| Darksiders: Wrath of War |
|---|
|
| Developer(s) |
Vigil Games |
| Publisher(s) |
THQ |
| Designer(s) |
Haydn Dalton (lead designer)
Joe Madureira (creative director) |
| Composer(s) |
Cris Velasco
Mike Reagan
Scott Morton |
| Platform(s) |
PlayStation 3, OnLive, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows[1] |
| Release date(s) |
Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
- NA January 5, 2010[2]
- EU January 8, 2010
- AUS January 7, 2010
Windows
- NA September 23, 2010[3]
- EU September 24, 2010
|
| Genre(s) |
Hack and slash, action-adventure |
| Mode(s) |
Single-player |
| Rating(s) |
|
| Media |
Blu-ray Disc, DVD |
Darksiders, originally known with the subtitle Wrath of War, is an action adventure video game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. The game takes its inspiration from the apocalypse, with the player taking the role of War. The game was released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
on January 5, 2010 in North America and January 8 in Europe. The PC
version was released on September 23, 2010 for North America and
September 24 for Europe.
Gameplay
Darksiders is a single-player action adventure in which the player takes control of War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In third-person perspective, the player engages in combat, puzzles and exploration.[5]
The world is divided into separate locations with many areas at first
initially inaccessible until War regains many of his lost weapons and
abilities. The center of the world, The Scalding Gallow, acts as a hub
where War is given new objectives and paths to further unlock new areas.
Each contains a series of linear and non-linear paths, many of which
require large sections of platforming, climbing and swimming along
environment-based puzzles that impair progress that require the use of
newly-gained abilities. He fights mainly against Angels and demons, and
has a unique way to kill each particular type of enemy, usually tearing
them apart painfully.
War, riding his steed, Ruin.
Although War is initially limited to the use of War's two-handed
sword, Chaoseater, he will obtain other weapons through the course of
gameplay. Also, each weapon has different combinations of attack that
can be obtained throughout the game. Along with combos, players are also
encouraged to use countering moves, blocks and swift dodging that help
against different enemies. Projectile weapons such as a revolver and a boomerang-style
throwing blade can also be used in both combat and puzzles. A number of
objects littered throughout the environment can also be used as weapons
and projectiles. At a later point in the game, War gains the ability to
summon a fiery horse that provides faster movement and much more
powerful attacks in open areas. Along with weapon-based attacks, War can
use an array of magic-based attacks, known as Wrath, that are both
offensive and defensive in nature, with the amount of Wrath available
determined through a separate meter below the health bar. Another
special attack is the ability to temporarily transform into War's Chaos
Form: which makes him large and invulnerable and can cause heavy damage.
This form is unlocked after sufficient progress in the game is made,
and can be activated once War's Chaos meter is completely filled via
combat with enemies.[6]
When enemies are close to defeat, War can perform an elaborate and
violent finishing move at the press of the indicated button on screen,
instantly killing the foe. Some of the larger foes can be briefly ridden
and steered into other enemies before being finished off themselves.
War eventually encounters large boss
opponents that are both giant in size and deal heavy damage, and are
themselves puzzle-based battles requiring certain methods and weapons to
defeat, and in some cases quick time button events to dodge or deal attacks.
Upon defeat, different enemies expel souls that provide different
benefits. There are three types of souls throughout the world of Darksiders:
green souls that fill the health bar, yellow souls that fill the Wrath
meter, and blue souls that are the game’s form of currency. These can be
spent at "Vulgrim Locations" on things such as new combo attacks, wrath
abilities, power-ups, and potions. There are also artifacts scattered
throughout the world that can be exchanged for more blue souls, with
bonuses for completing each set. Additionally, souls of each color can
be obtained by opening chests found throughout the world. Other items
that can be located include wrath core and lifestone fragments,
whereupon collecting four, War's Wrath or Health, respectively, are
permanently increased.
Characters
The player controls War, the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Along with the rest of the Horsemen, his sole duty is to be summoned to
the Earth once the final battle begins. War is not aligned to either
Heaven or Hell but instead serves to bring order by the rule of The
Charred Council, whose purpose is to maintain the balance between the
two forces. He maintains a strict code of honor and will battle any
obstacle in his way.
