As a diehard Legend of Zelda fan, the Darksiders franchise melted my proverbial ovaries from the moment my eyes first gazed upon War back In 2010. It had a mature edge and a most epic storyline that added positively to Apocalyptical lore in every sense.
The Horsemen Are Drawing Nearer, Leather Steeds They Ride, Come To Take Your Life…
Metallica is my favourite band, I needed that subheading! It was a shock to learn of the isometric origin story and debut of Strife, the Fourth Horseman (in order of appearance) given the progression of mainline Darksider titles giving limelight to all Horsemen/Horsemaiden individually. Before THQ collapsed in 2013, it was heavily rumoured that the third or fourth instalment would focus on all four Nephilim at once. Whilst that would be awesome to witness, we’ll have to settle for half of the ideology for now.
That’s not to say Darksiders Genesis is a second rate title, it’s positives outweigh it’s niggling negatives. Horsemen ‘War’ and ‘Strife’ team up in a buddy-cop scenario, trying to stop Lucifer running amok between realms. The banter tries to break down the fourth wall that is the gravitas of the franchise.
Genesis has successfully translated the traditional fighting system of Darksiders into an isometric title without sacrificing it’s heart. It also adds some snappy dodging mechanics and limit-breaking specials such as Strife’s fire bullets. For the first time in the series, players can control two Horsemen by switching to fit the situation. Strife is a ranged option with his twin handguns but is ready to get up close with quick damaging daggers, whilst War is all about up close meat grinding.
A Family Skill Tree To Hang From?
Although not my favourite take on skill trees in the franchise history, Genesis encourages grinding by making players collect cores from enemy drops that contain various buff and power increases. The problem is that players need to collect multiple specific cores to level an ability up.
I felt this this might be counterproductive when it comes to player engagement. But Genesis manages to pull the mechanic off due to its tight fighting system and upgrades that unlock new levels.
Cutscenes are presented in an almost Comic Book format. Still illustrations pan slowly in various directions instead of using in-game cutscenes. I’m a big advocate of artistic vision and taking risks but it would have been great to see some in-game cutscenes just for the sake of immersion. The sound engineering is great overall, providing sufficient gurreral referencing to keep immersion high. The status quo of impactful background OST also remains intact.
Well Colour Me Nephilim!
Textures and level design work are all beautifully crafted to fit into the main series of games, but this level of presentation is ruined due to poorly mapped geometry. Players will find themselves trying to dash their way out of floors or falling fool to scenery blocking the field of view. Genesis tries to address this by highlighting the players model but not enemies, which is completely beyond me.
Glitches aside, Genesis makes for some great gameplay. The fighting system is as tight as veteran Darksiders would come to expect. Having some solid platforming elements in an isometric action RPG is a lesson many genre greats could benefit from.
War and Strife cover each other’s weak spots perfectly. On paper this combination of playable characters should make a great proposition for split screen co-op. But rather than taking a cue from the Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance games, Genesis has a vertical splitscreen layout.
Vertical splitscreen makes defending oneself from hordes of demons difficult as the narrow field of view blocks a lot of action. All in all, it’s quite a disappointing experience; Genesis should be a couch co-op sensation.
In Conclusion…
Whilst Darksiders Genesis doesn’t maintain the same standards of polish its predecessors hold, it’s a fun title that’s worth a punt. New players will find Genesis a great entry point into the lore of the franchise. But veterans will get that little bit more from the experience.
