Darksiders 3 game Review - Soils-Like
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Darksiders III: A powerful return for the license
Six years have passed since the release of the last episode of the Darksiders saga. As Death walks the land of the Forge to find a way to clear his brother War and save humanity; the publisher THQ announces its brutal closure and involves in its fall the studio Vigil Games, at the origin of the epic of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Lost in the eyes of all, the Darksiders license does not find a buyer and then seems doomed to end in purgatory of the high potential series abandoned along the way. But while all hope of a sequel seemed vain, the publisher Nordic Games bought in April 2013 almost all of the intellectual property of the late THQ. The flame is rekindled for Darksiders; better yet, a third component is announced and it will be overseen by Gunfire Games, a studio made up for the most part of former Vigil Games employees. After War and Death, Fury's turn to unleash his power in a Darksiders III formula once again reworked.
METROIDIDS
Darksiders III: A powerful return for the licenseTo summarize things, the first Darksiders is often compared to a mixture between the God of War licenses, from which it borrows the brutality of the fights and Zelda from which it is inspired in order to sprinkle with puzzles its multiple dungeons. An alchemy of genres which, far from making the title a shaky clone of its illustrious models, managed to give it a unique personality. Comic book designer Joe Madureira's special stroke of the pen completed the success of an intelligent, nervous game with a post-apo baroque atmosphere, a sequel of which was already programmed in the studio. Built on the foundations of its predecessor, Darksiders II took over a progression punctuated by heavy fighting and the exploration of dungeons riddled with puzzles. The title was also very clearly eyeing the side of hack'n slash with its vast world filled with more or less rare spoils granting various bonuses to the character of Death. Darksiders III continues in its own way this renewal of the game mechanics and offers a construction inspired by the Metroidvania model.
Finished the central zone leading to different dungeons, finished the semi-open world of the second part, the map of this new episode forms a whole, a single dungeon whose multiple branches open up with the acquisition of the new powers of the Fury rider. It is therefore not uncommon to have to go back there when our character can finally overcome a hitherto insurmountable obstacle. In order to encourage exploration, Gunfire Games removes the minimap and the map and replaces these two elements with a simple compass pointing towards our objective. It happened to us to go around in circles for a few minutes several times before understanding to which part of the world to return to progress in history. Fortunately, the return of the teleportation system via the snake lairs of this good old merchant Vulgrim, facilitates navigation between different areas of the world.
Zones interconnected with intelligence thanks to a level-design crammed with mazes, always built so as to reward exploration. This is one of the great strengths of this third component, whose ingenuity of the overall structure is revealed, not without some surprises, over the hours of play. We feel that the little guys at Gunfire Games are big fans of references of the genre, Metroïd of course, but also Souls from From Software, this third part of which seems to be inspired by the construction philosophy. As with the kinship with the Zelda license of the first Darksiders, we will speak here more of a tribute than a simple plump as the title manages to forge its own identity while retaining the spirit of the franchise.
A VISUAL IDENTITY ALWAYS PRESENT
Fury’s quest takes us once again to a land ravaged by the apocalypse caused by the conflict between heaven and hell. A world in ruins divided into several environments with different visual identities. Darksiders III wants to be more earthly than its elders, the demonic and angelic architectures are certainly still present, but leave much more room for human constructions whose theme is much more addressed than in the past. Fury will have the opportunity to save several men and women during the game by sending them back to a refuge run by the blacksmith Ulthane.The variety of decorations is therefore at the rendezvous of this episode. If most of the landscapes visited do not have the epic breath of the vast areas of Darksiders II, the rider moves between hellish abysses, dilapidated subway corridors, stinking swamps and other underwater sanctuaries populated by dangers. Now occupied with other projects in his studio Arcship Syndicate (Battle Chasers: Nightwar), the paw of the designer Joe Madureira is still still felt in the project, as much on the architectural side as in the design of characters and creatures most of which had already been conceptualized at the time of the first two games.
