Darksiders Warmastered Edition Review

I was fairly late to the Xbox party. In January 2011, I finally acquired my Xbox 360 and two games to go with it. One of these games was Darksiders and it had the privilege of being the very first game to be launched on my 360. After becoming the second game to reach 100% achievements earned, the overall consensus was one of enjoyment. Almost six years later, I'm playing the title once more but this time in the form of Darksiders Warmastered Edition. Remasters, definitive editions, collections and re-releases are all too common in this console generation, so remasters need to feel like they are worth revisiting for those who have previously experienced them. Is this trip back to the apocalypse worth a second round?War returns for another bout of angel and demon slaying
Darksiders places you in the menacing shoes of War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. War has been wrongfully blamed for the premature end of the realm of man and he wants to clear his name, as well as figure out who is the real force behind the demise of our world. He has become a husk of his former self and periodically throughout the game he will regain the power that was previously taken from him. Throughout your time with the game you will see that War is regularly apathetic towards anyone he meets, whether they are friend or foe. They are merely a means to an end as War only truly cares about the task that he has been given.

War will use his own personal sword, Chaoseater, as well as a number of other weapons to cut down those who stand in his way. It is fairly simple to pull off various moves in Darksiders. While you have the chance to learn new combos, a quick mash of and dodging at the correct moment will be all that you need. Fights themselves are enjoyable and they accentuate the overall art style of the game. The almost cartoon-like aesthetics that the series has been given has always gone down well with the public because of its juxtaposition to the games' themes. Vibrant colours regularly take precedence over darker ones, making for a more "child friendly" experience. It helps the original Darksiders to feel creative and more visually appealing, especially when facing off against a large group of enemies.

Flashy combat gets even flashier in a remaster
Although Darksiders II took more of an open world and quest-like approach to gameplay, the first game was more linear in nature with just one primary objective pushing it forward. Darksiders isn't just a simple hack your way to victory game. Each area has a main boss at the end but with many, many puzzles between you and them. New abilities are gained as you start your journey through a new location and War has to use them to solve various environmental puzzles, which is why the game has unusually been compared to the likes of The Legend of Zelda. While this can be an entertaining aspect of gameplay that causes the game to stand out, I was quickly reminded of how fatigued I became back in 2011 because of how excessively long the levels can feel. As this is the main bulk of the gameplay besides boss battles and slaying enemies, the developers must have felt that more equals better.

Reaching a boss actually brought a sigh of relief and it reminded me how far games have come in these past years. There are a lot of video game cliches in Darksiders that would cause your eyes to roll if they were used in the games of today just as much as they were back then. Rather conveniently placed objects shout out at you to use them and aptly timed explosions allow you to move forward. The cinematic nature of 2016 titles are able to mask this a little more so we can forgive these minor niggles, but Darksiders feels slightly dated because of its "gamey" feel. However, the puzzle solving does add diversity to what would have otherwise been a soulless hack-and-slasher.

It must have something to do with that glaringly obvious weak spot...
Just like the "Deathinitive Edition" of Darksiders II, another pun of a title has been given to Darksiders in the form of "Warmastered". While this is a unique way of saying remaster, the new generation upgrade is fairly basic. The game certainly feels smoother as War moves around and fights at a better frame rate, and the previously mentioned bright colour palette looks even brighter because of the improved textures. However, that's where the differences stop. There is no DLC to be packed in and no new modes of any kind to have been added, so the amount of content is exactly the same as the original release. This remaster adds a little polish to an older game and nothing more. Unless you absolutely loved the game or are new to the series, you won't be missing out on anything new. What redeems this, though, is that this edition of the title is being sold at a discounted price rather than the full asking price of new releases, so it won't make you destitute if you decide to double dip or hop into the adventure for the first time.

The achievements of Darksiders Warmastered Edition are exactly the same as the 2010 version. There are plenty of story related achievements to keep you going but you will also need to go back to previously visited areas for the plethora of collectables that are littered throughout the world. A few missable ones will no doubt bring back bad memories for returning players, but overall it's a doable list for anyone who desires to complete it.

Plenty of us will remember the rubber band trick for one particular achievement here...

Summary

Darksiders received favourable reviews when it was originally released nearly seven years ago. With a rewarmaster now under its belt, one would assume that it's well worth going back to it. In some regards that is true. The game's vibrant art style is complimented all the more with the visual and textural upgrade, and the smoother frame rate causes War himself to look like a powerhouse against every enemy that he faces. However, that's all that this remaster has to offer. We have seen plenty of other re-releases with DLC, extras for those who search for them and even new modes, but Darksiders Warmastered Edition is only an upgrade in its simplest form. It's a game that feels slightly dated with its gameplay but it is still enjoyable whether you're a returning player or a new one. The cheap asking price may be even more reason to make the purchase, but if you decide to give it a miss for whatever reason, there will be plenty of other games (or remasters as the case may be) that are worth your time.

Positives

• Upgrade is complimented by the game's art style
• Discounted price, as it should be

Negatives

• Remaster in its simplest form
• Slightly excessive in puzzle gameplay

Ethics

The reviewer spent approximately 7.5 hours tearing angels and demons a new one while solving countless puzzles. 18 of the game's 43 achievements were earned along the way. An Xbox One code for the game was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.