I am very glad to finally be done with this video. I ran into some issues with the footage I had, and so had to replay the game to rerecord a lot of footage, plus re-record the script several times because I kept seeing issues with earlier drafts and scrapped them. I have added around 50 hours or so to my DS2 steam gameplay time solely because of this video... The video itself is actually 25 minutes exactly, and everything past that point is my unscripted rambling about Darksiders. There was a lot that I wanted to talk about that I couldn't fit into the nice neat themed package of the video, so I figured I could dump it there. Plus how I talk in my scripted videos is very different from how I talk casually, and so I figured this was a way to introduce you all to the more "real" me. I really love Darksiders 2 in spite of all of it's many many flaws, and it is likely going to be that game that I will rant about how it didn't get the recognition it deserved when I am 60 years old.
I just ran across your video at god knows what hour in the morning and I have to say this was fantastic! Your breakdown of the archetypes of death characters was spot on and your description of the horseman was brilliant. I have just got done getting all the trophies in darksiders 3 and I think you have most of the problems with it dead on however I think I can add a few more to consider. Number one amongst them, Fury does not feel like a horseman filled with wrath enough to fight endlessly but more... vaguely annoyed and weirdly fascinated with humanity! Like you'll be playing the game then she just randomly starts rambling on about humanity and it feels so out of place also that slowed movement speed is just god awful as you are forced to sit and listen to this stupid dialogue when all you want is to play the damned game. Where is Fury's fury? Where is her rage, in that stupid wrath scene where she looks high as the sun and then downright comical at a beloved companions death, I laughed at that scene, laughed when I should have been sad at the very least and later on my second and third run(Getting to level 100 is a pain...) I skipped it and most of the cutscenes as well. Also her character change feels hollow (If you see what I did there), like it feels forced as her flaws are massively exaggerated not to mention how she feels more like pride than Pride does with how much she loves compliments and loathes insults. My fix would be to have be the most biting of the horsemen, always chafing to fight and move around, to have her revel in battle and appear as if she is utterly blood mad. This would just be the tip of the iceberg however as her true fury would only be released after a sudden period of emptiness in emotion and face only to be torn away in a worless, crazed rage that sees her become little more than a savage monster who can only howl and claw at everything around it. No executions, bad dlc aside from adding to the lore on the crucible and the alright fight with Ionas, no horse, bad performance where it would crash constantly and a lack luster story which weakened the council and portrayed a horseman as a weak fool who is easily misled. At least the destroyer showed up. I have more ideas for fixes, if you want to see them, I will be writing more over the next few days.
I really love how Death demonstrates maturity at the end of the game. He could abandon War to "undo his sin". But he understands that two wrongs don't make a right. He betrayed his people once and corruption was born. He understands that nothing good will come of it if he repeats that mistake. He doesn't allow his guilt to bully him into another bad decision. He sticks to the plan and accepts the consequences.
Noticed how Death said if he had a second chance with Absalom, he would "see him spared"? Cut to the end, where Death finally defeated Absalom, he did not take his hand but finished him off. Absalom, corrupted, if let alive, would continue to be a slave to Corruption, continue to suffer and cause even more suffering. By killing Absalom, Death set him free. Free from corruption, free from guilt, free from the weight of living with his sins. Death did spare Absalom, his brother. Death kept his words. Writing payoff at its best.
To be fair. Death was dark and powerfull, but a really nice guy (sometimes). This is why i loved his character so much. And the voiceactor was fantastic.
Death is my favourite. Mostly because he hits the right balance of character traits. He can be serious and stoic like War yet is not above a bit of sarcasm and humour like Strife and is certainly not without anger like Fury. He doesn’t feel like a one-note character, he feels rounded and likeable. He’s cool-headed but not omniscient, arrogant but not overbearing, tormented by his actions but still divided by it.
Sorry to revive this for ya 3 years later but I assume you'd want to hear the news at the end of this comment :) I absolutely hope to agree with you when I'll finish the game, as I didn't really like Fury because of the dark souls gameplay, and War is my favorite so far due to how he feels, but Death does seem to check all the right boxes as you've mentioned : serious when needed to go on a mission, sarcastic when it's too heavy to lighten up the mood, cool headed well I'd call it stoic, arrogant well that makes me like him more lol I like arrogant people on a dose. I truly hope Strife will be even more likable because if not I'd have to either go back to DS1 with War or fit in with the rest saying Death is the GOAT lol Oh why Strife you ask ? because DS4 was just announced and we'd have to assume it's him ! th-cam.com/video/FC6dqdSBH_o/w-d-xo.html
My impression of why he would be described as anti life is to in a sense gaslight him, mentally restrain his abilities by stunting his meaning and role, and stunting his power potential in the process, a proverbial leash for death engineered by the council to keep order and power absolute
A good representation of Death was, surprisingly, in Charmed. Not an evil thing, but a natural and necessary piece of Life... Death was presented as a calm man who understands that humans hate him.
@@InternetNinja100 that's something that usually can't go together anymore. Back in the day there were better female characters because their character wasn't about being a woman but being a good character. But still... a female Death is out of place. Same reason why Fury was the most hated HorseMAN. Although her development was good, it's the usual childish girl that throws a fit if she can't get what she wants for literally doing nothing for it.
What I like so far is how all 4 horsemen were written with a lot of personality and character growth throughout their games. War and Strife had very little growth but felt quite realized already, with War as this stoic TANK who sees his mission through, his personality is almost Batman-esque if you trade his trauma for eons of battle, Strife is the opposite, almost like a Deadpool archetype (if you played Genesis, you get to know him) and the kind we don't need development. Fury on the other hand had a GLOW UP throughout her game, starting as cocky, arrogant and full of sass, she grew up to go from a ravaging anger to the cold fury that is much more terrifying than the former. But Death, o Death, my edgelord, my king of sass, rider of sarcasm, how much fun do I have playing with him :D He exudes "Older brother" energy, mostly fully-realized but the game had him confront a certain elephant in the room that was the souls of the Nephilim.
You put in words all my feelings for Darksiders 2 and Death himself. Its both my favourite game and character. I loved how they put on him the feeling that he is the oldest brother, he has to keep them safe because thats what he does. Specially in the novel Abomination Vault, when some major thing happens to War and Death feels awful and bad for not protecting War the way he should and using him as bait. Death is the most complex, complete and loveable character in the series. Hes awesome
I play a necromancer in a D&D campaign and she has a similar outlook on death to this, death isn't a negative thing to fear, but simply a part of life, seeing death the entity as more a compassionate bringer of someone's end rather than the cold reaper of souls. The grander view she has is that the only true constant in the universe is that all things end, including the ending, and the only thing that can bring an end to The End, is Beginning. Not a unique concept, but my favorite.
I think Death is so commonly a cold and stoic figure, because Death is just that. Death is a fact of life. While many have various reactions to death, Death just is. There are many paths to Death, but they all bring peace. Willingly or otherwise. Death is cold, because it is distant, something no one and nothing can know, and is stoic, because Death doesn't care who you were, or how you go. Death comes for all, and all are equal in death.
As much as i want Strife to get his own game, i feel like 4 needs to take place after the final seal is broken and its just the Horsemen vs the world. They've all grown over the course of the series, and I'd love to see them interact. A more open and honest Death, a more secure and rightous Strife, a kinder and more caring Fury, and a more measured and levelheaded War.
Don't take what the Charred Council describes the Horseman as too literally. In fact, that's what made me realize the point of the Horseman's naming scheme and the plots of the games thus far: they are the opposite of what the Council declared them to be, and their games are about overcoming those labels. "Juggernaut of Pain, Anti-Life, All That is Unrested in the Hearts of Man". These labels are the least physical means the Council has used to control the Horseman, but rather the most psychological. Sounds all scary from the outside, but from the inside it's a clear statement: This is what you are, this is what you're meant to be. Don't bother being anything else. It took a while for it to dawn on me, but each Horseman slowly rejects their role. War's was ironically the last to dawn on me, because he calls it "The Balance" which threw me off. War seeks his version of peace, Death creates life, Fury learns compassion, and from his appearances in Genesis and 3 Strife has an inner conflict he learns to become zen about, allowing him to help others overcome their personal struggles. More and more I'm starting to think the guy who worked on X-Men wanted his team of super-powered badasses who are inherent of beings of light and darkness much more powerful than ourselves to be allegories for overcoming society's perception and having the will to improve as a person despite adversity. The line Wicked K has in Genesis about "being human" is raising an eyebrow more and more every day.
