Going to Hell might be exciting Imagine going to hell and you find yourself in an area where those who were gluttons in life are punished. Their torment is to lie entangled under a continual and heavy storm of hail, black snow and discolored water. As you see the horror all around you, you noticed Cerberus the ferocious three-headed beast that guards the gluttons and feeds on them like scattered meat.
At that moment, you realized your only choice is to ready your weapon and kick some demon ass! Well ladies and gentleman EA is going to let gamers experience being demon slayer when Dante’s Inferno hits the PS3 and Xbox 360 next year. What is Dante’s Inferno about? Dante’s Inferno a.k.a. the Divine Comedy was written by Dante Alighieri, between 1308 and 1321. The author took readers for one hell of ride with this epic masterpiece. The book introduces Dante, who happens to be the writer, narrator, main protagonist and traveler in the Inferno.
The story begins on the night before Good Friday, in the year 1300. Dante is wandering in a dark and gloomy forest, unable to find a pathway out. While trying to find his way he’s approached by three beasts that are blocking his path. On the verge of giving up hope, Dante is saved by the Roman Vergil who guides him through the nine circles of the hell. Dante journeys through the three realms of the dead, the Inferno (hell), Purgatory and Heaven, each is a separate volume in the Divine Comedy. Of the three, the Inferno was the most popular one of the series, because the author describes in great, disturbing detail, the nine layers of hell and the punishments of those imprisoned there. Dante’s Inferno is already set-up to be a great game I remember reading this book in the 10th grade, thinking to myself that this will be a great game.
Unfortunately no developer stepped up to plate to bring this beautiful imaginative experience to the consoles. Capcom was slightly influenced by the book when they introduced Devil May Cry, by having characters such as Dante and Vergil, who are heavily mention throughout the Divine Comedy. However, seeing how the DMC series has grown, it’s safe to say Capcom has made their own spinoff of Dante’s Inferno. So why is D.I. set up to be a great game? Because it has what every action/platformer game needs… a great story! The story in D.I. is not for everyone (especially religious people). It’s very disturbing and dark, the nine circles that are introduced in D.I. are described in such detail that it makes the reader cringe in fear. Imagine playing a game that has a mixture of Dead Space, God of War, Devil May Cry and Resident evil….. all I can say is incredible.
But can the developers pull it off?…I think so. Who’s developing Dante’s Inferno? EA’s Redwood Shores studio, the same people that brought you Dead Space are taking a shot at developing Dante’s Inferno. EA’s developing team knows the magnitude of the story. They understand they are turning a classic piece of literature into a video game and that’s going to be a very difficult task to do. Most critics are already looking at this project as train wreck waiting to happen, but I have faith in Redwood Shores studio. EA’s take on the story will heavily differ from the author’s. The story will still feature Dante as the main protagonist, but instead of poet-philosopher that we all fell in love with, he is now a cross-stabbing, scythe wielding Crusader. According to Gamespot, “he returns home from war to find out Beatrice (the love of his life) was murdered and her soul was kidnapped by Satan himself.” And that’s when all hell…breaks loose?….well ya’ll get the picture. Dante will also have a array of weapons, the only one I can confirm now is the massive scythe he’s wielding in the latest trailer. According the to the February issue of PSM3, “Button-for-Button the control are identical to God of War’s”. So GOW fans should feel right at home with this upcoming title, with square and triangle being your light and heavy attacks, circle for grabbing enemies, etc.
If that’s not enough to quench your thirst Dante will also have magical abilities along with his trusty cross, that he can use as projectile weapon. EA’s Dante’s Inferno will also have quicktime events “he can choose to either punish or absolve the soul–either choice will result in a QuickTime event that, if you successfully pull it off, will earn you currency you can use to upgrade Dante’s weapons and abilities.” So is this another God of War rip off? absolutely not. Anybody that read D.I. knows that the setting is absolutely horrid. From the gluttons being fed to Cerberus, to sorcerers and false prophets having their heads twisted around on their bodies, damned to walk backwards forever. On the technical side EA’s Redwood studios are devoted to keeping the “game running at 60 frames per second”. The combat in D.I is key, so controls will be very responsive.
The game is anticipated to be “fast and furious” with “fluid smooth animations”. What two things does Dante’s Inferno need to be it’s own game?
1. Length: The in story Dante’s Inferno is very detailed and well written. For gamers to gain the same experience as the readers, the game will have to be longer than 8 hours, 15-20 will be perfect.
2. Boss Battles: There are a lot mythical creatures in D.I., from the minotaur to medusa, along with some other hellish demons. Every boss battle in D.I. should be epic and should set itself aside from GOW.
Final comments: As GOW fan, I’m hyped for this game, from my research, even though the game is still in early development, it’s already looking promising.
