Darksiders Genesis

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 124 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 124
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 124
  3. Negative: 18 out of 124
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  1. bersi84
    Aug 14, 2020
    7
    There are not many games where the good and the bad are so close then in this one. You get quite good content for your money, the variety is nice and the levels are build out innovatively. On the other hand the camera and the controls are horrible which makes the game as a whole less enjoyable. I kind of feel that the 7 is somewhat alright but you gotta have some patience with this game.There are not many games where the good and the bad are so close then in this one. You get quite good content for your money, the variety is nice and the levels are build out innovatively. On the other hand the camera and the controls are horrible which makes the game as a whole less enjoyable. I kind of feel that the 7 is somewhat alright but you gotta have some patience with this game. Thinking about this I feel it is a 6.5 even but I want to see the many good parts that are existent.

    I played this on my PS4 Pro with SSD. The loading times are okay-ish. Not good not bad. The visual experience of this game is pretty good but nothing too special at the same time. The game loop is interesting with two swappable characters and numerous skills that you unlock by playing on. I hate that you have to track back if you want the 100% completion. It feels like a waste of time that I didnt decide to do in the end.

    I encountered one bluescreen and one load-lock through my playthrough besides that I got perma-stuck three times but the game will kill you after some time. As I said before the camera and controls are horrible. The camera is auto controlled and sometimes the jumping or guessing of plattforming is just insanely frustrating. I also encountered some inverse controls bugs.

    The variety and play value is good but the devs should definitely do their homework for another installment because its a waste of effort with just 2 or 3 really bad game decisions they took. I can kinda recommend this game for a decent sale but have some patience and be open minded about it.    … Expand
  2. Jajooka
    Nov 14, 2020
    5
    Played around 10-20 hours so far in coop. The level design seemed creative, with some puzzles and chest places, but every other aspect is of the game is mediocre (not actual bad for sure though). The battle mechanics doesn't have too much depth but a bit better then just pressing X and kill everyone. The passive skill tree and unlockable abilities doesn't improve this either. But thePlayed around 10-20 hours so far in coop. The level design seemed creative, with some puzzles and chest places, but every other aspect is of the game is mediocre (not actual bad for sure though). The battle mechanics doesn't have too much depth but a bit better then just pressing X and kill everyone. The passive skill tree and unlockable abilities doesn't improve this either. But the bigges problem is that it has (so far) no variety between enemies. There are 3-4 type mob and even the sub-bosses are the same 2 type, which makes a game feels really repeatative. ( because of this I am unsure at this point if we going to continue playing it )… Expand
  3. mrpavlikov
    Feb 15, 2020
    6
    Everything is better in coop, but this game crashes too much and only runs 30 FPS and below. It has Metroid elements when you can not access some places before you learn certain skills, so you will have to backtrack later.
  4. danield80
    Sep 20, 2020
    5
    THQ Nordic had to do four Darksiders games, one for each character. After the performance failure of Darksiders III an anti-climactic spin-off follows. Overall, the game's not remarkably bad. But there are plenty of better games of this genre. The biggest issue about this game is the local multiplayer which is a MESS. Fps drops, deloading textures, bad camera.
    With a bit stiff controls and    THQ Nordic had to do four Darksiders games, one for each character. After the performance failure of Darksiders III an anti-climactic spin-off follows. Overall, the game's not remarkably bad. But there are plenty of better games of this genre. The biggest issue about this game is the local multiplayer which is a MESS. Fps drops, deloading textures, bad camera.
    With a bit stiff controls and cringe-ass protagonist comes another instalment proving the franchise's mediocrity and overrating.
    Since the game is made by a different studio, there's a chance a proper game's in development. Otherwise, the game's title would've been 'Darksiders Exitus', right? (Not even half as cringe as Strife is.)    … Expand
  5. HaloFever
    Sep 11, 2022
    7
    The twin stick, top down shooter is a nice change of pace from bloated open world adventure games. The art has that classic Darksiders feel and continues the Heaven versus Hell mythology. But the game has too many mechanics from the prior games that do not work in this kind of game. What should be a relentless drive against the seemingly endless forces of Hell becomes mired in backtrackingThe twin stick, top down shooter is a nice change of pace from bloated open world adventure games. The art has that classic Darksiders feel and continues the Heaven versus Hell mythology. But the game has too many mechanics from the prior games that do not work in this kind of game. What should be a relentless drive against the seemingly endless forces of Hell becomes mired in backtracking and some very unfun puzzle solving.