My favorite part was Death's interaction with the last human (who may or may not have been part of the settlement Fury saved) and gave him Mercy after the guilt he felt essentially betraying his kind for no reason (He thought his soul was taken) I am interested in how Strife will change in Darksiders 4 (if there is one) as a theory stated that after Genesis Strife changed a lot atleast that what they said
The reason the quality dipped from Darksiders 2 going into Darksiders 3 and Genesis, is because the company that made Darksiders 2 went bankrupt. THQ and Vigil games are no more, their IP were put up for auction, and Nordic/Gunfire games bought it. It is a real shame, Darksiders 3 had none of that darksiders magic.
Darksiders 3 is made by gunfire.... Most of them were members of vigil games. And even the comic drawer returned to design darksiders 3. To be honest, darksiders 3 is the best looking darksiders while beeing true to the original design. Gameplaywise you could argue its not you gamestyle, but still it is a really really good souls like. And all 3 darksiders games were pretty different compared to each other.... So in conclusion, to say its quality dipped is invalid, especially with the argument you brought afterwards. Don't hate because you want to hate. Research before arguing. In addition, play those games back to back and you notice the upgrade in quality, at least in certain areas like graphics, cameras, artstyle, gameplay etc.
Darksiders genesis is still one hell of an game, ngl i'm playing it now and finding more entertaining than the previous games, maybe i like the gameplay style
While 3 doesn't exactly feel like a Darksiders title, the game is still good and very fun to play through. And Genesis is THE revival the series needed. If anyone skipped the game because of the camera angle, I urge any fan to reconsider and try it out. Genesis is 100% and more Darksiders - it has killer gameplay for both Riders, the OST is top tier epic and beautiful, maybe even more so than in previous games, and the characters truly shine. Genesis is a must-play for any Darksiders fan
@@idvdumpand what is a DS game supposed to “feel” like exactly? There were only two games in the series before 3 and both had some serious design differences. There is no pattern to glean from such a small sample size.
Another incarnation of Death that is painted in a more sympathetic light is the one from Terry Pratchetts Discword novels. Most often just shown in short encounters with the souls of the recently deceased, there are also some novels that actually go into detail on his role and personality. On one occasion, it is shown what happens without him: Absolute chaos, as life force is no longer able to leave the world and forces the dead to return into unlife or animating normally lifeless objects. Discworld Death is also shown to care, when meddling forces take a shot at destroying the Discworld version of Santa, Death temporarily (and rather humorously) takes over to make sure that faith in him is not lost in the time it takes him to be reborn. He continues to do his best in order to understand life and humanity because it makes him curious. He's not human, to be clear, that isn't in his nature, but he is not cold or emotionless even though he could be if he wanted to.
I like how Fran Bow descibes death... Death is nothing more than the absence of love. Once you can't feel love, you die... Even if your body still walks.
Death is the character that makes the Darksiders special to me. Without him and his story, the games would just be a very cool, stylish and epic reimagining of the classic Horsemen imagery. Death is a perfectly balanced character, because while he is the eldest, most powerful of the Horsemen and badass as hell, he is the most burdened one by far. Darksiders 1 has a story about righting a wrong, there is not much in terms of emotional stakes for War, Darksiders 3 has Fury simmer down and become more humble, Genesis shows us that Strife was at war with himself after the destruction of the nephilim. Darksiders 2, paired with the amazing Abomination Vault novel, is about Death being haunted by his past actions, the weight of the genocide heavy on him millennias after the massacre, his love for his siblings and his burden of the time he betrayed War. Death could have easily been the most overpowered and uncaring character of the franchise, instead he is the most caring and hurting one of them all. Death really embodies the burden of immortality too, as there is no set limit of a lifetime for him, and he has to life with all those sins forever. The Abomination Vault novel was truly a gift to the fans, and expanded on all these aspects of Death's character. And the amazing voice acting done for him conveys the inner turmoil of his character perfectly. Thank you for doing a video on this topic, and a huge thumbs up for using the OST of the second game for the background, that music is gorgeous. Death's chuckle before the Well of Souls is heartbreaking
Hey! This turned out excellent! I'm glad you were able to turn it into a worthy passion project. Very proud of you for taking time and effort to really edit.
To see a film depicting what I had in mind for all these years is simply astounding and I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this way. The game itself actually helped me get used to the idea of dying and that one day it will happen - not as something evil or as an end but rather something natural or as another stop in our journey BTW there was no better voice actor for Death than Michael Wincott
From the moment life draws breath, Death already flows on it. Just like light cannot exist without dark, just like the rising sun will always set. Everything that has beginning has also an end.
I remember playing 2 and fighting the angle boss, i managed to get pushed into the floor, I would have been mad, but I saw that the Reaper form model was hidden under floor wait to be activated, it was cool seeing that
To your ending points about Darksiders 3's intro with the "summaries" of the horsemen, I feel like, in a way, that was meant to symbolize what the horsemen were SUPPOSED to be from the council's eyes. Absolute, unyielding enforcers of their will. War being an unstoppable juggernaut that will not cease to seek out retribution against those who have wronged the council, death, a cold, unfeeling executioner who would do much the same, eliminating foes and not opposing the Council's "balance". But the Horsemen were so much more than that. War probably lived up to his role the most "faithfully", in that he was the most focused on his duty. And when you are a powerful hulk burning with a steady rage, it's an easier task to fulfill. But none of the horsemen really fit what the Council deemed they should be. Even at the end, War was not so impractical that he'd perform his duty without thought. If something was not right to him, he'd question it. Strife is not some unyielding edgelord who sows anxiety and fear and unrest. He's the most comical of the group, yet is often most troubled by himself and his past, rather than instilling those feelings in others. Fury was definitely full of rage, but it was uncontrolled, easy to set off, and it blinded her to what she ought to know (A running trend among the horsemen, frankly, though each in their own way). But honestly this feels truest of Death. Like you made several points of during your video. Death isn't some heartless, unfeeling assassin. Despite his rough exterior, he feels and cares a great deal. He rarely hesitates if something is in his way, by no means, but his whole story is about proving *why* he's on his journey in the first place. Reviving Humanity does feel like a means to an end, at first, the solution to saving War. But he becomes more and more conflicted with his guilt and his desires. Ironically, in a strange sort of way, his guilt is what truly saved humanity. If he had not sealed the souls of the nephilim into that amulet, if he hadn't opposed the Crowfather's plea to destroy the amulet, he might never have had the means *to* bring humanity back. Death's emotional connection, his sympathy for other beings is a crucial part of him that the Council likely views as a weakness. But really, it's one of his greatest traits. A point which you honestly hit home in this video.
Darksiders and DmC Devil May Cry are two different games yet the stories of the Nephilim, the Great War, Family and weight of actions past present and future harmonize with each other. Death and the three other horsemen are Dante and Vergil's cousins, in a way. and you do for family. But if Dante, Vergil and V join the horsemen making it the Seven Horsemen (Like Seven Samurai) what would the names be. For me Dante would be Chaos, Vergil be Void and V would be Order. But that just me two cents. Thoughts from you all would be nice.
I don't think he wished he could undo his past actions. I think he wished they weren't necessary. Death is one of the most consistent characters in the franchise, if he decides something is the thing to do he does it no matter what. Something that i think supports this is when he is watching Hellguard fight demons on Earth. He is watching and watching and only when it seems nearly certain that they will lose he decides to get involved but not before giving this resigned sigh which to me always sounded like "I wish i did not have scruples. It would make my job easier." I also think it's funny and wholesome that he only ever allowed one of the ancient wardens acknowledge that he indeed has a softer side. In most cases he doesn't want to be seen as anything near compassionate.
It's funny you brought up the 2 words "I... Cannot." Hearing that is what got me hooked to the game because it was so much quality over quantity in those 2 words
As a guy that never actually read the novel, of all darksiders four horsemen, death is my favorite one because of his character development and there's so much mysteries that yet to be unravel.
