Dante’s Inferno Review

I really didn’t believe Electronic Arts and Visceral Games would be able to pull it off but to my dismay they really turned out a banger! When I thought about it I said to myself I doubt there are many epic pieces of literature that have been successfully turned into games, definitely not any worth spending your hard earned bucks on. So when I got my hands on the game I decided to go into it with an open mind and be ready for anything. It was hard to wrap my mind around a game loosely based on the Dante Alighieri poem, Divine Comedy – The more I thought about it and played the game descending down through the nine circles of hell was not a bad idea at all, I also was worried that a game such as this with so much room for detail and overall game delivery that the plot would get misinterpreted. Although in recent years EA has shown to be quite good at uprooting and showing other developers the way to turning out hits. So hopefully they can stick to their guns in that sense

Developed by Visceral Games, Dante’s Inferno is a title that has gone on and off of people’s radar ever since it was announced, mainly because while people had their interest piqued by the idea, the game looked like little more than a thousand other action titles. The release date has not helped either, thanks to titles like Bayonetta and Darksiders recently hitting the shelves and considering the quality already on show, it would take something awesome for this game to catch up.

The story is not a word for word representation of Inferno itself, rather more of a loose reimagining. You play the campaign as Dante, away from home fighting in the Crusade, You return home to find the love of your life and the center of your world Beatrice dead and dragged off to the depths of Hell. Not wanting to let a little thing like death get in your way, you then take off on a relentless redemption driven quest to save your love. Once you Get into the game and watch as it progresses that is when you will learn the full history of why Dante is going through what he is with a little help of the awesome flash back cut scenes. During your travels you will run across some old friends some good some not so good; but you have the choice to absolve them which means to make amends for their sins and release their soul from the depths of hell freeing them to the heavens or you can choose to punish them and savagely send them to the dark abyss for all eternity.

The presentation is fantastic! It is very visually appealing; the whole pacing of the game is perfect thanks to the ongoing plot moments, and some stunning set-pieces. Before you venture to each circle of hell you have a trusty guide in the form of the ghostly Virgil, who provides you with information about the various circles of hell and their inhabitants. While the majority of the game is action packed with Dante fighting off the demon hordes using his the only weapons you get during the game which is a scythe and holy cross, there are also a number of puzzles on offer. Sadly none of them are exactly taxing and usually involve moving blocks, pulling levers or swinging from ropes. Still, it does break up the action heavy side of things and provide you with a chance to use the old grey matter.

Once in combat you can get stuck in with the scythe, which has a variety of combos attached to it both on the ground and in the air. You can also use it to grab enemies for massive damage, of even absolve them for an added bonus – more on that in a moment. If you like to keep things at a distance then the cross provides your ranged option, and is also amazingly handy for removing aerial threats too. As you progress you will amass souls which can be used to teach new combos, abilities, magic spells and enhance your energy and mana reserves. Here though you have a choice, as you can follow the scythe-dominant unholy path or the cross-heavy holy one depending on how you treat your enemies and the damned alike.

Do enough damage to your foes in a fight and you have the chance to finish them off in a unique way, usually via a short quick-time button pressing sequence. You can either absolve their sins for a holy bonus or brutally punish them for an unholy one. In this way you can earn experience to open up more moves in each skill tree. You will also come across damned souls on your travels and can free or condemn them in the same way for bigger rewards. You might also stumble across a number of relics that can be equipped to boost experience earned, weapon damage and pain resistance – most of which can also be leveled up as you go along. Your progression is fairly well managed and you never feel too strong or too weak to deal with the foes at hand, though it does make sense to stick to one skill path to completion if you want to make life easier on yourself

So far so good, as the game looks and feels the part. The storytelling is spot on and the game has suitable epic voice-acting to match. The graphics look amazing in places, but too many shades of brown in others, it is as if hell only has a limited color palate and this can make the environments seem somewhat repetitive. At least you can rely on epic boss fights to liven things up every once in a while though. It should also be mentioned that due to the content, this is strictly one for the adults to enjoy.

While the game seems to tick all of the right boxes, it really does fall down in one key area – lasting appeal. You can pretty much breeze through the game in about seven or eight hours and by that point you will have seem everything (including the dark lord’s wedding tackle for some reason – a strange choice that one). There is an unlockable arena that sees you battling waves of enemies, but that is also far too short to be much more than a distraction. While the game might be fun, it really does suffer from being criminally short making it hard to recommend a full retail purchase.

Sadly the achievements are fairly bog standard too and you will get pretty much everything in one play. The real issue here is that you will have to start a new game, thankfully allowing you to carry over your weapons and stats, simply to finish off leveling up all of the skill trees. It is a grind and one that could have been avoided thanks to a few locations with respawning enemies. However, the developers saw fit to make it impossible to get limitless experience and souls in these areas, because if you stay in one location too long, the enemies will stop giving out rewards. Great thinking. There are a number of collectables to pick up, but they are at least helpful and provide rewards of souls and experience, not to mention some natty accessories. Other than that you can just play through the game and snag the rest.

This is a game that I would heartily recommend, but only as a rental because there is no replay value although the creators have stated that they will be having updates very soon. At roughly eight hours the game is fun while it lasts, but will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more, which is a shame considering the outstandingly in-depth story and narrative. Action fans wont be disappointed but will feel as though they have seen this all before, but you can’t help but have fun along the way. At least the game bodes well for a possible sequel as the basic framework is great.