Darksider’s Genesis looked like another bizarre development of an almost perfect game – like Darksiders 2 and 3 before. Darksiders 2 extended the franchise to an open world, but lost the close progress of the first game. Darksiders 3 tried to take the series in a more modern direction with dark soul-like tuners.
To my delight, Darksider’s Genesis brings the franchise back to its roots, though from top to bottom, it looks like it’s the largest ever franchise exit. But ironically, the sequels, which looked the closest to the first game, were a disappointment, while the game that looked most unique had so much of the soul of the original.
Here’s the secret the fans know, but they rarely reveal it anymore, because it sounds so heretical in 2019: The original Darksiders game was one of the best Legend of Zelda games I’ve ever played, even though it has nothing to do with it had to deal with the Nintendo series, which lay outside the borrowed structure and mechanics. Darksider’s Genesis does not try to make a similar game into a stealth sequel to a Diablo game, though it looks like that. It’s actually the Darksiders I remember from 2010 with an interesting visual depiction of the adventure, and it rules.
Streit und Krieg fight a giant demon in an ArenaAirship Syndicate / THQ Nordic
I play either war or quarrel in Darksiders Genesis – two of the four apocalyptic riders. It’s the first time that Strife is a playable character, but War is the oldest protagonist in the series. I can switch between brothers in single-player mode or play in co-op mode at the same time. Either way, as in any Darksiders game, the heroes control with precision and power – only with the camera floating high above the action, rather than behind each character’s shoulder.
Which is the real reason why I find Genesis so refreshing. So many developers and publishers are reinventing franchise companies or mixing more contemporary ideas to feel modern and mixed with results. For example, Call of Duty can add a Battle Royale mode, or a Star Wars game can mix puzzles and intricate trusses into the environment to prevent them from being lightsabers. But after playing the first level of Genesis, I was thrilled to see how much the development team trusted the design and ideas behind the original Darksiders and returned to them with a new visual upgrade and no potentially misdirected, redesigned gameplay ideas.
From the first blow of Chaoseater, the giant sword of war, I can see what I’m getting into. These are more Darksiders than I always wanted. I jump from my horse and fight through legions of little demons. I mix different rhythms of attacks and switch between light and heavy combos. When one of my enemies is near death, I end their lives with a single touch of a button and a fancy animation.
I climb up various cliffs, jump into the air, and use vents to drive me higher. Off the beaten track, I see demons defying their duty, or heart vessels, to strengthen my health. When I reach an arena full of villains, a familiar red eye blocks the way forward until all the enemies have disappeared. I switch to Strife and use his long-range weapons to remove enemies from a safe distance.
The Creature Core tree, one of the welcome innovations in Genesis
Airship Syndicate / THQ Nordic on polygon
The fight is the perfect blend of mashy and methodology that I remember from the original Darksiders. This is not a two-button game with simple fights. Failure is possible, and the bouts remind me all of some of the more difficult sections toward the end of the original game. Precision is not always necessary, but if I am thoughtless, it ends in my death. It’s a balance that Darksiders has introduced with great impact, and Genesis continues.
Darksider’s Genesis is shocking as an isometric game, but in a good way. It feels the classic Darksiders, only with a new camera. The Zelda-like feeling of wonder with a dark, gothic twist that fans like me from Darksiders 2 and 3 love and miss is here. The fight that I have always enjoyed is here. Is there something new with these ideas? Well . somehow? but that is not the point. It’s a pleasure to revisit the world of Darksiders in 2019 and show what I want from Darksiders, despite my mixed feelings about Darksiders 3.
Darksider’s Genesis does not look like the other Darksiders games, it only costs $ 29.99 and is currently only available for PC and Google Stadia. The console versions will be available early next year. These details make it easy to underestimate Genesis or completely discard it as a below average split, but it is anything but. If you always wanted to have a continuation of the first Darksiders and maybe not, that’s fair too. This is a publication that you would like to pick up. It feels like coming home, even though I did not immediately recognize my old house from the street.
