Fury road.

It was a day I thought would never come. Darksiders has returned to gaming. Finally getting the third chapter of the series was something I never thought was going to happen. The Darksiders franchise was a product of a different time. Middle tier games are no longer prevalent, and after the fall of THQ and original developer Vigil Games, it seemed this masterpiece in storytelling would never get its conclusion. Thanks to THQ Nordic and newly formed Gunfire Games though, Fury gets a chance at center stage. While it is awesome to see the Horsemen back in action, this latest entry comes with some very telling drawbacks.

The Darksiders story is one of my favorite in gaming. The developer’s take on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was intriguing. I loved War and Death as characters. The world they had created was interesting, and after the events of the second game I was itching to return to the world they had built. Darksiders III still captures that world. Fury is an excellent character. Her journey feels right at home in the universe. I won’t go into spoilers about the plot, but it ties in nicely with her brothers’ previous outings. The art and character design is second to none, and that voice acting is still firing on all cylinders even sans some big name actors from the originals.

MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $39.99

If the first game felt like their take on Zelda, and the second game more like Diablo, this third entry attempts to tackle the Souls genre. The loot from the second game is gone and the combat feels more focused and challenging. Fury collects souls once again and feeds them to Vulgrim in exchange for attribute points for one of three categories. Gone are the days of feeding weapons to each other and instead Fury will gain Hollows that allow for modified attacks and even traversal techniques. Each Hollow has a unique ability that opens up exploration. This game feels more Metroid than Zelda in that aspect.

While this all sounds great on paper, it can fall apart in practice. The first two acts of the game don’t spend as much time focusing on puzzles and exploration. The lack of a map is also a huge disservice to the world. Instead players are given a compass that leads to the next boss. While it does an admirable job of direction, without a map it can be confusing moving between areas. The linear design helps at times, but I really wanted to explore and traverse the world without losing sight of my destination.

The plot is by far the most interesting of the series so far. Fury is tasked with tracking down the seven sins and destroying them. Each one is a unique boss encounter that focuses on that sin’s abilities. Their design is once again outstanding, but a lot of the boss fights feel marred by time constraints. This is an overall feeling of the entire game. It feels like the budget was scaled back immensely compared to previous entries. There are so many rough edges and weird omissions like the aforementioned map and a lack of horse traversal, though I will not go into why.

This spills into the technical aspects of the game as well. The console version is rough. Even with X enhancements the frame rate is never where I wanted it to be. With precision combat being the focus of the game, the stutters would cause plenty of cheap hits and poorly timed dodges. Fury has the ability to perfectly time a dodge to punish enemies with an attack. The game has a tough time keeping a steady frame rate and thus I would lose my timing. Other weird anomalies like the inconsistent double jump would often lead to me having to make jumps multiple times. Something about Fury’s movement just feels off so much of the time.

The world and its characters though really pulled me through the game. I loved the story Darksiders III tells. The ending is absolutely incredible, delivering a twist I did not see coming. It also does a fantastic job of tying itself into the rest of the lore. There is a nod at the end of the game to the fourth entry, and I hope against hope that Gunfire Games gets to make that adventure.

The design saves some of the technical drawbacks. While there are a lot of repeated environments and enemy designs, the unique ones really stand out. The underwater section is simply amazing, and as I mentioned the boss design is outstanding. The music and voice acting continue to be absolutely incredible. The aesthetic of Darksiders is still some of the best in gaming.

Darksiders III is a game that fans like myself will enjoy. While not as polished as the first two entries it continues the story of the Horsemen respectfully. I want to see how this saga ends so badly, and I hope THQ Nordic gives Gunfire Games more time and more money to craft the next entry. The rough edges are going to drag some people down, but I promise the conclusion is worth the ride.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Great story and characters
  • Some genuinely fantastic moments
  • Boss design
Bad
  • Puzzles don't kick in heavily until final act
  • Technical issues abound
  • Missing a lot of what makes Darksiders great
7
Good
Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.