The announcement of Darksiders 3 was a welcome surprise to everyone disappointed to see the first two games’ publisher and developer both close down. Thankfully, the rights were sold to THQ Nordic, and now the franchise lives on, with several of the original devs returning for the latest entry.
Once again you’ll step into the shoes of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, this time Fury, as you battle against the Seven Deadly Sins across a post-apocalyptic Earth. Watch the first trailers and find out about the Darksiders 3 release date, platforms, and gameplay below.
What is Darksiders 3?
Darksiders 3 is, surprisingly enough, the sequel to Darksiders and Darksiders 2. Shocking stuff.
If you haven’t played either before, the games are Zelda-esque, combining third-person melee combat with puzzle solving and exploration, set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. Each sees you play as a different Horseman – the first as War, the second as Death, and now as Fury (who’s admittedly not one of the traditional Horsemen of the Apocalypse).
Some might be surprised to find a new Darksiders game is on the way though. The future of the franchise looked in doubt after publisher THQ went bankrupt in 2013, and developer Vigil Games went unsold when THQ’s assets went to auction, leaving the studio to fall apart.
Luckily, many of Vigil’s developers went on to form Gunfire Games, while the Darksiders license was bought by Nordic Games, which later became THQ Nordic. In looking for a new developer to pick up the torch, they naturally turned to Gunfire, and so Darksiders 3 was born.
You can find out more about the game’s road to development in a video interviewing members of Gunfire Games and THQ Nordic:
When is the release date?
The only confirmed release date for Darksiders 3 is ‘2018’, which is a pretty broad window, and it’ll be out on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Sadly, we don’t know any more than that, but we’ll update this article as soon as we do.
In the meantime, you can check out the original games in their remastered versions for modern consoles and PC: the Darksiders Warmastered Edition, and the Darksiders 2 Deathinitive Edition (see what they did there?).
What will the gameplay be like?
If you’ve played either of the first Darksiders games, then Darksiders 3 should seem mostly familiar, though naturally there’ll be a few new tweaks.
You play as Fury, the only female Horseman (Horseperson?). She apparently falls somewhere between War and Death in terms of combat speed, and uses a whip as her main weapon, allowing her to keep enemies at a distance.
That whip will also be a way to traverse the map, swinging across gaps for instance. Fury is also a mage, and her magic will apparently “unleash her various forms,” giving players access to new weapons, moves, and travel abilities.
Your goal for the game is to defeat the Seven Deadly Sins, a group of powerful enemies that have broken out of their prison, and each will require you to fight through a themed area before you can take them out.
For example, the first Sin you’ll encounter is Sloth, portrayed as a giant, obese insect, and you’ll have to fight past an assortment of other over-sized bugs on your way to him.
Naturally everything is couched in the over-the-top art-style of the Darksiders universe, this time realised in the Unreal Engine, and there are some serious graphical improvements from the first two titles.
Trailers and gameplay footage
If you want to watch the game’s reveal trailer, head back up to the top of the page to see it in action. You can also watch 12 minutes of Darksiders 3 pre-alpha gameplay, including the fight against the first boss, Sloth, accompanied by developer commentary right here:
Author: Dominic Preston, Deputy Editor
Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he's a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.