Darksiders III

Gunfire Games have succeed in preserving the personality of the two last games, but also in making a great game of Darksiders III on its own terms.

It excels in many ways from fast and challenging combat to well-designed boss fights and good level design. The only problem is that it feels like the "lite" version of all of its inspirations, offering a taste of a masterpiece instead of a new take on those archetypes. You'll get Dark Souls without the measured combat, Bayonetta without the intricate weaving of combos, Castlevania with far fewer utility abilities to learn, and Zelda with puzzles that are far too easy for most. Still, what's taken from each of those games is mostly good, which makes Darksiders III a successful comeback story.

Darksiders III’s shift to a more Dark-Soulsy experience seems to fit perfectly within the Darksiders universe. The third outing in the franchise is a solid effort by Gunfire Games – one of my favourite gaming experiences of the year, in fact – let down only by some shaky traversal mechanics, a dodgy compass and some downright unpleasant frame-rate issues.

Darksiders, when it was released, became the definitive example of a sleeper hit, and like the Phoenix that arises from the ashes, Darksiders III has been resurrected in a fashion that lays the ground work for a tremendous conclusion to the series should we get Darksiders IV and the final chapter of the horsemen and the apocalypse. If you're a fan of hack and slash adventure games with an incredible story, then this should be on your list of must have games to purchase.

More than a tribute to the first two games, Darksiders III creates its own identity. More demanding, but also more rewarding, it improves the formula in almost every compartments. Sadly, it lacks the epic breath of its predecessors.

We're glad THQ Nordic revived this great series, but unluckily it feels quite sub-par compared with the previous games. The loss of environmental puzzles and a general dumbing down of the gameplay formula definitely hurt the series, even if it's still an enjoyable game. Too bad for the performance and technical problems that undermine the overall experience.

Darksiders III shows there is still room for linear action gaming. Especially the boss fights are amazing, but technically speaking we expected a lot more.

Darksiders III is a game that fans like myself will enjoy. While not as polished as the first two entries it continues the story of the Horsemen respectfully. I want to see how this saga ends so badly, and I hope THQ Nordic gives Gunfire Games more time and more money to craft the next entry. The rough edges are going to drag some people down, but I promise the conclusion is worth the ride.

Darksiders III is a bittersweet episode in the series of the Horsemen that proposes a new and more demanding approach in combat, but remains halfway to a notable game for the lack of rhythm and the loss of elements such as exploration and puzzles. It is a bit far from the game that the Darksiders franchise needs to continue to be alive in the near future.

The straightforward simplicity of Darksiders III is a refreshing change of pace after exploring so many dense open-world games. That simplicity doesn’t refer to the combat or boss battles, though, which are complex and almost startlingly unforgiving. Its throwback philosophy is comfort food for action gamers of a certain age, but it would’ve been nice to see the third game in the series introduce some new concepts to relaunch Darksiders in the modern age.

Combat is hard, often unfairly so, but get into the groove and it’s also very satisfying. Exploring the environments can yield extra challenges, with powerful rewards for success, but a few more tantalizing glimpses of areas beyond your abilities wouldn’t have gone amiss. If you enjoyed the previous entries and have been waiting to see what Fury can do, you’ll find the wait has mostly been worth it. Just be prepared for a challenge.

Frustrating combat game with little reward to make the effort worthwhile.

Darksiders III is a frustrating, awkward sequel to a series that’s charmingly stupid, but there’s a lot of fun to be had if you give up on getting good. Do yourself a favor and tone down the difficulty level so that you can enjoy the crazy character designs and ridiculous fantasy world that Gunfire Games has built. Fans will be glad that this underdog of a series at least got a third chapter, but if you’re new to Darksiders, you might want to start at the beginning.

Darksiders III has a good framework, including the simple yet fun combat and interesting Hollow system. Unfortunately, it’s held back by its weak puzzles, uninteresting environments, and numerous technical issues. If you’re already invested in the series and want to see it through to the end, there’s enough to enjoy despite its flaws, but it’s not the strongest return for the franchise.

Ultimately, while the setting, characters, and storytelling feel right at home, Darksiders III swings for the fences with its combat ambitions and only just barely manages to get on base. It gets points for trying something new, but the end result is a muddled set of ideas that clash with each other, with nothing in place to soften that collision.

I enjoy the Darksiders series for being Darksiders; a colourful fantasy world with a satisfying hack and slash combat, a cast of bizarre characters, and a galore of environmental puzzles. Darksiders 3 tries too much to be something else: to be dark and tough. As a result, it loses a lot of its own identity – its own unique charm. It’s by no means a bad game and certainly has its moments, but being disappointed myself, I just can’t wholeheartedly recommend it to existing fans of the franchise.

Darksiders 3 is a much different game than its predecessors. The ideas here aren’t bad, so much as they are poorly executed. There’s still an interesting story and great presentation to experience, but you’ll likely have to overlook the technical issues even if the core gameplay suits you.