Video Game Review: ‘Dante’s Inferno’ Fizzles as Much as it Flames

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CHICAGO – As we wait for the imminent release of “God of War III,” it seems that a few developers are trying to beat Kratos to the punch with their own “GOW”-esque titles. January produced the very good “Darksiders” and now we have the buzzed arrival of EA’s “Dante’s Inferno,” a game with remarkable moments but significant flaws that dampen the flame just as it starts to heat up.

Video Game Rating: 3.0/5.0

Based incredibly loosely on Dante’s “The Divine Comedy,” “Dante’s Inferno” tells the story of a journey into Hell. The player takes on the role of a soldier who returns home from the bloody battles of the Crusades only to find his love Beatrice not only dead but stolen to the deepest bowels of Hell where her soul will forever be in torment. Dante must travel through the nine circles of Hell - Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery - to free Beatrice.

Dante’s Inferno
Photo credit: EA

Along the way, Dante learns to wield a scythe (that he steals from Death himself) and a cross against the denizens of the underworld and he builds both weapons by making decisions along the way to either Punish or Absolve the souls that cross his path, either those of his enemies or sinners caught in Hell. Dante also develops magic abilities to use in his battle against the Damned, powers that use Mana that refills at fountains throughout the game, as does health and souls that can be used to buy weapon upgrades (the fountains are a checkpoint system not unlike the health crates in “God of War”).

Dante’s Inferno Photo credit: EA

On a gameplay level, “Dante’s Inferno” is a pretty straightforward game. There are a few puzzle rooms but the game is mostly made up of climbing, swinging, smashing, and bashing as you move deeper and deeper into Hell. The linear nature of the game is rather disappointing considering the intricate design of the game itself. The world of Hell has been so beautifully rendered that it would have been nice to do more than travel down a path through it.

Easily the best element of the game is its visual appeal. The backgrounds have the actual feeling of depth as you see thousands of souls writhing in agony. The character design of both the hero and the enemies makes for a very visually captivating game. “Dante’s Inferno” is never a boring game to look at and that goes a long way in a world with so many games with less aesthetic appeal.

It may be pretty, but that doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating. “Dante’s Inferno” features camera work that will have you thinking about throwing your controller through the TV like a kid who forgot to put the strap on his Wii-mote before bowling. The number of times that I fell trying to jump from one platform to another when I couldn’t gauge the distance merely due to bad camera work was unacceptable.

Dante’s Inferno Photo credit: EA

And the camera work isn’t the only problem. There are elements of the gameplay that simply feel unrefined. There’s a hit counter combo system that’s deeply flawed and it wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t a necessary element to finishing one of the levels. The magic powers learned by Dante are pretty unremarkable, which means the game has largely emptied its bag of tricks when it comes to your character’s abilities about halfway through the game.

Finally, I need to get all English major on the game for just one brief paragraph - this title has little to nothing to do with “The Divine Comedy”. I laugh at the idea of a kid who was supposed to read the book for a school class getting deep into the game and thinking it would provide the answers he’s looking for on a midterm. That kid is repeating a grade. In tone, story, and so many other elements, this is simply not anything that Dante intended.

Ultimately, “Dante’s Inferno” is a noble effort with mixed results. The game is too visually striking to completely ignore but the actual play of it is too frustrating to completely praise. Fans of titles like this one (“God of War,” “Darksiders”) should take a look but I would have thought that a trip to Hell would have been both more rewarding and simply more fun.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com