I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.
So begins Inferno, the first canto of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. This epic, allegorical poem of the fourteenth century is heady, lyrical and dense with metaphor and social commentary. Unusually, it also forms the basis of EA's new action-adventure, Dante's Inferno, scheduled for release in 2010 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (with a handheld iteration set to hit the PSP). Developed by Visceral Games (formerly EA Redwood Shores, the makers of Dead Space), the game purports to take Dante's prose and base an action game in the vein of God of War around it.
Squint and you would be forgiven for mistaking this for another game.
Dante's Inferno employs the basic narrative structure of Dante's poem, following the author's fictional persona as he descends the nine concentric circles of Hell with the poet Virgil by his side. While the literary Dante's journey functioned as incisive, biting commentary and an examination of sin, Visceral Games has taken the surface elements and played fast and loose with them in an effort to bring the adventure aspect of the poem to the forefront. The gaming Dante is cast as a grizzled veteran of the Crusades who procures a vicious scythe from the Grim Reaper himself and invades the vast expanse of Hell to fight for his lost love, Beatrice, who is trapped in Lucifer's clutches. While the change from observant poet to the archetypal videogame anti-hero may irk some, it is a change which is consistent with the myriad other liberties Visceral Games has taken with the source material.
After all, Dante’s Divine Comedy is hardly a poem known for its hyper-kinetic violence and deadly combat scenarios, which is exactly the sort of concept Visceral Games is promising with Dante’s Inferno. Each circle of Hell is informed by Dante’s vivid descriptions and populated with ghoulish atrocities befitting the theme. The first circle of Hell, being Limbo, is thus populated with murderous infants. In many ways, the core structure of the canto provides a very conventional level structure on which to hang the combat mechanics.
The power of Christ compels you. No, seriously - go away!
Way back in the first paragraph of this preview (if you recall – we were all much younger then) the title of a certain popular game was dropped in reference to Dante's Inferno. Yes, it was Sony Santa Monica's own God of War, the title to which EA's game is most indebted. Like the aforementioned behemoth of the action-adventure genre, Dante's attacks are split into both light and heavy variants, with the third pillar of combat being his arsenal of ‘holy’ spells. As an added twist, players will be presented with the decision to either punish or absolve the souls of demons they vanquish. While the consequences of the player’s actions have not been fully elucidated as yet, it is relatively safe to assume that choosing the righteous path will yield untold rewards or pose unforeseen difficulties.
Aesthetically, Dante’s Inferno looks to be shaping up rather well. All the media released so far suggests that the title's rendition of Hell will be an evocative, imaginative one, and that Dante's movements have been lovingly animated to elicit a visceral punch. Many of the game’s set pieces will centre around Dante’s battles with a variety of screen-filling monstrosities, from Cerberus, the guardian of Hell, to the mythical King Minos and the Prince of Darkness himself. Like the Sony franchise it so clearly aspires to, Dante’s Inferno appears to take great pride in the scale of its action, and relies on this to engender drama, suspense and excitement. Whether it ultimately succeeds remains to be seen, but as you would expect from the makers of Dead Space, it looks to be a handsome game.
I shudder to consider the possibility that this fellow is just a mini-boss.
Really then, there is little to be wary about when considering Dante’s Inferno. The game is based on sophisticated, compelling source material, boasts an accessible yet flashy combat system, and is resplendent with gore, immense bosses and solid visuals. The only fly in the ointment could be that Dante’s Inferno comes across as slightly vulgar and calculated. The liberties taken with the Divine Comedy will likely have the literary enthusiasts choking on their chai lattes, while the title’s clear and present yearning to be God of War may instill a sense of cynicism and elitism amongst gamers. If Dante isn’t as good-looking and playable as Kratos, there is every possibility that God of War will bestride Dante's Inferno like a Colossus.
Ultimately though, none of the aforementioned issues will stick for long if the core mechanics are engaging and compelling on their own merit. While the core quality of Dante’s Inferno remains an unanswered question, at least we won’t have long to wait until the answer becomes clear; the game is scheduled for release in February of 2010.
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