I need to run, but a few thoughts to add based on my time with the game. (I didn't review it, but have a lot to say about it; we might dedicate an entire podcast to the game.)
The first third of the game may be a rip-off, but it's also great fun; your first two or three hours will probably be really enjoyable. New enemies get introduced, it's interesting to descend into the circles, and the combat, while not exceptional, is flashy and colorful. I am also a big fan of the storytelling, for while it might cause Virgil to roll in his grave, the narrative is surprisingly decent, and the animated cutscenes are beautifully done.
The middle third settles. It isn't bad, but the game starts to lose steam. The enemies it introduces are more annoying than interesting, and there's a reliance on underwhelming platforming. It's here that the sound design started to bother me. I know this is hell--but that doesn't mean it's a place I want to be while I play a game. The groans, the howls, the cries, the squeals--they don't let up. It started to wear on me, as if I was playing with a box of bricks on my head. While Christian parents would deplore this game for its violence and gratuitous shots of boobs and wang (yeah, you get to see two wangs, one of which is OH MY GOD WANG!), I say, let your kids play it. They will want to avoid hell.
But at least I respect that the devs nailed what they were going for, even if the game started to feel heavy, and the fun started to get sucked away through monotony and lame puzzles. But the final third is a complete disaster. It starts with a backtracking sequence--the first in the game--and once you reach the repeated battle arenas, you know they ran out of ideas, or time, or money. There simply is no level design here; you just move to the next arena, which looks like the last--you even do variations of the same platforming bit to get to it. By this point, the game has gone from up-and-down challenge to shockingly easy, and it ends with the most laborious and annoying walk across a bridge that you could imagine. Four or five minutes of just walking. And this was the leadup to the final boss.
I could say a lot more. Combat balance issues; that stupid absolution minigame; and so on. The thing is, I like Dante's Inferno, but I couldn't in good conscience call it "good." Not when I can play God of War Collection and get a superior experience from games that came out years ago. How much you like Dante's Inferno I think depends on how far the core combat gets you. If you like hack and slash, this is a reasonable rental, or maybe even a purchase. But if you would rather spend money on games that will make you want to grab it off the shelf in a few months and play some more of it, this one just isn't going to do it.
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