Death basically slaps war for hitting his brothers. And goes to hell and eden on a mission to kill a angel bitch. It also shows how they got the horses tho
really enjoyed this review. it covered the amazing complexity of Death which I don't think gets enough coverage. I had only wished that you had covered the one cool scene Death has in Darksiders 2 DLC with the human. Humans in the series are seen to be weak and despised for the favor of the creator but when the human requested a favor from death, his reaction is really beautiful. I'm sure on many levels he could've related to the human. And I wish I would've heard your opinion on it. thanks for posting this.
I've been following your escapades with the later games in the series for a while now on Twitter, and through this video I can really see why you love Darksiders 2 so much and it's portrayal of Death, and why you're disappointed with the latter entries. Great job again, man. Always glad to see your uploads in my feed.
Really cool to see some one else appreciate the voices in these games as much as I do. DarkSiders 1 is what got me interested in voice actors. Liam O'Brian became my favorite voice actor of all time because of War. I specifically look for anime that he is in and watch it just for his voice. It was cool watching the behind the scenes of DarkSiders and find out Mark Hammil plays not only the Watcher but also Batman's Joker.
Darksiders 2 is such an anomaly of a game. It's perhaps my favorite of the three I played (haven't gotten to Genesis yet), and it honestly deserves it in my eyes. Sure, it's not perfect (ran into a few glitches myself, and it has a bit of a loading crash bug on the PS3 version, which is the one I play) but it does so much right that It was inevitable for me to fall in love with it, warts and all. Darksiders 1 was an incredibly fun "Zelda" clone with nifty characters and a fun enough story. Darksiders 2 was a crazy, experimental style action-RPG hack-n-slash romp through a more free-form semi-open world with perhaps, in my eyes, the best portrayal of Death ever made in popular fiction to date. It felt like I was playing a truely western-style "Devil May Cry" with it's combative gameplay, topped Prince of Persia style of exploration, and garnished with a story that felt very "Legacy of Kain" to me. I can also understand that some of its glitches and pacing issues (with the most glaring being its anemic 3rd act) would turn people off to it more often than not. I'm glad there are other people out there that like this game, especially for its (sometimes rather) underappreciated story. Also, the "possessed weapon" system was dope. I've never had so much fun trying to craft a truly broken scythe that pretty much breaks the game. EDIT: Just an FYI, Darksiders 1 and 2 were made by Vigil Games, not THQ Nordic. The former more or less dissolved after THQ went bankrupt (due to the various financial troubles they had, including the rather difficult to swallow cost to making Darksiders 2). THQ Nordic would later be formed after a company called "Nordic Games" acquired THQ properties, while Vigil reformed as Crytec USA, and then re-reform as Gunfire Games (which did have former Vigil employees in its ranks) and would later take over the helm in making Darksiders (remastering 2, and making 3).
One comment very accurately pointed out that Darksiders 2 had Death being centered into the most mature horseman showing why he will always be the leader, his voice shrewd and yet empathetic, his dialogue poetic, his character genuine. Darksiders 3 has dialogue that (verbatim from said comment and I agree) "sounds like it's from a deleted episode of Ben 10". Fury's character has such a generic personality, just being edgy for no reason other than for kicks and her dialogue 😬😬😬 Needless to say there's a damn reason Death is the leader, he's the only one who did whatever the f he wanted without a leash....
Love this series! I can't believe I came across this video so late! As a character Death is my favorite horseman, he is such a charming and likeable fellow, I wish we could get an animated series about the Darksiders versions of the horsemen, and the voice acting should be done by all the previous cast of the games. Michael Wincott voiced Death and it is perfection.
Interesting video. Very few have done any sort of analysis on Darksiders like this. Wish more people saw the depth it had, rather than think of it as some middle-school edgefest like the The Completionist seems to. And while I disagree with your take on the later entries in the series, I immensely enjoyed your analysis on Death.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an aspect of Death who was truly cold and uncaring. I’ve seen a lot of media, read a lot of books, and no matter how cold they try to make them seem, they always leave me with the truth, it isn’t true. Death in the hit series Supernatural, seems cold, witty, perfect, even, in some ways. But we see him in anger and pain, in the series, there exists an item, a leash, which enslaves Death itself, and he’s terrified of it. He shows so little emotion, but when even reminded of The Leash, he flares with rage, and sadness, pain. He doesn’t want to be enslaved, but he knows his place, saying, that when the time comes, he will be there to take the life of God. He also arrives to show mercy often. Other depictions, let’s look at a recent one, Castlevania, the Netflix series. Death is this unfathomable being of great power, demanding Dracula complete his promise and kill the world, just so he doesn’t have to be hungry, anymore. He’s an old killer, serving no place in the new world, says Belmont to him, before their final battle, and perhaps that’s true, but what matters most is that we have this ancient being, that has STARVED FOR ETERNITY SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME. Can you possibly imagine the pain Death feels? He was placed in existence to feed on the souls of all living things, but he was placed in a constant state of starvation for all of eternity? There’s a reason when we meet him, it’s clear he’s quite insane, anyone suffering since the dawn of time, despite their power, unable to save themselves, would go mad. I can’t think of Death as anything other than a being of kindness. In religion, it seems, is the only place that Death is made a monster.
Good video. Hope Michael Wincott returns to reprise his role in any future appearances of Death. He nailed this character. War is a hammer and the world is a nail. I don't think he is stronger than Death. Nothing that I have played in the games would suggest this. Nice breakdown though
War is physically stronger than Death while Death far more powerful. Death can easily defeat War in a battle but in a test of strength War would win. From my perspective Death is the most well rounded of the Horsemen, his physical physical strength is second to War (possibly tied with Fury but I believe he's stronger than her) he can take more damage than others except War(War is basicly a tank). He's arguably the fastest and most agile of the horsemen. He's good at most ranges with his main weapons. With his siblings having preferences, War:close-range(sword) Fury:mid-range(whip) Strife:long-range(pistols). Death has twin sickles(close range) that combine into a long scythe(mid-range), his speed made up for lack of long range or he used magic which he arguably is the best magic user of the four. He has the best temperament and most patience of his siblings.
Aaaaaaand subbed. EDIT: okay, after watching this, this is one of the BEST analysis on one of my favourite characters in an oft overlooked series. Death, to me, was always a figure that just OOZES the "Rule of Cool" with only the voice, the design and and the dry witty dialogue. However, your video brought an entirely different perspective that I never actually looked at a different angle. Of the Four (aside from Strife; though, he was an "improvement" compared to Fury), Death was by far a more nuanced and complex character that the series needed (and one that is, in my opinion, the series' highest standard). Now, can someone PLEASE show Kbash and tell him WHAT gave him the idea that Death was JUST an edgy character (I am still NOT impressed by his assumption on Death).
Fury is the literal portrayal of the modern woman. She's angry all the time, irritating, she don't need no man, but uses items forged by her brothers and secretly, desperately wants their admiration. And for all her talk of power, she's an absolute weakling. Not just in terms of physical strength, but inner strength as well. Oh and that sin character was right. She is the dumb one. Darksiders 3 was an insult to the series and a slap in the face of the fans. And the fact that you couldn't pick who accompanied Strife in Darksiders Genesis and we were stuck with the wet blanket, should be considered a crime.
I am so sad to see that you no longer upload videos . I just stumbled upon your channel and I am so entertained . The projects you made are all so passionate and intriguing . And if you don't want to continue making videos I hope you are ok and are doing well my friend .
I will say you are giving Strife a bit too little credit here. In his short appearances in Darksiders 3 he is shown to be more empathetic and considerate than one may think, though he does so whilst disguised as one of the few surviving humans, helping Fury both come to terms with her own flaws and helping her understand the humans. In Genesis, whilst he spends a lot of time just cracking jokes or trying to get War to actually pause and think for himself for once, it's also clear that he is largely masking his true feelings and that he is struggling with deep regret about things he appears to have done even before joining the Charred Council.
22:30 -Just wanted to correct that Nordic Games did not make Darksiders II (though they did make the Deathinitive Edition of it after they bought the rights to the franchise, but the original Darksiders II was made by Vigil Games under the original THQ). Also like the video! And I agree with a lot of it. I would suggest playing on console though because as you mention the PC port is not great and almost all those issues are only on PC.
