If you’ve been on top of the current gaming gossip, there has been a huge hype machine on Electronic Arts (EA) and Visceral Game’s “Dante’s Inferno.” Considered to be a unique mixture of literature and gaming, “Inferno” has a big weight on its shoulders: attempting to convert the main plot of Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” into an action game. From its very intriguing ad campaign, including viral ads, contests, posters and a chaotic but mellow Super Bowl ad, the game certainly has a lot to live up to.
The game throws you into a war as the titular hero Dante. In the beginning, you have to hack and slash your way through hordes of soldiers as you fight your way through the crusades until one of them kills you. At this point you have to face death, and the entire story dwindles down from there. If you read the “Divine Comedy,” you would probably expect a slow building adventure with a dash of action on the side. Instead, you’re thrown into a world of countless demons waiting to cut your head off and do other not-so-family friendly things to your carcass.
The scenery in “Inferno” will make you cringe until the cows come home. Each circle of hell has a visual spectacle to behold. The worlds are extremely detailed and make you feel like you’re actually in hell. On the other hand, some moments in the game can be considered borderline overkill. A notable example is the fight with Cleopatra in which babies wielding blades crawl out of her nipples in an attempt to kill you. Oh yes, this game definitely crosses the line. A real interesting part of this game is the Holy or Unholy path you can follow throughout. You’ll be encountering several famous (or infamous) figures in history known for doing very not so holy things. It’ll be up to you to forgive or punish them. It gives you a nice taste of history along with some ethics on the side.
However, the charm of the game ends here. The template of the gameplay is a very rigid copy of the game “God of War.” Some might say that it’s a good thing, but when almost every single aspect of the game feels like it belongs in the other game, then there’s something very amiss. However, despite the sometimes punishing difficulty and intricate combo system in “God of War,” you can actually go throughout this entire game mashing the exact same combo with little to no variation and come away almost unscathed. Even with the different varieties of difficulty, it just seems to question the player’s ability to improvise and properly play video games.
Through and through, “Dante’s Inferno” has a great idea in mind with traveling through the seven circles of hell. Yet, the game could really do a revamp in terms of gameplay. Even if you’re a fan of the God of War franchise or games similar to it, “Inferno” only warrants a rental or purchase after a significant price drop.