Dante's Inferno

Written by Tom Clare in PS3 Game Reviews, Tuesday 29 June, 2010

Released: 2010
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: EA Games
Genre: Action
Platform: PS3
Version: 1.04

Long-time purveyors of a conveyor belt culture that has seen a slew of frequently-updated incremental sequels, EA have won back a lot of support recently with a concerted attempt to promote new (and sometimes risky) intellectual properties. Superlative sci-fi horror adventure Dead Space and stylish first-person platformer Mirror’s Edge are testament to this, and they have been followed more recently by a video game adaptation that on paper at least, must surely have seemed EA’s most abstract concept yet.

Perhaps a first for gaming, Dante’s Inferno cites a 14th Century epic poem as its chief source material; specifically focusing on the ‘Inferno’ section of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, from which an action game in the style of God Of War is born. Understandably, some fairly sizable liberties have been taken to help it fit the medium; the player takes control of Dante, who has been re-imagined as a Crusader as he seeks to rescue his beloved Beatrice, who having waged her soul that her lover would remain faithful to her, finds that Dante’s various sins have forfeited her soul to the devil. Eager to make amends, Dante is tasked with facing his sins in a descent through the nine circles of Hell, each offering its own uniquely disquieting vistas and challenges.

It’s a high-quality affair, though a little short of substance. This type of game thrives on spectacle and in this respect it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Aided by some attractive visuals, DA delivers a rich and imaginative take on the circles of hell, never becoming derivative and constantly throwing up nice touches, whilst Dante’s foes are also aptly monstrous. It’s all suitably gothic and ghoulish; climbable walls consist of the trapped bodies of the damned; cities of fire glow in malevolent oranges and each circle has its own unique nuisances, shaping its architecture to fit the nature of the sin. For instance, Gluttony has an organic look, with creepy tongue-like platforms; Greed glows in a fiery golden shade with molten gold lava posing a threat; Lust bathes in a sensuous purple colour scheme and Violence is rather fittingly situated on a river of blood.

Dante can choose to absolve or damn the hellish beasts he encounters, leading to his accumulating Holy or Unholy points. Two separate development ladders allow the unlocking of different magics, moves and attributes depending on which you method of justice you favour, though it would have been nice if the variance in behavioural decisions resulted in something more tangible. There’s only one ending, and the manner in which Dante acts doesn’t change either, and as you can end up levelling up both branches without detriment to the other, the manner in which the character develops doesn’t differ greatly based on your inclinations.

The combat is responsive, visceral and enjoyable, with Dante’s scythe weapon forming the basis for some fun and stylish combos, whilst he can also utilise a powerful blast from his holy cross, both damaging and repelling enemies. It’s really dynamic and controls almost flawlessly, whilst the camera work deserves some uncommon praise – considering the viewing angle cannot be adjusted, it’s testament to the design of every set piece that it never once makes for an obstruction or distraction. Hacking away proves engaging early on, especially as you encounter new types of enemies, but the fights become significantly unbalanced when you begin to accumulate the upgrades, as the cross becomes so massively powerful that you can annihilate half a dozen enemies in a matter of seconds, without the need for any tactics or the threat of any foe laying a finger (or should that be a claw?) on Dante.

Thus the challenge posed by the combat is significantly reduced in the latter stages of the game, and even bosses can be seen off in less than a minute thanks to some aggressive button-bashing. Fortunately, there are four difficulty settings, so it’s worth trying the game on the top two if you’re after a genuine test. Fear not though; there’s plenty to do in Hell besides fighting hoards of freaks. If you so wish, you can collect the thirty Judas Coins spread across the game; it’s something to do even if they have no practical use save to add to your Trophy count. Of greater interest are the twenty-odd damned souls whom can be condemned or absolved for extra points – these are a mix of infamous figures from history and also several personalities known to Dante, many of whom appear in the Inferno poem – they include the likes of Pontius Pilate; Electra; Boudica; Cavalcanti and Atilla the Hun, each with a brief write-up as to why they reside in the circle in which you found them.

The gameplay itself isn’t particularly original, but it does at last feel a bit more fleshed out than the majority of its peers. There are fewer gimmicks and less heavy a reliance on the combat to carry the game, with a good balance of logic puzzles, climbing and rope-swinging sections, plus at least a couple of occasions where you must escape a bridge that’s collapsing from under you. The early circles also play host to some memorable boss fights; you’ll battle the fantastic King Minos in Limbo, and as you approach you can hear him calling out the various circles to which those entering hell are to be condemned. He is followed by a giant, scary version of Cleopatra (and then Marc Anthony) in Lust, though sadly such instances are limited thereafter as you battle Dante’s brother and father, both of whom are easy to kill and offer little resistance to your increasingly powerful cross attacks.

The cut-scenes are good enough and, along with some nice animated flashbacks, articulate Dante’s journey pretty well. The voice-acting is alright, though Dante asks “where’s Beatrice?” so many times it becomes irritating really quite quickly. It’s well presented on the whole even if the inventory screen has way too many menus for an action game.

Longevity is the chief shortcoming as the game can be finished in just a couple of days. It’s easily engaging enough for you to want to play it through to completion, but the linear path through the game makes even the myriad of collectables relatively easy to find, give or take the odd well-hidden one. It’s troubled by the lack of additional endings, meaning there’s little incentive to play through the game solely damning or solely absolving as it makes almost no difference ultimately. As none of the Trophies require you to complete the game on a high difficulty setting, many will be able to polish them all off and acquire the Platinum within a matter of days.

If you are into your action games, Dante’s Inferno is unquestionably worth playing. Whether or not it’s worth buying however is another matter. It looks great, presents some really playable fighting and platforming sections and in terms of environment design remains creative to the last, but it’s an extremely short adventure, and the somewhat tepid replay value means it will impress only fleetingly. Still, there’s plenty of promise as the ‘to be continued’ suggests Visceral Games are shaping up to tackle Dante’s Purgatory.
 

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