I gush over this game, honestly. Darksiders 2 is my absolute my favourite and I will forever love Death. Recently started a play through of it again after years and aaaaaaaa my childhood memories come flooding back hahah You also make amazing points about the games. I wish they kept the growly voices and the inconsistency of the characters. I also really like Samael, too XD
Death really is a Nice brother war can ever have but he's on his travel that's we love he's calm yet deadly Darksiders 2 show's a grim reaper as person not as just legend or myth yet Darksiders keeps us remind what he is yet we don't play as that evil we read
I recommend reading The Abomination Vault if you'd like to get a good idea of Death's and War's relationship. It reads a bit like fanfiction but I think it's good on expanding on the Darksiders universe.
It really doesn't matter that much but Vigil games made the first two games and THQ published them. The remasters were published by Nordic games who became THQNORDIC. The 3rd game also was made on a much smaller budget and so was Genesis. DS3 was made by Gunfire games and Genesis by Airship Syndicate two side of the same coin from Vigil games. They all stick to the Combat Exploration and puzzles gamepaly they love and each game is drastically different the way it should be. Darksiders 2 was also the only game in the series that could truly be considered AAA and a big budget game. I agree DS2 is the best game just wanted to clarify.
Duuuude this video really meant something else to me uh it hit different thank you so much for making it and I'm totally agree with everything you said
The story of Darksiders 3 was written by a company called Man of Action. 3 irked me so much I went through it writing notes down how to improve things in it
You can really see how death is the most mature and brotherly one out of the four When in genesis strife just makes jokes and war is angry at him And fury... well... is fury
Death in darksiders reminds me of Death in Discworld I love both Also, THQ Nordic made darksiders 3 yes, but ds 1 and 2 are made by vigil games, a studio which was dismantled.
there's more to darksiders than the voices, the listing that was done was how the council saw the horseman and hasn't every game shown that each individual horseman has done more than what they are thought of by the council. Genesis shows how war stopped being the "by the book" follow the councils wishes he even laughed and made jokes. strife was made to be the gun slinger to put down enemies of the "balance" but even he wanted to know why he was pulling the trigger. fury went through lots of growth in D3 from sounding like an arrogant and spoiled child to what she was like at the end of the game .That's just a bit of what i can think of now
I understand the criticism about the darksiders 3 but u have to keep in mind that there was a huge budget difference between DS 2 and DS 3 despite the budget i think they still did a good job. And btw i think that i love darksiders 3 and hate it at the same time and the reason is the game combat, i hate the fact that fury is made weaker compare to her brothers but i also love how it shows the horror of earth and it explain the struggle of fury a bit in DS 1 war was unstoppable beast and u could not feel that he lost his power despite some moves which u later buy in the game. I think that all the games went for different approach and if u think about what DS 3 wanted to show, i think they succeeded.
If you like this type of death, then I highly reccomend "on a pale horse" by Piers Anthony. I really can't say much other than death is the most human in that book that I've ever seen him. It's also takes place in a modern world that had science but has recently developed magic. One of my favorite things is that death is not always a punishment or a tragedy. Often times it is a mercy
I feel like there was a pretty massive missed opportunity in darksiders 2. That being the souls that are literally in deaths chest nevvvverrr really talk or have any interactions with death. I feel like originally the souls were gonna serve the same purpose as the watcher in the first game. Guiding death to restore them to life. Maybe a specific soul of a Nephilim that death would slowly more and more grow to care for deeply and REALLY feel torn about saving war or bringing back the Nephilim. But I THINK that got cut for some reason. I'm guessing due to the budget being blown on making the game freaking huge. Like seriously for the time especially, this game is fucking gigantic and its amazing they were able to fit as much as they were into it. But yeah I feel like that was just a pretty big missed opportunity and if that made it into the game darksiders 2 would have absolutely had a top 10 maybe even 5 video game story of all time. Its such a good story concept it almost writes itself. Hell I think the story as it shipped is pretty great even though its not the main focus of the game.
Great video! That's my favorite game of all time! I played for the first time back in 2013 or 2014, but it was such an experience... It's my favorite game, favorite ost, favorite artstyle... It's simply amazing, the protagonist is awesome and very humane, as you said... And since I'm very religious, getting my favorite book of the Bible transformed into an amazing game was definitely a factor to have it as my favorite game 😁
The council only sees the riders as a "mantle of office" the person that is the pale rider, doesn't matter. Only that the possessor of the office carries out the task of being an executioner. Keep in mind, the council is tasked with maintaining balance. Or rather...law.
every things u have said in this video is all true. and i know it too. Man this game is very very very good and yes my favorite game i've ever played in my life. and i really like Death's voice and the way he is, he is my favorite Character in the Darksiders series. i have been playing this game for 4-5 times and Darksiders 1, 2-3 times but not Darksiders 3 and genesis becz the PC is very old. Death is the best character in the series he is very nice and my Fav Character, that is why i put Profile Picture with Death's Picture. I will never forget this game, now am just 15 even when i grown up i will never forget this game. This game is a Masterpiece. I start playing this game when i was 9-10 years my brother bought Darksiders 2 game and i played and become the Favorite Game in my entire life. After i have completed Darksiders 2 i asked my brother to download Darksiders 1 and he did and i like Darksiders 1 too but Darksiders 3 he said that the PC can't handle it 😥😥😔😔
DS2 was def my favorite; to the music and environment, between the fights this game had a sense of peace and calm. The voice actors were phenomenal especially Death. It was hoarse yet soothing. It was beautiful. War is chaotic, a state of mind. I get pestilence is a hard theme to run with but Fury felt too much like war and I don’t understand how strife relates to comedy so I didn’t get into Genesis nor the game style. Death was kind, and literally carried the weight of the world (souls) in his heart. It wasn’t power, it was duty, and he was selfless about it all. Without Death there is only stagnation, war and strife.
When that is said about Death being anti-life in Darksiders 3, Death was just starting on his journey becoming what Darksiders 2 showed. Two and Three happened almost at the same time with 3 starting like a hundred years or less before 2. And I feel like Fury had the most character growth of all of them. I'm playing them all again but I'm playing them in chronological order. Prologue of 1, then 3, then 2, then the rest of 1. I have no interest in Genesis (which of course happens first) but I may pick it up eventually.
If I remember correctly in the tie end comics, War is the most powerful horseman, but Death is inmortal, as he cannot die, he cannot be truly defeated, it was a long time ago tho, I could be wrong
I am very glad to finally be done with this video. I ran into some issues with the footage I had, and so had to replay the game to rerecord a lot of footage, plus re-record the script several times because I kept seeing issues with earlier drafts and scrapped them. I have added around 50 hours or so to my DS2 steam gameplay time solely because of this video...
The video itself is actually 25 minutes exactly, and everything past that point is my unscripted rambling about Darksiders. There was a lot that I wanted to talk about that I couldn't fit into the nice neat themed package of the video, so I figured I could dump it there. Plus how I talk in my scripted videos is very different from how I talk casually, and so I figured this was a way to introduce you all to the more "real" me.
I really love Darksiders 2 in spite of all of it's many many flaws, and it is likely going to be that game that I will rant about how it didn't get the recognition it deserved when I am 60 years old.
I just ran across your video at god knows what hour in the morning and I have to say this was fantastic! Your breakdown of the archetypes of death characters was spot on and your description of the horseman was brilliant. I have just got done getting all the trophies in darksiders 3 and I think you have most of the problems with it dead on however I think I can add a few more to consider. Number one amongst them, Fury does not feel like a horseman filled with wrath enough to fight endlessly but more... vaguely annoyed and weirdly fascinated with humanity! Like you'll be playing the game then she just randomly starts rambling on about humanity and it feels so out of place also that slowed movement speed is just god awful as you are forced to sit and listen to this stupid dialogue when all you want is to play the damned game. Where is Fury's fury? Where is her rage, in that stupid wrath scene where she looks high as the sun and then downright comical at a beloved companions death, I laughed at that scene, laughed when I should have been sad at the very least and later on my second and third run(Getting to level 100 is a pain...) I skipped it and most of the cutscenes as well. Also her character change feels hollow (If you see what I did there), like it feels forced as her flaws are massively exaggerated not to mention how she feels more like pride than Pride does with how much she loves compliments and loathes insults. My fix would be to have be the most biting of the horsemen, always chafing to fight and move around, to have her revel in battle and appear as if she is utterly blood mad. This would just be the tip of the iceberg however as her true fury would only be released after a sudden period of emptiness in emotion and face only to be torn away in a worless, crazed rage that sees her become little more than a savage monster who can only howl and claw at everything around it. No executions, bad dlc aside from adding to the lore on the crucible and the alright fight with Ionas, no horse, bad performance where it would crash constantly and a lack luster story which weakened the council and portrayed a horseman as a weak fool who is easily misled. At least the destroyer showed up. I have more ideas for fixes, if you want to see them, I will be writing more over the next few days.
