Darksiders

Overview

The Darksiders franchise began with the release of Darksiders on January 5, 2010. The game is Vigil Games' debut game, and was published by THQ. Created by comic book artist Joe Madureira, the game stars War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Based around this concept, the story follows War on his quest to figure out who caused the Apocalypse and why it began prematurely (ending humanity). Along the way, War fights a wide variety of demons and angels, all while being pestered by a being known as The Watcher, who serves an ancient council called the Charred Council.

Darksiders

Darksiders is a third-person action game in which the player controls War, who can use a variety of weapons to dispatch enemies. These weapons can additionally be upgraded through constant usage or purchasing upgrades from the store. Combat plays like a traditional third-person action game; War can lock on and attack enemies, dealing damage and raising the combo. Outside of combat, War explores dungeons and the overworld, utilizing a variety of items such as the Voidwalker (a device which can create two interchangeable portals) to traverse these areas, fight bosses, and collect more items.

The first game in the franchise, Darksiders was very well received from both a critical and a commercial standpoint. The game scored an aggregate ranking of 84% from Game Rankings and an 83% score from Metacritic. Commercially, the game performed well, selling approximately one million units worldwide. The game was well-received for its innovative gameplay, fast-paced combat, interesting puzzles, voice-acting, and high replay value (along with many comparisons to the Legend of Zelda franchise).

Darksiders II

The sequel to Darksiders was announced in late May 2011 and further details were revealed at E3 2011. The game isn't a direct sequel to the first but features Death, one of the other Horseman of the Apocalypse, as the main character who's on a mission to clear War's name during the events of the first game.

Darksiders III

Taking place parallel to the events of Darksiders II, Darksiders III was released on November 27, 2018 and features Fury, one of the Horsemen, as the protagonist. Fury is sent out by the Charred Council to find the Seven Deadly Sins and is accompanied by a Watcher.

Other Media

The game's creator, Joe Madureira, has announced that he is currently working on a film adaptation of Darksiders. He is still in the process of writing the screenplay, but he stated that there is interest from Hollywood. Luis Gigliotti has stated that he would like to see Bruce Willis play War. In addition to a film adaptation, Joe Madureira has stated that there are plans for a comic book adaptation.