Darksiders Genesis Review (PC) | A tasty appetizer awaiting the fourth chapter

It's been a little over a year since we met Fury in Darksiders 3, but here we are ready to tell you more about this series with Darksiders Genesis. In this new title we will take a huge (and I stress huge) step back with the narrative that tells us this time about events prior to the first chapter.

Otherwise we get angry

Just because we are in the past we will meet again War which together with Conflict, the last missing knight, they will have to venture between the underworld and Eden to undo the plans of Lucifer against the Balance naturally making their way through hordes of demons in the most tamarra way possible. Just like apocalyptic Bud Spencer and Terence Hill will face some of the creatures already known to longtime fans by meeting equally famous characters like Abaddon, Samael and of course vulgrim. Although both are present, we can safely say that the real protagonist is Conflitto, the agile gunslinger whose presence we had always glimpsed in the films of the previous chapters. Unlike his brothers, he is less dark and will not fail to mock his opponents, and Guerra, with Deadpoo style jokes and digsl.

Less Diablolic than you think

It is useless to lie, since the first Darksiders we have all thought that the fantastic character design of the series shouted Blizzard Entertainment from every 3D model, and indeed the thought immediately flew to Diablo after seeing the trailer for Genesis, but we immediately changed our mind. As is well known, each title of the franchise has explored a different type of gameplay to best suit the style of each knight, so what better opportunity to propose an isometric Hack 'n' Slash to best express the two guns of Conflict? As said before, this choice had given rise to some doubts but once I tried it I found myself in my hands a title that is as much Darksiders as one can expect: brutal combat alternating between exploration, puzzle and platforming phases.

Let's start from the first aspect, the fighting, as per tradition no enemy will be spared from the wrath of the knights. As said before we will be able to interchange War and Conflict according to our needs: Guerra with his broadsword is perfect for those who want to throw themselves into the fray by mercilessly mowing down their enemies or to shorten distances with a particularly shy enemy, Conflitto instead is for those who prefer greater crowd control over enemies (like myself) and keep to away from particularly tough bosses. Of course they cannot be missing abilities and upgrades of all kinds thanks to the introduction of the Nuclei. These objects have a chance of being released by monsters once they are defeated and thanks to the special screen we will be able to create our custom build by inserting the nuclei collected in the different spaces, collecting more nuclei of the same creature will enhance the effects.

For those who do not want to replay the past levels, it is possible to access thearena, a series of levels in which the only aim will be to survive the waves of enemies in order to get rewards and upgrade the cores collected.

Each level of Darksiders Genesis often develops on large explorable maps developed on several floors. Through the exploration we will be able to collect not only the souls but also the coins of the ferryman useful for the different purchases from Vulgrim during our adventure. To make the task easier for us is surely the ability to move on our trusty steed which in many cases will also become an integral part of the fighting. The different secrets and treasures hidden in each map involve a certain amount of backtracking to find them all and upgrade your cores in the meantime.

If in the fighting it is possible to prefer one knight to the other, with the puzzle the music changes as we will have to chain the use of gadgets of both in order to unlock certain sections such as doors or bridges.

The inevitable platform section returns with typical elements of the series such as edges to cling to, suspended hooks and blue spheres that will allow us to increase our glide. The game itself recommends the use of the joypad, an indication that it is good to follow because several of these sections have difficult jumps to be made only with the keyboard.

Swinging storytelling

If Darksiders 3 had the problem of a sometimes hasty plot and not very successful dialogues, Genesis slightly raises the bar by aiming deliberately at one very 80s / 90s narrative style similar to children's shows: Returning from each mission to headquarters our heroes will be tasked with defeating an enemy stronger than before to collect items to defeat the final boss. Problem arises when this becomes the only motivation that pushes players to explore the levels, so much so as to tire even the protagonists. Before the continuous back and forth from the worlds get tired the game ends with a clean cut to the story, so suddenly leaving a bitter taste in the mouth.

Fortunately, the dialogues are better written than the third chapter, pushing a little more on a “mature” language that will surely make the most edgy kids smile at which this title is fully addressed. Conflict and War will often find themselves in bickering during their missions, giving life to curtains similar to Buddy Cop Movies.

In conclusion:

The development of Darksiders passes this time through the hands of Airship Syndicate, a studio composed by the developers of Vigil Games, which had developed the first two titles of the series and this is felt above all from an artistic and gameplay point of view. The level design is studied in detail, not only for the vast explorability and monsters to defeat, but also an enormous amount of dynamic elements that react to our actions. The gameplay is very solid but above all fun, especially the boss fights. Each of these will require strong nerves and cunning to overcome and will make us practice every power we have gathered, even the horse! The possibility of being played in local multiplayer (but also online) is always a plus for an action title for me. Finally, the ability to create small builds for your heroes is a notable addition to the classic Vulgrim shop. In short, a Darksiders with all the trimmings that will certainly not disappoint fans and will certainly approach new ones. If these are to be considered the bases of a fourth chapter (perhaps with all four horsemen), we can really hope.

Game available on PS4 - Xbox One - PC (Tested) – Nintendo Switch – Stadia