Darksiders: Wrath of War - hands-on

Randhawa tells us that there are plenty of these kinds of moments, each playing a significant role in the balance between roaming in an open world on foot or horseback, traversing ancient ruins and solving puzzles. Obstacles (like finding a way to open up lower ground levels) are easily solved by using your wits to find openings and ledges that might lead you to a new section, extra tasks and your goal. When negotiating ledges, War is able to cling to wall crevices with his gauntlet-like hand and can either leap upwards or use the gauntlet to support his considerable weight as he sprints along the vertical surfaces.

While War’s weapons are substantially powerful, there are some creatures that require a little more thought to defeat. One such ghoul was a skeletal soldier clad in crystal armour. In the corner of the area, a stone statue holding a crystal sword began to glisten and that was our cue for action. One mighty sword swing later andchunks of his crystal armour had shattered off, leaving the demon dazed and staggering to his knees, ready for our fatal blow. Holding down the sword slash charges up an attack that sees War hurl the spinning sword at his enemy – levelling anything in its path. The crystal sword that we just picked up can then be used back where we started to open doors that lead deeper into the mission just by placing it in the hands of a different statue. There were doors that could easily be opened without the aid of special items and then there were others that required hitting switches high above them.