Dante's Inferno

"As far as comparisons between this title and God of War, I'd give the aesthetic edge actually to Dante's Inferno. Not necessarily for being more epic, but for more adeptly capturing the creepy, hopeless, grotesque atmosphere of Hell. [...] Reading all the stories actually made me really want to get up and read the poem. How often can you say that? A video game make you want to get off your ass and go read!"

- Sohinki

Dante's Inferno is a game featured and played on Top 5, Gamer Nation, PVP, and Raging Bonus.

Game information
Dante's Inferno is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. Its story is based on Inferno, the first canticle of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It follows the exploits of Dante (reimagined as a Templar Knight) as he journeys through the nine circles of Hell to reclaim the soul of his beloved Beatrice from the hands of Lucifer himself.

Gameplay
The player controls protagonist Dante and engages in fast-paced combat, platforming and environment-based puzzles. Dante's primary weapon is Death's scythe and can be used in a series of combination attacks and finishing moves. His secondary weapon is a Holy Cross that fires a volley of energy as a projectile attack. Dante can also use numerous magic-based attacks and abilities channeled from a mana pool to help in combat, many of which are obtained through progress. Many attack combinations and abilities can be unlocked in exchange for souls, an in-game currency that is collected upon defeating enemies or locating soul fountains. Each of these skills falls into two categories: Holy (represented by blue orbs) or Unholy (represented by red orbs) skill trees. In the beginning, both are equal in power, but as Dante gains more Holy and Unholy experience, more abilities are available for purchase. Experience is collected through the "Punish or Absolve" system, whereupon defeating enemies, Dante can either punish and dismember or absolve and save them with the Holy Cross.

The game includes large sections of platforming, including swinging between ropes and climbing walls, both of which can involve hazards such as fire or swinging blades. There is also a series of environment-based puzzle sequences, such as requiring the correct positioning of movable objects or pulling levers at the appropriate time. In addition, there are numerous hidden passages where Biblical relics can be found and equipped to improve Dante's abilities.

Reception
"Most people hated on Dante's Inferno when it came out because the combat is very, very similar to God of War on the surface. But, to be fair, God of War ' s combat is pretty much flawless. Why deviate away from a perfect system? That being said, the combat is very different once you progress through the game."

- Sohinki

The PS3 version version generally favorable reviews, while the PSP and Xbox 360 versions received more average reviews. While there was substantial praise for the art style and level design, numerous critics drew unfavorable comparisons with Sony's popular God of War series, among other more fundamental criticisms, such as monotonous and repetitive gameplay in the latter half of the game. One of the most praised aspects was the game's depiction of Hell, considered creative yet graphic in nature. However, some reviews felt the creativity waned towards the end of the game.