I know how you feel man for Darksider 2 it one of my beloved game that I hold tight to in my soul and I wish more peoples play the game
We will rant together brother, I'm pissed too this game is so underrated
I really love how Death demonstrates maturity at the end of the game. He could abandon War to "undo his sin". But he understands that two wrongs don't make a right. He betrayed his people once and corruption was born. He understands that nothing good will come of it if he repeats that mistake. He doesn't allow his guilt to bully him into another bad decision. He sticks to the plan and accepts the consequences.
One of the reasons he's fit to be the leader of the Horsemen. Death knows how to make the hard decisions, whether he's against them or not.
Noticed how Death said if he had a second chance with Absalom, he would "see him spared"?
Cut to the end, where Death finally defeated Absalom, he did not take his hand but finished him off.
Absalom, corrupted, if let alive, would continue to be a slave to Corruption, continue to suffer and cause even more suffering.
By killing Absalom, Death set him free. Free from corruption, free from guilt, free from the weight of living with his sins.
Death did spare Absalom, his brother.
Death kept his words.
Writing payoff at its best.
To be fair. Death was dark and powerfull, but a really nice guy (sometimes). This is why i loved his character so much. And the voiceactor was fantastic.
Death is my favourite.
Mostly because he hits the right balance of character traits.
He can be serious and stoic like War yet is not above a bit of sarcasm and humour like Strife and is certainly not without anger like Fury.
He doesn’t feel like a one-note character, he feels rounded and likeable. He’s cool-headed but not omniscient, arrogant but not overbearing, tormented by his actions but still divided by it.
Sorry to revive this for ya 3 years later but I assume you'd want to hear the news at the end of this comment :)
I absolutely hope to agree with you when I'll finish the game, as I didn't really like Fury because of the dark souls gameplay, and War is my favorite so far due to how he feels, but Death does seem to check all the right boxes as you've mentioned : serious when needed to go on a mission, sarcastic when it's too heavy to lighten up the mood, cool headed well I'd call it stoic, arrogant well that makes me like him more lol I like arrogant people on a dose.
I truly hope Strife will be even more likable because if not I'd have to either go back to DS1 with War or fit in with the rest saying Death is the GOAT lol
Oh why Strife you ask ? because DS4 was just announced and we'd have to assume it's him !
th-cam.com/video/FC6dqdSBH_o/w-d-xo.html
@@knightmer3645
Don’t apologise for bringing me the good news.
"W H E R E. I S. THE KEEEY!!??"
My impression of why he would be described as anti life is to in a sense gaslight him, mentally restrain his abilities by stunting his meaning and role, and stunting his power potential in the process, a proverbial leash for death engineered by the council to keep order and power absolute
A good representation of Death was, surprisingly, in Charmed. Not an evil thing, but a natural and necessary piece of Life... Death was presented as a calm man who understands that humans hate him.
and death from dc comics honesly the best version of death in fiction check her out
@@InternetNinja100 she's cool but it think this death is better
@@InternetNinja100 the fact alone that you said her tells me it's diversity crap. Nothing beats the Death in Darksiders.
@raydafuq3570 bruh she was created in the 80s I like not because she's a woman because she's a great character
@@InternetNinja100 that's something that usually can't go together anymore. Back in the day there were better female characters because their character wasn't about being a woman but being a good character. But still... a female Death is out of place. Same reason why Fury was the most hated HorseMAN. Although her development was good, it's the usual childish girl that throws a fit if she can't get what she wants for literally doing nothing for it.
What I like so far is how all 4 horsemen were written with a lot of personality and character growth throughout their games. War and Strife had very little growth but felt quite realized already, with War as this stoic TANK who sees his mission through, his personality is almost Batman-esque if you trade his trauma for eons of battle, Strife is the opposite, almost like a Deadpool archetype (if you played Genesis, you get to know him) and the kind we don't need development. Fury on the other hand had a GLOW UP throughout her game, starting as cocky, arrogant and full of sass, she grew up to go from a ravaging anger to the cold fury that is much more terrifying than the former.
But Death, o Death, my edgelord, my king of sass, rider of sarcasm, how much fun do I have playing with him :D He exudes "Older brother" energy, mostly fully-realized but the game had him confront a certain elephant in the room that was the souls of the Nephilim.
You put in words all my feelings for Darksiders 2 and Death himself.
Its both my favourite game and character.
I loved how they put on him the feeling that he is the oldest brother, he has to keep them safe because thats what he does. Specially in the novel Abomination Vault, when some major thing happens to War and Death feels awful and bad for not protecting War the way he should and using him as bait.
Death is the most complex, complete and loveable character in the series. Hes awesome
I play a necromancer in a D&D campaign and she has a similar outlook on death to this, death isn't a negative thing to fear, but simply a part of life, seeing death the entity as more a compassionate bringer of someone's end rather than the cold reaper of souls. The grander view she has is that the only true constant in the universe is that all things end, including the ending, and the only thing that can bring an end to The End, is Beginning. Not a unique concept, but my favorite.
There’s also that one scene where Death fought the Scribe and says “where. Is. The key…” you can just hear the sheer frustration from his words
I think Death is so commonly a cold and stoic figure, because Death is just that. Death is a fact of life. While many have various reactions to death, Death just is.
There are many paths to Death, but they all bring peace. Willingly or otherwise. Death is cold, because it is distant, something no one and nothing can know, and is stoic, because Death doesn't care who you were, or how you go. Death comes for all, and all are equal in death.
As much as i want Strife to get his own game, i feel like 4 needs to take place after the final seal is broken and its just the Horsemen vs the world. They've all grown over the course of the series, and I'd love to see them interact. A more open and honest Death, a more secure and rightous Strife, a kinder and more caring Fury, and a more measured and levelheaded War.
Don't take what the Charred Council describes the Horseman as too literally. In fact, that's what made me realize the point of the Horseman's naming scheme and the plots of the games thus far: they are the opposite of what the Council declared them to be, and their games are about overcoming those labels. "Juggernaut of Pain, Anti-Life, All That is Unrested in the Hearts of Man". These labels are the least physical means the Council has used to control the Horseman, but rather the most psychological. Sounds all scary from the outside, but from the inside it's a clear statement: This is what you are, this is what you're meant to be. Don't bother being anything else.
It took a while for it to dawn on me, but each Horseman slowly rejects their role. War's was ironically the last to dawn on me, because he calls it "The Balance" which threw me off. War seeks his version of peace, Death creates life, Fury learns compassion, and from his appearances in Genesis and 3 Strife has an inner conflict he learns to become zen about, allowing him to help others overcome their personal struggles. More and more I'm starting to think the guy who worked on X-Men wanted his team of super-powered badasses who are inherent of beings of light and darkness much more powerful than ourselves to be allegories for overcoming society's perception and having the will to improve as a person despite adversity.
The line Wicked K has in Genesis about "being human" is raising an eyebrow more and more every day.
My favorite part was Death's interaction with the last human (who may or may not have been part of the settlement Fury saved) and gave him Mercy after the guilt he felt essentially betraying his kind for no reason (He thought his soul was taken) I am interested in how Strife will change in Darksiders 4 (if there is one) as a theory stated that after Genesis Strife changed a lot atleast that what they said
The reason the quality dipped from Darksiders 2 going into Darksiders 3 and Genesis, is because the company that made Darksiders 2 went bankrupt. THQ and Vigil games are no more, their IP were put up for auction, and Nordic/Gunfire games bought it. It is a real shame, Darksiders 3 had none of that darksiders magic.
Darksiders 3 is made by gunfire.... Most of them were members of vigil games. And even the comic drawer returned to design darksiders 3.
To be honest, darksiders 3 is the best looking darksiders while beeing true to the original design.
Gameplaywise you could argue its not you gamestyle, but still it is a really really good souls like.
And all 3 darksiders games were pretty different compared to each other....
So in conclusion, to say its quality dipped is invalid, especially with the argument you brought afterwards. Don't hate because you want to hate. Research before arguing.
