THQ Nordic and Airship Syndicate announced today the upcoming release of Darksiders Genesis as a spin-off from the main series. From the reveal trailer, the game looks similar in playstyle to other top-down dungeon crawling action games, similar to Diablo 3, and Grim Dawn.
The trailer introduces us to Strife, a new Horseman of the Apocalypse. THQ says that Strife “is called upon to save humankind from certain destruction at the hands of Lucifer.” It then goes on to state that Genesis will contain “Intense combat, exploration, puzzle-solving, epic boss battles and serpent holes from heaven to hell.”
The shift to this genre for Darksiders III is a curious one for the series. Players will recall that Darksiders III is far more of a pure, action based game with a variety of combat mechanics and a brutal necessity to adapt to enemies, as many bosses have only a specific weakness than can be exploited, and failing to do so results in being stonewalled from advancing.
As for the story, details are sparse at the moment, but it is safe to say that the thematic elements of Darksiders III are likely intact. This means a seemingly unending war between heaven and hell that has left humanity all but extinct, and our Horsemen of the Apocalypse waging war against the seven deadly sins.
The inclusion of “puzzle-solving” is a point made by THQ that deserves some special attention as well. While some games consider puzzles to be an extension of the environment that do not involve the enemy, like the entire Resident Evil series, Darksiders has taken this to the next level by often incorporating environmental puzzles into boss battles, making it necessary to be aware of ones surrounding at all times to successfully defeat the worst enemies of the game. It would be fantastic to see this incorporated, especially if the power scaling of our main character is more like Darksiders than Diablo.
By this we refer to the way that power level spike in games like Diablo towards the end of the game, where screens full of enemies are decimated in the blink of an eye with powerful gear-set bonuses. Darksiders III from beginning the end made the opposite clear, that even a few hits from a lowly henchman would result in your quick death. This lack of level scaling and ever-present danger is one aspect that makes Darksiders III unique, and it will be a point to consider when playing the game.
While little else is known about the game right now, THQ has indicated that it will be playable at E3 and more information is sure to follow.
The game will be releasing everywhere, on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and the upcoming Google Stadia, but the date is TBA.