REVIEW: Darksiders Genesis (Switch), lots of action and little refinement

Darksiders Genesis brings divine conflict directly to an isometric universe filled with RPG elements

Darksiders Genesis a spin-off with a different style from the main series Darksiders – one of the few franchises in the extinct THQ which still receives new titles and updates through the company's strongest “arm”, the THQ Nordic. The franchise known for its style frentica hack n ’slash, which mixes RPG elements with a narrative worthy of the best blockbusters in Hollywood.

Ready for a hellish adventure in Darksiders Genesis?

Since the first game in the series, each entry focuses on one of the Knights of the Apocalypse (War, Death and Fury, so far) and its eternal conflict between Heaven and Earth, angels and demons. When THQ Nordic showed off a sample of Darksiders Genesis, a spin-off title that would have a different style, many fans in the series were unsure whether the game would maintain the same level as the other entries.

O Showmetech had access to Darksiders Genesis to Nintendo Switch and, after a few days of intense gambling, we bring you a complete analysis of the performance of this apocalyptic journey through an isometric world with deeper touches of RPG on the screen of the small (but powerful) console of Nintendo!

Between angels and demons

As its name implies, the plot of Darksiders Genesis takes place before the plot of the first game. The plot revolves around the war history and conflicts of the Knights of the Apocalypse and their quest to prevent Lucifer from causing total war after the fall of the den. All this Dantesque plot accompanied by a fun and energetic action between two of the knights (War and Strife) through an impressive selection of highly detailed locations.

In the game you can switch between the two main characters, War and Strife, at any time

Best of all, the game allows you to switch between the Knights at any time, using the different sets of movements that are necessary to progress on your journey. This mechanics makes the gameplay very flexible and prevents the game from becoming repetitive, when playing many enemies and similar situations incessantly on top of the player. On the other hand, facing the same types of monsters is a characteristic of the series (and of almost all games of the RPG genre) because, as the saying goes: “Practice makes perfect”. It can be tiring, but the player ends up developing personal techniques and creating his own style to face any type of enemy without spilling a single drop of sweat.

The characters and action are very similar to what players are used to in a Darksiders game. War remains a huge Knight, of few words, and who is swinging a gigantic sword wherever he passes (without much care who or what is in his way). Their attacks are brutal, mixing direct force with special moves unlocked as you progress through the game.

While War has more direct and brutal attacks, you can use long-range shots with Strife’s weapons

J Strife (a Knight who makes his debut in Darksiders Genesis) gil, cutting from the left and right with double daggers and unloading a pair of pistols in the enemy hordes (any resemblance to Overwatch's Reaper character, in no coincidence). Both characters have a variety of wild final moves and their own special abilities.

The protagonists complement each other satisfactorily and, if you have a favorite, there are times when you need to change your character, something that brings a different dynamic to the game and prevents the experience from becoming too repetitive. In addition, each knight also has various abilities that the other does not. For example, War has a circular blade that can activate distant mechanisms, and Strife can create portals through which objects can be launched.

Battles are a show of different looks and skills that each knight can use

Thus, solving many puzzles present in environments usually requires Knights to work together. However, not only special knights are made the Knights of the Apocalypse: later in the adventure you will unlock demonic shapes for the two brothers and a super powerful move for each of them, causing devastating damage to enemies. as if it were a "final blow" that you rarely use in the game, but that could be the difference between victory and defeat, depending on the hellish situation you find yourself in.

Another personage who returns in Darksiders Genesis Vulgrim, again in search of souls in exchange for important goods and special items, while the new merchant Dis offers combat upgrades for each brother. The character's progress is achieved by collecting Creature Cores, objects launched from enemies that can be embedded in a shared skill tree to improve attack and defense and activate various active and passive effects. As Creature Cores serve to enhance the attribute levels of the two Knights, you don't have to worry about managing their use.