In addition, play those games back to back and you notice the upgrade in quality, at least in certain areas like graphics, cameras, artstyle, gameplay etc.
@@SilverViper1000 It definitely didn't "feel" like Darksiders but I still enjoyed the game a lot.
Darksiders genesis is still one hell of an game, ngl i'm playing it now and finding more entertaining than the previous games, maybe i like the gameplay style
While 3 doesn't exactly feel like a Darksiders title, the game is still good and very fun to play through. And Genesis is THE revival the series needed. If anyone skipped the game because of the camera angle, I urge any fan to reconsider and try it out. Genesis is 100% and more Darksiders - it has killer gameplay for both Riders, the OST is top tier epic and beautiful, maybe even more so than in previous games, and the characters truly shine. Genesis is a must-play for any Darksiders fan
@@idvdumpand what is a DS game supposed to “feel” like exactly? There were only two games in the series before 3 and both had some serious design differences. There is no pattern to glean from such a small sample size.
Another incarnation of Death that is painted in a more sympathetic light is the one from Terry Pratchetts Discword novels. Most often just shown in short encounters with the souls of the recently deceased, there are also some novels that actually go into detail on his role and personality. On one occasion, it is shown what happens without him: Absolute chaos, as life force is no longer able to leave the world and forces the dead to return into unlife or animating normally lifeless objects. Discworld Death is also shown to care, when meddling forces take a shot at destroying the Discworld version of Santa, Death temporarily (and rather humorously) takes over to make sure that faith in him is not lost in the time it takes him to be reborn.
He continues to do his best in order to understand life and humanity because it makes him curious. He's not human, to be clear, that isn't in his nature, but he is not cold or emotionless even though he could be if he wanted to.
I like how Fran Bow descibes death...
Death is nothing more than the absence of love. Once you can't feel love, you die... Even if your body still walks.
Death is the character that makes the Darksiders special to me. Without him and his story, the games would just be a very cool, stylish and epic reimagining of the classic Horsemen imagery.
Death is a perfectly balanced character, because while he is the eldest, most powerful of the Horsemen and badass as hell, he is the most burdened one by far. Darksiders 1 has a story about righting a wrong, there is not much in terms of emotional stakes for War, Darksiders 3 has Fury simmer down and become more humble, Genesis shows us that Strife was at war with himself after the destruction of the nephilim.
Darksiders 2, paired with the amazing Abomination Vault novel, is about Death being haunted by his past actions, the weight of the genocide heavy on him millennias after the massacre, his love for his siblings and his burden of the time he betrayed War. Death could have easily been the most overpowered and uncaring character of the franchise, instead he is the most caring and hurting one of them all. Death really embodies the burden of immortality too, as there is no set limit of a lifetime for him, and he has to life with all those sins forever.
The Abomination Vault novel was truly a gift to the fans, and expanded on all these aspects of Death's character. And the amazing voice acting done for him conveys the inner turmoil of his character perfectly.
Thank you for doing a video on this topic, and a huge thumbs up for using the OST of the second game for the background, that music is gorgeous.
Death's chuckle before the Well of Souls is heartbreaking
Hey! This turned out excellent! I'm glad you were able to turn it into a worthy passion project. Very proud of you for taking time and effort to really edit.
jesper kyd's work on this game is so underrated, he himself said it's the most personal ost for him
To see a film depicting what I had in mind for all these years is simply astounding and I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this way. The game itself actually helped me get used to the idea of dying and that one day it will happen - not as something evil or as an end but rather something natural or as another stop in our journey
BTW there was no better voice actor for Death than Michael Wincott
Death isn't the opposite of Life, rather it's companion. You cannot have Life without Death.
From the moment life draws breath, Death already flows on it. Just like light cannot exist without dark, just like the rising sun will always set. Everything that has beginning has also an end.
I wish you would’ve shown how angry death was after he fought Jeremiah MANS WAS FURIOUS
I remember playing 2 and fighting the angle boss, i managed to get pushed into the floor, I would have been mad, but I saw that the Reaper form model was hidden under floor wait to be activated, it was cool seeing that
To your ending points about Darksiders 3's intro with the "summaries" of the horsemen, I feel like, in a way, that was meant to symbolize what the horsemen were SUPPOSED to be from the council's eyes. Absolute, unyielding enforcers of their will. War being an unstoppable juggernaut that will not cease to seek out retribution against those who have wronged the council, death, a cold, unfeeling executioner who would do much the same, eliminating foes and not opposing the Council's "balance".
But the Horsemen were so much more than that. War probably lived up to his role the most "faithfully", in that he was the most focused on his duty. And when you are a powerful hulk burning with a steady rage, it's an easier task to fulfill. But none of the horsemen really fit what the Council deemed they should be. Even at the end, War was not so impractical that he'd perform his duty without thought. If something was not right to him, he'd question it.
Strife is not some unyielding edgelord who sows anxiety and fear and unrest. He's the most comical of the group, yet is often most troubled by himself and his past, rather than instilling those feelings in others.
Fury was definitely full of rage, but it was uncontrolled, easy to set off, and it blinded her to what she ought to know (A running trend among the horsemen, frankly, though each in their own way).
But honestly this feels truest of Death. Like you made several points of during your video. Death isn't some heartless, unfeeling assassin. Despite his rough exterior, he feels and cares a great deal. He rarely hesitates if something is in his way, by no means, but his whole story is about proving *why* he's on his journey in the first place. Reviving Humanity does feel like a means to an end, at first, the solution to saving War. But he becomes more and more conflicted with his guilt and his desires. Ironically, in a strange sort of way, his guilt is what truly saved humanity. If he had not sealed the souls of the nephilim into that amulet, if he hadn't opposed the Crowfather's plea to destroy the amulet, he might never have had the means *to* bring humanity back.
Death's emotional connection, his sympathy for other beings is a crucial part of him that the Council likely views as a weakness. But really, it's one of his greatest traits. A point which you honestly hit home in this video.
Darksiders and DmC Devil May Cry are two different games yet the stories of the Nephilim, the Great War, Family and weight of actions past present and future harmonize with each other. Death and the three other horsemen are Dante and Vergil's cousins, in a way. and you do for family.
But if Dante, Vergil and V join the horsemen making it the Seven Horsemen (Like Seven Samurai) what would the names be.
For me Dante would be Chaos, Vergil be Void and V would be Order. But that just me two cents. Thoughts from you all would be nice.
In Anarchy there is freedom
In Havoc there is change
In Chaos there is hope
In Death there is life
I don't think he wished he could undo his past actions.
I think he wished they weren't necessary.
Death is one of the most consistent characters in the franchise, if he decides something is the thing to do he does it no matter what.
Something that i think supports this is when he is watching Hellguard fight demons on Earth. He is watching and watching and only when it seems nearly certain that they will lose he decides to get involved but not before giving this resigned sigh which to me always sounded like "I wish i did not have scruples. It would make my job easier."
I also think it's funny and wholesome that he only ever allowed one of the ancient wardens acknowledge that he indeed has a softer side.
In most cases he doesn't want to be seen as anything near compassionate.
I’ve seen death be portrayed differently in two forms of media. In this game and in the sandman. I dig them both!
It's funny you brought up the 2 words "I... Cannot." Hearing that is what got me hooked to the game because it was so much quality over quantity in those 2 words
As a guy that never actually read the novel, of all darksiders four horsemen, death is my favorite one because of his character development and there's so much mysteries that yet to be unravel.
Death basically slaps war for hitting his brothers.
And goes to hell and eden on a mission to kill a angel bitch.
It also shows how they got the horses tho
@@_------------_ oh wow, interesting
Death is the older bro everyone needs but don't deserve
really enjoyed this review. it covered the amazing complexity of Death which I don't think gets enough coverage. I had only wished that you had covered the one cool scene Death has in Darksiders 2 DLC with the human. Humans in the series are seen to be weak and despised for the favor of the creator but when the human requested a favor from death, his reaction is really beautiful. I'm sure on many levels he could've related to the human. And I wish I would've heard your opinion on it. thanks for posting this.
I've been following your escapades with the later games in the series for a while now on Twitter, and through this video I can really see why you love Darksiders 2 so much and it's portrayal of Death, and why you're disappointed with the latter entries.
Great job again, man. Always glad to see your uploads in my feed.
