Somewhere in the depths of Hell, a crusader travels in search of redemption for his lost love. It is only with the help of Death’s Scythe, his lover’s cross, and some magic that he finally finds the redemption he seeks.
This is a bit of a departure from the Epic Poem that the game’s story attempts to emulate. By creating a new universe, Visceral Games attempts to solidify their standing within the action genre. Instead, they find themselves somewhere between Heaven and Hell, a terrible limbo where success is rarely achieved. I have played everything from God of War to Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry to Bayonetta, and even some Onimusha. I am no stranger to action games. With Dante, the issue I have is not with the story or graphics. It has great visuals with strong presentation, despite the gratuitous nudity. What I take issue with is the level design. Somehow the idea of descending these nine circles of Hell led to a rather simplified level design. What should be a challenge; however, becomes a frustration.
Argh! Not in the Face!
The transitions from one circle to the next are all repeating descents along corpses and wall runs across fleshy firetraps. Combat takes place in tight arenas, allowing the enemies no room to escape your reach. Ultimately, the obsession with the literary source turns the last 90 minutes into an uninspired challenge mode, with poor platform tricks and more small arenas. There were other issues with platforming and puzzle solving, but those are a result of the layout of the level or the camera angle provided, in my opinion. Sure, the presentation is outstanding, with moaning walls and pools of lost souls, but art/style does not solely define an experience.
Absolved!
Combat is a positive for me, probably because I enjoy the simplicity of the modifiers. Unlike a Ninja Gaiden, which possesses almost a fighting game level of complexity, most moves execute by holding down a shoulder button or holding and releasing a standard attack. Since there are only two weapons throughout the course of the game, you can only increase Dante’s abilities by utilizing experience earned through absolving or punishing your enemies. A good verse evil tech tree, a la Infamous, Visceral introduces some unique attacks and magic spells, some of which are devastating to your enemies. There is also utilization of accessories, which modify Dante’s abilities. These tie to the level of good or evil your character possesses. This limits the ways in which Dante can use them, though with 30 or so accessories, that hardly seems to matter. With numerous DLC expanding on the challenge mode and online play, it packs in content. Although, with so many more action games at your disposal, it seems like you would really have to be a fan to utilize it.
I would recommend that action fans should check it out, but maybe wait for the $30 price point.
No comments:
Post a Comment