This time, I want to do a detailed breakdown of the factors that made Darksiders one of the great games of 2010. To be honest, I was skeptical about playing it in depth for a long time, but thanks to my good friend OwAlvCarD, who insisted tirelessly, I’m now writing this great review. With the second installment on the horizon, I took it upon myself to comment on the aspects that made this title a masterpiece. A warning to any reader about to take a look at this review who still has the game collecting dust on the shelf: DO NOT proceed, as you may come across some details that will surely lessen the satisfaction of playing it (and don’t say I didn’t warn you!).

The hack and slash genre is well-known to everyone: the classic “me against the world,” packed with bloody combat, where the distinctive feature (that sets it apart from beat ’em up) is the use of weapons (mainly melee) to carve your way through hordes of enemies. In recent times, this genre has seen many exponents across all platforms: starting with older titles like Devil May Cry, followed by wonderful works like Ninja Gaiden, Dynasty Warriors, X-Blades, Bayonetta, Mad World, Nier, Dante’s Inferno, Heavenly Sword, Ninja Blade, and even companies like Konami, which, seeing the popularity of the format, decided to carve out a niche and capitalize on it by releasing Castlevania: Lord of Shadows, quickly becoming one of the most impressive titles in the entire franchise (and that says a lot in Castlevania, take it from an expert). And as expected, we must mention the God of War series, which reignited the flames of hack and slash, being today the ultimate reference point and the big brother everyone wants to emulate.

From the list mentioned, some titles can be taken with a grain of salt, as the genre has closely intertwined with Action RPGs, becoming two styles today that share many similarities. So many might argue that certain games don’t belong on that list. But let’s focus our attention solely on the God of War and Devil May Cry series as the genre’s top representatives, serving as our reference points.

The title I’ll talk about today is Darksiders: Wrath of War, a work that carved out its place amidst the maze of games released in 2010 and became great thanks to one very particular characteristic: the sensation of not playing Darksiders. You might say I’m crazy, and many will likely stop reading this article after seeing that paradoxical and absurd conclusion, but I invite you to continue with this analysis to show you what I mean.

Every good chef knows that by using the right ingredients in the right amounts, you’ll undoubtedly achieve a very good result in your preparation. The creators of Darksiders understood this principle well and implemented it: developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ, the game puts us in the shoes of War (as his friends call him), one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this title:

The Book of Revelation

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second Living Being say, “Come.” And another horse came out, fiery red. Its rider was given the power to take peace from the earth and make people kill each other. He was given a large sword. (Rev. 6:3-4)

Written in the first or early second century by John (just John, despite his natural association with the apostle of the same name), it is the final book of the New Testament and the one with the most analogies and interpretations regarding its meaning. It’s essential to mention it because Darksiders narrates the events at the end of days when the seven seals will be destroyed, and the three great realms (humans, heaven, and hell) will enter a relentless war until one emerges victorious. Once this happens, the four “Horsemen of the Apocalypse” will be released, beginning their ride with the goal of eradicating every living being, thereby restoring the just balance. War’s journey revolves around this plot, with Earth as the stage where it all unfolds.

The Artistic Work of Joe Mad

Joe Madureira is undoubtedly one of the most influential artists in contemporary American comics. His early work was for Marvel Comics, with his most significant contributions being to the X-Men series, which established him as one of today’s prominent artists, innovating the American market through an excellent blend of styles, combining the best of Eastern and Western comics. As Creative Director at THQ, he created the character designs for Darksiders, bringing his signature style: gloomy and dark environments contrasted with vibrant colors, showcasing a monumental range of warm tones; exuberant characters, whose anatomy is perfectly detailed and characterized by disproportionate limbs (War’s arms are enormous compared to his head); every element of the environment and the characters’ outfits has been meticulously crafted, presenting a superb level of detail that makes us feel like we’re inside a comic (if you read the introductory comic that comes with the game, you’ll know what I mean).

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

I’ve already talked about the storyline and the achieved artistic level, but now we need to focus on gameplay, a fundamental topic. The first connection point between both games is their cornerstone: the Holy Scriptures. Likewise, during his journey for revenge, War will have to overcome all kinds of obstacles and situations like climbing walls, solving puzzles, pulling objects from the environment and using them as weapons, swimming and diving underwater, using objects as throwing weapons, or being guided by a higher force that, like a god, will establish the fundamental directives. These are just some of the situations that will remind us of Raziel. One of the moments that will most remind us of the protagonist of Soul Reaver, in his spectral version, is when we acquire one of the game’s first abilities: the “Shadow Flight.” This item allows War to glide for a brief period using rather tattered spectral wings. As if that weren’t enough, while War glides, he spreads his arms just like Raziel does.

Panzer Dragoon II Zwei

One of the game’s most exciting moments happens while riding a winged beast, and the title temporarily shifts from hack and slash to rail shooter. This means our protagonist will be limited to aiming and attacking enemies, while the game will dictate the path traveled. This scene is undoubtedly one of the most memorable, and for those who enjoyed this Sega Saturn game, it will surely be a gratifying moment.

God of War

Many of Kratos’ innate moves are present in the Horseman’s repertoire: attacking while climbing, hanging from a rope or ceiling; the ability to double jump (Air jump), perform impressive combos by alternating different weapons (not to mention aerial combos), and the red and blue barriers that are a must (which were already inherited from Devil May Cry in God of War). Like the Spartan, War is driven by anger and revenge, and this is clearly reflected in how he exterminates his rivals through terrible and ruthless annihilations (though we miss the Quick Time Events). Monumental enemies, weapon upgrades, soul (orb) collection, short- and long-range weapons, spell casting, special dismemberments—many factors are similar to God of War. No wonder some critics considered it a crude copy and therefore didn’t give it the consideration it deserved.

Portal

Indeed, the developers’ imagination knew no bounds, and they managed to incorporate elements from current titles of very different genres. The “Voidwalker” is an accessory that gives War the ability to create portals, one for entry and one for exit, through which he can travel from one place to another. Not only did they take the idea, but also the colors: the portals created mysteriously have the same orange and blue colors seen in Portal. But not everything is identical, and our Horseman doesn’t have it so easy, as he can only create entry and exit portals in certain specific places, unlike Chell, who can create them on any flat surface.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

And I couldn’t forget to mention the similarities with my favorite game. In my opinion, almost 50% of the game references the Nintendo title, so let’s start slowly:

The theme develops in a very linear way: we must start from an initial point located in the center of the map, access one of the four specific sites (the dungeons of the moment), defeat the final boss, and return to the central point to start again toward another dungeon, very much in the style of Link’s adventures.

As expected, there will be places along the way that can only be accessed using “that” specific accessory. And just like in The Legend of Zelda, having a notebook and pen handy will be very useful, allowing us to remember specific areas. If that wasn’t enough, the map system also draws from what we’ve seen in all of Link’s adventures: within each dungeon, we’ll find (in a hard-to-reach place, of course) a chest with an important accessory, the “Hoardseeker.” As its name suggests, once we have this item, we can see the geographical location of every unopened chest (this sounds familiar, right?). Also, in the last chests of each dungeon, we’ll find a master key that unlocks the final boss room we must face.

Scattered across the map, we’ll find “life shards,” amulets shaped like skulls that we must collect. Getting four of them will grant us a “life stone,” increasing the total damage the protagonist can withstand. Likewise, after defeating a dungeon’s final boss, we get a complete life stone. This system works identically to the heart containers seen throughout The Legend of Zelda games.