When Darksiders 3 first came out, it received mixed reviews. Some enjoyed the simplified version of the game, featuring more combat and less platforming and looting. Others wanted it to be like the previous two titles, with more puzzles to change up the pace. It went on to receive a Metacritic score of 63%.
Despite its lukewarm reception, THQ Nordic claims it matched sales expectations. According to a recent financial report, the game made enough to match what was spent on investments and marketing. It’s clear that the Darksiders games still have some sales power behind them.
This is exceptional news if you’re a fan of the series. It’s not surprising either why the third entry did so well in terms of sales. This third-person action game is filled with a lot of difficult bosses. They’re a challenge even for the most hard-core fans of the Darksiders series.
After hours of success, you’ll eventually run into a boss that takes many attempts to beat. This can be frustrating on the surface, but the payoff of winning and moving on to the next stage is worth the hours of frustration.
The game doesn’t have a massive open-world environment to explore, and this is kind of refreshing to say the least. Most games today copy the same recipe: Players explore huge worlds and go on side-missions when not completing the main story. Darksiders 3 flips the script and puts more emphasis on combat and story cut-scenes.
The concept behind this third entry is just as intriguing as the titles that came before it. You take on the role of a Four Horseman. This time, you’re Fury. She’s the only female Horseman. Her voice-acting is nothing to write home about, but her combat skills more than make up for her lack of character development.
Where this game really shines is the strategy involved in the combat. You can’t just button-mash your way through enemies. Instead, you’re forced to study the behavior of different enemies and capitalize on their weak points. Different enemies require different combat strategies, and this keeps the game fresh for hours of play.
All in all, it’s not hard to see why Darksiders 3 did so well. Its formula is basic. However, sometimes simple is all you need to captivate players with a story that’s as iconic as the Four Horseman. Hopefully, THQ Nordic can keep making these games and keep improving on an already successful formula.
