Riffing on the worst parts of the bible - fire, brimstone, hell on earth; you get the picture - Vigil Games and Madureiras lavishly designed Darksiders sees one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - War - duped into bringing about the end of man. Unfortunately, hes a little early; way too early, and is quickly yanked of his powers by the ruling body of all things apocalyptic - the Charred Council - before being cast back to earth and tasked with discovering what went wrong.
At base level Darksiders is about slaughter on a grandiose scale: necks snap, flesh is pummelled and gore sluices through the streets of a world gone to hell. Despite the comparisons to God of War and EAs Dantes Inferno, Darksiders is considerably more Zelda-like in its progression. Exploration is a must; new tools doled out at every turn ensure you can return to previous stomping grounds and traverse areas you may not have able to reach in search of loot.
With a remarkable look thanks to the mighty pencils of comic guru, Joe Madureira, and gameplay to match, Darksiders is a zinger, delivering a fresh spin on an already tried and tested formula. A darkly delicious start to the year.