Official PlayStation Magazine - 04.2020

093

REVIEW

might be teleporting between
completely different areas for
each mission, but it feels like a
richly cohesive world, and you
always want to see what’s next.
There are plenty of puzzles
to figure out along the way.
Some are more devious than
others, and require you to
make smart use of all sorts of
switches and timer bombs in
conjunction with the traversal
tools your horsemen have
available. You’ll need to travel
back to some missions after
upgrading if you want to collect
everything, which is a nice way
to encourage replayability.
There’s also a surprisingly
large amount of platforming as
you move through the areas.
The isometric camera angle
is something you have to get
used to, but you will grasp it
quite quickly, and only a few
sections are frustrating and
require extra precision. A lot of
the platforming involves scaling
ledges on walls or jumping
between beams.

VERDICT

Above Strife’s
Anarchy form
and War’s
Chaos form are,
well, flamingly
apocalyptic.

Right In certain
areas you can
use the triggers
to mount your
horse to move
more quickly.

Above The opening is full CGI, and the comic-stylecutsceneslookfabin motion.

THE OPM BREAKDOWN

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. Oscar Taylor-Kent

Some of the secrets are quite

cleverly hidden, forcing you

to look for little alcoves you

might be able to jump to. The

platforming really gives the

environments depth as it adds

verticality and areas of danger.

This even translates into

some really cool set-pieces,

where you have to run from a

foundry’s molten lava or leg it

across a crumbling bridge.

Genesis is not without its

technical flaws. Go through

areas too quickly and it’ll hang

while it loads. Sometimes you

get stuck in a wall, or (worse)

the camera does. But the issues

didn’t impact our time with

the game much, and we still

found ourselves wanting to

replay missions repeatedly.

9%Telling

yourself

nothing’s

pressingand

you’vegottime

to play another

mission.

12%Gritting

yourteeth and

retryingthe

bossesthat

whuppedyou.

16%Scratching

yourheadasyou

trytofigureout

a puzzle.

13%LovingWar

andStrife’ssassy

chemistryand

wanting to see

moreofit.

WHAT YOU DO IN... DARKSIDERS GENESIS

35%

Mowing down

enemy after

enemy and

looking cool while

you do it.

15% Jumping

from ledge to

ledge with War’s

muscular grace.

STAT PACK

Characters to

play, either by

switching by

yourself, or

(ideally) with

a pal in co-op.

Hours – how long

it took us to hit

credits, including

going for bonus

stuff along

the way.

The maximum

level of a

creature core.

You’d better

get collecting

those souls.

16 16 23

Stages for your

pair to smite

their way

through, not

including

bonus levels.

Even this early in the

timeline this merchant is

around to fleece you.

This powerful demon

helps you in order to

achieve his own ends.

This angel (here fighting

in Eden) plays a larger

role later in the timeline.

FRIENDS& ENEMIES

VU

LGR

IM

SA

MAEL

AB

BA

DON

GO

OD

DEE

DS

TROPHYCABINET

HT

E

PR

OM

IS

ED

END

ER

PS

CE

T^

FO

R^

AN

IMA

LS

BRONZE

Make some friends and

save the angels in the

Eden Prime level.

Remember, you’re

maintaining balance!

SILVER

Kill The Houndmaster

in The Horde – killing

fewer than five hounds

before him. Even if

they’re not good boys.

GOLD

Finish every level on

Apocalyptic difficulty to

become the true

Darksider. Mammon

himself would love this.

THE FIRSTFIVE HOURS...

1 We’re dropped into the middle of a siege of Samael’s fortress, and

have to cut through the army to scale the walls. 2 The demon Vulgrim

has us breaking into a vault in the Slag Pit to recover an artefact for him.

3 An icy mountainside climb to reach the vault, which forges (literally)

Hellish weaponry. 4 In the vault things get heated, and we have to run

from molten metal. 5 Mammon: the first lesser demon we must slay.

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