Dante's Inferno is the latest project by none other than Visceral Games, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts who brought us the Dead Space franchise in October of 2008. Dante's Inferno is part of the Divine Comedy, an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between the period of 1308-1321, and is based on his visual/graphic representation of a "Christian" hell.
As the main protagonist of the same name, your mission in the opening act and/or tutorial level is loosely based in history, as is has you participating in the 3rd Crusade. A particular event in which the European leaders have you forcefully reclaiming the Holy Land from Saladin under orders of the Pope. It's here that you come face-to-face with your own mortality and battle for redemption from eternal damnation against Death.
Before mentioning anything more about the plot and what-not since this is kind of a tie in of sorts. Dante's Inferno is steeped in controversy, and if there's one thing that there's a copious abundance of in this game is simply...boobs, tits, breasts(insert name for the aforementioned subject). But they aren't just there to be a distraction, which in most cases you don't really have time to be glazed over by such wonders since you'll more than likely be fighting or dying...probably both. The representation of sexuality in this game isn't so much pleasurable as it is corrupt and disgusting, but also somewhat comical because of how over-the-top some of it is(every naughty bit of the Lust Level, I'll leave it at that). However, being that it is Hell it would seem fitting for it to be so, It's all about sin and not in a good way(is there a good way?).
That beauty pictured above is Beatrice Portinari(I wish I could find a better picture of her, at least pre-inferno because she is quite beautiful. However google images sucks, and google sucks because people like to fill it with ridiculous amounts of crap that's completely unrelated to the subject matter...oh well, moving on), Dante's wife/love interest who's soul was stolen away from him after making and losing a deal to Lucifer, during his return to Italy from the Crusades. Unwilling to damn an innocent soul(and his wife for that matter)Dante gives chase and fights through the Nine Circles of Hell to free her.
Your epic journey takes you through: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery under the guidance of another poet Virgil, who also acted as the guide for the poet Dante Alighieri on his epic journey. Although I'd like to go through great detail about each of these, It's more of a sight to immerse in yourself. Based on the descriptive imaginings from the poem itself(which actually sticks pretty close to the source material for the most part)while having It's own spin from the developers, the Nine Circles of Hell are filled with pretty much everything/anything you can imagine while provoking thought to the very basis(in this case the word of representation. or title)of the Circles themselves.Being a game of the action genre, Dante's Inferno has your furiously fighting through the hordes of the underworld, every manner of demon and beast is sent after you, attempting to thwart your quest. However, Dante isn't without his resources. Brandishing Death's scythe and Beatrice's Cross which is imbued with the Holy Spirit, Dante is given many options in which he is to deal with his enemies. Like most action oriented titles, you mash buttons in combination with one another to engage the enemy in a stylish, yet effective fashion. Using the scythe for more up-close encounters, and the cross for ranged battles since It's main function is to fire out volleys of cross-shaped energy.
One of the more central themes in this game is the soul, and which path It's allowed to take, combat is no exception to this rule. And although you can't do this to everyone, for most of the enemies you're given the choice either: damn, where your obliterate them with your scythe, or absolve them by striking them with your cross. During your travels, you may also happen upon some historically note-worthy denizens of the Inferno which you may also choose to damn or absolve(restricted to the denizens themselves, absolving takes you through a Dance Dance Revolution type of mini-game which allows you to play for bonus basic soul experience). Following through with one of these actions allows you to obtain: holy, or unholy experience which can be used to level up those respected skill trees, allowing you to unlock further additions to combos, access to magic, and upgrades to health and mana reserves. Remember how I mentioned choice earlier? Well, you can just defeat your enemies without regard of neither damn nor absolve, and just obtain basic soul experience which is used to buy all that you've unlocked on the trees.
Another added element to this title is the addition of relics, which are scattered throughout the Nine Circles. Relics, are accessories that enhance Dante's abilities and unlock special little tweaks to further assist you in battle. Ranging from more experience gain, to auto-countering upon a successful block, they're there to make life in Hell a little easier for you(^_^).
While Dante's Inferno borrows mechanics from titles like God of War, namely flow of combat and quick-time events, I believe that It's a game all on It's own and should be allowed to stand as such. It deserves merit and justification for taking the concept of an epic poem, and translates quite well in my opinion into the medium of video games. Telling the story in as little as a few hours(about 8-10 with the first play-through...because It's impossible to get everything in one go), it does a fairly good job of keeping with the themes/elements of the original medium, which leaves you to beg the question: what won't I get sent to hell for?
I would comment but I'm so offended by the bewbs I can't.
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