The game has some puzzles that can only be solved with specific abilities of each knight

Generally speaking, there are a ton of things to collect, unlock and explore in Darksiders Genesis, and each stage has some alternate paths and hidden corners that usually require you to return with new skills to complete, ensuring a good replayability factor. In addition, exploring the scenarios is one of the most fun tasks in the game, as each location has a unique look and multiple points to be discovered. At this point, the game was able to copy in a fantastic way the style of game mechanics of similar works as the series Diablo and Torchlight, in addition to the visual style with its sceneries rich in visual details and the isometric perspective.

From the fifth of hell

There are so many good quality elements in Darksiders Genesis that any kind of problem is almost completely ignored, but there are still some minor obstacles that can bother the most attentive and demanding players. In addition to the fact that the camera is too far away from your character to try to display as many scenery elements as possible, the screen can become very busy, which means that it is not always easy to keep track of where you are and what is happening around you. .

Even with some gameplay problems, Darksiders Genesis is a richly detailed scenario game

The irregularly shaped scenario also does not help the player to be able to follow his character clearly. While in similar games like Diablo the scenario is removed or graphically obscured when there is a stone or other element in the character's path, in Darksiders Genesis the character's vision is impaired by this type of obstacle in the scenarios, in addition to the enemies being invisible.

Certain camera angles make the sections of the platform hardly frustrating several times. In addition, the inclusion of a split screen multiplayer seems almost useless. Such a cooperative mode of play seems very natural in a game with two main characters, but having no control over the Knights and giving up the option of actually changing undermines the experience. It is not necessarily a negative aspect of the game, but players can enjoy the game without problems if that option did not exist.

When you’re not exploring the various levels of Hell, you’ll have to prepare for big battles

A bizarre feature for an exploration RPG game that the map does not show its position on it. It just highlights which section you are in and leaves a mark on the places where you found collectibles (and there is a lot to find), but not the best to orient yourself. However, players should not be concerned about this aspect, since most maps in Darksiders Genesis are linear and without many alternative paths to choose from. Oh, and if you are not very fond of dialogues in the Darksiders series, the cliché expressions of Strife may bother you a little when they are said at random moments of the journey. In addition to being little funny, they break the immersion in the game and look like something forced that was inserted just to try to give some touch of personality to the character.

Although it doesn't need a very high graphic power to run with its visuals to the fullest, it is evident the inferior graphic quality of the Nintendo Switch game version when compared to the PC and PS4 versions, with some low quality textures and elements blurred. However, even so the game is a visual show on the small Nintendo console.

With more modest visuals on the Nintendo Switch version, Darksiders Genesis remains a beautiful game

The environments are detailed and beautifully designed, and the effects of shapes and abilities illuminate the screen as if they were fireworks. It also works smoothly, sacrificing 60 FPS (the game's normal frame rate when running on PC) for clean, unimpeded performance with 30 FPS, except in boss fights. Noteworthy are some momentary “fights” at some points in the adventure, although it is not common enough to be an important issue that seriously undermines the player's experience.

Genetic Darksiders: a new path for the series?

The Darksiders Genesis version for the Nintendo Switch offers everything the original game has, with only a few sacrifices in the graphics. THQ Nordic was unable to perfectly copy the formula already coined by Diablo and Torchlight for games in this style, but made a great adaptation of the Darksiders hack n 'slash genre to a pure RPG style game. Anyway, Darksiders Genesis is an exceptionally fun and well made game that manages to fit without too many problems in the overall panorama of the franchise. Even with a different presentation to which the fans of the series are accustomed, it is an adventure that is worth checking out.

It may not be the best game in the series, but Darksiders Genesis is a quality entry into the franchise

Darksiders Genesis

7.5 / 10

resume

Darksiders Genesis offers a different experience for the games in the series but preserves its essence of action and adventure. Even with some technical problems and some gameplay elements that could have been more refined, the game offers a fun adventure and a fascinating universe to be explored and explored with your giant sword or your celestial weapon.

Pros

• Incredible atmosphere;
• Balanced dynamics between War and Strife;
• Frontal gameplay characteristic of the series.

Cons

• Resolution problems in textures;
• Frame drops;
• Camera very far from the characters.

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