Review: Dante’s Inferno
Game: Dante’s Inferno
Format: 360, PS3
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
God of War, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden… the action based hack-n’-slash genre is rarely associated with original or innovative gameplay and whilst Dante’s Inferno cetainly doesn’t break this trend, EA’s latest offering still manages to deliver a unique and enjoyable experience.
Any readers or listeners of The Newb Review will know that ever since it was announced, Dante’s Inferno has been the game I was most looking forward to. It has fended off stiff competition from the delightfully brilliant Mass Effect 2 and upcoming PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain. However, often when you’re incredibly excited for an upcoming game, expectations are so high that when the final product turns out to be a bit of a disappointment. So with that in mind, how well does Dante’s Inferno meet up to expectations?Well get ready for the oncoming jizz storm folks because I absolutely love this game. In fact, if you really don’t want to read me waffling on about how “this game is great”, “amazing” and how much “I love this game” then I suggest you just sod off now. But then again you’ve made it this far so how about you carry on and watch as I, purely in metaphorical terms of course, vigorously masturbate over my copy Dante’s Inferno?
Dante’s Inferno doesn’t break any new ground. In fact, it borrows heavily from other games in the genre; God of War especially. As soon as the demo had been released, the masses were ready to bash the game for being a “God of War clone”, but unfortunately they’d missed the point completely. I’m all for games being unique and different, but just because a game isn’t entirely new, does not mean it isn’t any good? Look at any sodding World War 2 FPS and you’ll see that they’re all essentially the same, but that doesn’t make them any less fun. The fact is the gameplay on offer in Dante’s Inferno is nothing new, but it’s solid fun and provides a strong base from which the game can build and shine. And boy, does it shine. It shines like a shiny piece of… something shiny.
Dante’s Inferno is far more about the setting and story telling than it is about innovative gameplay. It is these two things that not only set it apart from other peers in it’s genre, but ultimately what makes the game absolutely brilliant. The level of care and thought that has been put into this game is nothing short of staggering. Hell itself feels like a living, breathing character thanks to some absolutely incredible level and character design. The later of these does unfortunately seem to peter out towards the end, thanks to the inclusion of some fairly generic enemy types. However, every circle of Hell looks completely different but equally as grotesque, from the vaginal imagery of the first circle of Hell; Lust, to the bile filled, obesity inspired landscapes of Gluttony. Every circle of Hell has a level of detail that up until now, us gamers have only dreamt of.
You cannot fault the character design
Yes ladies and gents, this game really does go the whole way to earn it’s 18 rating, it’s shocking, disgusting and vile; and some will say needlessly so. But it’s a game set in Hell for god’s sake! What did you expect?!
All of this lovely, grotesque debauchery is available in full detail as well. There are very few games that look as good as Dante’s Inferno; both the actual gameplay sections and various cut scenes are extremely lush. This game looks as good as it is sickening.
Very visually impressive
The inclusion of animated sections are not only seamlessly integrated but also look as equally stunning. Many medieval style games can come off as pretentious and confusing, but the animated sections in Dante’s Inferno not only look beautiful but most importantly aids in illustrating exactly what’s going on within the narrative. This eradicates any pretense or confusion and helps make the story interesting and compelling.
The whole experience Dante’s Inferno offers is perfectly punctuated with it’s use of sound and it’s difficulty. The soundtrack is loud, nightmarish and a perfect fit for the setting. The voice acting is great and the difficulty is HARD, which may put some people off, especially when sometimes progression within the game relies on Dante dishing out some pretty cheap deaths.
In terms of length, Dante’s Inferno has come under attack from other reviewers, but I tend to disagree. It may not be long enough to satisfy the 90 hour RPG loving types, but it’s punishing and unrelenting enough that though statistically short it never feels like it out stays it’s welcome.
My only parting gripe is with the fairly tacked-on-looking multiplayer DLC on the horizon (although I hope to be proved wrong). There also isn’t much incentive for multiple play throughs, which is a crying shame considering how good the game actually is.
Review Round Up
Graphics: 5/5 – Level and character design is pretty much flawless (apart from the appearance of some more generic baddies towards the end of the game). Graphically, everything from the gameplay and cut scenes to the animated sections are absolutely spot on.
Sound: 4/5 – Hellish and loud. Blood curdlingly perfect.
Gameplay: 4/5 – Gameplay doesn’t break any new ground and if you’re familiar with previous action based hack-n-slash titles this will all feel familiar. Combat controls are fluid, allowing combos to feel easy and seamless. The game is set in Hell and the punishing difficulty perfectly compliments that, however the constant need to deal out cheap deaths may put some people off. Oh, and the boss battles are freakin’ epic!
Longevity: 3/5 – The game is brilliant on a first play through, but there’s just not enough incentive for multiple plays (achievements don’t count, you big whores!)
Overall: 4/5 – Overall I give Dante’s Inferno a grotesque 4 out of 5. It’s gameplay may not be original and it may have some faults, but the overall experience of playing Dante’s Inferno feels totally and utterly unique.
[starreview tpl=16]
And another thing…
Ed “LavaLampBamboo” Johnston writes:
The thing about Dante’s Inferno, despite it’s good points, is that it had been done before. It’d be wrong to call this a God of War imitator; it’s God of War through and through. Similar combat, similar puzzles, both are based on classic literature, hell, Dante even has a very similar character design to Kratos (semi naked, red theme, dead family). I feel tempted to describe Dante’s Inferno as God of War Lite, a way to bridge the gap between now and when GoW3 comes out. It wouldn’t be right to say that DI is a bad game because of this; it has taken a lot of cues from one of the best action-adventure games in recent years, but it would have been nice to see the game bring something new to the table.
Also it violates one of the seven deadly sins of gaming; the game finishes with “To be continued” popping up. Presumably, next year we’ll be seeing Dante’s Purgatorio. Honestly, Visceral, not cool…
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yeah i really loved this game, on the first play though. after reflection i could start to see all its little faults and why it was getting slated by metacritic. more than anything i found it to be an educational experience, after i completed it twice i now feel like i have read the entire first book of the devine comedy. lulz.
I quite enjoyed playing through this, and am interested in the multiplayer DLC that’s due out in a month or two.
I’m not a huge hack anf slash fan but I enjoyed the demo. I might pick this up in a few months when its nice and cheap.
Good idea..plus the said DLC that Luke was talking about will be out then too.
Giantbomb had a video feature on one of the later challenges in this game. Apparently it took Ryan Davis about 100 attempts to complete the challenge in question!