Dante's Inferno

 Xbox 360
Dante's Inferno Image
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 263 Ratings

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  • Summary: Dante's Inferno tells an adapted story that focuses on delivering a blockbuster 3rd person action game experience while bringing Alighieri's depiction of Hell to the medium. Players assume the role of Dante, who descends into Hell after returning home to find his beloved Beatrice murdered,Dante's Inferno tells an adapted story that focuses on delivering a blockbuster 3rd person action game experience while bringing Alighieri's depiction of Hell to the medium. Players assume the role of Dante, who descends into Hell after returning home to find his beloved Beatrice murdered, with Lucifer seducing her soul into the underworld. Dante sets out on a rescue mission to save Beatrice, but he soon realizes he is also in Hell to face his own demons and ultimately to redeem himself. Players take Dante through nine unique circles of Hell as mapped out and described by Alighieri: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. Each circle showcases its own distinct look, with demons, monsters, damned and geography that are crafted straight from the poem's vivid descriptions. To take down the demons of Hell, Dante is outfitted with two primary weapons: the Scythe he takes from Death and the Holy Cross given to him by Beatrice, which has spiritual powers that will help Dante collect souls and spells from the creatures he defeats on his journey. The game also features a deep upgrade system so gamers can customize their abilities to their specific gameplay style, something they'll need as Dante comes face to face with Hell's fiercest beasts and bosses. If successful, Dante will be able to tame certain beasts, exacting their will and turning Hell’s punishments back on itself. [Electronic Arts]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 71
  3. Negative: 1 out of 71
  1. Cheat Code Central
    92
    It's about eight to ten hours of pure, fast-paced action no one should look down on, unless you're just not a fan of the genre. With such an appealing story and addictive gameplay, Dante's Inferno's only sin seems to be its shameless similarity to Sony's celebrated franchise.
  2. MondoXbox
    84
    Dante's Inferno is entertaining and a good variant to the usual Xbox 360 line-up. Great storytelling, very solid graphics and an atmospheric soundtrack make it worth the purchase: only its low longevity and the too repetitive combat system keep down our rating of the game.
  3. GameDaily
    80
    Obviously, critics will obsessively compare Dante's Inferno to other games, or complain about the quick time events, but don't let those nitpicky issues prevent you from experiencing this imaginative and fun adventure. It's one Hell of a good time.
  4. IGN
    75
    Dante’s Inferno takes a bold, visually impressive take on a literary classic and adds in an intriguing action focus to create a different kind of action title. Unfortunately, some derivative combat sequences and a shallow combo system prevent the title from becoming a truly great experience.
  5. GamingExcellence
    70
    Dante’s Inferno would be a much better game if it had spent a bit more time in development. The last half of the game isn’t very imaginative, the final two levels are just terrible, enemies are reused far too often and it really feels like there should have been two endings (one for each alignment).
  6. GameSpy
    70
    Despite its flaws, Dante's Inferno is definitely worth checking out, if only because it presents a unique visual take on one of literature's greatest works. It's occasionally shocking and often annoyingly repetitive, but the action is good enough to keep you engaged through what is a thought-provoking experiment in converting classic literature to a game.
  7. Giant Bomb
    40
    Imitation is an open invitation for comparison, and while it's mostly competent from a technical perspective, it's all very rote.

See all 71 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 56
  3. Negative: 4 out of 56
  1. ScottS
    Feb 12, 2010
    10
    Incredible visuals, amazing ambience and a brilliant vision of what Hell might be like. The action is intense, and boss battles are epic. Incredible visuals, amazing ambience and a brilliant vision of what Hell might be like. The action is intense, and boss battles are epic. Does it play like God of War? Of course!. But thats hardly a criticism, any more than saying Halo is bad because it plays like Doom (after all, every FPS borrows the same game mechanics from each other). I'm glad to see adult oriented games like this which push the envelope and focus on delivering an experience.… Expand
  2. Delhonor
    Jun 19, 2011
    10
    Dante's Inferno is one of the most entertaining games I have ever played. At first, I was hesitant to pick it up because of the not so stellarDante's Inferno is one of the most entertaining games I have ever played. At first, I was hesitant to pick it up because of the not so stellar reviews but it turned out to be a good decision. In terms of gameplay, Dante's Inferno is a God of War rip-off for sure; however, its scene--hell--is completely different. Quality product, buy it!… Expand
  4. RobRoyZA
    Dec 2, 2010
    9
    Absolutely excellent game! Yes, it is very similar to God of War, so if you've had enough of it then avoid this. If you're looking for moreAbsolutely excellent game! Yes, it is very similar to God of War, so if you've had enough of it then avoid this. If you're looking for more GOW style fun or don't have a PS3 like me, then this is the GOW equivalent for the XBOX.… Expand
  5. Iron_Mal
    Dec 21, 2010
    8
    I haven't read the book this game is based off of (I will admt that right away) but now that I have played the game I really do want to find aI haven't read the book this game is based off of (I will admt that right away) but now that I have played the game I really do want to find a copy and see where all the imagery and ideas came from.

