Darksiders (PS3)

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The combat rekindles memories of Devil May Cry

But the Legend of Zelda influence is the one that overshadows all else. Each dungeon has a gear item, obtained about half of the way through. These gear items, which won't necessarily be weapons but can be used to defeat enemies, will allow WAR to pass previously impassable areas and open up new gameplay mechanic options - a format pioneered by the Zelda games.

The Tempest Cloak, for example, grants WAR the ability to smooth his falls and extend his jumps. You won't be able to access the Church dungeon - via gliding across tempest streams - until you've got it. And, as we've mentioned, WAR will eventually gain access to a boomerang. You can't access the Subway dungeon until you've got that. While you'll be able to explore the over world at your own leisure (you can go inside buildings off the beaten path and hunt for hidden items), this isn't an open world game in the traditional sense. There won't be any 'invisible walls' blocking access to locked areas, but you won't be able to progress until you have the appropriate item or pushed the main story forward to the right place.

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WAR uses his boomerang is ways any Zelda fan will know well. With it WAR can tag multiple items, switches and enemies, then let fly. If the boomerang passes through an element, like a torch flame, it will absorb it and pass it on to the target. As if in homage to the Nintendo classic, there's even a bit in Darksiders where WAR needs to throw the boomerang through torch fire in order to activate a switch. While the emphasis here is on action (you can also use the boomerang to transfer the plague from skeletons to other enemies, for example), there will be plenty of puzzle solving (one platform heavy area sees WAR climbing, swinging and jumping across various platforms that need to be raised and lowered so he can traverse a pool of lava), plenty of key finding, switch activation and chest opening. And you better bet your bottom rupee that the boomerang will come in handy with that.

Darksiders is shaping up nicely, and could be a surprise hit early next year.

Out in the Ashlands, a desolate area of the city that hasn't felt the tread of human feet for 100 years, the combat opens up and rekindles memories of horseback fights on Hyrule Field. WAR battles against a giant Dune-like worm while riding on the back of RUIN. He wears down its life bar with machine gun fire, a relic of the human resistance to the apocalypse, while fending off the Wicked. The finishing move sees WAR charge at the giant worm, leap then carve a gory slice down its neck before landing seamlessly on his trusty steed's back.

While Darksiders' apocalypse premise and stylised comic book look will grab the headlines, it's the more retro dungeon elements that we're most excited about. The combat probably won't end up beating God of War's, DMC's or Ninja Gaiden's, but the puzzle solving and platforming is on course to shine. The next-gen Zelda game Nintendo refuses to make? We'll have to wait and see.

Darksiders: Wrath of War is due out for Xbox 360 and PS3 early 2009.

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