''Darksiders'' is a

hack and slash Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as ...

video game franchise This is a list of video game franchises, organized alphabetically. All entries include multiple video games, not counting ports or altered re-releases. 0–9 *''1080° Snowboarding'' *''1942'' *''3D Ultra Minigolf'' *'' 3-D Ultra Pinball'' *'' ...

created by Vigil Games, now developed by Gunfire Games, which consists of some of the original members of Vigil. The series is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, where mankind faces near-extinction and angels fight a losing battle against the demon hordes for control over the world. Among them are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the last of the

Nephilim The Nephilim (; ''Nəfīlīm'') are mysterious beings or people in the Hebrew Bible who are large and strong. The word ''Nephilim'' is loosely translated as ''giants'' in some translations of the Hebrew Bible, but left untranslated in others. ...

who are tasked to bring balance to the universe.

Games

''Darksiders'' (2010)

The first installment in the franchise, ''Darksiders'' was released in 2010 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. Originally set in a modern-day Earth, a war breaks out between Heaven and Hell. War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, finds himself on Earth in the midst of the battle. After War is killed in the battle, the Charred Council blame him for destroying the balance and starting the apocalypse. War vows to find the one truly responsible, so he is sent back to Earth, where 100 years have passed, in his search to find them. An enhanced version, titled ''Darksiders: Warmastered Edition'', published by Nordic Games, was released on November 22, 2016 for

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

and Xbox One, on November 29 for

, and on May 23, 2017 for Wii U. It was released on

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

on April 2, 2019.

''Darksiders II'' (2012)

The second installment in the franchise set parallel with the first game, ''Darksiders II'' was released in 2012 for

, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360, this time with the protagonist as Death, the second of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Believing his brother War is innocent in his crimes, Death sets out to erase the crime War was blamed for as well as to try to resurrect mankind. An enhanced version, titled ''Darksiders II: The Deathinitive Edition'', was released on October 27, 2015 for

and Xbox One, and on November 5 for

. A Nintendo Switch version was released on September 26, 2019. It was published by Nordic Games, who had acquired the rights to the ''Darksiders'' franchise following the bankruptcy of THQ.

''Darksiders III'' (2018)

The third installment in the franchise and parallel sequel to its predecessors, ''Darksiders III'' was released on November 27, 2018 for

, and Xbox One. It was later released on September 30, 2021 for the

. The player takes on the role of Fury, the third of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Again set parallel with the first two games, Fury is sent on a quest to recapture all of the escaped Seven Deadly Sins. However, she is quick to find her mission to be a snipe hunt engineered to remove her alongside all of mankind from interfering with a much wider web of intrigue perpetrated on all sides.

''Darksiders Genesis'' (2019)

A spin-off prequel of the main series, ''Darksiders Genesis'' is a top-down role-playing game which follows the fourth and final horseman, Strife, who, alongside his brother War, is called upon to save mankind from certain destruction at the hands of Lucifer. The game was released on

and

Stadia Stadia may refer to: * One of the plurals of stadium, along with "stadiums" * The plural of stadion, an ancient Greek unit of distance, which equals to 600 Greek feet (''podes''). * Stadia (Caria), a town of ancient Caria, now in Turkey * Stadi ...

on December 5, 2019. It was subsequently released on

, Xbox One, and

on February 14, 2020. Unlike the main series games, ''Genesis'' is developed by Airship Syndicate, who previously developed '' Battle Chasers: Nightwar'', and comprises some of the original developers of Vigil Games.

Gameplay

The ''Darksiders'' games feature an action role-playing

style of gameplay. Players take control of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, from a third-person perspective, each of which characters offer unique play styles and equipment. In the first game, War's method of fighting is using a two-handed signature sword named Chaoseater, though throughout the game the player can equip various other items including a Scythe and a revolver. In '' Darksiders II'', Death uses two scythes as his signature weapon, and in '' Darksiders III'', Fury uses a

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

and magic to tear down her enemies. All Darksiders games generally have similar gameplay, as featuring an open world for the players to explore and a variety of puzzles to solve. Players can find chests that contain souls of the dead, which they can use to purchase a variety of items. The game has an emphasis on boss fights, where players need to learn their weak point in order to do vast amounts of damage. Players can also explore the open world by using the protagonists' own horses, War's being named Ruin, Death's being named Despair and Fury's being named Rampage.

Related media

''Darksiders'' creator Joe Madureira expressed interest in a possible comic book series and film adaptation for the series. Madureira had been reportedly working on a screenplay, which he intended to sell its rights to a Hollywood studio. A prequel novel set before the events of ''Darksiders'' and ''Darksiders II'' titled ''Darksiders: The Abomination Vault'' was released in 2012. It was followed by a digital-first prequel comic series, titled '' Darksiders II: Death's Door'', later the same year. '' Hunt: Showdown'' was originally intended to be a spiritual successor to ''Darksiders''.

References

{{THQ Nordic Hack and slash video games by series Action-adventure video games by series Dark fantasy video games Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in popular culture Video games about demons Linux games Open-world video games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 4 games Post-apocalyptic video games Seven deadly sins in popular culture Embracer Group franchises Video games about angels Video games adapted into comics Video games based on the Bible Video games developed in the United States Wii U eShop games Wii U games Windows games Xbox 360 games Xbox One games