I have to be honest: when about a year ago I found myself talking about Darksiders 3 on the occasion of his review, I never expected to return so soon to deal with the intellectual property created by the late mourners Vigil Games. A little because as we know the fate of the series has not always been very lucky, another little because even in the best of hypotheses it will take some time before seeing a full-fledged Darksiders 4. Instead, he came to take me by surprise Darksiders Genesis, a side project to the main series that is important for a series of reasons that we will see, among which undoubtedly also the return to work on the Darksiders brand of its creator Joe Madureira.
Even if the name Airship Syndicate has so far been known only to the most attentive and perhaps to those who have had the opportunity to play Battle Chasers: Nightwar, we must not be fooled. In addition to Madureira himself, several former employees of Vigil Games work in the Austin-based team, happy to return to work on Darksiders of which they can in fact claim paternity together with the game designer. With these premises, the elements to create an interesting title even if on a low budget seem to be all there: let's go and discover Darksiders Genesis together.
The story told by the new effort by Joe Madureira and his team anticipates the one we met through the first three Darksiders, thus representing in all respects a prequel of the series. While the Apocalypse has not yet broken out, the Arso Council is committed to maintaining the Balance in creation by taking decisions that appear rather questionable in some cases. Precisely to preserve the Balance, the powerful Knights are asked to annihilate all the rest of their species, the Nephilim, through a long battle held in Eden.
Although very little has passed since the last bloody assignment, War and Conflict they get a new mission from the Council right away, and that's where Darksiders Genesis actually starts. The new threat to Balance is Lucifer, king of demons, intent on creating havoc by increasing the power of some Archdemons of Hell. War and Conflict will therefore have to hunt down all the creatures that threaten the Balance again, questioning themselves along the way about their role throughout history.
In narrative terms Darksiders Genesis does not disappoint at all, benefiting from the contribution of Joe Madureira to tell his plot through some drawn boards similar to those of comics. A choice certainly dictated by the limited amount of funds available to carry out the project, but more than effective also thanks to a very valid dubbing in Italian.
In purely videogame terms, Darksiders Genesis marks a new gender change after the "souls-like" Darksiders 3 title. The Airship Syndicate title is presented as an RPG with isometric visual similar to that of Diablo, with respect to which Darksiders Genesis adds some elements coming from the world of platform. In the role of his two protagonists, the player is in fact called to circle between platforms and hooks suspended in the air, exploiting the different powers of the two Knights not only to continue in the story, but also to unlock hidden areas previously unattainable and solving environmental puzzles.
In equal measure with respect to the platform elements, Darksiders Genesis obviously also leverages the phases of combat, also linked to the different characteristics of War and Conflict. The first of the two is obviously an old acquaintance of the Darksiders series, returned on this occasion with his sword and his special attacks to hurt especially at close range, preferably with a certain number of enemies around. After having known with the three chapters also Death and Fury, Darksiders Genesis therefore presents us the fourth knight Conflict, also in possession of a close attack weapon but decidedly more specialized and useful inranged attack. To his fearsome guns in fact, some of his special abilities are dedicated, able to provide him with particular bullets to complement those present in unlimited quantities in the magazine from the beginning of the game.
Another familiar face making an appearance in Darksiders Genesis is the demon vulgrim, committed both to playing his role in the development of the plot, and to carrying out the usual task of a merchant of souls, for which he offers power-ups dedicated to various aspects of War and Conflict. In addition to finding new skills, the two protagonists can in fact further enhance themselves by completing the collection of some stones, which can be found around the various levels together with some globes to be set inside the skill tree that can be customized by the player.
In case you have the desire and the chance, Darksiders Genesis can also be addressed in Cooperative mode along with a friend, thus bringing War and Conflict to the screen at the same time. In the event that you play in single mode instead, the player has the right to alternate between the two protagonists, taking advantage of the peculiarities of each of the two to move forward. This is of course the case with some puzzles in the game, but also with some bosses that can only be defeated in a certain way.
In short, Darksiders Genesis manages to entertain the player and initially it also does a lot, allowing him to move easily among hordes of enemies. Things get much more complicated as the levels advance, especially as regards the battles with the boss which anticipate the final stages. In my opinion, an intervention by Airship Syndicate is necessary to better balance the difficulty of the game, or at least to allow the player to understand how to get prepared for the final matches. I have found myself on more than one occasion not recognizing a method to beat the boss I had ahead, only taking repeated slaps without seeing a way out. I would therefore not feel to blame those who in such a situation should decide to throw in the towel in the throes of frustration.
USEFUL INFO
I played Darksiders Genesis on PC. The game should also arrive soon on Google Stadia, while for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One it will be discussed on February 14, 2020.
Duration- About fifteen hours without considering the hitches in facing the bosses (best wishes).
- Dubbing entirely in Italian, as well as the texts.
- Ability to retrace your steps to discover new areas and secrets thanks to the use of acquired powers.
In conclusion, I feel like recommending Darksiders Genesis to anyone who cares about this brand too often underestimated or forgotten, but also to those who want to use it to approach Darksiders for the first time. The only thing to really take into account at present is the excessive imbalance of the level of difficulties on the basis of which the two Knights go from initially mangling anything that moves in front of them to arrive instead to trudge to the final stages. Although it is true that those who endure it in the end (maybe) win it, while you are hoping for a patch, prepare yourself with a healthy injection of patience.
Graphics
The decision to bring Darksiders Genesis in isometric view proves to be correct by Airship Syndicate, above all thanks to a particular care placed in every detail. The excellent realization of the two protagonists is also accompanied by that of the various settings that make up the levels, located between the Underworld and Eden. As already mentioned, the choice to tell the story of the intermission scenes through a series of tables similar to those of a comic, the world from which Joe Madureira comes from, is also appreciable. To report only a few cases in which the camera ends up being blocked by objects on the screen, going in the most unfortunate cases to prevent the player from seeing the enemies that are near the controlled character.
80">80
SOUNDTRACK AND DOUBLE ROOM
The excellent dubbing in Italian allows the player to appreciate the jokes that War and Conflict exchange almost continuously, at the same time granting the possibility to follow the plot even to those who are not equipped to follow it through the English language. To review the realization of the subtitles, often out of sync or missing compared to what is said by the protagonists. The soundtrack offers very suggestive songs, which intensify in particular moments, thus giving some moments of pure epicity to the game.
85
GAMEPLAY
The fun that is initially offered by Darksiders Genesis is subsequently castrated of the sense of helplessness generated by the bosses that precede the end of the game. It is to be hoped that Airship Syndicate goes to intervene with a patch in a short time, in order to make the challenge challenging but not frustrating. Otherwise it would be a shame, given that the game that proves to be more than valid on the whole also from a purely playful point of view.
