Darksiders Genesis is a hack ‘n’ slash game from an isometric perspective that you can play in co-op with friends. As Horsemen of the Apocalypse, you travel to Hell, where you fight demon lords while trying to prevent a sinister plan by Lucifer. The co-op game flew under the radar at release and didn’t receive much attention.
If current releases are rather quiet, one often looks back at the games that weren’t on their radar before. For co-op games for two players, it is worth taking a look especially at Darksiders Genesis, an action game by Airship Syndicate that originally released in December 2019.
The game belongs to the long-running Darksiders series, which revolves around the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Genesis is a spin-off that takes place before the main series and does not require any prior knowledge of the story.
During the game, you take on the role of the two Horsemen, War and Strife, who have been given a task by their masters, the Council of Flames. They need to travel to Hell to prevent a dark conspiracy hatched by the demon Lucifer.
This is done by first politely asking the involved demon lords to stop the nonsense. After that, you proceed to dismantle them into easily transportable pieces because they do not comply with your request.
Outwardly, Darksiders Genesis appears as a Diablo clone.
- The setting takes place in Hell and Heaven. You visit the domains of the various demon lords and the Garden of Eden, where you also fight corrupted angels.
- The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are Nephilim, created from a union of angels and demons.
- Genesis primarily uses the isometric perspective, which is one of the trademarks of Diablo.
However, the game has much more of its own personality than it seems at first glance, especially for players who enjoy co-op gaming.
Neither Heaven nor Hell stand a chance
This is the gameplay: Darksiders Genesis is a classic hack ‘n’ slash game where you can cheerfully slice through individual chapters as either War or Strife. The switch between the two characters happens fluidly in the game, as long as both players have agreed. You do not have to restart for this.
The chapters of Genesis take place in different areas, such as swamps, deserts, icy landscapes, and fiery fortresses of demon lords. Throughout your explorations, you will dismantle industrial quantities of demons and corrupted angels that stand in your way. Naturally, you will also find loot and upgrades and solve puzzles together with your co-op partner.
If you missed an item or are missing an upgrade in one of the chapters, you can replay it to get 100%.
Darksiders series fans will also recognize many of the gameplay elements from earlier installments. Again, there are:
- Souls, used as currency in the demon Vulgrim’s shop.
- Upgrades for health and wrath that strengthen your characters.
- Finisher moves that allow you to really tear apart enemies at low HP.
War and Strife both have their own sets of abilities that complement each other. War is more of a “middle of the action” type who deals in melee combat. Strife, on the other hand, is a ranged fighter with his guns, who is not particularly into cuddling.
Both Horsemen of the Apocalypse also have a skill board where they can place creature cores. These cores are left behind by enemies in the game and provide War and Strife with HP and status bonuses, as well as special effects.
For example, one core can ensure that monsters drop more wrath orbs, which are necessary for special attacks. Another core can increase movement speed or provide more souls. There are also special boss cores that offer particularly strong effects.
The creature board is very flexible and can be adjusted at any time. So if you find a new core, you can immediately equip it and try it out. With 11 large and 23 small cores, you can build a setup that suits your playstyle.
1.5 games in one thanks to co-op mode
This is how co-op works: While you can play Darksiders Genesis through solo, it also has a very detailed co-op mode. This can take place both online and in split-screen on the couch (even on PC).
Each player takes on the role of one of the two Horsemen of the Apocalypse, with the switch between them happening smoothly in the game. Both players just need to agree to the switch, and you can try out the other character.
The levels in the game change for the co-op mode. The battles and puzzles are designed for two players, so you basically get 1.5 games in one. When solving puzzles, the two players must work together.
The complexity of the puzzles starts with the simple “One holds the door open, the other goes through” and ends with tricky puzzles, where you are pressed for time or have to prove precision to make certain jumps.
As the game progresses, the puzzles become more complex and require new tools and abilities to solve them. For example:
- With the Vorpal Blade, you can target and hit multiple enemies from a distance.
- The Void Bombs open a portal that connects two locations.
These upgrades ensure that you can replay earlier chapters and unlock new paths to secrets and upgrades.
The puzzles and platforming sections are specifically placed between longer combat passages, where you cut through hordes of enemies together. They provide variety and, especially in co-op, deliver lots of fun, as you try to solve the puzzles together or get frustrated when you can’t hit the right timing.
The game is not particularly long. Depending on the difficulty level, you will need 15 to 20 hours for the story. Those who want to collect all upgrades and secrets and complete the optional arena will be occupied longer but will have to grind more for it.
The strength of Genesis is also its weakness
These are the disadvantages: While the puzzles and climbing sections can be very enjoyable, especially in co-op, they also belong to one of the sources of frustration in Darksiders Genesis. The isometric perspective usually works well, but not always optimally.
There will be times when you joyfully fly past your target when jumping because the distance is difficult to judge from the perspective. This can become particularly annoying and lead to multiple deaths, especially when you need to jump diagonally or sideways to hit a small platform or narrow beam.
The controls are also not optimal and can feel clunky at times, such as when throwing War’s Vorpal Blade. You should be prepared for failure during longer platforming sections, even though the checkpoints in Genesis are generous.
You will also take some bugs from Genesis while playing. Particularly annoying are those where you get stuck in the environment and can’t get out. The only solution is to restart the game.
Simple but delightful co-op and slashing fun
Darksiders Genesis is one of those games that was completely overlooked by many at release, which I find very unfortunate. It is not a full-priced title and for the €30, I felt excellently entertained back then.
It does not reinvent the wheel and feels very much like previous Darksiders games, but it is precisely the “simplicity” in its positive sense that I enjoyed so much. Genesis does not have the story depth of The Last of Us or the incredible gameplay variety of “It Takes Two”, but it doesn’t need to either.
The game knows what it can do and what sets it apart from others, and it does that well. The stylish art style in comic look, the witty dialogues, the classic Darksiders gameplay, and the great soundtrack by the excellent Gareth Coker. Everything fits together perfectly and creates a cohesive game that is especially fun in co-op.
You can sit down with a friend and just leisurely slash through some demons or solve puzzles for a few hours. So if you missed this little gem and are looking for a co-op game, I can highly recommend it.
Irina Moritz
Community Manager at MeinMMO
