Darksiders Genesis

_Achievement-Review:
Difficulty: 4/10
Approx. time invested: 30h
MP-Achievements: No (can be done solo or co-op)
Misc / Activities / Collectibles: Yes
Missable Achievements: None - Chapter Select
Difficulty Achievement: Yes
Darksiders Genesis is a fun hack and slash/twin-stick shooter set in the well-known Darksiders universe, especially since you can play Strife for the first time as well as War, the others only have small cameos. The level design was fun to explore, but it also had some backtracking because you only unlock all skills in Chapter 11 out of 16. The difficulty setting "Apocalyptic" also unlocks after a first playthrough, but in the end you can run past many fights, and if you do not take care it can be pretty rough in the highest diffculty.
_Gameplay:
Darksiders Genesis plays very well. It rarely lets you feel powerless, as you are playing the Horsemen and often just plow through the minions of Moloch. Strife focuses more on the twin-stick shooter aspect of the game, with multiple ammunition types you can cycle through, while War is more of a brawler hack and slash type with heavy attacks. I played with Strife most of the time, but switching between the characters mid-fight was smooth and fun.
_Immersion:
The game has an awesome cinematic cutscene that sets the stage. It felt like a throwback to old WC3 cinematics, and I always watched it when I started up the game. Besides the cinematic, the story is told through dialogues with NPCs in the hub area or by comic book-style animations that fit the tone very well.
_Hardest Achievement:
It is not particularly difficult, but the jumping puzzle for the Leviathan Monster Core is a huge letdown. You need to complete at least the first stage to get one of the three cores required to unlock "Collector", but to get the fully powered version you must go through the entire puzzle, and that is where all its flaws become obvious.
For some players it may be difficult that you have to defeat the final boss without taking damage, but with some patience and by learning his moves, it is not too bad.
_Recommendation:
Darksiders Genesis is an entertaining game, and I liked it a lot. The characters are fun, the animation looks great, the gameplay is responsive, smooth, and all boss fights bring something new to the table that you can adapt to (or not, since you can brute-force all of them, if done right).
A solid 6.5/10.

I love Darksiders so it only made sense that I play Genesis. I convinced my boyfriend to play it with me and we had a blast. Despite being top-down the game is very similar to the gameplay of Darksiders 1 if you play War and the dialogues between War and Strife are always gold. It's definitely the kind of game you don't want to play alone because it's just soooo much better with a partner. We finished the game in 15 hours but I wish we could have had more.

If you're a Darksiders fan, then of course you should play Genesis. Don't be intimidated by (or even underestimating) the isometric perspective, because yeah, it's different from the other three games, but is still fun and engaging.
FOR THE LORE:
•Genesis is a prequel to even the events of the first Darksiders, therefore you play with War and Strife, which finally makes his debut as the remaining playable horseman. Here, they are on a mission to uncover Lucifer's plot against the balance. Death and Fury are elsewhere, so you will be playing the entire game with War and Strife.
•You know the best thing of this entire game? War and Strife's dynamic. The game is worth it just for that alone. I'm serious.
PLAY SOLO OR CO-OP
•You can choose if you want to play solo, switching between War and Strife on the fly, or you can play with a friend, where each player will control one of the two horseman. (Both players must have the game to play co-op).
THE BAD AND THE UGLY (AS THEY SAY)
•This game has terrible platforming. So a lot of times you will be frustrated in the sections where platforming is required to progress through a level. But overall, it's more annoying than game breaking;
•I've encountered some bugs and glitches, and the game crashed for me two times during my entire experience. So there's that.
TOTALLY RECOMMEND
Darksiders Genesis is a great game and even if you're not familiar with Darksiders lore, you should give it a try.

