for him, because he claims over and over again that he only "heeded the call". He was set up, and you see that from the beginning. Death, on the path of trying to help his brother out, comes off as cool and collected, and for the most part he is. But for man whose whole title is about "Death, and what it brings" he very much cares for life as well. He's just really good at killing things. Death potentially being the strongest horseman, doesn't really act like it, he's not verbose. But what makes these characters so much better is watching them grow almost naturally in front of you. With Fury, she does grow, but it's really sudden. Instead of slowly moving there, it's all at once in one particular moment in which, don't get me wrong, it was a great moment, but it didn't feel as natural. It was all at once. It very well could have been the moment that she does fully change, but she could have gradually gotten there instead. She comes off almost bullish, which, I get it, she's Fury. However, where her siblings seemed to care more about the balance, and making things right, she's just focused on her one task, and that's it. As you dive more into her character, you get it, but like I said, it takes awhile to get there. This going forward, the story for anyone that isn't a huge Darksiders buff, will confuse most. Fury's story is going on at the same time as Death's (Or rather, it's really close.) and it takes place right before the real start of War's. I like this type of story telling, because you can go back and forth with all 3 games, and see how things center around each other. But as said before, the story isn't as strong as the lore, but it is there, unlike Fallout: 76. Voice acting is solid, but the real focus it would seem in this game, went to the combat.

Now, for those who don't know, and I expect most won't, this game might be the third game in the series, but it isn't actually the game with the highest budget. Talking to gameindustry.biz, Director of Business and Development at THQ Nordic talked about in an article about how the game didn't have a "Call of Duty budget" saying this to make his case.

"So in terms of budgets, there were all pretty much aligned with what Call of Duty was - and that's not the right place for every game. Darksiders, for example, will never be a Call of Duty."

Other interviews with THQ Nordic's CEO also had him saying that they could make a Darksiders game on a much lower budget than "50 million".

While I some what agree, it also shows that budget, and time, were mainly focused here, on the combat. Combat is much more inspired by Dark Souls, being somewhat unforgiving at times, than that of the original games. The original games had more of Zelda vibe to them. However, there are far more nuances as well to even the playing field. But if you don't care for how the combat has evolved, there is an option that has been implemented recently to use the more "classic" combat, with the new additions. Where with War, you had 4-5 set weapons, and with Death, you had different weapons and armor to acquire, with Fury, it's a bit different, and a bit the same. What do I mean by that? Well there are different abilities you are given throughout the story with things called "Elemental Hollows". Each Elemental Hollow gives you new ways to traverse the semi open world, but also, gives you new weapons that you can use pressing the Y button on Xbox, and Triangle on PS. Each Hollow gives you things like spears, dual daggers, or even a giant hammer. Plus, on top of all of this, it also gives you new abilities and power moves that you can do. The fire Hollow can allow you to jump higher, and it also lets you traverse lava without taking damage. However, the best addition by far, is of course, Fury's now infamous weapon, her whip. Each character has had their standout weapon that the moment you think of any of them, you immediately imagine them with their some what sacred weapons. The whip is just fun as Hell fighting against the hoards of enemies that you will face. Sometimes you'll be facing upwards of like 12+ enemies, with 4-5 different types of enemies shuffled in, leaving you juggling a hot mess sometimes. Dodging is key, as not only will it allow the enemy to slow down, but it will also allow you to counter with a special move back. There is a some what dance of death that many will attribute to Dark Souls, as you try and predict out your opponent's attack patterns. You will also lose your souls if you die, and they will be available at the spot of your death for pick up, once again, just like Dark Souls. Leveling is fairly basic and easy enough to understand. This is the one area I wish they would, and I hope they do, overhaul. It's literally 3 areas in which you put your level up points into. Health, Damage, and Special Damage. The world looks really good, as it does still have the cartoon like stylings that make Darksiders, Darksiders. In some ways it could improve, like with Framerate still being a bit dodgy at times, as well as some late stage pop in from time to time. Little things that could be patched up in DS3, and hopefully all but forgotten by DS4. There is a fair amount to explore, as you are looking for buffs like more health and rage, but my biggest issue is that even though the world is fairly detailed throughout, there is no huge pay off for exploring it all. Yes, there are things other than just power ups to obtain, as there are rare crafting materials to make Hollows and the whip much more powerful, and there are humans you can save through out. However, there isn't anything really, REALLY cool to try and find/collect, or at least, nothing I've found in 16+ hours. Nothing like with the first Darksiders where you were trying to collect the 6 pieces of the Abyssal Armor set that was really freaking dope. Nothing like trying to get a different armor, or stronger weapons in DS2. There wasn't this almighty weapon or armor set to chase, and I feel like with an semi open world, it kind of hurts the game a little. The underwater scenes though were really freaking cool, honestly almost worth the price of the game alone. Sound design through out the world is solid, weapons feel and sound powerful when striking down on any enemy. I didn't really feel like any of the weapons were weak, just some handled opponents much more effectively.

The biggest complaint I've seen from the media, is that it "doesn't move the story forward" and that "It doesn't evolve the game enough" which would be fair criticisms if only for three things. First off, the game hasn't moved forward, because you're suppose to be getting pieces from each game, to get you closer to why some characters in the story, decided to frame the Horsemen with an early apocalypse. Each adventure is happening some what in parallel with each other. Each happening in a different part of the world at the same time, with different tasks at hand, for what they think will clear their names up from the "mistake" that was made. Second, the team didn't have the same budget as before, and we aren't sure how far off it really was. Third, is that budget aside, the team has some veterans familiar with the Darksiders universe, but really, most of the team, is new to this series. They helped remaster DS2, but really, that game was already built, and for last gen systems. My point is that with the effort and love that I do see put into this game, it might have missed a mark that was set 6 years ago, but honestly, I feel like the franchise is in safe, if not fresh, hands, and it will see it only get better from here. Mark my words here.

So that's it for me on this one guys, I hope this review helps, even if it's a little late. I have a couple of videos I want to get out into the world over the next couple of weeks, I've been working on them for a while. I have an 2019 goals and plans video coming up here really soon, so stay tuned for that, but for Darksiders 3, my final grade is...

a 7/10

It's slightly above average. The story was a little weak, which hurt it overall, and the lack of anything cool to try and grab also hurt it too. But the thing that really leaves me giving it this grade are the technical issues, some of the fixed, some of them still out in the wild. Nothing seriously game breaking or game crashing, but definitely annoying when the framerate drops a little in the middle of a fight with 15 guys. But there is still a lot to love about this series, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing what they do with 4, as I feel like the groundwork here is more of rock than sand. So that's it from me, I'll see you guys soon, on the next, On The Shelf.