Review | Darksiders
Format: PS3/Xbox360 | Genre: Action adventure | Publisher: THQ | Developer: Vigil Games | Release date: 08/01/10 | RRP: £44.99
At what point does plagiarism become homage?
Is it when the successor surpasses the original? When it builds upon it and adds its own creative ideas into the mix? Or is it just when they change things enough to avoid legal measures? I guess, when you look at it, it’s just as subjective as anything else. You’ve got to deal with things as they come, and treat each case individually. It would seem obvious, but there’s a niggle in the back of my mind that I’m not quite able to satisfy.
So, Darksiders, bastard child of Kratos et al. It’s probably unfair to draw such a comparison so early on, but it’s the very first impression you get; it’s the Apocalypse, and you’re bloody War. I mean really, they had four Horsemen to pick from, and they pick the one who shares a titular name with the game they are most obviously riffing off? It seems a little rash, unless we really are in homage territory, and then all is excused. Of course, running around with a big angry sword chopping up big angry demons with your big angry man is far too close to not draw parallels. I mean, God of War has basically built its name off angry.
What Darksiders does is put a leash on that angry, not only metaphorically but literally too. Mark Hamil excellently plays the role of the Watcher, whose the guy who’s supposed to, well, watch War, and make sure he stays on the particular path of destruction that the Council wants him on. You see, as with all higher forms of government, Heaven and Hell are ruled by bureaucracy. The only reason they both don’t go apeshit against one another is because they’re too scared of breaking the truce put in place by this omnipotent Council, who’ll then send the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse after them. And one of those Horsemen is you.
//It’s all in the mind
The other way they put a leash on the angry is with the character of War himself. Despite being an anthropomorphisation of one of humanity’s darkest facets, the character is played with a restraint that seems just about right. He’s driven by honour and loyalty to the Council above all else; it’s his very purpose for being, but at the same time there’s a underlying thread of vengeance in all this. It might be easy to read too deeply into what is really just a loose premise to provide you with baddies to chop up in a variety of different ways, but it kinda makes you think.
And really, that’s what Darksiders is about. This is a cartoony brawler with an element of satire to it all; this is Heaven and Hell, and really, you don’t get targets bigger than that. Attacking religion isn’t really what it’s after, but instead subverting the concepts of what exactly all this myth and lore is about. I mean, if you take angels as the bible makes them out to be – or at least the violent warrior variety – they’re pretty much huge self-righteous prats who run around with a holier-than-thou arrogance that’s just grating. The fact I’ve ended up describing them with both ‘righteous’ and ‘holy’ is perhaps telling, but while for the most part you’re fighting against demons, your few friends in the game belong to that same group.
Firstly there’s Volgrim, a ‘demonic merchant’ who pops up all over the place and allows you to buy moves and upgrades form his ‘demonic store’. Souls are the currency, because apparently, souls are delicious. Or at least that’s what you think after seeing him gobble them down. Not pleasant, really.
[Continues...]
Excellent review: entertaining and interesting to read! :)
Like you, and the Penny Arcade crew, I think the fine line between homage and plagiarism gets blurrier by the day, sir.
My apologies to the person above – had assumed you were a Myspace spambot, and turned into an attack dog. Didn’t actually listen to the music, hence the comment was me talking out of my arse – don’t take it personally :), will read the names of posters a little more carefully next time!