Darksiders III

Do not let the camera angle confuse you, this is NOT an ARPG. Don't expect to be going in playing a Diablo style game. There are some similarities but in reality this is simply an isometric action adventure. And its well done! The combat is very fun and so far I highly recommend it!

Before I start, I have to make this absolutely clear. This is not a Diablo clone like so many people even professional review sites claimed. I say that because I got into the game with the impression that this would be something similar to an isometric hack n slash like Diablo but it isn't. It's an isometric action adventure with very light RPG elements. There isn't leveling up, there isn't getting new gear, nothing of that, but there is powering up through a simplistic system of assigning souls of monsters you killed to a skill tree (it's simpler that it sounds) and buying new moves and upgrades after each level.
Besides that it plays like a lighter version of the main Darksiders games. There's a bit of platforming, exploration for secrets, a decent combat system, puzzles (mostly for hidden upgrades), big bosses, the lot. Everything in the beloved universe of Darksiders with that distinctive atmosphere that characterizes the franchise. Visuals even though not technically impressive look great because of the art style, the music is amazing, dialogues for the most part are good (Strife has that Deadpool vibe that personally don't feel it matches the rest of the cast, especially the other 3 horsemen).
Gameplay wise, it's a pretty solid game given that it's basically a budget release. There is a bit of junkiness (enemies clip through the floor at times for example), but nothing that really detracts from the game. Didn't have any crashes, or weird performance issues. You start with a basic set of attacks and one special power for each character (if you don't play with another player, you switch between Strife and War), but as you play you can unlock extra combos, extend the existing ones, get new powers and sub weapons.
Haven't completed the game yet, but after 10 hours I find the game flowing smoothly, never really got bored, exploring and finding secrets is a blast and I am invested in the story even though mostly because I am a huge fan of the previous titles (even the divisive 3rd game I loved). I know I didn't get into much detail but the main reason I wanted to write a review for this is because I can see people downvoting it and reviewing it negatively because they were under the impression that this would be a Diablo clone. Personally, I really liked it and I would easily recommend it to Darksiders fans and hack n slash action games in general (it is a prequel so even though it's better to have played at least the first of the series, you don't really need to).

Darksiders Genesis is a very well balanced and a fun co-op, isometric ARPGish hack n slash and I'm gonna be honest, it feels more Darksiders than Darksiders 3. No one asked for a souls-like combat back then but I can't say it didn't work. It worked nice but it didn't even feel like Darksiders... at least for me.
Gameplay is a lot like first Darksiders and isometric view works great, especially for Strife. I'd like to write about how co-op works but sadly, I haven't had anyone to play co-op nor I needed one since I prefer to play games like this solo and the best thing about Genesis was that it has no co-op achievements. Whole game can be done by playing solo, even on highest difficulty, you won't have any problems. You acquire new powers and gear as you progress through the game and you use them to destroy your enemies or solve puzzles along the way, just like the first Darksiders. Game has some amazing puzzles, by the way.
I don't want to talk about the story since everything I write will spoil something for you so I'll just say that it's a prequel with a good twist at the end. There aren't fully animated cutscenes sadly but they work fine. This isn't a budget title anyway. However, soundtracks are REALLY good! I certainly didn't expect them to be THIS good! I'd highly suggest buying the Digital Deluxe edition just for the soundtracks.
That's Darksiders Genesis for you. If you're looking for a well-balanced game to play, grab it. It's really fun and the dialogue between War & Strife gets really interesting. I almost regret playing this game solo... almost.

Pros:
- Great story
- Decent gameplay
- Good graphics
- Runs smooth
- Good balance of skill sets
- Easy to understand, simple and idiot-proof
- Decent price
- No looting or skill tree (if you're into a more straight forward game where you buy certain skills)
- Great coop feature, easy to join
Cons:
- Game doesn't really tell you what items the enemies drop
- Map is horrible - no indicator of where you exactly are on the map
- Little bugs here and there - getting stuck (unable to move - need to rejoin game), bosses glitching and bugging out
- No mini-map
- Don't see an end game once the story is completed, there seems to be only ARENA.
Rating: 8.5/10 - definitely get it if your in for a good story and something to play whilst waiting for another game to come out. Or if you're into the Darksiders Series like myself.

