Darksiders Genesis | Xbox One Review

For every horseman, there must be a Darksiders game. War, Death, and Fury each got their own title to shine, and now the spotlight dawns on Strife. He has to share said spotlight with War, but that’s okay. Darksiders: Genesis is a relatively thoughtless isometric shooter that stands as a solid enough way to kill a dozen hours or so. And if you’re invested in the lore of this apocalyptic franchise, there’s plenty of tasty tidbits awaiting you.

First and foremost, much like its predecessors, Darksiders: Genesis barely has an original thought to its gameplay. It borrows liberally from games of its genre, as Airship Syndicate continues the grand tradition of the franchise. That’s not a slight. Much like the earlier games, the flavor of the art and universe make it easy to not care that you’re retreading familiar territory.

No, Not Alone

War had his giant sword, Death had his scythes, and Fury had her chain whip. Strife is the gunman of the Horsemen, wielding dual pistols. He loves to shoot things, which is helpful, because there is a great deal of shooting things to be had. War is also playable, and comes equipped with combos straight out of the original Darksiders game. However, the enemy and level design make it apparent that Strife is the primary character here.

Strife has a fun mechanic tied into his shooting. Land enough consecutive shots, and you’ll activate a “hotstreak,” which enables new, more powerful bullets for a few seconds. It’s an entrancing dance building up to that next hotstreak throughout the game. And each ammo type has its own enhanced bullets to play with.

Apocalyptic Showdown

That singular gameplay loop can only take Darksiders: Genesis so far, however. There are the standard equipment upgrades (creature cores, in this game’s nomenclature) and skill trees, of course. I think they’re required by some Video Game Law Enforcement organization lurking in the shadows. As with most modern upgrade paths in video games, its existence is largely pointless and is just there to give the player a false sense of choice.

The levels themselves are gorgeous to look at. The smaller areas are really fun and well-paced. These smaller chapters of the game serve up 20-30 minutes of interconnected combat, puzzling, and platforming. Puzzles are a series staple, and you’ll come across many familiar tools such as the Crossblade boomerang. There’s nothing mind-melting here, but it does serve as a refreshing change of pace. You’ll leave the game wishing there were a few more of them.

So Much to See, So Little to Do

The larger areas of the game are where problems rise up. They’re far too big, and have nothing interesting to do in them outside of the objective points. Yes, there are hidden areas to find, which come complete with a simple puzzle or combat encounter. There’s just no driving reason to engage in them. The only cool part about these massive chapters is that you can summon your horse and feel like a proper Horseman. Other than that, these levels are much too long and poorly paced. The opening chapter of the game is especially awful to trudge through.

Add the universally terrible boss battles (sure hope you like mob enemies), and it leaves the story as the biggest saving grace of Darksiders: Genesis. It starts as a straightforward “day in the life” story as Strife and War are sent on a simple enough mission by The Charred Council. The leads into a story heavily featuring recurring character Samael as he conspires with our Nephilim heroes into taking down the Lords of Hell. Lucifer finally makes his Darksiders appearance here, and he does not disappoint. That Satan guy is up to no good, and it sheds some interesting light on the history of this universe.

End of the World

Darksiders: Genesis is a decent way to kill a few hours, but the mechanics don’t have the depth to keep you playing the extra modes and content. The shorter levels engage the player, but all too often will you be left feeling bored. The story is worth getting through the game for, as is the beautiful art for which the series is known. A Darksiders fan will find things to love here, but for anyone else there are better games in this genre.

To hear us talk more about Darksider Genesis, be sure to listen to Episode 282 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 1:15:50 mark.

This review is based on an Xbox One copy of Darksiders Genesis provided by Evolve PR for coverage purposes. It’s also available on Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows.