There was talk that this wouldn’t be what it set out to be, rumours of it trying to be something ultra special and all that jazz and to be quite honest (you know you shouldn’t say that! Ed.), it isn’t as pretentious as led to believe.
One of the main concerns was all the attention it was receiving due to religious connotations of which were quite rightly apt and the TV ad that accompanied the game just added more coal to the fire, so to speak.
Violent, Hellbound masochistic virgin-slaughtering… it is not. Well ok, it is rather violent to an extent since the premise is to fight against all manner of nasty things, not quite in a totally hack ‘n’ slash fashion like Conan and others of the genre, but in it’s own right and just having to descend through the nine levels of Hell means you’re gonna have to pull of some rather fancy moves and even solve some puzzles along the way.
It’s not meant to be taken that seriously, I don’t mean in the way that it’s only a videogame yada yada, more in the way of it being an enjoyable journey to extract some of that pent up rage that may exist inside of you and you just want to see and participate in mindless decapitation of Hellish demons. Want something ridiculous to have a little giggle about?
Try the boss that launches babies out of it’s nipples (I say ‘it’s’, who knows what sex that thing really is?) and what’s more gratifying than having your mighty weapon deep inside an enemy (oo-er) and then performing a well executed finishing move? It’s all about the gameplay which isn’t that bad at all and mixed with some nice visuals, you might find yourself actually enjoying the game and forget about scrapping with the Grim Reaper’s scythe and a Holy Cross, not the kind of things you come across every day.
What you will tend to remember throughout the game is why it’s so righteously rated 18 (or R in the US) as naked female minions try to sting you with their scorpion-like stingers and why it’s constantly compared with Gods of War, it’s not a bad thing to be compared with, but Dante’s Inferno deserves to be known for it’s own merit. Just in case you were wondering what the Nine Levels of Hell are: The Surface, Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery, just don’t take too long on the Lust level…
There is much worse out there and one of the things this game is well noted for is the combat, it’s good while it lasts, like so many other things and it won’t disappoint too much. Recommended? Yes, Dante’s Inferno does what it was developed and published for, a brief escape from the realities of life to wreak havoc in Hell and have some fun at the same time.
It’s just about good enough to score a low MG Gold and as much as this should have been a longer review, you just need to try the game yourself to see that it’s a decent game and if you can find it in a bargain bucket somewhere, pick it up and give it a go!