This is the only game in the series that won't be going on my favorites list, also I don't have patience to finish %100.
My biggest problem with Darksiders III isn't that it's difficult, and it isn't even that it's a mediocre Soulslike.
It's that the game has no identity.
Darksiders used to have a very clear identity. Every Horseman was built around a strong visual and thematic core. Their weapon, their horse, their silhouette, their personality, and even the way they moved made them instantly recognizable.
Previous games experimented with secondary weapons and RPG systems, sometimes more than I would have liked, but the core identity of the Horsemen remained intact.
Darksiders III somehow manages to lose that identity entirely.
Fury should have been the Horseman that received the most characterization. Unlike War or Death, she isn't a widely recognized figure from mythology, so the game needed to establish who she was and what made her unique. Instead, her personality feels inconsistent, her horse is killed and quickly forgotten, and even her weapon identity is diluted.
The game treats every Hollows weapon as an extension of Fury's hilt and presents that as if it solves the problem. It doesn't. That's like handing me a hamburger and insisting it's a salad because it contains vegetables.
The world suffers from the same identity crisis. The developers removed the map and seemingly wanted players to navigate through observation alone. That can work when environments have memorable landmarks and strong visual distinction. Here, many areas blend together and become difficult to remember. You don't get lost because the world is complex; you get lost because too much of it feels the same.
The UI follows the same pattern. Health, Wrath, consumables, weapon forms - everything works, but nothing has style or personality. It looks like a generic template interface that was dropped into the game and never revisited.
The story constantly references previous entries, but instead of building upon them, it often relies on nostalgia. Fury spends much of the game learning lessons that an immortal Horseman of the Apocalypse should already understand. Rather than making her feel ancient and powerful, the writing often makes her feel immature.
The result is a game that lacks identity in its combat, world design, visual presentation, UI, story, protagonist, and even its weapons.
If you want a Darksiders game, play one of the other Darksiders games.
If you want a Soulslike, play one of the countless Soulslikes that do it better.
Darksiders III spends so much time trying to be something else that it forgets to be Darksiders.
