Darksiders' schlocky action makes a welcome return, though it's not enough to shake the feeling you've played this before - and better.
Key events
21st December 2018
Darksiders 3 patch makes combat more like previous Darksiders games
26th November 2018
12th October 2018
12th July 2018
3rd May 2017
"I do not condone child pornography, white supremacy, or racism"
UPDATE: THQ Nordic group-CEO offers "sincerest apologies and regret" over marketing stunt.
UPDATE 4/3/19: Following THQ Nordic GmBH's decision to host an AMA on hugely controversial website 8chan last week, co-founder and group-CEO of parent company THQ Nordic AB, Lars Wingefors, has offered his "sincerest apologies and regret" over the marketing stunt.
The developers of Darksiders 3 have patched the game to make it feel more like previous Darksiders games.
The game's second update was released to the PC version yesterday, 20th December. Now, when you load a save or start a new game, you'll pick from default or classic combat. The developers said classic mode should feel more like previous Darksiders games in that it lets Fury dodge interrupt her attacks and use items instantly. Default mode is, as you'd expect, the original combat mode for Darksiders 3.
Meanwhile, the update added a few new checkpoints (one of the criticisms of the game revolved around its brutal checkpoint system).
Darksiders 3 has failed to make an impact upon its launch in the UK. It turned up 32nd in this week's UK physical sales chart, with around a quarter of the boxed sales earned by this year's Farming Simulator.
Why compare Darksiders 3 with Farming Simulator 19? Well, this year's farming sim just launched a week ago - there were no other new launches in this latest chart.
And while we can compare Darksiders 3 directly with the boxed launch sales of predecessor Darksiders 2 (it sold around a seventh as many copies), this stat isn't the fairest. Darksiders 2 launched back in 2012, and so the rise in digital sales which will have nudged Darksiders 3's actual total slightly higher won't be reflected.
Darksiders 3 review - a pale imitation of itself
Apocalypse now.
There's something of the palate cleanser to the faithful hack and slash game. When elsewhere the worlds are getting bigger, the narratives more urgent and the collectables more numerous, games such as Darksiders generally have only one goal: hitting monsters on the noggin. In Darksiders 3, you get to do that once again - and little else besides.
Darksiders 3 review
Developer: Gunfire Games
THQ Nordic details Darksiders 3's post-launch DLC plans
The Crucible and Keepers of the Void incoming.
THQ Nordic has outlined its post-launch DLC plans for Darksiders 3, Gunfire Games' continuation of Vigil Games' well-regarded hack and slash action-adventure series.
Darksiders 3, which chronicles the escapades of Fury, the third Horseman of the Apocalypse, comes to PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on November 27th. It'll be followed by two separate DLC drops - each of which, according to THQ Nordic, will feature "new playable areas... new challenges, puzzles, items and enemies".
DLC pack one, known as The Crucible, takes Fury on a journey to the mysterious location of the title - her presence "requested by a strange entity wishing to test her skills in battle". This one's a Horde-Mode-style affair, with players up against "wave after wave of enemies". Success in combat will unlock new rewards and items.
Darksiders 3 gets a November release date
UPDATE: And now there's a fiery new trailer.
UPDATE 12/7/18: Following the announcement of a November release for Darksiders 3 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, publisher THQ Nordic has unveiled a new trailer, showcasing one of new protagonist Fury's various forms.
Fury, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, is a mage and can evolve her form as Darksiders 3 progresses, altering her powers and weaponry in the process. THQ Nordic's latest trailer focusses on The Flame Hollow, which arms Fury with two deadly burning flails.
"These powerful weapons offer a new set of attacks, and charging the burning energy within them executes an explosive finishing move, devastating nearby foes," explains the publisher. "Using this Hollow opens up a number of previously inaccessible paths: Fury can pass through fire and lava unscathed, or perform a fiery high jump to launch herself to new areas."
THQ Nordic whips out new in-game footage of Darksiders 3
Horsing around.
THQ Nordic has unveiled a couple of minutes of new Darksiders 3 footage, the first to be shown since its announcement and gameplay reveal in May.
Darksiders 3 leaked with screenshots and details
UPDATE: Officially revealed in teaser trailer.
UPDATE 03/05/2017 3.47am: Darksiders 3 has officially been revealed by THQ Nordic.
The publisher confirmed a 2018 release in the following CG teaser trailer, via IGN.
It's hard to glean much from this trailer, but it seems like the tone Gunfire Games is aiming for is very much in keeping with the series' bombastic comic flavour. In other words, it's not going the God of War path and favouring gritty realism, nor is it opting for Destiny 2's tongue-in-cheek humour. Instead, Darksiders 3 looks to be a proper continuation of the saga.
