The Path to Paradise Begins in Hell

My favourite parts of the God of War trilogy are the parts you travel through Hell to fight Hades. Dante’s Inferno is pretty much more of the same. Many people saw this as a generic hack n’ slash game, but I saw it as a standalone epic adventure deep into the bowels of Hell.

Dante’s Inferno pits you as Dante Algheiri, a warrior whose sins have caused his father to be murdered and his wife to be dragged to Hell by Lucifer. The game follows his journey through the nine circles of Hell to rescue her and redeem himself of all his sins. The voice acting is superb, and the poet Virgil acts as your ghostly guide through the game’s story.

The graphics of the game are rather generic for the time of its release but the soundtrack is a standout part of the game. It can only really be described as creepy, opera like church choir medleys. They really add to the atmosphere and make your journey suspenseful and epic simultaneously. The sound effects are quite disgusting too, with the ever-common squelch sound as you rip a demon in two with your bone scythe.

Each circle of Hell introduces new challenges and new enemy types, meaning that the game is overflowing with variance. From ghoulish, zombified enemies to horned Minotaur demons, this game has it all. There’s also a boss fight at the end of each circle of Hell, with inspiration drawn from mythology. You’ll battle friendly faces such as the Hydra and
Cleopatra and they all look a lot worse for wear than when you last imagined them.

The boss fights are incredibly demanding, and always tend to have a brutal finish in the vein of God of War. These include piercing King Minos’ tongue on a large wooden spoke, then turning it so that it spins itself out of a new, bloody opening in his face. The fight with Cleopatra is especially interesting due to its shocking, vile nature. You climb a tower fighting off minor enemies whilst she swings for you and un-baptised babies crawl out of pus-filled holes in her areolas.

Dante’s Inferno features a karma system that allows you to unlock holy or unholy combos to better Dantes’ power. Holy moves tend to be more range based, whereas the unholy ones are great for close quarters combat. As you travel through Hell, you will encounter lost souls such as Pontius Pilate. You can choose to punish or absolve these souls, and in a few short quick time events you’ll have earned your respective points to spend on your new moves.

Despite being one of the only games that allows you to slaughter babies, Dante’s Inferno has a lot of depth. You collect silver coins and relics to boost your characters capabilities, making it more and more possible to obtain the games most difficult trophy – a 666 hit combo.  The game is also incredibly difficult, and acts as a real challenge to the average gamer. The game features a lot of puzzle solving and platforming too, which all require precise timing and execution as well as a lot of brainpower.

Dante’s Inferno is engaging and the book it is based on is a rather strange one. It’s not as religious as you may think, and it’s brutal beyond the goriest of imaginations.

Conclusion

‘If you like babies exploding out of pus nipples then this is the game for you. If you’re in the mood for a super-immersive story mode this game will do you fine’.

8/10