The Influences of Darksiders

January 4, 2010

The Influences of Darksiders
By Andrew Groen


THQ’s latest takes inspiration from some of the greatest games of all-time.

Perhaps more so than any game I’ve played in years, Darksiders is a product of
its influences. During our extensive time with the game it became extremely
evident that this game not only has lofty aspirations, but also has roots in
almost every action-adventure game made in the last 10-15 years.

The developers mentioned that they believe that no artist’s influences are
conscious, but rather seep through their hand subconsciously during the creation
process. If that’s true then Vigil has a subconscious mind filled with N64 and
PS2 memories, because Darksiders is overflowing with neo-retro homages.

The first inspiration on our list is a game which the developers aren’t hiding
from, but are rather trumpeting as a major design influence.



The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Notable aspects: Bomb Flowers; Climbing Vines; Meta-dungeons; Bosses;
Boomerang

From the large list of connections above, it’s not hard to see that Darksiders
draws heavily from one of the greatest games ever created, and it’s hard to
blame them since so many elements of Nintendo’s classic are still, to this day,
considered genius.

Within the first hour of playing Darksiders you’ll begin to see the effect this
game has had on Darksiders. (Once you get past the whole "whoa, I just threw a
police car at an armored Warrior-Angel" wow-moments of course.) The dungeons are
the most Zelda-infused, and once you’re blowing up walls with bomb-flowers (aka
bomb-growth) and scaling walls on vines (aka demonic growth) you’ll feel like
it’s 1998 all over again.

The coolest aspect won’t be seen until much later though, when you fight the
game’s first major boss several hours into the experience. Though it’s markedly
more intricate than its late-90s counterpart, this boss is reminiscent of some
of Link’s grandest battles.



God of War
Notable Aspects: Combo-system; Orb-chests

Despite the impressive comparison, nothing can sink a game faster than the words
"God of War clone" and that’s not the point we’re making. In a lot of ways,
Darksiders is the anti-God of War clone. Rather than lifting the entire
experience, Darksiders takes note from God of War’s greatest successes (combat
and mythological story) and leaves out the more mundane aspects.

Even War’s legendary sword, Chaoseater, feels vaguely like the Blades of Chaos
wielded by Kratos. In addition, there are also the quick-kills that feel similar
to God of War. When an enemy is deeply wounded, War can get in close for a
stylish, one-button ultra-kill. Kratos may have done it first, but it’s just as
sweet the second time around.

Vigil has also adopted much of God of War’s health and experience system. When
you finish off an enemy, orbs fly out for War to collect. These can also be
retrieved from chests strewn throughout the level.



Legacy of Kain
Notable Aspects: Pacing; Balance of gameplay

This one is a lot more pervasive and
difficult to notice, but if you look closely enough at the design … it’s there.
It’s not just gameplay aspects either, though. Environments also have a tendancy
to lean towards the dark and gothic such as the castles from Legacy of Kain.

One of the biggest strengths of Darksiders is its pitch-perfect balance of
combat, environment exploration, and puzzle-solving. This comes right out of
Kain’s playbook, and there couldn’t be a better facet for Darksiders to take
inspiration from.

Though Kain has of late fallen off many gamers’ radar, the LoK series was one of
the very best at combining story, and gameplay. Vigil would have been remiss if
they were not taking notes on the successes of Kain and Azrael.

Minor Influences:

Panzer Dragoon Orta – One particularly amazing scene sees War
hijacking an angel’s giant flying eagle mount and his staff, then proceeds to
fly through the level in an on-rails shooting segment hurling bolts of energy at
enemies.

Ninja Gaiden – During many combat encounters, doorways will be
sealed off with giant glowing emblems, similar to those used in Ninja Gaiden.

Gears of War – Believe it or not, but there are actually a few
sparse moments where Darksiders turns into an over-the-shoulder third-person
shooter.

Check out the rest of our full
coverage of Darksiders:


Darksiders Review


Hands-on Video


Audio Interview: Bruce Willis starring as War in a feature film?

* * *

Darksiders releases Tuesday, January
5 on the PS3 and 360 platforms.