    The game has co-op but i don’t recommend it, at least not on a first play through. Only one player enjoys the twin stick shooter action of Strife. The other player has to play War and use short range sword attacks. So while Strife is strafing enemies from a safe distance, War is getting torn up by demons,. Worse, none of the puzzles require 2 players, which leaves the co-op player with little to do. Co-op ultimately feels tacked on. I would love a 4 player co-op games like Gauntlet only with the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse. This ain’t it.

    The shooting action works great. Strife has a starter gun with infinite ammo and a decent dodge mechanic. You can dance around, shooting enemies, and getting that dopamine hut to your brain. The game later unlocks different bullet types. The only one that matters is electricity. Strife can send arc lighting to a half dozen enemies and take out entire groups in seconds. None of the other ammo types come close to the utility of arc lightning and it’s synergy with the starter pistol to build up a super attack meter.

    My problem with the combat is the layout if the environment. There is no strategy other than keeping a safe distance. Give me choke points or cover or something to elevate this over classic twin stick shooters like Robotron. One fight has an angel riding a horse in a giant circle while enemies spawn from the center. The game needed more interesting fights like this,

    The story is not memorable. You go to a game level and fight your way to the end. Rinse and repeat. Some game elements unlock over time that are required to traverse new levels. Then you can go back to old levels and open up hidden areas. None of feels like a puzzle as much as a chore. It’s like, now that you have a washing machine, you can do the laundry. What the puzzles needed were something endemic to a twin stick shooter, like following a certain path, shooting a certain sequence, or leaving certain enemies alive. I had the feeling that a good number of the developers would have rather made a traditional Darksiders game.

    I have no issue with the AA nature of the game. My playthrough was at least 20 hours. Some of the bosses were a bit spongey, and this may be an issue with adding co-op and making co-op challenging to the detriment of the single player game. Generally thus game was breezy and light and the game industry needs more of this and less bloated, padded open world games.    … Expand
  6. Zezaku
    Jun 19, 2020
    7
    i'm a real darksiders fan and i played all 4 games, but darksiders genesis was below my expectations in terms of gameplay. i played it through steam and had many annoying glitches i'm not sure if they exist in other consoles. but the graphics and the lore were really good. i hope THQ nordic doesn't make the same mistake in their upcoming darksiders game in terms of gameplay because ARPGi'm a real darksiders fan and i played all 4 games, but darksiders genesis was below my expectations in terms of gameplay. i played it through steam and had many annoying glitches i'm not sure if they exist in other consoles. but the graphics and the lore were really good. i hope THQ nordic doesn't make the same mistake in their upcoming darksiders game in terms of gameplay because ARPG dosen't fit them.… Expand
  7. DaeGurth
    Dec 6, 2022
    5
    Its Darksiders. Its for two players. Good universe, decent story, simple jokes and talks, but the bugs (at least in two player mode) were annoying (Sometimes the characters could just run, but not attack) Still... it was fun, without the bugs - 7-8/10.

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Best PS4 Game of 2020
73
#73 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. RPG Fan
    Nov 15, 2021
    76
    While by no means the pinnacle of the series, it’s a more than worthy successor to Vigil Games’ legacy and a very enjoyable action-adventure title that fans will get a kick out of. I can only hope that Airship Syndicate will one day be able to finally give us the conclusion to this epic saga of Heaven, Hell, and the Balance between them.
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  2. Gameblog.fr
    Apr 22, 2020
    60
    Darksiders Genesis is a pretty good spin-off to the main series. For sure, it will entertain and please the fans.
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  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Mar 12, 2020
    80
    It’s a terrifically fun game to throw on, whether you’re playing alone or with a mate, and it proves that Darksiders still has plenty of stories to tell. [Issue#173, p.91]
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