Darksiders 3 begins with an exhausting lore dump

[Nergal]

 

I’m a wee bit worried, pals. Darksiders 3, resurrected by THQ Nordic, is almost upon us, and I can’t muster up very much enthusiasm. Tom found Darksiders 3 under-featured and underwhelming when he took a preview build for a spin, and now the intro trailer is making me very eager for a nap. Unfortunately, this tale of Fury and the apocalypse begins with an exhausting lore dump. Cure your sleep deprivation by checking it out, above.

Another trailer from last week makes a better impression, thankfully absent long exposition. There’s plenty of magic, murder and one angry Horseman. Lamentably, there’s also quite a lot of questionable combat animations and hideous urban ruins, calling to mind the blandest environments from the first game. I don’t want to be the jerk who says it looks like a game from 2010, but it looks like a game from 2010.

"I can feel Darksiders’ spirit in here somewhere, but the level feels empty," Tom wrote. "There are no platforming sections. There are no treasure chests full of weapons. There is some very light puzzling, involving throwing insects at web barriers. Mostly you just run through some gloomy corridors and squash some giant crabs."

Part of me is still a little sore that Gunfire Games has kicked all the fun RPG stuff from Darksiders 2 out, turning it into more of a straightforward action game. It had such a transformative effect on the series, elevating it from a solid action romp with some cool comic book character designs into a meaty epic that appealed to anyone who wanted to explore a striking world or tackle some brain teasers, not just action nuts.

Darksiders 3 is due out on November 27. Expect our review soon.