Dante's Inferno

Review Taken From:
 http://numbthumb.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/dantes-inferno-review/

DANTES INFERNO REVIEW

DANTE’S INFERNO REVIEW

PS3 & 360

You might think it’s strange to base a game on a poem, but actually I think a lot of the old epic’s are pregnant with legends just perfect for tradition gaming fare. These are often massive tales of vicious battles, or independent hero’s saving villages. There’s blood, woman, philosophy, boatloads of booze, seedy politics, backstabbing, dragons and most of the time the heroes have some wicked armor. That’s most epic poem’s mind you, not really Dante’s Inferno, not exactly. The story is of Dante, guided by the Roman poet Virgil through the nine circles of hell in pursuit of his beloved Beatrice. This is exactly the same in the game as it is in the poem, but where they divide is that in the game you’re a warrior fighting through the ranks of hell, instead of a soul presence on a journey toward God. It’s a good change, because if they stuck exactly to the poem we’d have a very boring game on our hands.

Dante’s Inferno plays like every other standard action game these days. The buttons map to a variety of attacks, and as you progress you unlock more combo’s to use. Here you also get a choice between Holy and Unholy skill trees, which both offer extensive powers to crush the enemies. You’ll have to play the game a second time to unlock both trees completely, but that’s not an issue since you’ll easily make it through the game with only one, or even a selection of both. However, the game also does little to dissuade you from button mashing the same combos, or worse, a single button to make it through the game. One move specifically is so overpowered that you could blindly pass through the game without challenge if everything else was taken away.

There’s still more selection than just the tree’s though, you’ll find relics spread out through the world, or have them given to you by Virgil whom you’ll see frequently. Some of these are Holy or Unholy specific, meaning you need to be a certain level in each branch to use them. They offer some great benefits, from taking less damage, to not being interrupted, to more health and so on. It’s a neat feature that does let you decide how to tackle different area’s effectively. They also level up the more you use them, so you can pick your favorites and max them out for full use.

The next option is really the crux of the game, and also the way you gain your Holy or Unholy levels, which is by Absolving or Punishing creatures and shades you encounter. Some of these are enemies in battle that you can finish off by performing one or the other option; the others are men and woman you’ll meet throughout hell. You’ll be given a sentence or two about their crimes, and the option of what to do with them. While the feature is excellently cast against the backdrop of the story, if you’re trying to max out one branch then it doesn’t matter what the moral quandary happens to be, you’ll just do what you’ve been doing the whole game.

Mechanically the game is fairly sound, combos are easy to pull off and combat flows respectively. A lack in real enemy variety is a shame though, but it’s not because there’s too few types of enemies. It’s because the same moves work on over ninety percent of them, with only one really challenging you to change anything specifically, depending on what attacks you’re using. By the end of the game the combat with feel mostly repetitive, especially on the last ‘level’ where you’re tasked with a set amount of trials. These trials are nothing new; they just ask you to do things in a set amount of time which is easily achieved on regular difficulty. A real curve in the action would have allowed for a really strong final act, but you don’t get one.

Production values are fairly decent, with some extremely nice looking cut scenes and admirable voice work. The real strength comes in the developer’s ability to really weave the poem and game narratives as tightly as they could and still make for an entertaining game. The writing is sound, which is to be expected utilizing one of the best stories ever told.

Sadly, this game fails in the looks department in a few ways. While being a technically fine looking game, the settings don’t offer enough diversity to merit any breathtaking scenery; save for the last level which almost perfectly captures the story through and through and also happens to be the only level that really looks any different. This isn’t to say the graphics are poor, but there isn’t the type of contrast needed to make this look better than most brown based current generation software.

A warning to some, especially if they’re clueless to the poems nature, this game is dark, gory, and laced with horrifying scenes of slaughter as well as a lot of nudity. No one should get off on the breasts or anything like that, unless they’re darkly perverse. But it should be known that this is a mature title in every sense of the word, and probably not for the young impressionable.

The Devine Comedy is one of my all time favorite stories and Dante’s Inferno my favorite of the three poems. I even have a one hundred and forty year old leather bound copy framed on my wall. So while I find the ability to capture the essence of the poem quite impressive, I just can’t fully recommend this title for a purchase. I finished the game in less than seven hours and had no reason at all to go back to it. The repetitive combat and drab setting just don’t need to be seen more than once. It’s a fine enough rental, but doesn’t quite hit the upper echelon of action games.

SCORES

THE GRAPHICS: Some great cut scenes and nice combat animations, enemies look great too. But the setting just doesn’t afford the game with enough contrasting locations to look special. 7/10

THE SOUND: The voice work is pretty solid throughout, the score wasn’t memorable at all and only once did I even notice it. 8/10

THE PRODUCTION: Great writing and it perfectly captures the epic poem. But the game is just over six hours long and only warrants a second play if you’re trying to get every trophy. There is a mode to tackle fifty waves of enemies that is so boring it’s rendered just useless. 6/10

THE GAMEPLAY: All around sound, easy to perform action with a ton of variety, if you choose to use it. Other than some trial and error platform sections (way too many QTE), it all works well. 8/10

THE LASTING APPEAL: This game won’t stick with you. There’s no reason to drop more than the couple sit downs it takes to finish it, then you’ll put it back in its case and forget about it. 6/10

GRADE: 70%