A MORE DEMANDING GAMEPLAY
Darksiders III: A powerful return for the licenseThe action of Darksiders III takes place at the same time as that of the first game, in parallel with the history where War is accused of treason. In Fury's shoes, the player is sent to hunt down the seven deadly sins by the Burning Council. Very confident, cynical, impulsive and sometimes even arrogant, the rider has a strong personality that contrasts with the more poised vision of her two friends. We’re not called Fury for nothing after all! The character is so confident in his powers that she believes she is at the head of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, capable of overcoming the heavy task entrusted by the Council alone. It is interesting to watch his character evolve over the course of his battles and discoveries, a character treatment carried by his relationship of domination towards his lookout, where War and Death were subject to their influence.
War’s brute force steered Darksiders 1 toward slash hack’s, while the profusion of loot, stats and the presence of a talent tree gave the second installment a more RPG look. Gunfire Games takes a different approach with Fury, a warrior certainly, but above all a powerful mage whose strength lies in his different materializations of power. The character with twirling hair is equipped with a whip with which to carry out all of the combos from the first minutes of the game. Darksiders III abandons the training system of new capacities of the previous components and chooses to intermingle the rise in power of its character and the scripted acquisition of new techniques necessary for exploration.
Darksiders III: A powerful return for the license
More technical, more demanding than for its brothers, the gameplay of Darksiders III follows in the footsteps of some Action-RPG of recent years. Here, perfect dodging is always rewarded with powerful counterattacks. Where the first part allowed to face hordes of enemies at the same time and to finish most of them via different nasty QTEs, Fury gives a better feeling of technicality and must learn to read the movements of his opponents in order to avoid rapid death. Contextual actions disappear to allow more space for direct player actions, supported by a variety of movement moves with area swipes, jump attacks, and other powerful whip attacks. The level of difficulty is much higher than in the first two parts of the franchise, even in normal mode (on four difficulty modes).It is in this sense necessary to learn the enemy pattern in order to avoid a brutal death in just a few seconds, even on the weakest of adversaries. More robust, the game becomes more rewarding for the player as much as its statistics improvement system has the good idea to remain very clear (see box below). This new requirement in gameplay resonates once again as a tribute to other action-RPGs of recent years, the Souls at the head of which Darksiders III also borrows the system of reappearance of creatures, abandonment on the ground of souls upon death of the character and limited healing items recharging after certain battles. Despite some inaccuracies related to the camera during certain meetings, the action should not put off regulars of the license.
Dive into the Abyss
However, the rider is not just a simple fighter equipped with a whip, she also stands on the battlefield as a powerful magician capable of unleashing the fury of the elements. In his quest to bring down the incarnations of the Seven Sins, Fury will gain a series of four new powers synonymous with unique combat skills and additional exploration skills. This magical influx allows him to unleash a series of elementary powers by drawing from his gauge of wrath. Storm, fiery form, earthly explosion, the rider can even boil the fiery fire that inhabits her in order to unleash, like her brothers, her ultimate form of chaos during which she becomes almost insensitive to damage while a scathing storm lacerates her enemies.The acquisition of these "Abyss", always associated with a new weapon (double chains, hammer, etc.), modifies the physical appearance of the rider whose hair then reflects the power equipped. The Abyss of Flames allows for example to move in the lava, to unlock a super vertical jump and to handle a duo of fire nunchaku, that of Force equips us with a heavy hammer very practical to make shatter certain obstacles hitherto impassable. The whole world is built around the use of these abilities and makes some of its secrets available only if you have the right power.
The learning of a new form generally comes after the defeat of one of the main bosses of the game. Part of the pleasure linked to progression lies in this sense in obtaining these weapons and techniques which open up a unique range of 'combat and movement options. Abilities very necessary in order to overcome the Seven Deadly Sins, meetings regularly broken down into two phases with a nervous setting and an interesting challenge. However, there is a certain power imbalance in the casting of these vices personified in chara-design, sometimes voluntarily grotesque in order to accentuate their main character trait (special mention to Laziness and Gluttony). They will try, each in their own way, to make the rider sink into their little game during different cutscenes.
