Darksiders III Deluxe Edition

Prior to patch v. 1.2, the unfair dodge mechanics annoyed me so much that I stopped playing the game. After this patch, I am much more comfortable with the optional 'Classic' combat setting which was added. I had written a review, but asked GOG to delete it so I could write a new one. || The game is getting a 4.4/5 rating from me. The first few hours are slow, the fights are sluggish and the environment feels constricted because Fury needs some of her hollow-forms to gain additional movement options which not only make fights more fun, but also permit a better exploration of the places. So do not be put down by this like I was, initially. Kill the first bosses to get those much-needed extra abilities. Only then bother with free exploration. While the game lacks the dense layer of style that Darksiders 2 has, the environments still can look quite pretty. Lighting is done well. The bosses are enjoyable with very distinct personalities and each encounter provides a continuation of the story. Facial animations are very well done, and Fury is an enjoyable character who grows as a person (and horse[wo]man) during the game - from bitchy and arrogant to quite noble and honorable. I'm not giving this game full 5 stars because these things would be required for that: New Game + mode, Better savegame management system (no way to undo decisions that may impact the story!..) and I would have enjoyed it if Vulgrim's Serpent Holes would have had the same little travel dimension that one saw in Darksiders 1. But that's about it. Maybe some of this could be added with further patches down the road. With patch v1.2 in place it is a good game, and everybody who was put off from playing it may want to pick it up again and give it another try. I'm curious what Strife is gonna be up to in the next game.

I enjoyed the story and characters. I'm not sure what to think about the combat. It is unbalanced for sure right now and it needs to be balanced, arcane skill is basically useless as it is now.

So this game is very different than the first 2 games in the series. That said different doesn't mean bad necessarily. I just beat the first and second then jumped right into the third to complete the story, it was jarring and i wasn't happy at first. After I got through the begining of the game and started to pick up on the mechanics a bit I fell right into the play style. I sometimes felt cheated on what hit me and the timing but as I played that feeling subsided. Then I really started to love this game. The new abilities you obtain, the weapons, the gem/socketables, it's great. At about a third of the way in I realized that this is literally a 3D metroidvania. It has all of the hallmarks and feels so much like Hollow Knight, Monster Boy, or the classic GBA Castlevania games. Once you gain a new weapon/ability you get a new way to traverse the game world. It's good, just not really a hack and slash, or beat'em up like it's tagged though.

It's a Darksiders game for sure and a worthy sequel. The combat is fun. The story is not very deep, but there's the cheesy and funny dialogue like in the previous games. The art is on point. It's good to see another side of the story and the world and even though some areas felt somewhat repetitive, the game wasn't boring. Running around beating monsters and looking for items felt natural and wasn't tedious like in some other games. But it's not all good. First, the deal breaker - the combat. The combat is run-run-dodge-counter attack. And if you make mistakes you get punished. Sometimes severely. Even normal (balanced) difficulty can be challenging if this is not your type of combat. And unfortunately the only lower difficulty (story) is too easy. Another issue that I have (and I'm not alone with this one) is with the graphics. The textures in some areas don't load properly and I still haven't found a fix. It can be really disturbing to see a blurred mountain and a super high definition building next to it. And finally, I found the soundtrack a bit lacking. It does sound Darksiders-ish, but compared to the second game there's not much to listen to. That said, even with those issues, I think Darksiders III is good game. Now, is it worth the price? Well, if you want to get your money's worth, then wait for a sale - 20% off or more. However if you love the series and want to support the developer, buy it full price. Get even the Deluxe edition! Because even thought I find that Darksiders III is lacking compared to the previous games, I feel like it's a product of love and I'm happy that it's there. So to me at least it's worth. And I can't wait for the sequel.