Release Date: September 30, 2021
Developer: Gunfire Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Price: $49.99

It's crazy to think with how relevant it still is that Darksiders is actually now a multimedia property that has spanned not only years, but generations at this point, with the first making its debut in 2010 way back on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 before ultimately having sequels that all received some sort of remaster and port on just about every platform leading up to its spinoff of Darksiders Genesis and ultimately its third entry with Darksiders III in 2019 and 2018, respectively. Darksiders has since then had a relatively loyal following - especially with those that love the mythology of the four horsemen - and have all been represented in unique and creative ways showcasing War and Death's arsenal and strength's in a hack-and-slash format through epic storytelling that brought along with it elaborate environments, huge fights, and cinematic sequences that made each of the games memorable in some way. When Darksiders III was announced prior to its release, rather than continuing the format of playing as one of the four horsemen, a different route was taken with Fury taking the helm of the protagonist. While a disappointment to some, I found the change in direction to be one that was refreshing and welcoming, not to mention how incredible her design was as the ill-tempered sister of the four, stepping away from the predictable broody aesthetic we've become all too familiar with in games that tend to take a dark tone.

Darksiders III had a lot more changing it up besides its protagonist, however, with the game taking a slight step back from its hack-and-slash roots and instead implementing a slower, more methodical approach to its fighting system that would require players to have a bit more patience with each move they take in the fights they would find themselves in. Though the game ended up having a relatively reasonable balance between what brought Darksiders to where it is today and its new Souls-esque approach to its gameplay, I actually ended up having a great time with it during my time on Xbox One X, but Darksiders III was far from perfect and ultimately had enough frustrations that built up to the point of me finally putting the controller down for good almost 20 hours and myriad deaths later. Since then, however, I've had this itch to go back and revisit Fury and the world she was cast to - a post-apocalyptic and ravaged Earth where humans have been almost entirely wiped out by demons.

Darksiders III stands out in a lot of ways from the others in the series also in the fact that it's not entirely a sequel either, despite the number in the title suggesting otherwise. It serves as more of a parallel story that happens between a set of events of the first and second games as Fury is tasked to take out the Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth) at the request of higher powers that hold balance within the universe. While it's a simple goal that makes the story feel less inspired than other entries within the series, the gameplay holds up enough that it mostly makes up for the lack of any real narrative as things unfold in what feels more like micro-stories that sort of complement each other as you take out each Sin, rather than a focused whole. As Fury, you'll be dropped into a multitude of elaborately designed areas that shine as you make your way towards each Sin and eradicate them, but one of the most enjoyable aspects of doing so is how Fury also evolves and grows stronger with each Sin and level you overcome that tests your wit and abilities within them. It's worth mentioning, however, that for fans of previous Darksiders games, don't expect puzzles to have anywhere near as much of an impact this time around. The entirety of Fury's persona is based off of rage (unsurprisingly), and her moveset and abilities match up, though unfortunately it doesn’t sound anywhere near as stress-relieving as it should be even with a lack of puzzles to get in the way. You would expect someone of her stature, a deity, to effectively clean house, but with the Souls-like approach of the new Darksiders III combat - despite being able to choose a "classic" mode for combat that honestly feels no different to me - it ends up becoming a world of frustration more than a game that genuinely feels fun from the powerhouse spectacle of Fury's portfolio.

You still very much feel each contact of the whip and aggression from Fury's strikes, though, despite a slower, more methodical approach to the combat for Darksiders III, and honestly this works well for the Switch solely for the fact that despite 60fps no longer being available (even though the game initially had massive performance issues no matter what platform you played it on previously), combat for the most part still feels fluid - especially during the one-on-one fights with each of the Seven Deadly Sins. The designs of most enemies and especially each Sin is extremely well done, with complementary environments and abilities that grow Fury's arsenal both narratively and through purchase through the exchange of Souls that are acquired from slaying enemies (as well as lost upon death, which adds to the overall frustration) that can be spent on a number of things that help withstand and dish out much more damage, though these upgrades are done exclusively through purchases this time and the occasional passive crafting of Runes to give weapon perks. This is yet another way Darksiders III differs from its predecessors, which has a more RPG-esque approach with a levelling system. Instead, now, as Fury gets stronger - especially with each Sin that's killed - the world scales to where Fury currently stands up to that point, making for a bit of a grind after each Sin is taken care of. It's not that the grind itself is what makes this troublesome either, but that the flow of Darksiders III constantly feels like there are points where you need to stop, or almost as if the game doesn't actually want you to proceed even though you theoretically could, so you're off having to go back to hubs or find the travelling merchant, Vulgrim, to do some upgrading that way.

Darksiders III on Nintendo Switch is a mostly well-done port that is likely to take a lot of people by surprise given its huge graphical upgrade over its previous generation predecessors. While the game itself is far from perfect, it should be commended that even with a few downgrades here and there, the overall integrity of the game remains intact and officially completes the entire Darksiders series being available on Nintendo Switch, which lends itself nicely to handheld play despite a AAA production that's as epic and grandiose as the series has ever been. With its inclusion of previously released DLC as well, "The Crucible" and "Keepers of the Void", Darksiders III is an enticing package for those looking to sink their teeth into a fairly well put together package that has an engrossing enough world to get lost in, but it's not without its frustrations and having to pay full MSRP again despite the inclusion when the game can be found elsewhere for next to nothing physically and with frequent sales, it comes down to what you're willing to trade off for the benefit of portability, which Darksiders III lends itself decently enough to even with the TV still being in favor.

PROS:

Fury and her move-set make the game a lot of fun and flashy to fight with
The environments continue the tradition of being extremely detailed with a fair amount to find within each, flowing into each other almost seamlessly
The port surprisingly retains a lot of its visual style without stripping too much away from its overall vision

CONS:

Performance on the Switch is stable for a good portion of the game but then becomes extremely unoptimized and unplayable the more you get into it, with sudden stutters and tons of loading in and out of each area and even within the same area.
Despite handheld mode playing just fine, it's not that ergonomic in the grand scheme of things and is still best played on a TV with a Pro controller.
Switch version aside, Darksiders III loses a bit of its identity tackling on a Souls-like approach instead of taking pride in what initially made the series so great.

A big thank you to THQ Nordic for providing us a copy of
Darksiders III on Nintendo Switch for the purposes of this review!

Darksiders III for Nintendo Switch (Review)