Darksiders Preview

E3 2008 Preview

The Legend of Zelda, a lighthearted puzzle-driven action/RPG, has inspired many clone games. Devil May Cry, an action game with adult themes, has also been bombarded with numerous me-too releases. The two will never come together officially. But if the developers of Darksiders -- a bloody hack-n-slash game with puzzles, enormous bosses, and a fiery horse -- have their way, this 2009 release will be the next best thing.

Big swords, bigger worlds, overwhelmingly huge enemies and a ghoulish batch of monster designs show where the game is headed. The architecture is dark with orange and red hues running up and down the walls, bringing that sense of Heaven and Hell (mostly the latter) to the player. When you pick up that controller and start hacking away at the nearest slug, the game's second influence is instantly apparent. The big, open-ended worlds, dark nuances, emphasis on aerial combos, and the overall feel of the controls were very close to Capcom's popular action series.

In just a few minutes the game's controls were second nature. On the easiest end of the spectrum, players could button mash to unleash a painful array of sword stabs and swipes. Going a little deeper, you can combine them with an uppercut that launches enemies into the air. Immediately after doing, you may jump into the air and continue hacking away viciously at your most vicious enemy. And if you go even further, players can hop on a horse and use it as a tool for attacking and evading an enormous, screen-toppling boss (a gigantic bug/snake creature, to be exact). While riding this animal -- whose name, by the way, is not Epona -- you can fire a flesh-piercing weapon that will eventually bring the monster to his...uhh....well, he doesn't have knees but you get the point.

Once defeated, the monster was finished off with an impressive real-time sequence: WAR (the main character) jams his sword into the bottom of the beast and leaps several feet into the air. This wouldn't be too painful, but WAR thought it would be fitting to hold onto the sword the entire time. Consequently, the monster is sliced up the middle like a hotdog bun. Of course, this is not something you'd want to throw on a grill and serve up on the Fourth of July. But this eye candy definitely sizzles.

WAR will encounter other huge monsters in his post-apocalyptic quest, one of which could have come from Resident Evil. He looked like an evolved form of the Nemesis assassin from RE3; one side of his body was large and muscular, the other side was thick and swollen, burying the beasts' face in his excess amount of flesh.

Not surprisingly, all enemies can be targeted, just as if this were a Zelda game. One thing that Darksiders offers that most other action games don't is the ability to hover for brief distances. After jumping, WAR can whip out his black demon wings and glide through the air. This will no doubt effect the way platforms and other level difficulties are encountered. Expect a few puzzles involving the hover mechanic, if not some actual combat.

Due for release in the first half of 2009, Darksiders: Wrath of War has come a long way in the past 12 months. With any luck, it just might achieve the developers' goal of being an adult gamers' take on The Legend of Zelda.
 

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