Review – Dante's Inferno 1

by Adam Blue • Reviews

While God of War games have been around long before God of War, the gameplay was just so tight that it set the bar for 3rd-person brawlers. It set such a bar, in fact, that EA and Visceral Games decided to copy that and put in their own look and story. Is that good enough to make it an enjoyable experience? Wouldn’t it be stale by then?

God of War used Greek Mythology as the setting. This allows the fantasy within the gameplay to work, and also allows the player to be put into epic set-pieces during battle. Dante’s Inferno is a mythology itself too. Although in the current day and age some may disagree. The mythology here would be considered Christian Mythology. The story is based on the poem, The Divine Comedy, which made straight into a game may somewhat lack in gameplay. Visceral took that story and pulled the mythology out of it, turning the idea into an action-driven story. For me it works; it’s about hell, sins, etc – perfect recipe for a game.

So does ripping-off God of War work? Yes. And I kind of like this idea. Take the GoW engine and controls and make it a template. Then, have developers create games within it. It controls the same. Weapons, enemies, environments. It all moves and acts the same. So, to sort of spice it up, the upgrade system is a bit different. There aren’t multiple weapons to obtain, instead just powerful attacks and magic. The game is about strengthening aspects of your character and using them in battle. Your scythe is your primary weapon, along with a projectile cross as your secondary. You upgrade through XP gained from Absolving or Punishing certain enemies or the damned. This is actually pretty unique and can technically allow the game to be played multiple times for different play styles. The game can be a little difficult which can be a good or bad thing. You can change the difficulty anytime, or just sit there and challenge yourself. Also, there are some arenas to unlock as well as a New Game+.

The graphics are just alright. I think it really has to do with some of the design. It’s just kind of plain. But then there’s some design that’s just brutally awesome. Some levels have nothing to them – then all of a sudden you’ll come across a badass looking boss. I guess there’s only so much you can do with hell. Just plaster the rocks with bodies…? It’s brutal though. There’s blood, guts, and tits with graphic animations to exploit these fun attributes. It sure is still fun to watch no doubt – but just a little on the plain side.

So in the end, this game is definitely worth a play-through. It brings up a point that this God of War mold could be used for multiple games of this style in different settings. I would love to see some Norse Mythology…or even a Blade game (actually, I already have an awesome idea for a Blade game). It’s worth $60 if you have the money to spend, otherwise it’s worth the rental.

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