    People have ripped on this game for not closely following the book but in all fairness, some books are harder to tranlsate to a video game than others (compare making a game of the Movie Aliens against making a game for the movie Angela's Ashes) so it goes without saying that they had to make some changes to make it a playable and fun game. For a game that is a 'cheap, shoddy knock-off' it's sure as hell (no pun intended) got some absolutely astounding design for both the environments and characters (trust me, the Lust circle is just downright disturbing at times) and rather simple to learn but hard to master gameplay.

    It is similar to God of War but this is by no means a bad thing, for starters it means that a veteran of GoW can just jump straight into the game without even needing the tutorial and novices will find the controls easy to use and memorise (everyone wins), if God of War had horrible gameplay and controls then I would understand everyone's objection but God of War was a brilliant game (surely something like it should be good to, right?), I get the feeling that most of the harsh feelings on this matter stems from PS3 fanboys (how dare those Xbox troglodites get something like our beloved God of War on their sh*tty console!) and people who turn their nose up at anything that's been done before (even if said something was actually good).

    The story is interesting and keeps you going (and is presumeably based on the book), the gameplay is fun and simple and the visuals are both fantastic and vaguely disturbing (just like a game set in Hell should be).

    My main issues with this game are that sometimes levelling up your karma meters requires you to explicitly go out of your way to be good or evil in order to obtain a particular upgrade that you want (I had to dedicate an entire playthrough to being an ammoral, baby eating psychopath because I was a good guy the first time round) and that some of the bosses feel particularly weak and bland (most, if not all of them can be defeated by just spamming crosses or mashing the heavy attack button like a hyperactive squirrel) leading to some rather anti-climatic encounters with the various overlords of Hell (who for some suspicious reason are easier to beat than their minions).

    Overall, this is actually a really damn good game, it's faults seem rather moot when you consider the sheer level of creativity and atmosphere that is omnipresent in every single area (bar the opening tutorial), however, there are parts which are unsettling, disturbing or just plain disgusting so those with weak stomachs or who are easily offended may wish to overlook this (if only for their own sake).    … Expand
  6. Rodrigo_31
    Aug 20, 2016
    8
    Outstanding soundtrack, very unique and beautiful art style, voice acting is top notch, the story simply well, the game is addictive, bossOutstanding soundtrack, very unique and beautiful art style, voice acting is top notch, the story simply well, the game is addictive, boss battles are really really good... Gameplay is copy and paste from God of War? Sure, but it is done well, which is important and that is the ONLY thing that Dante's Inferno has copied, the whole rest of the thing is pure innovative!… Expand
  7. MichaelW
    Feb 10, 2010
    7
    Needed a bit more polish. Small things like flat lighting & color pallet, lack of alternate weapons, and poor difficulty scaling prevent me Needed a bit more polish. Small things like flat lighting & color pallet, lack of alternate weapons, and poor difficulty scaling prevent me from getting really into the game. The story is fine, the cut scenes are nice, and the basic combat is enjoyable (though not as tight as one might expect from a high budget action game). Worth playing once.… Expand
  8. shootingstars99
    Aug 4, 2019
    1
    The catchphrase "Go to hell" for this game is what you will be saying to this game disk, as there is nothing interesting about this game. IThe catchphrase "Go to hell" for this game is what you will be saying to this game disk, as there is nothing interesting about this game. I love arcade-y style hack-n-slash/beat 'em up style games, and this one while trying to emulate that style of game play, feels lacking in every respect. The game is stupidly simple even on high difficulties, the good and evil scores seem interesting at first, but you will probably use 5 or 6 skills out of all of the presented choices, and the combat has less depth than some SNES era beat-'em ups. May be the worst, hand-holding game in the genre I've played.… Expand

See all 56 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
52
#52 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010