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  1. Despite a somewhat tumultuous publishing history, the Darksiders franchise is still going strong with the latest entry, Darksiders Genesis, now available on the Switch. Taking place before the events of the previous three games, Genesis features the fourth Horseman, Strife, teaming up with War to settle some unrest stirring in Hell. Like every other Darksiders game, Genesis takes clear inspiration from other video game franchises—in this case Diablo—but still manages to create a unique, addictive, and action-packed adventure. In sharp contrast to any of the other Horsemen, Strife is something of a wise-cracking jokester—though anyone paired up with War's dour demeanor probably can't help but come off as light-hearted. The duo makes for a classic odd-couple adventure, one that never reaches the dire seriousness of the previous Darksiders games but still reflects the personality and lore of the series. It's a delicate balance to maintain but the developers have done a great job of fleshing out Strife's personality (and a bit of War's as well) while keeping the overarching universe of Darksiders just as fascinating and engaging. The actual plot of Genesis mostly just sees Strife and War sent on a series of errands as they investigate demonic plots, which can get a little tiresome and at times a bit disjointed, but overall it's still a hell of a ride. The Diablo influence isn't hard to spot: Genesis is an action game played from a top-down camera perspective, and naturally both series are filled with demons to fight. Genesis is far from derivative, though, with more emphasis on combat and exploration than looting. You play as either Strife or War, each of whom has unique skills for fighting and puzzle-solving: you'll either blast monsters apart with Strife's guns or slash into them with War's sword, neither of which ever seems to get old. The combat system isn't too complicated but still manages to be satisfyingly visceral—you really get to feel like a super-powered demon killing machine. Both Horsemen earn new abilities through the game to keep combat feeling fresh, and having that potential for different approaches (such as using different bullets in Strife's guns) adds a nice degree of customization and experimentation. Perhaps most satisfying is the burst ability which will trigger after you take down several enemies at once, boosting your power for a limited time. There may not be that many different types of enemies in the game, but it's always entertaining to plow through them with powerful abilities. The game also rather cleverly justifies the grind of fighting the same types of enemies over and over with the Creature Core system. Defeated enemies will sometimes drop a Creature Core, which you can then equip to augment Strife and War's abilities (often these are flat bonuses such as increased health or attack power, but sometimes they grant unique bonuses like leaving a trail of fire when you dodge). Collecting multiple cores of the same creature will increase their power, and then you have to find room to equip them in your Creature Core menu in order to maximize their effectiveness. It feels a tiny bit nitty-gritty-RPG-detaily for an action-heavy game like Genesis, but the end result is an engaging bit of RNG-driven character grinding that rewards you for always taking the time to defeat every demon you can and customizing your bonuses to your preference. Strife and War also gain a variety of puzzle-solving abilities throughout the course of the game, which also allow you to reach new areas and suss out more secrets in the environment. There are only a handful of these puzzle-focused items and skills but they're put to good use; you won't find too many brain-stumpers when you're just trying to reach the end of the level, but if you want to be a completionist and collect all of the items and upgrades hidden in each level you'll need to be thorough and thoughtful to reach them all. The light puzzle-solving/platforming aspect of Genesis helps break up the gameplay and prevent the demon slaughter from feeling too exhausting. It's also worth noting that it's just great to see another solid co-op focused game. Whether you're playing locally or online, bringing a friend along can add a nice element of camaraderie that reflects Strife and War's unlikely bond. Of course the game can also be played solo and there's nothing lost by doing so—you can swap between the two Horsemen at any time to try a new combat approach or solve a puzzle—but the emphasis on co-op is great to see. Genesis does suffer from a few technical problems though, which are generally only exacerbated in co-op (and especially online co-op). For one thing, the load times are a bit too long. The environments in each level can be fairly big, granted, but the loading times still weigh on the game, especially if you ever have to go in and out of a building repeatedly. Secondly, the frame rate and resolution really aren't doing justice to the art style of the game. Semi-frequent FPS drops can be a real bummer to see, and they're only more common when there's a lot happening on screen—e.g., you're really letting loose on a whole horde of demons. Finally there are some unfortunate buggy moments in the game, ranging from getting stuck in a wall and having to reload the last checkpoint (which are thankfully pretty frequent at least) to, oddly, dialogue being repeated or seemingly shown out of order. Many of these problems could be touched up in future patches, but they're still obnoxious to see now. Although the format has changed a bit the aesthetic of Genesis is still undeniably Darksiders, meaning lots of intricate demon designs that are, in a word, badass. Unfortunately this game doesn't have as many opportunities to truly show off the stylized artwork—especially if the frame rate is dipping or the resolution starts looking a little muddy—so although the game still looks good it certainly doesn't have the same "wow" factor. The soundtrack at least lives up to Darksiders' history of dramatic, engaging background music, and the voice work is a lot of fun to hear, especially from returning characters. The game clocks in at a solid fifteen hours or so; you could probably rush through the game more quickly, but since part of the game's charm is exploring and figuring out how to reach distant collectibles/upgrades you'd really be doing a disservice to yourself. Genesis also has an arena mode that can be useful to practice your combat skills and earn extra money (which, in the world of Darksiders, means souls), plus there are multiple difficulty levels you could tackle, so there's a good amount of content available if you like being thorough. Darksiders Genesis does an excellent job of translating the franchise's love of hack-and-slash combat into a co-op, top-down action/adventure. Satisfying combat options and engaging exploration mechanics make for an addictive experience, one that is only enhanced by having a friend along for the ride. The game's unfortunate lack of technical polish brings the experience down a bit, but fans of the series will still love saddling up with the fourth Horseman and once again raining down carnage on demonic hordes. Rating: 7 out of 10 Demons
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