I have to say I was a bit disappointed, I mean with a name like “Dante” I was expectinga gangster akin to 50 cent who will be fighting his way out “da ‘hood” not some gory character that looked like he just engaged in an altercation with edward scissorhands.

It doesn’t sound like the most obvious candidate for a videogame adaptation but Visceral Games is on to something with Dante’s Inferno. Even though Alighieri’s celebrated poem doesn’t quite match up with what Visceral Games is working on, its inspiration is more than apparent. Dante returns home to find that his love Beatrice has been murdered. Arriving in time to witness Death drag his slain lover into Hell, Dante chases Death, steals his scythe, and begins his journey to free her soul—intending to scour all of Hell for her, confronting Satan himself if need be.

The demo starts off with Dante in Hell. Visceral Games has an impressive record when it comes to graphics and atmosphere, Dante’s Inferno is no exception. The game is a visual powerhouse. Hell is a sight to behold as everything from its architecture to its fallen denizens is beautifully detailed and creates a deep sense of unease and anxiety. There is simply nothing that won’t impress as this is easily one of the best-looking action games in the making. Gameplay is a perfect blend of God of War and Devil May Cry. That being said, Dante’s Inferno plays just as action game fans would expect. It doesn’t necessarily push the action genre to uncharted areas, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t fun as hell.

Dante is equipped with Death’s iconic scythe and a cross which was given to him by his lady love Beatrice. The stolen scythe is what the bulk of Dante’s techniques is tied to. He can chain combos between light and heavy attacks, as well as impale and throw demon spawn around like playthings. The scythe can also be used as a grappling device of sorts and help Dante swing out of harm’s way. The cross on the other hand, delivers quick attacks and pushes enemies back by blasting the damned with cross-shaped projectiles. But Dante’s bag of tricks isn’t limited to his weapons. The determined hero also has access to four magical spells, only two of which were available in the latest demo. While one spell surrounds him with a purple energy to help ward off enemies, the other is an ice attack which causes him to rush at his enemies, leaving a trail of icy shards behind him.

It’s fortunate for Dante that he is well-equipped as his journey is filled with some of the most violent enemies imaginable. Early on, Dante will defend himself against lady demons with some pretty pissed off genitalia. These feisty females will lunge at Dante and stab him with their animated naughty bits. It sounds like an unsettling sight but it is nothing compared to watching Dante tear these fleshy perversions from his torso. Other enemies include overgrown goat-like monstrosities which are a bit harder to beat into submission.

Dealing with these nasty demon folk is not only essential for Dante’s survival, it’s also essential to increasing the strength of his weapons. Larger foes will prompt Dante with two options as they teeter towards the edge of demise: Absolution or Condemnation. Absolving a demon will grant Dante with righteous points, allowing for more powerful holy cross attacks. Condemning an enemy however will yield unholy points and a more formidable scythe.

One of Inferno’s goals was to integrate puzzle elements into the gameplay without taking too much of a break from the action. Towards the end of the demo, Dante sees his beloved ascend up a circular platform and he chases after her. The only problem is that Dante has to summon another platform and hold it in place before it rises up again. After a bit of environmental tinkering and moving around some decorative statues, Dante is able to pursue Beatrice—that is until he comes across a very large obstacle.

The demo ends with a dramatic battle against Cleopatra. Massive in size and wielding a pair of angry demon boobies, Dante will have to use every trick in the book to fend off the fiend. Enemies will populate the screen as the mouths where nipples should be on Cleopatra’s breasts will continuously spawn infant-sized abominations. Anyone who has read about EA’s publicity stunt at last year’s E3 will recognize these baddies as the ‘unbaptized babies’ from the protesters’ pamphlets. Without giving away too much, Cleopatra is hell-bent on keeping you from reaching Beatrice and holds the platform Dante is riding in place. Slashing her hand off the platform is only a part of winning this battle as Dante will have to once again use his environment to his advantage.

Dante’s Inferno launches next month, a release which cannot come soon enough. It takes elements from some of the best action titles and somehow manages to give established franchises like Devil May Cry a run for its money. And with the literary genius of Dante Alighieri as its influence, Dante’s Inferno is as guaranteed to be as cerebral and metaphorical as it is graphic. This is definitely one to pay close attention to.

Pros

• Very intense
• Top notch graphics
• impressive skill tree
• Boobies!?
• Based on a book!

Cons

• Button Mashing
• GoW-style minigames and finishers (sorry, it’s been done before)
• Boobies?!

Genre: Action
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Visceral Games
Release Date: February 9, 2010
MSRP: $59.99
Consoles: X360, PS3, PSP
ESRB: M

[xrr= 4/5]