Darksiders 3 Review: 5 Ups & 4 Downs

The first Darksiders was seen as a God Of War clone, and it was tough to dispute. Darksiders 3 doesn't lose that GoW connection, but with an effective utilization of Dark Souls-like difficulty level, along with a gameplay loop that supports a "try, fail, die, revive, try something new" system. The two gameplay styles mix considerably well and keep you grinding through the tough sections, just for that wonderful sense of accomplishment after draining a boss's health bar.

Lack of polish does rear the ugly head of enemy imbalance and aiming that sometimes feels like it hits you even when you definitely dodged it. Nevertheless, unlike War's sword and Death's axes, Fury's whips give her an undeniable Kratos feel. Attack animations are flashy, responsive, and varied enough that you avoid visual repetition. Even with the simple single-button move sets, you get drastically different strikes that each use the whip in different ways to get the better of your opponent.

Add in the special elemental abilities that give you new buttons and combos to utilize, and then you've got a game unafraid of letting you cater to your personal playstyle. Few restrictions in combat here, just do what works best.