"Dirt Cheap Daily": Dante's Inferno Review:

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Friday, May 21, 2010

Dante's Inferno Review:

Dante's Inferno Review:

By now, it is common knowledge that just about anything is susceptible to being made into a videogame. Therefore it was only a matter of time until we were playing games based on epic poetry such as the Inferno. Developed by Visceral Games, Dante’s Inferno is the re-imagining of Dante Alighieri’s influential work as a violent hack and slash. The game bears a strong resemblance to a certain other mythological action adventure, but does that mean it lives up to the acclaim of its source material?

Dante is a soldier during the Crusades, and after executing many terrible crimes, he is confronted by Death. He survives, and after experiencing the horrors of war, returns home to find both his father and his fiancée Beatrice slain. The innocent Beatrice is taken to the underworld, so Dante plummets to Hell in order to save his betrothed. His journey is not an easy one and will require him to survive the nine diabolical circles of Hell. Listed in order they are: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery.

The combat system fueling Dante’s descent seems well thought, but that does not mean that it is perfect. Dante’s weapon of choice is the scythe which he wins from the Grim Reaper. Melee attacks are relegated to the same two-button scheme found in many other action games: square for swift-light attacks and triangle for stronger but slower hits. L2 blocks, the right analog stick evades, L1 utilizes magic and X is used for jumping and double jumping. Circle fires projectile holy crosses, your supply of which is infinite. By defeating foes, you build up the Redemption meter. Once it is filled, Dante can receive a boost in attack power if you press R1 and L1 together. Overall, the controls are easy enough to grasp, though it took me a while to get the hang of countering some enemy attacks.