Since the launch of Darksiders 3, there wasn’t much talk about the Darksider franchise until THQ Nordic announced Darksider Genesis. The hype quickly re-surfaced from the moment Darksiders Genesis presented itself as a top-down action shooter. In other words, they are stepping away from the known formula and tried to create a whole new experience but in the same universe. Even though I wasn’t really sure in which direction the developers were going, I’m definitely surprised how Genesis turned out… Here are our thoughts!
The story goes as follows. From the moment “The Creation” was a thing, it was already seen as the ultimate battleground between Angels and Demons. To prevent The Creation from collapsing, there was a council that tried to maintain balance with the help of their Horsemen called the Nephilim. The Nephilim are powerful beings that were born out of the collision between Angels and Demons. The Nephilim gained tremendous power but as you all know, with great power comes great responsibility. Gaining this power gives them status as the Horsemen. Horsemen must use their powers to stop the rest of their kind before balance turns into chaos. The Horsemen are sent out to Eden by the Council to eradicate their kind as quickly as they can. After this horrific event, two members of the Horsemen ( Strife and War) are being redirected to another mission. A little birdy told the Council that an evil deceitful demonic king named Lucifer tried to gain a piece of the war cake by lending his power to the demonic forces in Hell. It’s up to the 2 Horsemen to find these Master Demons and extinguish them before they do any more harm to the balance. This is where their journey starts…
As the story already sent out some hints. The player can choose between two playable characters: a bulky Horseman named War that has a gigantic two-handed sword that results in an earth trembling force or a smaller but more agile gunslinging Horseman named Strife. Both characters offer a great combat experience that evolves along the way that’ll suit any type of playstyle. War’s combat mechanics are all about getting up close and deal huge damage with the help of his big sword. His abilities focus more on grouping up enemies and eventually deal lots of “Area of Effect”- damage. While Strife uses his guns to hit from afar and abilities to deal tremendous damage on single targeted enemies. Along the way, you’ll strengthen your characters and you’ll unlock more abilities that can help you with creating a stable build that suits your playstyle best.
“Even though a character suits your style more frequently, you’ll also notice that you need the other playstyle as well.”
The game is meant to be played co-op but it’s good to have the option to play the game alone. While playing the game alone, there’s the option to switch between characters on the fly which is a great advantage during your journey. Swapping between characters is like swapping your skillset up in an MMORPG. This option opens up so many doors to new strategies that can help you with gaining the upper hand. You’ll quickly notice which character plays out specific enemies. For example; during a boss fight you can kill enemy minions with War while Strife allows you to hit the boss from far away and prevent incoming damage. Both characters play differently thanks to their own set of abilities but some abilities are available on both characters. Both characters can evade attacks or summon their mount to traverse the land much quicker. Not only do you gain active abilities, just like Diablo, but you’ll also be able to enhance some of your abilities that can change them into even more powerful abilities. Also, key abilities that can help you solve the puzzle, are mostly the same. It’s good to have the option to switch between characters when you have a preference for a certain type of playstyle. Even though a character suits your style more frequently, you’ll also notice that you need the other playstyle as well.
The game’s focus is all about top-down action without losing the touch of a Darksiders game. Yes, the environments and characters came straight out of the world of the Nephilim. There’s a sense of familiarity when you’re walking around in these environments. Darksiders fans will definitely feel like home when they start playing. Not only do the environments and characters fit the Darksiders lore perfectly, the developers also made sure that some of the gameplay mechanics from the previous Darksiders are linked with the gameplay elements in Darksiders Genesis. Darksiders Genesis offers instant kills when an enemy has low health. Just like in Darksiders, when you’re instant killing a certain enemy, you’ll earn more health, mana or currency points. However, there’s a bit of a catch. When you’re instant killing a mob, you’re locked into an animation which of course gives a bit of an advantage to the enemies. Once the instant kill has started, you’ll have to finish it before you gain back control. Also, the game offers different abilities to solve different puzzles. Just like previous games, you need to gain a certain ability before you can continue your journey. Also, killing enemies boosts your ultimate mode. The moment you’ve gained enough boosts, you’ll be able to turn into a more powerful Nephilim that’ll make the way towards the top a bit easier. Using potions to your advantage is also returning to the scene. Anyhow, the veteran players will definitely feel the familiarity with previous Darksiders.
“The dynamic between both characters will give you a hell of a time.”
Even though, I enjoyed my time with Darksiders: Genesis. I can also mention that the game’s meant to be played with another player. Don’t get me wrong, you can perfectly complete the game single-handed but playing with another person just makes up for a great roleplaying experience. As a solo player, you’re very strong and you can hold your ground on your own but imagine if both players were presented on the battleground… The dynamic between both characters will give you a hell of a time. Each character can take upon a certain role and be a team player. Player one can hold back demons as War from player two which plays as Strife. While player two has the back of player one by mowing down troops of demons before they can even get to War. It’s a bit of personal preference but I do like the game a lot more when you’re playing with a friend. It’s a bit weird to hear 2 players talking during story while you’re actually playing one of them and yet both on the battleground.
Graphically speaking, the game looks great. I played the game on PC and I didn’t see a lot of technical hiccups. The only real problems I had with the game was the flickering of some objects during my playtime and that the game still ran on the background while I’m not even playing anymore. These technical difficulties can quickly be solved so I wouldn’t think about it too long. The voice acting is top-notch, as well as the environmental sounds and soundtrack. All of these little puzzle pieces fit well together.
Conclusion:
Darksiders Genesis is a decent follow-up within the Darksiders franchise. It’s really great to see that the developers wanted to try something entirely different in the franchise and I can vouch for it; it’s a fun game to play especially in co-op. The game runs fluently and tries to maintain its link with previous titles by using some of the same mechanics which isn’t always a bad thing. The top-down experience was a blast and I definitely hope they’ll continue with these experimental versions of a great franchise.
8/10
Tested on PC