A WORLD WEAVED WITH RIDDLES
Darksiders III: A powerful return for the licenseGunfire Games always combines getting a new combat and movement skill with the puzzle part of its title. Thought of as a Metroïdvania, the world / dungeon of Darksiders condemns some of its accesses via different puzzles, most of which are straight inherited from the mechanics of previous episodes. If at the start it will be necessary to use some replacement tools to access certain places, as is the case with the explosive insects at the start of the adventure, obtaining the four Abyss of power opens up multiple progression options thereafter. A hammer to strike in blocks of stone, an updraft to rise in the air, the exploration of the world is punctuated by these additions which help to establish a good feeling of progression.
Darksiders III: A powerful return for the license
Insects are however quickly replaced by Fury's mastery of fire which, with a simple secondary attack, can ignite these obstacles or leap towards new branches. Pillars to move, swords to replace on displays to open doors, switches to operate remotely, the formula of puzzles continues the legacy of the franchise and is renewed in small doses over the progression without ever reinventing itself totally. The puzzles are no less pleasant, well proportioned, and often make us aware of the ingenious construction of the areas visited. With approximately 12 to 18 hours of lifespan, a duration depending of course on your desires for exploration, the title is a bit shorter than its two elders.ON THE TECHNICAL SIDE
Darksiders III: A powerful return for the licenseDarksiders 3 does not pretend to compete in the list of the most beautiful games of its generation. Its technical rendering, close to that of the second part, gains somewhat in finesse and also has additional effects of light and particles. Far from a race for technique, the title of Gunfire Games is particularly talented in terms of artistic direction and perpetuates the typical Madureira style in many assets. This cartoon approach with distinctive features allows this third part to somewhat erase its technical backwardness vis-à-vis other recent productions of the genre. We still feel a deep and sincere desire to deliver a product free of major bugs. We have never been blocked in our progress, nor noted strange behaviors in the animation of the bestiary or the physics of the engine. Locked at 60 fps very stable on PC (provided you have a machine that meets the hardware recommendations of the title), the game displays its different cutscenes in 30 frames per second, a shame because it was quite capable of doing this also in 60.
On the dubbing side, the support of THQ Nordic offers the franchise the possibility of maintaining the standards of previous games with the presence of different languages including French. Fury is doubled by Laurence Crouzet, she offers a correct interpretation of the character, however below the intensity of the OV. The French dubbing of the title generally suffers from inconsistencies in terms of quality and involvement '. Back from his work on Darkisders 1, Cris Velasco, composer who has worked on Bloodborne or God of War III, among others, signs a theme soundtrack, epic when necessary, even if often too discreet to our ears.
The notes
+ Positive points
Smart level-design
Technical and rewarding combat system
The progression of the character through the acquisition of the Abyss
Simple and efficient evolution system
Fury has class (and power!)
Artistic direction mastered
-Negative points
Technically dated
Some inaccuracies in the fights
Less epic than his two brothers
The compass lacks precise direction indicators
Some boss fights below the rest
Uneven French dubbing
OST often behind
More than a tribute to the previous two parts of the franchise, Darksiders III forges its own identity. The emphasis here is on more demanding gameplay and more rewarding exploration. Fury is immersed in a world thought of as a whole, the different branches of which open up as the character grows stronger. The third rider of the apocalypse, powerful and arrogant, should not be ashamed of her brothers even if her adventure sometimes lacks the epic breath of the previous parts. We therefore evolve within a balanced, rhythmic adventure, with intelligent construction with influences drawn from here in a Metroïd and there in a Dark Souls. While waiting for the revolver shots of the last rider Strife to resonate, the Darksiders saga whips with a scathing backhand those who thought it had said its last word.
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