Throughout the story, War is bound to and accompanied by The Watcher,
a warden sent by the Charred Council to watch over and guide War on his
journey. Because of his assigned role, he is actually skeptical and
cynical towards War’s actions, much to War’s anger. War later employs
the guidance of Samael,
once a mighty and feared demon, now imprisoned, who himself seeks
vengeance against the Destroyer, leader of the victorious forces on
Earth. Many other characters become central to the overall plot,
recurring at times. Among these is Uriel, leader of good after their first leader, Abaddon,
was killed during a major battle; now stranded on Earth seeking
vengeance against those she believes responsible. Another recurring
character is Vulgrim: a demon merchant who provides gear and abilities
for War in exchange for human souls. Finally there is Ulthane, or the
Black Hammer, who first appears hostile towards War, but then the two
quickly become friends; first after aiding War in getting into Griever's
lair then making War's enchanted revolver and re-forging the Armageddon
Blade for him. War is known as a power hungry warrior who will stop at
nothing to gain revenge for being betrayed.
Voice cast
To preserve the balance between Heaven and Hell,
a mediator group, The Charred Council, sends the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse, to intervene and force a truce between the two kingdoms
after countless centuries of war. Eons after the truce, The Council
foresees that Man will be a major factor in the final apocalyptic
battle; this would be marked by the breaking of the Seventh Seal.
In the present day, armies of demons and angels
fall to earth and the final battle begins, the two forces destroying
everything in their wake. In the midst of the chaos, War is summoned to
Earth to bring order. Upon his confrontation with Abaddon, the general
of Heaven's army, War discovers that the other Horsemen have not arrived
and the Seventh Seal has not been broken.
Straga, a powerful demon, arises from the ground and kills Abaddon.
War battles Straga and is defeated. He is saved from death and sent to
The Charred Council, who accuse him of bringing about the Apocalypse
prematurely. The Council sentences him to death, but War demands a
chance to find the one responsible, and to restore balance. The Council
agrees, on the condition that he is bound to one of their keepers, The
Watcher, who has the power to kill War in the event that he strays away
from his mission.
Upon returning to Earth, War discovers that he has been gone for a
century. Led by The Destroyer, the forces of Hell were victorious in
annihilating the armies of Heaven, save for a meagre resistance ('The
Hellguard') led by the angel Uriel. All of humanity has either died or
become zombies and the Earth is in ruins.
From the conniving demon merchant, Vulgrim, War finds out that the
Black Tower is the lair of the Destroyer and is advised to seek out
Samael, a once powerful demon lord, for assistance in getting into the
Tower. Samael explains that there are four Chosen demons that protect
the Black Tower, and he asks War to slay them and bring him their hearts
in exchange for helping War gain access to the tower. On the way to
slay the second guardian War meets Ulthane, one of the Old Ones, and
befriends him after a confrontation and helping Ulthane defend his home
from Uriel and the Hellguard. When War goes to slay the last guardian,
Slithia, he learns from her that War is being used to restore Samael's
former power and that the four guardian demons' true purpose was to
contain Samael's strength. War brings Samael the Chosen's hearts as
proof of their deaths and, upon receiving the final heart, Samael still
holds true to his word and sends War to the Black Tower, remarking that
they will meet again.
At the Tower, War encounters Azrael,
the Angel of Death, who has been imprisoned there. Azrael confesses
that he and Abaddon conspired to bring about the Apocalypse ahead of
time, fearing to delay any longer would risk Heaven's defeat. However,
the plan fell apart with the death of Abaddon. After hearing this, War
decides that his bargain with the Charred Council is complete. The
Watcher decides otherwise, telling him that the balance must be
restored. War journeys to the heart of the Black Tower, where he
confronts and slays Straga, thus avenging his previous defeat. Azrael,
now freed, saves War as the Tower collapses due to Straga's death, and
takes him to the remains of the Garden of Eden, which was long thought destroyed. There, he tells War that the Tree of Knowledge can reveal to him how he can defeat The Destroyer.
