Darksiders Genesis Image
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 50 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: From the dawn of creation, the council has maintained the Balance across existence. Carrying out their orders are the Horsemen, Nephilim (powerful beings spawned from the unnatural union of angels and demons) who have pledged themselves to the Council and been granted immense power.From the dawn of creation, the council has maintained the Balance across existence. Carrying out their orders are the Horsemen, Nephilim (powerful beings spawned from the unnatural union of angels and demons) who have pledged themselves to the Council and been granted immense power.

    However, this power came at a tragic cost: the Horsemen were ordered to use their newfound strength to wipe out the rest of their kind. What followed was a bloody battle on Eden where the Horsemen, obeying the will of the Council, annihilated the Nephilim.

    Darksiders: Genesis is an action/adventure that tears its way through hordes of demons, angels, and everything in-between on its way to Hell and back with guns blazing and swords swinging. Genesis gives players their first look at the world of Darksiders before the events of the original game, as well as introduces the horseman Strife.
    Expand
Buy Now
Buy on

Trailer

Play Sound
Please enter your birth date to watch this video:
You are not allowed to view this material at this time.
Darksiders Genesis - Gameplay Trailer | Gamescom 2019
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 16
  2. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. 90
    Darksiders Genesis is an awesome introduction to the franchise, with a fluid gameplay, well-drawn stages, great replayability, awesome soundtrack and voice acting that help to build characters full of personality. It has a few flaws but they aren't enough to hinder the gaming experience.
  2. Feb 17, 2020
    80
    It looks like Diablo, it plays like God of War, what Darksiders do we have? An original and enjoyable one, with some attractive ideas that now arrive to consoles with a good port, event if it has with some problems (on Switch runs at 30 fps, some problems loading textures...). Regardless, it's an enjoyable hack'n slash playing alone or coop.
  3. 80
    Darksiders Genesis takes most of what you love about the Darksiders games and gives them a fresh spin. While I do wish that it had maintained the unified world of its mainline brethren, the adventure is thrilling from beginning to end. The Switch port itself certainly has some rough spots, but is overall still a solid way to experience Darksiders Genesis. An oddly hidden mission reward system and horrible map may cause some confusion, but the music and character dialogue are all superb. Fans of the Darksiders franchise will almost certainly find enjoyment here and newcomers can feel at ease knowing that they don’t need to play the previous entries to enjoy this one.
  4. 70
    The game has a good visual style, but you just a feel a little distant from the action due to the fixed viewpoint. Cooperative play is a nice touch and a welcome addition for the franchise. However, its implementation has not been thought through properly. Darksiders Genesis may forever be in the shadow of Diablo III, but that’s not necessarily a bad place to be. If you are a fan of Blizzard’s ARPG, chances are you’ll find a lot to enjoy here. I know that I did.
  5. May 6, 2020
    70
    Darksiders Genesis is a pretty decent hack-and-slash adventure that takes the series in an interesting new direction. While my experience with the game rarely left me jaw-dropped, I nonetheless had an entertaining time slashing away at demons and finally getting to play as the fourth and final horseman.
  6. Mar 2, 2020
    70
    Darksiders Genesis has its flaws for sure. It is still a lot of fun to play and it remains a solid entry in the Darksiders series. I would only recommend playing it in TV mode. With that being said, it might be hard to recommend the Switch version itself if other versions of the game are available, as I suspect the higher resolution may make certain objects easier to spot within the game. If you are a fan of Darksiders though, I can’t recommend this enough. There is a lot here that adds to the overall backstory of the Four Horsemen and the Charred Council.
  7. Feb 20, 2020
    60
    Darksiders Genesis is basically a Diablo clone that forgot to clone Diablo.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 14
  2. Negative: 3 out of 14
  1. Xs
    Feb 15, 2020
    10
    I bought Darksiders yesterday. It is amazing. It is so good I created an account on here just to spread the word. It reminds me of God of WarI bought Darksiders yesterday. It is amazing. It is so good I created an account on here just to spread the word. It reminds me of God of War one and two the most. It has a fixed camera like this games. It is nothing like Diablo though it looks like it. The combat system is deep. The puzzles are fun. Expand
  2. Feb 18, 2020
    10
    Just as much Darksiders as any of the mainline titles... this one offers some insight into the pre-darksiders 1 storylines.... a must have forJust as much Darksiders as any of the mainline titles... this one offers some insight into the pre-darksiders 1 storylines.... a must have for any darksiders fan! Expand
  3. Feb 14, 2020
    10
    Not all that bad, but the low res & blur can be fixed with an update mainly for the handheld(if you get used to the game though you willNot all that bad, but the low res & blur can be fixed with an update mainly for the handheld(if you get used to the game though you will forget all about the blur & low res). Regardless a nice prequel, story & big sense of humor that will keep you laughing. Strife is a very funny dude and he really gets on wars nerves with his jokes Expand
  4. Aug 20, 2022
    7
    Fun game, if you do like hack and slash type of games it is a good choice for you. They did a great job with isometric graphics. I preferredFun game, if you do like hack and slash type of games it is a good choice for you. They did a great job with isometric graphics. I preferred to play as Strife over playing as War, but their interactions were one of the pros about the game. Graphics and the humour were the things I liked a lot, but there were some bugs and I had like two instances of my game crushing down. I liked it, but it's not a game I would play a second playthrough of. As a person, who haven't played anything from the Darksiders series, I liked it quite a bit. Expand
  5. Dec 26, 2020
    7
    Darksiders Genesis is a prequel to the popular franchise. Compared to other games in the series, it introduces two major changes: an isometricDarksiders Genesis is a prequel to the popular franchise. Compared to other games in the series, it introduces two major changes: an isometric perspective, and a tight focus on cooperative gameplay.

