Dante's Inferno

 Xbox 360
Dante's Inferno Image
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 301 Ratings

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  • Summary: Dante's Inferno tells an adapted story that focuses on delivering a blockbuster 3rd person action game experience while bringing Alighieri's depiction of Hell to the medium. Players assume the role of Dante, who descends into Hell after returning home to find his beloved Beatrice murdered,Dante's Inferno tells an adapted story that focuses on delivering a blockbuster 3rd person action game experience while bringing Alighieri's depiction of Hell to the medium. Players assume the role of Dante, who descends into Hell after returning home to find his beloved Beatrice murdered, with Lucifer seducing her soul into the underworld. Dante sets out on a rescue mission to save Beatrice, but he soon realizes he is also in Hell to face his own demons and ultimately to redeem himself. Players take Dante through nine unique circles of Hell as mapped out and described by Alighieri: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. Each circle showcases its own distinct look, with demons, monsters, damned and geography that are crafted straight from the poem's vivid descriptions. To take down the demons of Hell, Dante is outfitted with two primary weapons: the Scythe he takes from Death and the Holy Cross given to him by Beatrice, which has spiritual powers that will help Dante collect souls and spells from the creatures he defeats on his journey. The game also features a deep upgrade system so gamers can customize their abilities to their specific gameplay style, something they'll need as Dante comes face to face with Hell's fiercest beasts and bosses. If successful, Dante will be able to tame certain beasts, exacting their will and turning Hell’s punishments back on itself. [Electronic Arts]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 71
  3. Negative: 1 out of 71
  1. Cheat Code Central
    92
    It's about eight to ten hours of pure, fast-paced action no one should look down on, unless you're just not a fan of the genre. With such an appealing story and addictive gameplay, Dante's Inferno's only sin seems to be its shameless similarity to Sony's celebrated franchise.
  2. MondoXbox
    84
    Dante's Inferno is entertaining and a good variant to the usual Xbox 360 line-up. Great storytelling, very solid graphics and an atmospheric soundtrack make it worth the purchase: only its low longevity and the too repetitive combat system keep down our rating of the game.
  3. GameDaily
    80
    Obviously, critics will obsessively compare Dante's Inferno to other games, or complain about the quick time events, but don't let those nitpicky issues prevent you from experiencing this imaginative and fun adventure. It's one Hell of a good time.
  4. IGN
    75
    Dante’s Inferno takes a bold, visually impressive take on a literary classic and adds in an intriguing action focus to create a different kind of action title. Unfortunately, some derivative combat sequences and a shallow combo system prevent the title from becoming a truly great experience.
  5. GamingExcellence
    70
    Dante’s Inferno would be a much better game if it had spent a bit more time in development. The last half of the game isn’t very imaginative, the final two levels are just terrible, enemies are reused far too often and it really feels like there should have been two endings (one for each alignment).
  6. GameSpy
    70
    Despite its flaws, Dante's Inferno is definitely worth checking out, if only because it presents a unique visual take on one of literature's greatest works. It's occasionally shocking and often annoyingly repetitive, but the action is good enough to keep you engaged through what is a thought-provoking experiment in converting classic literature to a game.
  7. Giant Bomb
    40
    Imitation is an open invitation for comparison, and while it's mostly competent from a technical perspective, it's all very rote.

See all 71 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 68
  3. Negative: 4 out of 68
  1. Delhonor
    Jun 19, 2011
    10
    Dante's Inferno is one of the most entertaining games I have ever played. At first, I was hesitant to pick it up because of the not so stellarDante's Inferno is one of the most entertaining games I have ever played. At first, I was hesitant to pick it up because of the not so stellar reviews but it turned out to be a good decision. In terms of gameplay, Dante's Inferno is a God of War rip-off for sure; however, its scene--hell--is completely different. Quality product, buy it!… Expand
  2. ESJBond007
    Mar 15, 2015
    10
    ESJBond007 Mar 15, 2015
    10
    Have you ever wondered what hell might look like? Dante's Inferno offers an incredibly vivid and detailed    ESJBond007 Mar 15, 2015
    10
    Have you ever wondered what hell might look like? Dante's Inferno offers an incredibly vivid and detailed hypothesis. The game is based on the 14th-century Italian poem by Dante Alighieri, but Dante never could have imagined a hell this visually captivating. The walls themselves crawl with the bodies of the damned, other lost souls intermitently rain from the sky burning in torturous flames. In the distance, great columns of souls can be seen marching along monolithic causeways. The air is acrid with smoke and charred flesh, pierced by screams, fitful sparks and motes of ash. Each of the nine circles is here, along with the river Acheron and Limbo, and each setting is distinctive and fiendishly impressive. Through it all Vergil is your guide, just as in the poem.

    The gameplay is fluid and satisfying, with Dante boasting an array of combos with either his scythe, stolen from Death himself, or his cross that Beatrice gave to him. There are a variety of trinkets to collect - from the 30 pieces of silver received in ramsom by Judas to dozens of relics that Dante can equip to enhance his abilities.

