Going to War Alongside the Darksiders


Back in 2003, now defunct publisher 3DO was showing Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse
, a xbox game whose plotline was influenced by the
Book of Revelations. Players controlled Abaddon, an arch-angel with flowing,
long-hair, a black trenchcoat, and a penchant for using swords and pistols to
dispatch his demonic foes. Four Horsemen seemed influenced by the critical and
commercial success of the similarly themed, Devil May Cry.  Gamers were never able to see if the title was
wholly derivative of DMC, or an improvement upon the overall game design- Four
Horsemen
was canceled and never saw the light of day.

Vigil Games, a company created by comic book artist Joe
Madureira will be revisiting some of those lost themes with Darksiders: Wrath
of War
. Due for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, Darksiders lets players control
the horseman War, who enters into the ultimate conflict between demons and
angels. Following the linage of Four Horsemen, and Devil May Cry, our protagonist
accomplishes these tasks with a combination of an enormous sword and a variety
of guns.


While the game’s combat will emphasize keeping the combo
meter high, its overall structure will be reminiscent of a Castlevania, Zelda,
or Metroid game. During play, gamers will find items that allow access to
previously inaccessible zones. The zones themselves will be based around a
central hub, so the title emphasizes exploration, and looks to push beyond the
usual trappings of a simple action game.


                                                                   Batter up!

As expected of a game coming from Madureira’s hand,
Darksiders is visually striking, from the glowing crackle of War’s steed, to
enemies who look like combinations of hulking rock and flesh. As we anticipate
spending some time with the title at E3, we’ll see if the game will enter the
pantheon of epic actioners alongside Devil May Cry and God or War, or be
forgotten footnote like Four Hoursemen.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

28 comments

  1. I have my suspicions about the title. Sure it looks good, and it a solid compilation of proven actions. But can a developer hit one of the park on their first try? I can’t really think of an example of that.

  2. Sounds interesting, bottom screen looks like Incredible Hulk.

  3. Matt,

    Insomniac with Disruptor, the best PS1 FPS
    and Retro Studios with Metroid Prime, to name two I can think of.

  4. Never heard of this title. Now it’s on my radar.

  5. Sorry, don’t read comics. What’s Joe Madureira know for?

    Main hero looks mechanical.

  6. More the same is fine by me. Bring it on!!!

  7. We need more games based on the bible, like Moses River Adventures, and Sim-Solomon 😉

  8. Hopefully, you get us some E3 impressions, Deagle! And you can save me some money if its no good.

  9. Madureira did alot of the xmen. This title can out of nowhere- never heard of it. Are you guys previewing it because you think its going to be a sleeper hit.

  10. Never heard of 4 horseman. Could be interesting.

  11. Will you be able to use the Falcon controller to rip the beating heart out of your opponents?

  12. Games were an area is offlimits until you find doodad-x aren’t usually more frustrating than fun. I always get stuck in castlevania until I find something that lets me turn into vapor and double jump.

  13. One guys got a sword through him without a single drop of blood- Im guessing this will be rated T for Teen.

  14. I’d add Ninja Gaiden to the pantheon- I’m loving part two right now.

  15. Looks like a mix of about 7 different games. Could be fun.

  16. First game pic is either a mock-up for from a different version that the second. There’s no shadows in it.

  17. Four Horseman would have not been good. I cant think of a single 3d0 game that was decent.

    Army Men, anyone?

  18. Devil may Cry 4 left me cold with it’s frenzied action one minute-solitude puzzle solving the next. I hope this game improves on that.

  19. The action game is becoming state. I find myself playing only GTA and maybe Rainbow Six Vegas 2. I hope this adds something to the mix.

  20. I still enjoy a good, violent action game. I liked the God of War PSP adaption.

  21. Let me just tell the devoplers one thing- this game deserves a ‘M’ rating, don’t give it a “T” and try to water it down, please.

  22. Seeing that bottom screen shot reminded me of the hulk game.

  23. Might be good. Site says coming out 2008. I assume holiday season.

  24. Looks cool, but lame name.

  25. I’ve seen pics of this game and it looks like the main character doesn’t have a head. D-cap Attack anyone?

  26. I hope theres some innovation in this game. So far it doesn’t sound like it.

  27. No blood=no buy.

  28. I actually didnt know this game existed, now that I know I am going to look into it and see how I like it. It looks really interesting =]