Review — Darksiders Warmastered Edition

Darksiders

We sit down and review Darksiders Warmastered Edition. The original game has been remastered for a new generation and platforms. Here’s our review of Darksiders Warmastered Edition

Last year we were able to see Darksiders 2 get the remaster that it deserved and now here we are with Darksiders Warmastered Edition to remaster the title that started it all. Not only that but THQ Nordic is the one bringing it back to us after KAIKO did all the remastering work. Not a bad combination and it also allows us and new gamers to experience Darksiders on a few more platforms that it had never been on to date. The game wasn’t too flawed before in my eyes but given that things have been worked since, it is time to get out there and play the game and the give you our review. Here’s how we think they did on bringing this title back for a new generation of gamers.

Story

The universe is in a balance of sorts. Heaven and Hell stay to their own areas and humans live out on Earth. That is until someone puts out the call and one of the four horsemen, War, shows up to bring everything crashing down as is his job. The only issue here is that the “call” wasn’t official and the seals weren’t broken as dictated so he jumped the gun. Now he is being punished and needs to find out who forced him to destroy all of humanity early. What kind of deviousness is at foot here? It is that time to find out now.

Hated

I only ever came upon one solid flaw with my play of Darksiders Warmastered Edition here and sadly it can be pretty harsh for anyone who wants to get into the story. For some reason this version constantly glitched out during cut scenes and would skip entire sections of the story for no reason at all. At first I thought it was my doing but as I progressed further into the game, and I began setting my controller down during the scenes, it kept happening for no reason at all. Thankfully for me I had already enjoyed the full story before and didn’t miss much but for a new player here it will totally be jarring and leave huge gaps in what is going on in the game.

All of this could easily be fixed with a patch from KAIKO or THQ but as of this writing it was still glitching out and in a great need of fixing so we can all have a true Darksiders story and not one assumed as we play along. That was one of the best features of the game in my eyes and to see it get skipped makes me sad for anyone who is giving it a go for the first time. If that ever gets patched out, then this version of Darksiders really will be the definitive edition as we move into the future here.

Loved

Just as with the Deathinitive Edition of Darksiders 2, the visuals here were handled and upgraded with such care it would be hard to believe that this game originally came out over six years ago. While the graphics are not photo-realistic, as that wasn’t the style, it may seem weird to praise the game in this manner but seeing as other titles have glossed over it, it is worth mentioning here. This looks like a next-gen title from the start and this is just how remasters should be when it comes to visuals. Hells, there are other AAA titles that just released that look worse than Darksiders Warmastered Edition so take that into account here too.

During my first experience with Darksiders I remember finding a lot of the controls in the game to be a little unresponsive or just clunky. At least that is how memory serves. All of those memories take a sideline here though as it looks like kinks have been worked out in the Warmastered Edition of the game as I never became frustrated with the controls them-self but usually my own lack of ability to use them to the highest degree for one reason or another. Not that there is a learning curve or anything to have to get around with them but it always came down to personal error instead of pressing a button and not having it fire off correctly. This made for yet another great transition into the game here.

Overview

So should you pick up Darksiders Warmastered Edition? I am going to have to say yes, but with a bit of a warning. It was a great trip down memory lane with a great story and gameplay system built around it. It further brings my want for a third title to come to light and with yet another horseman or woman. I just need to stress the warning for those who have not been able to play Darksiders before this edition that until it is patched you may miss out on some of the story. Sometimes big chunks. If you are reading this and the game has been patched then why are you still here and not experiencing one of the best gaming experiences out there? Go now!

I give Darksiders Warmastered Edition 7 Broken Seals on the Broken Seal scale.

Darksiders Warmastered Edition was remastered by KAIKO and published by THQ Nordic for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 22^nd, 2016. A digital PS4 copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.