In this apocalyptic 3rd person slasher you control the devastatingly powerful Horseman War. War arrives on earth to a brutal struggle between heaven and hell as you take control of him to try and restore the balance. You come face to face with one of the Destroyers Chosen and ultimately fall. War's powers are weakened because his brethren have not been summoned. It's at this point that you realize that you are alone and something is wrong. The Horsemen are not suppose to be summoned until all the seals have been broken and The Apocalypse is underway. The Charred council saves you from death and places the blame of the premature End War on your shoulders.
The Council decides it is your job to return the forces of Heaven and Hell to their respective kingdoms, alone. You travel across a large landscape through several different sections as you try to regain your powers. Your weapon of choice is a blade that feeds off the souls of the people slain with it called the Chaoseater. As you navigate through the game you unlock several other tools and weapons that not only help you gain access to new areas and unlockables, but also add a variety of combination attacks that keep the constant slaying exciting. As strong as War is and is to become he is nothing but a pawn. Between the councils babysitter, The Watcher, is fused to Wars soul and can kill him in an instant if he decides to go rogue on the council. He makes his hold over War apparent several times throughout the story,but he is not the only one you end up working for. Vulgrim is a demon that loves to consume thousands of souls. After you meet him and quench his thirst for souls he becomes a valuable tool in your quest. As you collect more souls you can go to any of the many Vulgrim stations position throughout the world to unlock new moves for you weapons and purchase consumable items such as Health, Wrath Cores, and other liquids that boost your game play. When you come to The Crossroads region you meet the once powerful demon Samael. Samael's mere presence is intimidating and gives you a very ominous feeling. The Destroyer has stripped him of his Ultimate Power and he needs you to aide him in returning ot full strength. In return he gives you valuable information that will lead you to your ultimate goal and mission. Samael's power has been used to empower The Guardians of The Black Tower, which contains the truth of who is responsible for the early Apocalypse. You are then sent out to collect the Guardians hearts that Samael then Consumes and is released from his prison at The Crossroads.
There are several other characters along the way that you meet that will become more useful as the game moves forward. The last person you must assist before you can unleash your rage on Straga, the Destroyers Chosen that ended you in the beginning of the game, is the Angel of Death Azrael. He has been imprisoned in The Black Tower and needs your help to reopen the Well of Souls and in return he will help War complete his mission. After you finish the tasks for Azrael he reveals the conspiracy that was put into place by the former leader of Heavens Hellguard, Abaddon. Abaddon is a very important character in this game, you saw him perish in opening battle with Straga, but he will reappear. In Abbadons absence Uriel has taken over the Hellguard is our to kill anyone who was involved in the slaying of her fearless and noble Leader.
After you have finished Azraels bidding he takes to the Garden of Eden that was once thought to be destroyed. You are to visit the Tree of Knowledge and receive a "gift" that will hopefully help you finish the game. After your visit to the Tree Azrael and War come to the conclusion the only way to finish this is to obtain the legendary weapon, The Armageddon Blade. You then set out to collect the broken pieces so you can return this once powerful blade to it's full strength. Upon doing so you will be taken to the final battle.
There are a lot of things I left out of this review so that I do not ruin the game for any future players. Darksiders is a refreshing game in a field of dull and lackluster single-player games. The story is great and the game play is very fluid. To me it seems to be a combination of God of War, Zelda, and Prototype mixed together to create a unique experience. There's challenging puzzles, Legendary Weapons and hidden items that add more substance to an overall short game. The length would be my only complaint. I finished the game in roughly 18 hours although I haven't collected all the items or maxed out the weapons yet. It definitely left me wanting more, but luckily through some research and a bit of foreshadowing there is going to be a sequel and this one possibly will have a multiplayer aspect. I played through on Normal the first time and I can only imagine the skill and patience required to attack the daunting Apocalyptic setting. I highly recommend this game to any gamer who is a fan of the games previously compared.
Gameplay: 9/10 Could be longer.
Storyline: 10/10 Awesome and can't wait for more.
Written by: GoKuFX 2/20/2010
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