$29.99Darksiders Genesis Two Horsemen, One Hell of a Rampage
The fourth Horseman finally gets his turn. Darksiders Genesis sends War and Strife through Hell on a guns-blazing mission against Lucifer's conspiracy, from an isometric angle that suits the chaos. Play solo and swap between sword and revolvers mid-fight, or grab a friend for two-player co-op. Fast, funny and bloody.
Is Darksiders Genesis worth it?
Darksiders Genesis is worth it if…
- you want to finally play Strife, the one Horseman the series never let you control
- you like fast hack and slash combat with a ranged option you can swap to mid-fight
- you have a friend or partner to run a campaign with, online or on a split screen
- you enjoy exploring big levels for secrets, puzzles and light platforming between fights
- you know the Darksiders games and want to see where the whole story began
Screenshots
Two Horsemen, two ways to fight
War fights the way he always has: heavy sword, heavy hits, right in the middle of the crowd. Strife is new to the series and plays nothing like his brother, a gunslinger who keeps moving and cycles through different ammunition types to stay at range. In single-player you swap between them instantly, so you can shoot an angel out of the sky and drive a blade through the next one before it lands. The two styles feed each other, and the fights are fast, gory and loud: hordes of demons, brutal finishing moves, blood everywhere. It is a hack and slash with a twin-stick half bolted on, and the bolt holds.
A prequel with a conspiracy to unravel
This is the Darksiders world before the original game, and it starts grim. The Horsemen once wiped out their own kind, the Nephilim, on the Council's orders, and War and Strife are still carrying out those orders when Lucifer starts handing power to demon masters across Hell. Your job is to hunt them down, gather information and work out who is pulling which string. The story lands through dialogue and comic-style animated scenes rather than long cutscenes, and the pairing carries it: Strife cracks jokes, War glowers, and the contrast gives a dark plot a steady pulse of humour.
Better with a friend on the couch or the line
Co-op is a first for the series, and it fits. You and a partner take War and Strife, and many puzzles are built so each Horseman's powers matter: one holds a switch while the other crosses a gap, and neither solves it alone. In a fight the split is natural too, one wading in with a sword while the other covers from a distance. Sessions are easy to set up and easy to share, local or online, and the campaign is a good length for a few evenings together. The banter between the brothers gives you something to talk over while you play.
Can you play it solo?
Can you play it solo?
Yes, and it works well. You control one Horseman at a time and can swap between War and Strife instantly, so the co-op puzzle design still functions with you handling both sides. The whole campaign, including boss fights, is completable alone.
Is it a Diablo-style loot game?
Not really. There is progression, with items, weapon enhancements, abilities and creature cores to collect, but it stays light. The focus is on combat, exploration and puzzles rather than grinding for marginally better gear, so you spend your time fighting and looking around, not comparing stat sheets.
How long is the campaign?
A first run takes roughly 15 to 30 hours depending on how much you explore. There are 16 chapters, secrets worth backtracking for once new abilities unlock, and a harder difficulty plus an endless arena if you want more after the credits.
Do you need to know the other Darksiders games?
No. This is a prequel set before the original game, so it stands on its own. Fans get extra out of the lore and the origin of the Seven Seals, but the story explains itself, and the War and Strife double act works even if you have never touched the series.
Is it violent?
Very. It is a hack and slash about the Horsemen of the apocalypse, with gore, dismemberment and brutal finishing moves as a core part of the combat. If graphic violence puts you off, this is not the game to start with.