I don't do a lot of written reviews, but I know this game isn't going to get the attention it deserves, even from Darksiders fans.
I hear a lot of comparisons to Diablo, which couldn't be anymore wrong. This isn't a looty, grindy, mmo like game. I actually draw a lot of comparisons to one of my old favorites, Gauntlet Dark Legacy (Gauntlet 64 or Gauntlet: Legends are all the same game). You go through large and varied levels hacking down dudes and searching for secrets to power up your characters. The major boss fights are long and in depth enough that they are even their own missions.
It is very much like the first game with a top-down view. I thought to myself that if the next game were to have Strife as a lead, it would play too differently from the rest. The simple and brilliant solution was to restrain it to a top down view, with some verticality. If you switch to War it feels the same as ever, he is missing a small few moves from the original game at first, but you get most of them back eventually.
I've been playing alone, and am happy to say it is very much not a detriment. The game feels like it was balanced for two players at once, which incentivizes you to switch between the characters who have their own stats and roles. War being a tank with great short range crowd control and Strife being a sort of glass cannon, with great area control and limited melee ability. There is also a synergy move that activates upon swapping which is another good reason to mix it up. I acutally think it is very satisfying to build two characters at once in a Zelda fashion. It's like the game is giving you cool new stuff at twice the rate!
The first few levels are shorter and teach you the basics of the game. But, they eventually turn into long, full fledged, Darksiders dungeons which were always the best part of the games. The levels are all packed with fights, mini-bosses, puzzles, platforming, bonus missions, and secret areas where you can find character upgrades. There is also some backtracking for puzzles you don't have the tools for yet. (You can absolutely quit the mission after doing the thing though and keep your reward!)
There is even a hub world with shops, puzzles, and an interactive trophy room for the bonus missions you've done. There is also an arena to help with the minimal grinding aspect and of course test your combat ability. Did I say grinding? You can collect orbs that augment aspects of your character kind of like souls in "Castlevania: aria of sorrow" or the charms in "Hollow knight", with the added bonus of specialized slots to make you think about what you are equipping. These orbs can be powered up by collecting duplicates. (I think they drop more often when you use a finisher, so I've never felt like I needed to farm them)
I can say this is definitely the buggiest Darksiders Game, in it's release state. But nothing I've encountered is game breaking. In fact it seems like they put in fail safes to fix common issues. If you are stuck on geometry it will respawn you after a while, if your chess opening animation fails, it will warp you to the correct position and proceed to open it, ect... I can't speak for the quality of keyboard controls because I think most third person games feel better on a game pad, that's just me. The controls are entirely remapable though. I didn't jive with the defaults are first, but I eventually decided that they did the best they could, with how much you can do. The rebind menu is well organized too! If you think Strife should have a completely different control scheme from War, its easy to do so!
Now for my complaints. First is how detailed the collision mesh on the levels is. Don't get me wrong, it is very impressive! But when I'm walking on say, a ramshackle wooden bridge, and I get stuck on a crack between planks, I have to wonder why they didn't just use a flat surface as the collider. The other major one is the climbing controls. With the fixed camera angle, it can be hard to move the way you want to. Left and right seem to work well enough, but if I want to go up or down, I find it almost impossible unless I let go of the stick and just jump or press the drop down button. It's not so bad when you've gotten into the habit. (I think making climbing movement based on the character's orientation would fix this. So pushing left will always make you move to the character's left, not the viewpoint's left and so on)
My final verdict is that this is now my Second favorite Darksiders (The first one being an absolute classic). Darksiders 2 is great, but the skill tree was underwhelming and the story was a bit pointless. Bear in mind that I haven't finished the game at the time of writing this, I just like it that much!
Time to plug myself. I have a trash tier Twitch and Youtube, where I talk about game design (as a hobbyist game dev), lore, fan theories, news, the games I've been playing off camera, anything really... and some occasional cringe (especially in my earlier stuff). Feel free to stop by and check out some Darksiders: Genesis game play!

Darksiders Genesis
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Is a Spin-Off set in the Darksiders universe and serves as a prequel to the original trilogy.
The gameplay is fantastic, level desings are allot of fun.
There are skill tree's but no loot.
There are skins for both war and strife to find and equip.
Abyssal armor makes its return like the main games.
The levels have secret area's to explore, and you will have to return to older levels to find more secrets as you progress and unlock more abilities.
The game runs really smooth and the combat is really well implemented.
It plays just like how darksiders must play.
A fantastic entry for the franchise.
Enjoy the game !!!!

If you're worried that this is a "DIABLO" clone , you're mistaken. It is a 100% Darksiders game with Hack N Slash Elements , Secrets , Weapons , Enchantments , Upgrades and Exploration just like in first two games , War plays very much like he did in the original game, and Strife is unique enough to be different from his brethren without losing his appeal as a Horseman (In other words he's like DEADPOOL). It is a perfect DarkSiders game just with a different perspective.