Darksiders III Review Summary

Positive overall impression: Players generally have a positive impression of the game, describing it as good, awesome, and wonderful. The graphics and overall presentation are also well-received.

Praised combat mechanics: The combat system is widely appreciated for being dynamic, fast-paced, and satisfying. Players enjoy the depth and rhythm of the combat, finding it engaging and well-executed.

Engaging and well-told story: The story is praised for being enjoyable, engaging, and well-told. Players appreciate the interesting plot and good character development, particularly for the character Fury.

Beautiful and atmospheric world design: The world design is praised for being superb, beautiful, and atmospheric. Players appreciate the detailed and well-crafted locations.

High-quality voice acting: The voice acting is noted for being excellent and professional in multiple languages. Players appreciate the good story presentation and pleasant background music.

Puzzles are confusing and frustrating: Many players found the puzzles to be either too simple or overly confusing, leading to a frustrating experience. The design and intuitiveness of the puzzles were frequently criticized.

Poor optimization and mechanics: The game suffers from poor optimization, combat mechanics, level design, and overall gameplay experience. Players reported issues with controls, storyline, and camera management.

Not as good as previous games: Players felt that the game did not live up to the standards set by its predecessors, Darksiders 1 and 2. It was seen as a downgrade with less content and poorer mechanics.

Frustrating boss fights: Boss fights were described as frustrating, unfair, and poorly designed. Some players found them too difficult or simplistic, leading to a negative experience.

Combat lacks depth and creativity: The combat system was criticized for lacking depth, creativity, and build variety. Players found it to be average and unengaging.

Combat emphasizes dodging and timing: The combat system is heavily focused on dodging and precise timing for attacks and counters, similar to Souls-like games.

Exploration and rewards: The game features exploration mechanics, rewarding players for exploring the map and discovering new areas.

Hybrid of hack n' slash and Souls-like: The game combines hack n' slash combat with Souls-like elements, creating a unique and dynamic combat system.

Story and narrative elements: The story is centered around hunting the personified Seven Deadly Sins, with a mix of lore and character development.

Multiple difficulty settings: The game offers various difficulty levels, including story mode, veteran, and apocalypse difficulties, affecting gameplay experience.

Performance and optimization issues: Players report various performance issues, including poor optimization, frame rate drops, and instability.

Frequent crashes and freezes: The game experiences frequent crashes, freezes, and occasional crashes to desktop, especially at specific points or during boss battles.

Steam Deck and Linux compatibility: The game runs well on Steam Deck and Linux systems, including Ubuntu with Proton.

Mouse/GUI and full-screen issues: There are issues with mouse and GUI scaling, as well as problems with full-screen mode.

FPS lock and unlocking instructions: There are issues with FPS lock, but instructions for unlocking FPS are available.

Recommended for series fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of the Darksiders series and the genre in general. It is seen as a must-have for those who enjoyed previous installments.

Recommendations for purchase: The game is recommended to be purchased on sale or at a discount. Some players suggest trying it out and refunding if it doesn't meet expectations.

Gameplay and difficulty tips: Players recommend starting on normal difficulty, watching guides for boss fights, and avoiding the hardest difficulty for achievements. Playing in Classic mode and using level-up crystals immediately are also suggested.

Challenging gameplay experience: The game is recommended for players who enjoy challenging games and action games with a high difficulty level. It may not be suitable for beginners due to its difficulty.

Worth playing for various reasons: The game is considered worth playing for its low price, improvements, and for those interested in the story and progression. It is also seen as worth playing for newcomers.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 35.0h.

Story completion: 8.0h.

The game starts with a steep learning curve and can be boring initially, but it becomes more enjoyable once players get past the early stages and learn the combat mechanics.

Reported time to anchor: 2h.

Friction: Steep learning curve; Boring initial hours with dungeons and corridors; Slow and boring platforming and traversal.

Unlock drivers: Variety in movesets and weapons; Mastering combat mechanics.

Challenge-Seeking Explorer: Focuses on mastering combat mechanics and exploring the game world. Motivation: Enjoys the challenge and exploration of the game world. Stance: sale.

Franchise Fan: Engages with the game for its story and combat, often comparing it to other beloved franchises. Motivation: Enjoys the story and combat of the Darksiders franchise. Stance: buy.

Discount Hunter: Cautious and value-conscious, often waits for discounts and evaluates refund options. Motivation: Seeks value for money and prefers discounted purchases. Stance: deep sale.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key issues impacting the Steam Deck experience. Resolution and framerate issues, particularly with cutscenes, are a significant problem, detracting from the visual experience. Performance on the Steam Deck varies, with some users experiencing crashes and frame drops, while others find it playable with medium settings. Compatibility with Proton is noted, but it requires forcing a specific version, adding complexity. Control issues, particularly with aiming and quick actions, are also a common complaint. Overall, while the game is playable on the Steam Deck, several technical barriers and control issues impact the user experience.

Linux and Proton: The game generally runs well on Linux with Proton, with some users reporting the need for minor tweaks such as specific launch options or Proton versions to optimize performance. Overall, the user experience on Linux is positive with good launch reliability and performance.

Monetization: The user feedback highlights a mix of concerns and positive experiences regarding the DLC content in Darksiders III. Major points of contention include desirable content being locked behind paid DLC and the perception of the DLC's value. While some users find the game and its DLC to be a good value when purchased on sale, others criticize the quality and substance of the paid DLC. Overall, the sentiment around monetization is mixed, with notable frustration over content being gated behind additional purchases.

External guides: The primary user complaints revolve around poor navigation and map guidance, complex game mechanics that require external guides, and frustrating puzzle mechanics. These issues significantly impact the user experience, making it difficult for players to progress without external resources.

Saved games and DLC issues: There are reports of problems related to saved games and DLC content not working as expected.

Steam Deck resolution fix: Players have shared tips on how to address resolution problems specifically on the Steam Deck platform.