Really cool to see some one else appreciate the voices in these games as much as I do. DarkSiders 1 is what got me interested in voice actors. Liam O'Brian became my favorite voice actor of all time because of War. I specifically look for anime that he is in and watch it just for his voice. It was cool watching the behind the scenes of DarkSiders and find out Mark Hammil plays not only the Watcher but also Batman's Joker.
Darksiders 2 is such an anomaly of a game. It's perhaps my favorite of the three I played (haven't gotten to Genesis yet), and it honestly deserves it in my eyes. Sure, it's not perfect (ran into a few glitches myself, and it has a bit of a loading crash bug on the PS3 version, which is the one I play) but it does so much right that It was inevitable for me to fall in love with it, warts and all. Darksiders 1 was an incredibly fun "Zelda" clone with nifty characters and a fun enough story. Darksiders 2 was a crazy, experimental style action-RPG hack-n-slash romp through a more free-form semi-open world with perhaps, in my eyes, the best portrayal of Death ever made in popular fiction to date. It felt like I was playing a truely western-style "Devil May Cry" with it's combative gameplay, topped Prince of Persia style of exploration, and garnished with a story that felt very "Legacy of Kain" to me. I can also understand that some of its glitches and pacing issues (with the most glaring being its anemic 3rd act) would turn people off to it more often than not.
I'm glad there are other people out there that like this game, especially for its (sometimes rather) underappreciated story.
Also, the "possessed weapon" system was dope. I've never had so much fun trying to craft a truly broken scythe that pretty much breaks the game.
EDIT: Just an FYI, Darksiders 1 and 2 were made by Vigil Games, not THQ Nordic. The former more or less dissolved after THQ went bankrupt (due to the various financial troubles they had, including the rather difficult to swallow cost to making Darksiders 2). THQ Nordic would later be formed after a company called "Nordic Games" acquired THQ properties, while Vigil reformed as Crytec USA, and then re-reform as Gunfire Games (which did have former Vigil employees in its ranks) and would later take over the helm in making Darksiders (remastering 2, and making 3).
One comment very accurately pointed out that Darksiders 2 had Death being centered into the most mature horseman showing why he will always be the leader, his voice shrewd and yet empathetic, his dialogue poetic, his character genuine.
Darksiders 3 has dialogue that (verbatim from said comment and I agree) "sounds like it's from a deleted episode of Ben 10".
Fury's character has such a generic personality, just being edgy for no reason other than for kicks and her dialogue 😬😬😬
Needless to say there's a damn reason Death is the leader, he's the only one who did whatever the f he wanted without a leash....
Love this series! I can't believe I came across this video so late! As a character Death is my favorite horseman, he is such a charming and likeable fellow, I wish we could get an animated series about the Darksiders versions of the horsemen, and the voice acting should be done by all the previous cast of the games. Michael Wincott voiced Death and it is perfection.
If anyone is interested, another great representation of the character death is in Terry Pratchetts disc world series
Interesting video. Very few have done any sort of analysis on Darksiders like this. Wish more people saw the depth it had, rather than think of it as some middle-school edgefest like the The Completionist seems to. And while I disagree with your take on the later entries in the series, I immensely enjoyed your analysis on Death.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an aspect of Death who was truly cold and uncaring. I’ve seen a lot of media, read a lot of books, and no matter how cold they try to make them seem, they always leave me with the truth, it isn’t true. Death in the hit series Supernatural, seems cold, witty, perfect, even, in some ways. But we see him in anger and pain, in the series, there exists an item, a leash, which enslaves Death itself, and he’s terrified of it. He shows so little emotion, but when even reminded of The Leash, he flares with rage, and sadness, pain. He doesn’t want to be enslaved, but he knows his place, saying, that when the time comes, he will be there to take the life of God. He also arrives to show mercy often. Other depictions, let’s look at a recent one, Castlevania, the Netflix series. Death is this unfathomable being of great power, demanding Dracula complete his promise and kill the world, just so he doesn’t have to be hungry, anymore. He’s an old killer, serving no place in the new world, says Belmont to him, before their final battle, and perhaps that’s true, but what matters most is that we have this ancient being, that has STARVED FOR ETERNITY SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME. Can you possibly imagine the pain Death feels? He was placed in existence to feed on the souls of all living things, but he was placed in a constant state of starvation for all of eternity? There’s a reason when we meet him, it’s clear he’s quite insane, anyone suffering since the dawn of time, despite their power, unable to save themselves, would go mad. I can’t think of Death as anything other than a being of kindness. In religion, it seems, is the only place that Death is made a monster.
30:45 finally i got to hear this from someone else 🎉
Love the series and I love your video. Just finished the game but you gave me a new perspective into death. Keep it up!
As a huge fan of this game, I loved this video. Respects to you brother horseman. Keep up the good work.
i think my favorite exchange of words in any game is
death: and what makes you think i have a soul?
eideard: isnt that what troubles you?
Good video. Hope Michael Wincott returns to reprise his role in any future appearances of Death. He nailed this character. War is a hammer and the world is a nail. I don't think he is stronger than Death. Nothing that I have played in the games would suggest this. Nice breakdown though
War is physically stronger than Death while Death far more powerful. Death can easily defeat War in a battle but in a test of strength War would win.
From my perspective Death is the most well rounded of the Horsemen, his physical physical strength is second to War (possibly tied with Fury but I believe he's stronger than her) he can take more damage than others except War(War is basicly a tank).
He's arguably the fastest and most agile of the horsemen.
He's good at most ranges with his main weapons. With his siblings having preferences, War:close-range(sword) Fury:mid-range(whip) Strife:long-range(pistols). Death has twin sickles(close range) that combine into a long scythe(mid-range), his speed made up for lack of long range or he used magic which he arguably is the best magic user of the four.
He has the best temperament and most patience of his siblings.
Aaaaaaand subbed.
EDIT: okay, after watching this, this is one of the BEST analysis on one of my favourite characters in an oft overlooked series. Death, to me, was always a figure that just OOZES the "Rule of Cool" with only the voice, the design and and the dry witty dialogue. However, your video brought an entirely different perspective that I never actually looked at a different angle. Of the Four (aside from Strife; though, he was an "improvement" compared to Fury), Death was by far a more nuanced and complex character that the series needed (and one that is, in my opinion, the series' highest standard). Now, can someone PLEASE show Kbash and tell him WHAT gave him the idea that Death was JUST an edgy character (I am still NOT impressed by his assumption on Death).
Watched this too.
Fury is the literal portrayal of the modern woman. She's angry all the time, irritating, she don't need no man, but uses items forged by her brothers and secretly, desperately wants their admiration. And for all her talk of power, she's an absolute weakling. Not just in terms of physical strength, but inner strength as well. Oh and that sin character was right. She is the dumb one. Darksiders 3 was an insult to the series and a slap in the face of the fans. And the fact that you couldn't pick who accompanied Strife in Darksiders Genesis and we were stuck with the wet blanket, should be considered a crime.
I am so sad to see that you no longer upload videos . I just stumbled upon your channel and I am so entertained . The projects you made are all so passionate and intriguing . And if you don't want to continue making videos I hope you are ok and are doing well my friend .
I will say you are giving Strife a bit too little credit here.
In his short appearances in Darksiders 3 he is shown to be more empathetic and considerate than one may think, though he does so whilst disguised as one of the few surviving humans, helping Fury both come to terms with her own flaws and helping her understand the humans. In Genesis, whilst he spends a lot of time just cracking jokes or trying to get War to actually pause and think for himself for once, it's also clear that he is largely masking his true feelings and that he is struggling with deep regret about things he appears to have done even before joining the Charred Council.
22:30 -Just wanted to correct that Nordic Games did not make Darksiders II (though they did make the Deathinitive Edition of it after they bought the rights to the franchise, but the original Darksiders II was made by Vigil Games under the original THQ).
Also like the video! And I agree with a lot of it. I would suggest playing on console though because as you mention the PC port is not great and almost all those issues are only on PC.
I gush over this game, honestly. Darksiders 2 is my absolute my favourite and I will forever love Death. Recently started a play through of it again after years and aaaaaaaa my childhood memories come flooding back hahah
You also make amazing points about the games. I wish they kept the growly voices and the inconsistency of the characters. I also really like Samael, too XD
Man, that's your perspective. I love Genesis, the art, the game, the combat. But hey, great job creating this video.
finally i found someone who is understands and loves this series
In my opinion...Death is the most powerful character,more than anyone else
He is. A lot of war fans claim otherwise
@@ChameleoSalamander1 death is much more stronger than war canonically
He is, canonically.