    Dante attempts to rescue his lover Beatrice from the clutches of the Damned.along the way, Dante encounters many Lost Souls from various historical and mythological points in history,the player's interaction with these characters is not merely discourse, however, as Dante holds the power to either absolve these Lost Souls of the sins which condemned them to Hell, or hand down the ultimate Punishment instead. I consider this to be a brilliant mechanic that serves to immerse the player in a very personal manner, as it tends to compel the player to actually reflect on his/her own views of sin and punishment before deciding a Lost Soul's ultimate fate. Very well-executed.

    I had very high hopes for this title, but it has far exceeded even those. This game is one of the best I have ever played.Do your self a favor and BUY DANTE'S INFERNO!!    … Expand
  4. AlJ
    Feb 18, 2010
    9
    This is a beautifull game with fantastic controls and graphics. Lot's of people compare this to God of War, but I don't look at it This is a beautifull game with fantastic controls and graphics. Lot's of people compare this to God of War, but I don't look at it like that (And unlike GOW 1&2, I actually will bother beating Dantes Inferno!) If you have any interest in the Divine Comedy (On which this game is loosely based) your gonna be in for a treat. One of the best $60 purchases I've made in awhile!… Expand
  5. Iron_Mal
    Dec 21, 2010
    8
    I haven't read the book this game is based off of (I will admt that right away) but now that I have played the game I really do want to find aI haven't read the book this game is based off of (I will admt that right away) but now that I have played the game I really do want to find a copy and see where all the imagery and ideas came from.

    People have ripped on this game for not closely following the book but in all fairness, some books are harder to tranlsate to a video game than others (compare making a game of the Movie Aliens against making a game for the movie Angela's Ashes) so it goes without saying that they had to make some changes to make it a playable and fun game. For a game that is a 'cheap, shoddy knock-off' it's sure as hell (no pun intended) got some absolutely astounding design for both the environments and characters (trust me, the Lust circle is just downright disturbing at times) and rather simple to learn but hard to master gameplay.

    It is similar to God of War but this is by no means a bad thing, for starters it means that a veteran of GoW can just jump straight into the game without even needing the tutorial and novices will find the controls easy to use and memorise (everyone wins), if God of War had horrible gameplay and controls then I would understand everyone's objection but God of War was a brilliant game (surely something like it should be good to, right?), I get the feeling that most of the harsh feelings on this matter stems from PS3 fanboys (how dare those Xbox troglodites get something like our beloved God of War on their sh*tty console!) and people who turn their nose up at anything that's been done before (even if said something was actually good).

    The story is interesting and keeps you going (and is presumeably based on the book), the gameplay is fun and simple and the visuals are both fantastic and vaguely disturbing (just like a game set in Hell should be).

    My main issues with this game are that sometimes levelling up your karma meters requires you to explicitly go out of your way to be good or evil in order to obtain a particular upgrade that you want (I had to dedicate an entire playthrough to being an ammoral, baby eating psychopath because I was a good guy the first time round) and that some of the bosses feel particularly weak and bland (most, if not all of them can be defeated by just spamming crosses or mashing the heavy attack button like a hyperactive squirrel) leading to some rather anti-climatic encounters with the various overlords of Hell (who for some suspicious reason are easier to beat than their minions).

    Overall, this is actually a really damn good game, it's faults seem rather moot when you consider the sheer level of creativity and atmosphere that is omnipresent in every single area (bar the opening tutorial), however, there are parts which are unsettling, disturbing or just plain disgusting so those with weak stomachs or who are easily offended may wish to overlook this (if only for their own sake).    … Expand
  6. E30t3r1c
    Jan 1, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I enjoyed this game enough to pick it up again. IGN critics may write this game of as a God of War ripoff but the game stands solid as an action/platformer. There are parts towards the end that get repetitive. As a somewhat regular gamer I'll admit I was a little frustrated during some sequences but upon the start of my second play through of the game they were much easier. Expect a challenging game (even on normal). Excellent graphics and engaging visual (visceral studios represents their brand well with this title-much love and respect for reviving a personal favorite of old European scripture).… Expand
  7. Rox22
    Mar 29, 2013
    7
    Above all I will commend this game on utterly gorgeous art direction and visuals. Every moment is like a visual orgasm. The gameplay itself onAbove all I will commend this game on utterly gorgeous art direction and visuals. Every moment is like a visual orgasm. The gameplay itself on the otherhand is really where it falters. It isn't bad, just nothing that we really haven't seen before. Not only that, the combat mechanic, while smooth and fun to play, is also really lacking in any real range and is rather limited. A bit more creativity with the combat could have made this game allot better. Overall: Dante's inferno is still a great game that is allot of fun to play and a memorable experience, but does really lack replayability thanks to repetitive combat and shallow combat mechanics.… Expand
  8. shootingstars99
    Aug 4, 2019
    1
    The catchphrase "Go to hell" for this game is what you will be saying to this game disk, as there is nothing interesting about this game. IThe catchphrase "Go to hell" for this game is what you will be saying to this game disk, as there is nothing interesting about this game. I love arcade-y style hack-n-slash/beat 'em up style games, and this one while trying to emulate that style of game play, feels lacking in every respect. The game is stupidly simple even on high difficulties, the good and evil scores seem interesting at first, but you will probably use 5 or 6 skills out of all of the presented choices, and the combat has less depth than some SNES era beat-'em ups. May be the worst, hand-holding game in the genre I've played.… Expand

See all 68 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
52
#52 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010