You might recognize Darksiders as a hack and slash adventure game that originally arrived on the scene way back in 2010, and now it has made its return with Darksiders: Warmastered Edition. After a trick, the Horseman War starts the apocalypse effectively destroying the world as we all know it. Standing accused of doing this on purpose, he is jailed for a full century before being given the chance to prove his innocence by searching out the truth back on Earth.
For those of you who played this game years ago, you already know all of this. Now the question is how this remastered edition works on your Xbox One, and whether it's worth picking up again. We've got all the details for you here.
Updates, updates everywhere
If you spend a lot of time gaming on your Xbox One console, then you''ll immediately recognize Darksiders: Warmastered Edition as an older game. The updates to the graphics are noticeable for folks who have played before, making the game look much sharper than it did when it was originally released.
Each different area has its own look and style that will set it apart from other locations in the game. They vary from fiery pits in Hell, to ruined city streets that are grey and crumbling, and even ruins rich in thick green vegetation. Each area is pretty simple, and often involves dealing with bodies of water, jumps and climbing along the environment to get to the next area. You'll notice small environmental bits, like hydrants that will burst when you attack through them.
Likewise, different enemies have their own look that is both unique and easy to distinguish from a distance. While the graphics have definitely gotten a serious facelift, they look blocky and less than stellar on the Xbox One. The biggest difference is in the textures and shadows, and they do look much better than they did originally. However, even updates on a 6-year-old game are not going to bring it fully up to date with the graphics that many people are used to.
Hack, Slash, Repeat
The gameplay in Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is all about hacking and slashing your way through multiple types of enemies. As you play, you'll be able to purchase new weapons, gain access to upgrades to those weapons, and gain new abilities to be used during battle. While there are plenty of moves to learn and weapons to adjust to, the gameplay is really easy. That makes it a great hack and slash for folks new to gaming.
The currency within the game is based entirely off of the the souls of the enemies you defeat in combat. You'll be able to collect souls, and then use them to purchase yourself a variety of upgrades. This is how you access new abilities, weapons, and more. You'll have to find Gulgrim, the demon who works as a broker in order to purchase anything though.
Souls that can be used to purchase items or upgrades are just one kind of souls that you will run into. You'll also run into green souls, which are used to replenish your health. For the most part, health will come from destroying larger enemies and finding chests in the environment. In many cases the chests with extra health for you can be found right after areas that were covered in enemies.
The best strategy is to keep rolling and attacking as much as possible.
Generally, your actions are based around how fast you tap the a button, or how long you hold it. You'll run into both large enemies, and large groups of small enemies. The best startegy to keep rolling and attacking as much as possible. By doing this you can make sure that you are doing maximum damage, while keeping yourself healthy in the process.
The constant addition of new items, and abilities helps to make the game a bit less repetitive as you go on. However, after a few hours the constant dash and slash may start to wear on you and become more of a grind. Things do get more difficult as you get further into the game, but it was never so bad that I needed to walk away before attempting a certain chunk again.
The controls also seem to be a bit smoother than they were originally. It's easy to move from slashing through enemies to dashing across the map. That is, unless you get pinned by larger enemies or run into hazards in the environment. Picking up cars to hurl at groups of enemies is much more fluid, making it more feasible to chuck them without much planning.
Overall the game plays really well, and it's a decent bit of fun even if the gameplay does seem overly simplistic. It's a decent play for newer gamers, although unless you ratchet up the difficulty it may seem too easy for experienced players. If you enjoyed it when it came out, it's still worth a play but if you didn't enjoy it the first time around, it's doubtful you will now.
The end of the world has come and gone
The story of Darksiders revolves around War, and the apocalypse, but the events of the game actually occur over a century later in the ruins of the world. War is tricked into starting the apocalypse, and by doing so he throws all three realms — Heaven, Hell, and Earth — out of balance in the process. The entire game revolves around his quest to find out what actually happened, and clear his name in the process.
While the story is interesting enough to keep you playing, War doesn't stand out as an amazing character, and while his quest of revenge has interesting facets, he falls a bit flat. There isn't a huge cast of characters, instead it's just War hunting down the truth while mowing through his enemies from both heaven and hell in the process.
Conclusion
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition brings a classic hack and slash adventure to the next gen consoles with a facelife and some serious nostalgia value.
Pros:
- Easy to play
- Hack and slash with tons of enemies to destroy
- Updated graphics
Cons:
- Game can be too easy for experienced players
- Becomes repetitive after a while
- Only simplistic strategy is ever needed
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is a facelifted update on a last-gen hack-and-slash favorite. While the updated graphics to add to the flair of the game, it's repetitive and simplistic gameplay may be a turn off for some gamers. If you enjoyed the original on Xbox 360, then this is a great game to play for nostalgia value. For that reason we've given it 3 and a half stars. Available on the Microsoft Store for just $19.99 it's a great deal for anyone who wants to replay an old favorite.
This review was conducted using a copy provided by the publisher
