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First Hour with Dante's Inferno
Breasts, swords, Death and demons, we go hands-on with the first hour of Dante's Inferno.
Written by David Scammell, 06 January 2010
It's quite the opening. Only a mere ten minutes into Visceral 'Dead Space' Games' latest third person adventure we've already defied our own fate by forcing Death to beg us for mercy before slicing him in half with his own scythe. We've discovered the butchered body of lover Beatrice whose conveniently unbuttoned dress bares her bosom across our entire screen, and we've stumbled across the corpse of a murdered priest with a Christian Cross embedded in his eye socket.
Dante's Inferno, then, doesn't care if it offends anyone, particularly the team at SCE Studios Santa Monica and its God of War series, of which it almost universally plagiarises. Similarities between the two come thick and fast; Dante handles near identically to Kratos, with the square and triangle buttons used to pull off medium and strong attacks, the right analogue stick to dash, L2 to block and R2 to grab hold of enemies. Even holding down triangle, as frequent God of War players will know, flings our enemies into the air. QTEs, too, are present, entering the fray to see off bosses and the larger of the enemies, while even the tutorial screens are presented almost identically, frequently flashing up at the bottom of the screen with hints and tips, as different coloured orbs flit towards Dante.
But judging by the opening hour, Dante's appears to deserve more than just being labelled a God of War clone. It's universe, though not the most welcoming - so far we've trawled through graveyards, burning villages, and dipped our toes into the depths of Hell - is filled with mystery and intrigue, while the moveset available to Dante, though apparently largely identical to that of Kratos, also has its fair share of innovations. A Redemption bar, for example, filled up by pulling off combos allows Dante to become temporarily invincible and react faster, while collectible Relics allow players to passively modify particular stats and abilities.
P3Zine Issue 36
For our latest Dantes Inferno coverage, click here to download P3Zine Issue 36 for free.Enemy types, too (and their death animations), seem ingenious, with Hell's minions coming in a variety of flavours. There's your standard zombie-like fodder, a colossal Minotaur-esque enemy that Dante can ride summoned by the ghost of Virgil at the gates of Hell, the aforementioned Grim Reaper plus fire beasts whose flames can only be doused by Beatrice's Holy Blast, acquired after finding her resting place inside a church.
But despite the subtle variation, throughout our first hour with Dante's we just kept couldn't shake those God of War comparisons. Many have tried and many have failed, but Dante's Inferno is God of War in all but name, and if you didn't know any better you'd easily be forgiven for thinking that it was a direct sequel complete with the quality that you've come to expect - and that itself demands praise. Quite frankly, if you liked God of War, you'll love Dante's Inferno.
We'll have continued coverage of Dante's Inferno right up to release on our Dante's Inferno: Unofficial Guide To Hell blog, so be sure to head over there for an insight into the hellish world of Dante.
Dante's Inferno launches on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PSP on February 5th.
Dantes Inferno coverage available in P3Zine Issue 36 - click here to download it for free!
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