Darksiders III wants to be bigger than its predecessor. It mostly succeeds. What it can’t fix is the nagging sense that the series still hasn’t found its footing.
The game drops Fury, a new Horseman, into a broken Earth that has become a war zone. Her job is simple: hunt down the Seven Deadly Sins, each a massive boss guarding a piece of the apocalypse. That mission is the spine of the game, and it works better than anything else in the trilogy so far. The bosses are genuinely imposing, and taking them down feels earned rather than scripted.
Trailer, via IGN.
Fury’s Arsenal
Fury fights with a scythe and a whip chain, and her moveset is generous enough to keep combat fresh across dozens of hours. She can dash, she can charge attacks, and she can summon spectral horses mid-combat to change her stance. The weapon wheel system returns, letting players swap between melee weapons and ranged guns on the fly. It’s a solid idea, though the execution is uneven.
The problem is that the world outside the bosses doesn’t quite match the ambition. The open-world structure is there, with side quests and collectibles scattered across each region, but the pacing suffers. Side content often feels like filler rather than a meaningful addition to the story. Some areas are clearly designed around a single boss fight and nothing else.
The Sin Bosses
The seven main bosses are where Darksiders III earns its keep. Each Sin is a distinct challenge, from the lumbering Pride to the slippery Envy. The fights demand patience and precision, and the game does a decent job of teaching you what each Sin does before throwing you into the arena. The arenas themselves are large and varied, and the bosses scale well.
“Fury’s fury is a thing to behold.”
That line sums up the highs of Darksiders III. When everything clicks, the game delivers moments of genuine spectacle. The low points, meanwhile, are less memorable.
Technical Rough Edges
The PC version of Darksiders III runs at a steady frame rate, but the game struggles with pop-in textures and occasional slowdown during busy encounters. On console, the frame rate dips more frequently, and the load times can be long. None of these issues sink the game, but they’re persistent enough to be noticed.
The difficulty curve is also inconsistent. Some regular enemies are trivial to defeat, while others require careful positioning and timing. The game doesn’t always communicate what it expects from you, leaving players frustrated by a sudden spike in enemy aggression.
Story and Tone
The plot follows Fury’s journey through the Seven Deadly Sins, but the narrative is thin. Characters are underdeveloped, and the dialogue leans heavily on exposition. The tone shifts between dark fantasy and camp without much grace, which can be jarring. It’s not a fatal flaw, but it’s a missed opportunity for a game with such a rich mythos.
The best sequences are the ones that lean into the action. When Fury is charging across a battlefield, scythe raised, the game finds its rhythm. The worst sequences are the quiet moments between fights, where the pacing drags and the world feels empty.
Darksiders III is a competent, occasionally brilliant action game that never fully commits to being anything more. Its strengths — the bosses, the combat, the occasional burst of style — are undeniable. Its weaknesses — the thin story, the uneven pacing, the rough edges — are hard to ignore.
For fans of the series, this is the best entry yet. For newcomers, it might be a harder sell. The game demands patience, and it doesn’t always reward it.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