🔰SHREDVIEW🔰 - From someone who actually plays and finishes the games before reviewing.
NOTE: If you like my work, please check out the rest of my reviews, I put a lot of work in these to offer the best overall description of what you’re up against. Thank you in advance!
🔷 ABOUT THE GAME & LORE 🔷
If one ridiculously powered and sassy protagonist per game was not enough, well, how about two? Darksiders: Genesis is a top down hack and slash RPG drowned into an abundance of content and memorable protagonists. Released in 2019, stands at the latest release in the Darksiders series, however, it's plot reveals it as the pre-sequel of everything that we've known so far. We follow into the hoofsteps of War, tagging along with the people's champion, none other than "Strife" who is constantly stealing the spotlight.
This time, the Charred Council sends 2 horsemen to sniff out Lucifer’s backroom deals with Hell’s masters. You cross the Void, carve through demon lords and their armies one by one, and uncover why the Seven Seals and “the Balance” become what they are later. It’s connective tissue that matters, without drowning you in homework.
🔷 THE GAMEPLAY 🔷
👉 GENERAL:
Whoever seen the trailer to this game, sure remembers it and I'm also sure that they couldn't wait to play it. Why? Because Strife finally entered the screen, with War. These two are the perfect cure for pandemonium. Here's the breakdown:
• The experience can be single player but it was sure intended for CO-OP. It is story driven, however, the main plot is broken down in the starting cutscenes and dialogues, so along the way, you can skip talk and still make sense of what went on. The story itself is not complicated either, the choice is left to the player whether they want to dig deeper for the lore. We could say the game is 30% story, 60% kill, 5% concentrated power of will.. etc.
Co-op has no tethering so players can move independently and indefinitely far away from each other but they cannot switch areas alone. Considering this, the split-screen perspective allows both players to check on the other's status. I played this with a friend, watching each other fail consecutively on some dumb ass jump was bliss.
• Combat is everything. No matter who your hero of choice is, everything orbits around your weapons, abilities and tools to help cleave your way through hordes upon hordes of demons. War plays just as in the first game, with massive cleaves, AOE and power attacks while Strife, has multiple ammo types for his pistols, each having specific characteristics and situational uses. Attacks can also be charged for a punchier outcome.
• The skill tree system is very clever and provides many, many options. Enemies have a chance of dropping Power Cores when killed, each power core being tied to a mob-type, with rarer stronger ones tied to elites and bosses. Cores have specific stats and can be upgraded with duplucates. You slot these cores into a skill tree with empty slots, basically building your own. A-f***g-mazing.
• Additional tools will be unlocked as you progress through the story, tools that will enable more mobility and access to specific areas previously inaccessible. (example: Portal tool or Glaive) You can return to any level from the campaign menu and unlocks will be retained, so don't worry about that 100%.
• Fabulous voice acting, Strife is absolutely hilarious, the chemistry and anti-thesis between the two characters is pure spectacle. Strife deserves his standalone game. Overall, all voice-actors played their role well and seemed as they enjoyed it too.
• Difficulty is adjustable at level selection, the game ranges from medium to excruciatingly challenging once you finish the game once and you unlock Mayhem. Playing on harder difficulties is also more rewarding in terms of loot and output.
👉 NAVIGATION SYSTEM:
Each mission has a map/minimap that unfogs as you explore. Objectives, doors and found chests mark clear when done. Within a mission you can fast-hop between Serpent Holes you’ve discovered and from the Void hub you can Chapter Select any unlocked level with your current equipment kit. The Void houses Vulgrim, the trader, and there is also an Arena accessible from the main hub, to test your patience and get rewarded for it.
👉 PHYSICS & MECHANICS:
Snappy movement and reliable dodge, but the engine clanks here and there. You can snag on textures. Some hitboxes are suspiciously generous (to your advantage). Platforming sections will test your patience when inputs don’t line up with what your hands just did. Enough fun at core to make the clunk bearable though.
👉 GRAPHICS & OPTIMIZATION:
Art style stays true to series DNA, closest in vibe to Darksiders III with modern polish. Not a benchmark flex, but clean silhouettes, readable effects, and moody arenas carry the atmosphere. Runs well across platforms and on modest PCs; style over raw tech wins here. Nice to look at, truly.
👉 ACHIEVEMENTS & COLLECTIBLES:
I won’t spoil the types, but secret areas make up a big slice of the game and they feed straight into achievements, so you really do need to sweep every corner. The search pays off with real upgrades, useful gear and Boatman Coins for the trader.
The achievement list lands in the sweet spot. Fair, pushy in a good way, and it sends you through higher difficulties and a secret world boss. There are 30 total. We wrapped the game in about 41.3 hours, and you will need two playthroughs. That is fine here. The second run still feels worthwhile instead of homework.
🔷 CONCLUSION 🔷
Darksiders: Genesis is a new perspective over a beloved series, proving it can wear a new camera and still throw the same mean right hook to a whole demon. Here, you get the full package: one hero shoots, one hero carves but both carry. The physics are sometimes ass and the platforming will make you slap your grandma but the systems and the chemistry keep it afloat. Play this with a friend!
🔷 PROS & CONS 🔷
✔️ PROS:
- The characters are amazing.
- Creative skill tree mechanic, unique.
- Strong art style, stays close to home.
- Fair achievements, not too shabby.
- Amazing display of combat skills.
- Has CO-OP.
- Has one of the best game trailers ever.
❌ CONS:
- Got stuck in the map quite a few times.
- Platforming inputs wake up and choose violence.
- Arenas can be a crowd control chore.
🔷 SHORT REVIEW & STATS 🔷
• PLAY STYLE:
🔳 PVP
🔳 PVE
✅ ONLINE CO-OP
🔳 Online Multiplayer
✅ SPLIT SCREEN
✅ SINGLE PLAYER
• GRAPHICS:
🔳 FIRE THE ART DIRECTOR
🔳 FAIRLY OLD GAME, WHAT YOU EXPECT?
🔳 NOT GREAT, NOT TERRIBLE
✅ GREAT
🔳 EXCEPTIONAL
• REPLAYABILITY:
🔳 YES
🔳 EVERY NOW AND THEN
🔳 NOT SURE
✅ RARELY / ON MAJOR UPDATE / DLC RELEASE
🔳 NO
• STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS:
✅ YES
🔳 NO (What the f**k man?)
• GAMEPLAY:
🔳 WTF IS THIS S**T
🔳 TERRIBLE
🔳 DECENT
🔳 ENGAGING
✅ HAD A BLAST
• DIFFICULTY:
🔳 DARK SOULS
🔳 BAFFLING
✅ CHALLENGING
🔳 MEDIUM
🔳 WALK IN THE PARK
• STORYLINE:
🔳 A WHAT? WE WRITE CODE NOT BOOKS
🔳 GOES FINE WITHOUT ONE
🔳 DECENT
✅ ENGAGING
🔳 SHAKESPEARE AINT GOT S**T ON THIS
❗ NOTE - This is a review based on personal preferences and opinions. I always suggest you try the games for yourself before letting others decide for you. Even though we're all gamers, we are sure not the same.

Actually goated co-op game, high recommend, don't know wtf some of the negative reviews are about. Co-op works flawlessly and the game is fun to play.

Feels like old GOW and lil bit of diablo with double jump n dash, slash and shoot. lol. They should make another one with all 4 characters. NEED MORE GAMES like this. Cant wait to play Darksiders 4

such a fantastic game!
in 2019 i didn't give it the credit it deserves. but now, after finishing all the main Darksiders games, i have to say: this one is a gem.
they took the best from the second game and Battle Chasers and mixed it.
so much style and love in the details, a masterclass in the art of light. great expansion of the world. fun combat, though aiming can be frustrating.
i hope Airship and Madureira will get a chance to come back to this world someday.