    Pros:
    - Great co-op: I played through this game with my sister over the Internet, and it was a blast. The two main characters have very different abilities, and you can even switch roles when you want to.
    - Good mix of genres: The game has plenty of combat encounters, but also enough platforming and puzzles to break the pace.
    - Exploration aplenty: If you're the completionist type, you'll enjoy combing the levels for the dozens of different powerups that are hidden everywhere.

    Cons:
    - Quite buggy: We found new bugs every time we played, including a few that forced us to restart the game. We lost count of how many times we got stuck in the scenery.
    - Uneven difficulty: On the default difficulty, combat can be challenging early on. By the last few levels, however, even major bosses have become pushovers.
    - Frustrating perspective: The camera view is good for co-op, but it makes for some frustrating platforming, and forces you to squint to see stuff on the Switch's screen.
    Expand
  6. Oct 24, 2020
    7
    I was a big Darksiders fan, I enjoyed the first game enough to get all trophies, and enjoyed the second one quite a bit as well. I didn'tI was a big Darksiders fan, I enjoyed the first game enough to get all trophies, and enjoyed the second one quite a bit as well. I didn't enjoy number 3 very much, and though Genesis is a lot more fun to play, ultimately it doesn't do quite enough for me to come back to it.

    I've always and still like the aesthetics of Darksiders, and I think Genesis does pretty well in this regard. It's not the most graphically demanding game out there (especially the Switch version), but I think the strong art direction overcomes the "low-spec" aspects. If there's one thing I dislike about the presentation it's the distant camera, but that decision has much more to do with the gameplay than graphics. However I feel like the level of detail in the character models is lost, and when the camera occasionally zooms in during boss-ending scenes, it's possible to tell there was effort put into the details, which seems like a waste to me. The framerate seems locked at 30FPS on Switch, and there is some pretty heavy slowdown in a few areas, but it didn't bother me that much.

    Gameplay-wise, it plays pretty smoothly, and whatever frustration Darksiders 3 produced in me is long gone. Admittedly the game is pretty easy on normal, but I don't think the challenge of higher difficulties would feel as unfair as D3 did. War and Strife play similarly enough that one is never going to feel completely foreign to the other, but at the same time I wished they played a bit more differently. The action is fun, and the powerups and wrath skills are pretty well balanced. All around the gameplay is quite good, but it's not strong enough for me to come back for just that.

    Story-wise, Genesis doesn't do anything for me. It's fun getting to know Strife, and the interplay between him and War is actually pretty good, but they have very little agency. They're constantly being thrown around on random missions by external forces, and each chapter is episodic and mostly unrelated. There isn't much of an overarching theme, there isn't much character development, there aren't any real big reveals about what's going on in the 'big picture'. Meh.

    Apart from that, I don't have too much to say. The game is a bit buggy (not as bad as D3, but similar to Battle Chasers (another Airship Syndicate title)), but nothing game breaking. Sound design was unoffensive, voice acting is good. I'm not sure if Strife and Dis being coded black is a genuine effort to add "diversity" or tokenism. Strife talking like he's from the inner-city to Thor-wannabe War is a funny contrast, but it seems diegetically off.

    I haven't played with a partner, only single player, and I imagine a 2 player game being a lot of fun.

    So, is it worth it for you? Hard to say. I'm not sure it's a must play for even Darksiders fans, even though it's a decent game. If you want to play it, and want the best performance, I'd say go with a different platform, but if convenience is king, the Switch version is more than functional enough to be considered.
    Expand
  7. Feb 14, 2020
    2
    They said it will contain the exact same content as other consoles...but it doesnt have pre order dlc like Xone and PS4.
    When in dock mode the
    They said it will contain the exact same content as other consoles...but it doesnt have pre order dlc like Xone and PS4.
    When in dock mode the grapichs are not that good and it is even worse in handheld mode.
    Some items like a warspike or fence have texture problems.

    I hope they will fix it soon.
    Expand

See all 14 User Reviews