Summary
TheDarksidersseries, for better or worse, continually shifts genre from entry to entry despite always keeping one foot firmly entrenched in being an action-RPG. The first game in the series is very much a hybrid betweenGod of WarandThe Legend of Zelda, whileDarksiders 2decided to go all-in on its RPG mechanics and vast open world. After a lengthy hiatus, the series' return in 2018 withDarksiders 3borrows from the template established byDark Souls, but it does so with a greater focus on linearity and streamlining of the combat. The result is thatDarksiders 3is a unique outlier among both Soulslikes and theDarksidersfranchise as a whole.
In the five years sinceDarksiders 3’s release, developer Gunfire Games has gone on to showcase that it has a great talent for putting a unique spin on the Soulslike genre with bothRemnant: From the Ashesand this year’s excellentRemnant 2. Interestingly, neither one of those games is as streamlined asDarksiders 3in how they approach their identity as Soulslikes, and playingDarksiders 3now with the insight of knowing what Gunfire Games is capable of is still an enjoyable experience that shows the merit in its trimmed-down approach.
The Streamlined Approach Allows Darksiders 3’s Combat to Shine
Just becauseDarksiders3opts for what could be described as a “streamlined” approach to the Soulslike genre doesn’t mean that it’s simply a hack-and-slash game akin tothe originalDarksiders. On the contrary, to approachDarksiders 3’s combat by mindlessly rushing into encounters is a quick recipe for disaster. Fury behaves quite differently from her other playable Horsemen companions War and Death, andDarksiders 3fully embraces the delicate back-and-forth of attacking, dodging, and parrying enemies. The biggest difference fromDark Souls, though, is that players only have to contend with one “build”, so to speak.
Rather than allow players the same kind of freedom and flexibility in their buildcraft likeDark Soulsor other prominent Soulslikes, Fury has various weapons that she can unlock. Each of these new armaments has their own combat style, but ultimately, players are still relying on the same fundamentals that the game introduces early on. As a result,Darksiders 3is a great on-rampfor teaching the underlying basic mechanics of methodical Soulslike combat, even if it might lack some complexity and nuance at the cost of its streamlined approach.
Exploration is another area whereDarksiders 3’s unique approach to being a Soulslike shines, especially in its clearly defined path and linearity. Whereas some Soulslikes can present a conundrum when it comes to figuring out where to go next, Fury is carefully guided along the critical path inDarksiders 3, with plenty of opportunity for side quests and distractions along the way. The end result is something like the combination of the originalDarksiders, whereDarksiders 3has a clearLegend of Zeldainfluencebaked into its Soulslike gameplay.
In the years sinceDarksiders 3’s release, fans of the series have gotten the excellent isometric ARPGDarksiders Genesis, whilethe Soulslike genrecontinues to grow at an impressive rate. Soulslikes are now a much more common ARPG subgenre than they were in 2018, and most games in the genre have attempted to go bigger and bigger with their design and mechanics rather than scale things back to the core fundamentals. If anything,Darksiders 3shows the merit in giving players a carefully curated experience that focuses on the most important elements of a Soulslike – methodical combat, tense and engaging boss encounters, and a satisfying power creep contrasted with ever-increasing challenge.
Darksiders 3
WHERE TO PLAY
Return to an apocalyptic Earth in Darksiders III, a hack-n-slash Action Adventure where players assume the role of FURY in her quest to hunt down and dispose of the Seven Deadly Sins. The most unpredictable and enigmatic of the Four Horsemen, FURY must succeed where many have failed – to bring balance to the forces that now ravage Earth. Darksiders III is the long-anticipated, third chapter in the critically-acclaimed Darksiders franchise.
