Darksiders III Reviews
In short, Darksiders III is not the game that I hoped it would be when it was first revealed. While I have long loved this series, the third entry is an underwhelming, buggy mess that doesn’t stand anywhere close to the greatness that was found in the first two installments. Deep down, I still want Gunfire Games and THQ Nordic to give this franchise one more shot, but if a subsequent entry were to once again turn out as Darksiders III has, I’d just prefer if this now just be the series’ final breath.
It doesn’t become great, but there are flashes of brilliance and promise.
An uninspired sequel that feels like it was rushed out the door.
Darksiders III is something that fans will appreciate, and for new players it’s a fun little distraction from the massive open-world games that feature hundreds of side quests and collectables. Its boss battles are the only memorable thing to appreciate, as the overall gameplay is too unforgiving to be enjoyed in this franchise, while the game’s various bugs really dampens the enjoyment level.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Fury's adventure doesn't come close to those of her brothers. The game is entertaining, but is feels linear. The fights are challenging but on the other hand the puzzles aren't. Still the game is a fun entry in the franchise, but not the best.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
So yes, we got another Darksiders and perhaps that in itself is a victory. I only wish the experience was stronger in its entirety instead of feeling like a first effort. The first Darksiders, a true first effort, was a stronger production overall, which only makes this game’s flaws more evident. There is still plenty of enjoyment to be had and long-term fans will most definitely find and appreciate it. Truly though, I had high expectations for Darksiders III and can only hope this is just a one-time exception in what will hopefully be a longer-lasting series.
The game may not manage to surpass what has come before, but, if nothing else, it does manage to hold its own and provide series fans with another fun chapter in the series.
It’s flawed, it has issues, and it doesn’t reinvent the series, but Darksiders 3 is fun, and isn’t that why we play games in the first place?
Gunfire Games have done well in providing an engaging and satisfying third entry in the Darksiders franchise. With meaty, fast combat and fantastic character designs, I want everyone to play a version of Darksiders 3 that doesn’t feel like it’s imploding. As enjoyable as it is, it can’t escape from its technical shortcomings. It’s a sinking ship but the band is still playing – at least the song sounds good.
If you don’t already like hack and slash titles, and the Darksiders series specifically, this third installment certainly won’t make you a fan.
In ways, Darksiders III founds its identity with Fury, a more mature and interesting character. Sadly, everything else falls short of what you expect from a Darksiders title.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If Gunfire Games fix the technical issues with Darksiders 3 – and I sincerely hope they get that chance – this will then be the sequel that the series deserves. As of right now though, this game is showing far too many frayed edges, bugs and glitches that’ll be enough to make you Furious.
Darksiders has been a fickle franchise. The first game faced polarizing reviews due to the bland gameplay and mediocre puzzles but its sequel improved on many of the previous games issues thanks to incredible boss fights and more fluid combat. Darksiders III takes a different route, attempting to change the meta of the entire franchise by implementing modifications that make Fury's adventure distinct from the previous games. Making Darksiders III much harder and more linear than previous entries that can be seen either detrimental or beneficial to the overall gameplay.
Darksiders III is a desperate attempt to keep something alive on the verge of death. Although the plot is quite interesting and Fury one of the most characterized knights, the gameplay is far from enthant and innovative, indeed it is a step backwards. The new direction taken by Gunfire Games for the game mode is unconvincing, giving space to structures that do not go well with the philosophy of Darksiders. Moreover, the new ideas have not been even remotely realized with hindsight, creating several problems both in the design of the levels and in the general balance of the enemies and contents, except for the beautiful boss fights.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Severe performance problems and a misguided implementation of Souls mechanics in Darksiders 3 tarnish an otherwise perfunctory, but at least occasionally enjoyable return to one of last generation's better action series.
The watered down and (seemingly) pointless RPG elements and linear confines of the world mixed with very poorly optimized combat will leave you itching to dig out the other two titles to play instead.
Ultimately, while the setting, characters, and storytelling feel right at home, Darksiders III swings for the fences with its combat ambitions and only just barely manages to get on base. It gets points for trying something new, but the end result is a muddled set of ideas that clash with each other, with nothing in place to soften that collision.
Do you like hacking? Are you a fan of slashing? Darksiders III fails to live up to its potential, but fans of the series will ultimately still enjoy the third installment depicting the sagas of the Four Horsemen.
Darksiders III might be about fury, though it also sums up my feelings playing it. Between annoying enemies, awful mechanics and performance issues, it's hard to enjoy your fight against the sins. Add to it a difficulty where pretty much every enemies two or three hits you, with those hits often coming in a combo, and you have an underwhelming game. Not just because it's frustrating, it seems to do everything in its power to make things unenjoyable. So, unless you absolutely must know where the story is going, I'd wait for some performance improvements before considering this one.
Darksiders III is a frustrating, awkward sequel to a series that's charmingly stupid, but there's a lot of fun to be had if you give up on getting good. Do yourself a favor and tone down the difficulty level so that you can enjoy the crazy character designs and ridiculous fantasy world that Gunfire Games has built. Fans will be glad that this underdog of a series at least got a third chapter, but if you're new to Darksiders, you might want to start at the beginning.