@@ChameleoSalamander1death literally cut war arm off for hitting his brothers in the comic.💀
@@_------------_ yeah, Death is pretty OP. Would put him in Dante's league from DMC
24:53 I will always enjoy that little bit.
Great analysis! Such a wise words!
Death really is a Nice brother war can ever have but he's on his travel that's we love he's calm yet deadly Darksiders 2 show's a grim reaper as person not as just legend or myth yet Darksiders keeps us remind what he is yet we don't play as that evil we read
Darksiders 2 described Death in a way that i never thought i would love the character.
I recommend reading The Abomination Vault if you'd like to get a good idea of Death's and War's relationship. It reads a bit like fanfiction but I think it's good on expanding on the Darksiders universe.
It really doesn't matter that much but Vigil games made the first two games and THQ published them. The remasters were published by Nordic games who became THQNORDIC. The 3rd game also was made on a much smaller budget and so was Genesis. DS3 was made by Gunfire games and Genesis by Airship Syndicate two side of the same coin from Vigil games. They all stick to the Combat Exploration and puzzles gamepaly they love and each game is drastically different the way it should be. Darksiders 2 was also the only game in the series that could truly be considered AAA and a big budget game. I agree DS2 is the best game just wanted to clarify.
One can tell that you are a huge fan of the franchise. I agree on many points.
Ahhh Death what an absolute legend made the game a lot of fun for me and ohhh do i miss him.
DS2 is my favorite video game, really set a bar for me of how good games should be.
Duuuude this video really meant something else to me uh it hit different thank you so much for making it and I'm totally agree with everything you said
Thanks for the V-Sync thing
I legit hope this series still active. For some odd reason seems like i never find data on the series till the next one is about to come out
Agreed....huge game ....and is still better than many titles today
The story of Darksiders 3 was written by a company called Man of Action. 3 irked me so much I went through it writing notes down how to improve things in it
The thing about 3 was that it definitely wasn’t bad, it was simply a matter of poor execution.
You can really see how death is the most mature and brotherly one out of the four
When in genesis strife just makes jokes and war is angry at him
And fury... well... is fury
Death in darksiders reminds me of Death in Discworld
I love both
Also, THQ Nordic made darksiders 3 yes, but ds 1 and 2 are made by vigil games, a studio which was dismantled.
Really cool video, I agree with most of the stuff you said :D
I think you would get a lot of mileage out of terry pratchett's discworld
The looter aspect kept me coming back
Disappointed to see video made with such passion only having like 38k views after 2+ years. Darksiders series is generally underrated though.
there's more to darksiders than the voices, the listing that was done was how the council saw the horseman and hasn't every game shown that each individual horseman has done more than what they are thought of by the council. Genesis shows how war stopped being the "by the book" follow the councils wishes he even laughed and made jokes. strife was made to be the gun slinger to put down enemies of the "balance" but even he wanted to know why he was pulling the trigger. fury went through lots of growth in D3 from sounding like an arrogant and spoiled child to what she was like at the end of the game .That's just a bit of what i can think of now
I understand the criticism about the darksiders 3 but u have to keep in mind that there was a huge budget difference between DS 2 and DS 3 despite the budget i think they still did a good job. And btw i think that i love darksiders 3 and hate it at the same time and the reason is the game combat, i hate the fact that fury is made weaker compare to her brothers but i also love how it shows the horror of earth and it explain the struggle of fury a bit in DS 1 war was unstoppable beast and u could not feel that he lost his power despite some moves which u later buy in the game. I think that all the games went for different approach and if u think about what DS 3 wanted to show, i think they succeeded.
If you like this type of death, then I highly reccomend "on a pale horse" by Piers Anthony. I really can't say much other than death is the most human in that book that I've ever seen him. It's also takes place in a modern world that had science but has recently developed magic. One of my favorite things is that death is not always a punishment or a tragedy. Often times it is a mercy
I feel like there was a pretty massive missed opportunity in darksiders 2. That being the souls that are literally in deaths chest nevvvverrr really talk or have any interactions with death. I feel like originally the souls were gonna serve the same purpose as the watcher in the first game. Guiding death to restore them to life. Maybe a specific soul of a Nephilim that death would slowly more and more grow to care for deeply and REALLY feel torn about saving war or bringing back the Nephilim. But I THINK that got cut for some reason. I'm guessing due to the budget being blown on making the game freaking huge. Like seriously for the time especially, this game is fucking gigantic and its amazing they were able to fit as much as they were into it.
But yeah I feel like that was just a pretty big missed opportunity and if that made it into the game darksiders 2 would have absolutely had a top 10 maybe even 5 video game story of all time. Its such a good story concept it almost writes itself. Hell I think the story as it shipped is pretty great even though its not the main focus of the game.
Great video! That's my favorite game of all time! I played for the first time back in 2013 or 2014, but it was such an experience... It's my favorite game, favorite ost, favorite artstyle... It's simply amazing, the protagonist is awesome and very humane, as you said... And since I'm very religious, getting my favorite book of the Bible transformed into an amazing game was definitely a factor to have it as my favorite game 😁
This game and the Sandman have my favorite portrayals of Death.
24:10 John Cenaaaaaa 😂😂😂
So he is a cinnamon bun that can but won't kill you, unless you attack his beloved ones...
The council only sees the riders as a "mantle of office" the person that is the pale rider, doesn't matter. Only that the possessor of the office carries out the task of being an executioner. Keep in mind, the council is tasked with maintaining balance. Or rather...law.
Can you share the video’s soundtrack
I still love this game ❤️🔥 after 10y
Wow man that's the most amazing darksiders video ever
every things u have said in this video is all true. and i know it too. Man this game is very very very good and yes my favorite game i've ever played in my life. and i really like Death's voice and the way he is, he is my favorite Character in the Darksiders series. i have been playing this game for 4-5 times and Darksiders 1, 2-3 times but not Darksiders 3 and genesis becz the PC is very old. Death is the best character in the series he is very nice and my Fav Character, that is why i put Profile Picture with Death's Picture. I will never forget this game, now am just 15 even when i grown up i will never forget this game. This game is a Masterpiece. I start playing this game when i was 9-10 years my brother bought Darksiders 2 game and i played and become the Favorite Game in my entire life. After i have completed Darksiders 2 i asked my brother to download Darksiders 1 and he did and i like Darksiders 1 too but Darksiders 3 he said that the PC can't handle it 😥😥😔😔
W
DS2 was def my favorite; to the music and environment, between the fights this game had a sense of peace and calm. The voice actors were phenomenal especially Death. It was hoarse yet soothing. It was beautiful. War is chaotic, a state of mind. I get pestilence is a hard theme to run with but Fury felt too much like war and I don’t understand how strife relates to comedy so I didn’t get into Genesis nor the game style. Death was kind, and literally carried the weight of the world (souls) in his heart. It wasn’t power, it was duty, and he was selfless about it all. Without Death there is only stagnation, war and strife.
When that is said about Death being anti-life in Darksiders 3, Death was just starting on his journey becoming what Darksiders 2 showed. Two and Three happened almost at the same time with 3 starting like a hundred years or less before 2. And I feel like Fury had the most character growth of all of them. I'm playing them all again but I'm playing them in chronological order. Prologue of 1, then 3, then 2, then the rest of 1. I have no interest in Genesis (which of course happens first) but I may pick it up eventually.
I'm still imagining a timeline of what if Vigil Games still existed and intact. THQ would've made it Darksiders 3 even better
Good stuff
If I remember correctly in the tie end comics, War is the most powerful horseman, but Death is inmortal, as he cannot die, he cannot be truly defeated, it was a long time ago tho, I could be wrong
An amazing video, well done sir
How are you wearing the crow armour set in the Forgelands? Are you playing the 2012 version of the game?
Good video, I was thinking about making a video on Darksiders 2 myself as it's one of my favorite games of all time.
Good retrospect my friend. Well done.
Death is the strongest. He’s why war had his arm cut off and replaced
Great video I hope you make more amd keep up the good work.
he may look bad but under that greay skin the is a good Heart he even killed he's owen Kaine to save heaven