Released on the Playstation and Xbox Networks on December 10th and 24th of last year (respectively) the demo for Electronic Art's game Dante's Inferno only showcases the beginning of the first level known as Limbo. While many game demos only show fragments of the story and shortened levels, the developers at Visceral Games decided to showcase the very beginning of the game. As a result fans were shown a small sample of the intense violence and stunning visuals the game offered.
The Hero’s Quest
Inspired by the poem of the same name you play Dante, Knight in King Richard’s crusade. While the story starts with a brief scene where Dante is shown stitching a cloth cross into his flesh it is immediately shifted to him during the crusade butchering countless “heathens” with his halberd as the player is given a quick tutorial in basic game mechanics. Dante is suddenly killed by a knifeman whereupon he meets the Grim Reaper who sentences him to damnation for his part in the brutal crusades.
Dante protests this accusation and engages the Reaper in a duel whereupon he wins by pulling the Reaper’s very scythe from him and violently slicing him in two. Dante then returns home lamenting his actions in the crusades only to find his wife Beatrice is dead and her soul is pulled to Hell before his eyes. He then embarks on a new journey travelling to Limbo, known as the first circle of Hell to enter through the gates to save her which is where the demo ends.
Simple Gameplay
The controls are smooth and fluid with many elements following from the God of War franchise. Even in the beginning you are capable of feats of physical strength and dexterity well above those of an ordinary human. This is likely to enhance the mythical quality of the game abandoning any attempts at realism. The controls are easily established and the various methods of attack are easily accessed when swarmed by enemies.
This frequently happens as the player is forced to battle various enemy swarms armed with the Grim Reaper’s scythe and a Holy Cross used for long range attacks given to Dante by his wife. Both weapons have their own growth tree where the player can use the souls of defeated enemies to pay for abilities in either the Unholy (Scythe) or Holy (Cross) trees. Likewise the player can also capture souls and choose to either Punish or Absolve the enemy. It’s yet to be seen how this feature will impact the game or the story.
Unprecedented and Unparallel Visuals
Simultaneously the most stunning and horrific aspect of the game, the overall impressive visual scope of the demo is where it ultimately soars. The story is told through the stitched images on the cloth crucifix on Dante’s chest giving reference to tapestries of the crusades and his own personal sins. The fire is beautifully rendered while the landscape and buildings evoke the dark gothic nature of the game.
As you get the first glimpse of Hell you are treated to the sight of a massive fissure leading deep into the earth. Travelling through the catacombs into Limbo surrounds the player with the forces of the damned all visually terrifying and imposing if not outright disturbing. Given the trailer at the end of the demo, the game promises only more of the same levels of visual horror at greater and greater levels.
In the End it is Only a Small Taste
Overall the demo provides only a small taste of the game with few explanations in the story from why Beatrice is taken by Hell, how she was betrayed by Dante and if there is any hope for salvation for either of them. The game, however is so bloody and visually disturbing that it will be off putting for casual gamers and even fans of particularly bloody games will be unnerved by the imagery within. While that is the goal of the game it may deter fans from playing anything longer then short intervals at a time.
It remains structurally similar to God of War with certain combat and health conventions and the demo does not provide enough for the player to find the difference. At least visually both the demo, trailers within and images posted on the game’s website promise an incredible visual display of backgrounds depicting the landscape of Hell as outlined in the Divine Comedies.
Those interested in Dante’s Inferno should check out the game’s website containing many of the developer diaries about the nine levels of the game. The question that remains is if this game will stand apart from many other action titles or will it be a simple visual exploration more than anything else.
Michael Chindamo - Living in Mississauga Ontario, Michael Chindamo pursues his writing career ceaselessly since his graduation with Honors from The ...
Join the Conversation