‘Darksiders: Warmastered Edition’ takes War to new consoles

By Gabe Gurwin July 28, 2016

Last year, publisher Nordic Games and developer Gunfire — comprised partially of former Vigil Games staff — released Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, an updated and enhanced version of the game for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This left current-gen console owners with Death’s underrated adventure, but they couldn’t play the game that kicked off the series. That’s about to chance, as Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is on its way.

Developed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Wii U, Darksiders: Warmastered Edition features native 1080p resolution, along with improvements to the rendering system, shadows, and post processing effects. Texture resolutions have also been “doubled,” which may stand as the largest improvement from the original version of the game. While Darksiders and its sequel use a vibrant, comic-inspired art style, it came at the cost of fidelity, with faces and certain environments lacking the detail we expect from AAA action games.

While the PlayStation 4, Xbox One , and PC versions of the remastered game will feature 60 frames per second gameplay, the Wii U version will cap at 30. Given the limitations of the console’s power, this isn’t a huge surprise. The Wii U didn’t receive Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition when it launched last year, which featured similar graphical improvements along with extra DLC, though the standard version of the game had already been ported for the system’s launch.

Unlike Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, the original game isn’t being remastered at Gunfire Games, but rather KAIKO. This again raises the question of a potential third installment being in development at the former studio. Last year, a Nordic representative said they were trying to “reactivate the community” with the remastered games in order to have a “better starting position” for a potential Darksiders III. The publisher acquired the rights to the series following THQ’s bankruptcy and liquidation in early 2013.

Darksiders: Warmastered Edition launches on October 25 for $20.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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