In Eden, War visits the Tree, which gives him a vision: after Abaddon
was killed, he was taken to Hell and offered the choice by an unknown woman
to serve in Heaven or rule in Hell. Abaddon chose the latter and was
transformed into The Destroyer. He then found the Seventh Seal, which he
now guards. The vision also predicts that The Destroyer plans to lay
siege to Heaven; Uriel will lead the Hellguard against the Destroyer and
be defeated. The Charred Council foresaw these events, and concluded
that only the Horsemen could stop the conspirators, but knew that they
would never lower themselves to become assassins, so they let the
apocalypse start and summoned War so they could accuse him, knowing that
he would do all in his power to clear his name. War also sees a vision
of himself being taunted by The Watcher and then being stabbed through
the back with a large and mystical sword. Azrael deduces that the sword
in War's vision was the Armageddon Blade and gives War the task to find
the shards of the blade and take them to Ulthane to reforge it.
War is confronted once more by Uriel, who challenges him to a fight
to the death. War emerges victorious and chooses not to kill Uriel,
despite the urging of The Watcher. War promises Uriel that her death
will be at a time of his choosing and tells her the Destroyer's true
identity. After War departs, Uriel, grief-stricken and enraged by this
knowledge, leaves to prepare the Hellguard for battle.
Once War collects all of the sword fragments, he returns them to
Ulthane so he can reforge the Blade. Meanwhile, Uriel and the Hellguard
attack the Destroyer, and as predicted, they fail. In the battle's
aftermath, War confronts the Destroyer and is given the option to join
him. War refuses and battles the Destroyer, who reverts back to Abaddon
when War destroys his demonic form with the Blade. War then duels with
the angel, ultimately defeating and killing Abaddon.
War retrieves the Seventh Seal, but is stopped by The Watcher, who
tortures War and steals the seal, knowing that War would turn against
the council. As he is about to kill War, Uriel takes the Armageddon
Blade and stabs War through the back, as the Tree of Knowledge foretold
and fulfilling the death oath declared earlier. She then breaks the
Seventh Seal, returning War to his full strength. Now free of The
Watcher's control, War crushes his head and kills him.
Uriel tells War that because of his deeds, all debts have been
repaid, but warns him that her duty will most likely require her to
raise her blade against him. As War is about to depart, Uriel points out
that the forces of Heaven and Hell will likely continue to hunt him, as
will those loyal to the Charred Council. Asking him if he will wage
this new war alone, War turns to her and remarks, "No. Not alone",
holding the broken Seventh Seal, as three meteors plummet towards
Earth, heralding the arrival of the remaining three Horsemen.
Demo
The March 2010 issue of Official Xbox Magazine came with a disk containing a demo of the game.
Reception
Darksiders has been met with a mostly positive critical
reception. The game currently holds a score of 82 for PlayStation 3 and
83 for Xbox 360 on Metacritic. Critics had mentioned some screen tearing issues in the Xbox 360 version, though these have since been resolved.[10][9] Joystiq stated that Darksiders has sold over 1 million units worldwide, moving more units than its initial release date competitor, Bayonetta.[23]
GameZone's Dakota Grabowski gave the game a 8/10 on both PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360, saying "THQ and Vigil Games did an outstanding job
creating an intellectual property that has weight. The voice-acting is
top-notch, the combat is exquisite, the replay value is high, and the
world they have created is fascinating. Darksiders is a marvelous way to start out 2010."[16][17]
Gaming Evolution's Christian Higley gave the game a 9/10 on the Xbox
360, saying "Darksiders is the best Zelda game I've played in a while.
Joe Mad's visual style is stunning and unique and the game itself is
just downright fun. Darksiders shouldn't be missed."[24]
The game has been banned in the United Arab Emirates. The game was deemed to "contradict with the UAE's customs and traditions".[25]
Sequel
THQ creative director Luis Gigliotti revealed in an interview with GameAxis that Darksiders
will be a franchise and that THQ is contemplating a sequel. The sequel
may include a multiplayer component, as the other three horsemen will
join War in the sequel.[26]
Joystiq has stated that a Darksiders sequel is planned for the fiscal year of 2012.[27]
An article on the Official Xbox Magazine website confirms that Darksiders 2 is expected to be released in 2012.[28]
Other media
The creator, Joe Madureira, is planning a comic book series and a possible film adaptation for the game.[29] Madureira is currently working on the screenplay[30] and can sell the rights to a Hollywood studio.[31]
THQ creative director Luis Gigliotti said he would like to see Bruce Willis as War in a movie adaptation because "he kicks ass."[32
SOURCE - WIKIPEDIA
So yeah , this is my favorite game , it rocks ! I want to finish it on all difficulties and collect all collectibles !
Official Site : www.darksiders.com/
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