Armed with your sword named Chaoseater, you'll traverse the ravaged landscape (at times while riding your trusty steed, Ruin) and vanquish ugly looking creatures that range from The Wicked - skinless monsters and the last remnants of human beings - to The Jailer, a disgusting mass of cadavers that carries souls in humongous metal cages. You'll also square off against towering behemoths that take up a hefty piece of screen real estate, so if anything, the game has no shortage of bad guys to slaughter.
As you kill things, War consumes their souls and may use them to purchase items and upgrades for his weapons. In addition, developer Vigil Games pumped Darksiders full of goodies to collect, so there's a wonderful incentive for exploring.
Riding the horse appears to be one of the game's guilty pleasures, as it not only allows you to cover a lot of ground but also deliver powerful attacks. That said, we spied War flying through the air using a pair of wings, and it remains to be seen whether that is one of his lost powers or a separate ability.
While on the subject travel, players will find a massive world full of dilapidated cities, old churches, dungeons, dead trees and lava pits. As expected, there's a hot post-apocalyptic vibe that's similar to Fallout 3, except with a more demonic flavor. Instead of battling mutants while inside an old school, you'll lay waste to hellish beasts within a cathedral. Regardless, it works for us.
Barring some calamity, Titanic-sized boss fights, spooky encounters and eye-grabbing special moves should make Darksiders: Wrath of War one of the year's most entertaining action adventure games. We'll report more info as soon as we lay our sinners' hands on it.
Related Links
Darksiders: Wrath of War PS3 Game Guide
Darksiders: Wrath of War Xbox 360 Game Guide
