Ok, so after 84 THOUSAND YEARS...
We're getting a Darksiders 4
I have some notes, and I would love to chat about this with ya'll!!
I'd like to start with the positive aspects first and then move on to my critiques...
POSITIVES
It's actually happening! Like, we're getting the game! It's been 15 years since the first, and it's about time we get a climactic finale.
So, first things first, I love the fact that we're going to get to play all four of them. I did some reading on what to expect on THQ's page, which you can read here. The fact that each horseman is going to have their own style and skill/weapons is awesome! More than I could ever ask for!
The silhouettes of Fury, Strife, and Death look great! And I hope we can see more of them in the future (knowing us fans and our luck, that's probably gonna happing in another 2 years).
Rampage is back! Thank god! Did that poor baby dirty in the 3rd game, so I hope there's gameplay with horseback combat with all of them.
THQ's got big shoes to fill with this game, so I hope they take a lot of time making sure it'll blow us all away.
CRITIQUES
Now, I don't know how long this trailer was in production. I don't know how far along they've gotten. And a lot could change.
So if you don't agree with me on this, that's fine. But please don't be mean about it... This is just my opinion
I will be completely transparent in saying that I didn't like War's character model at all in that trailer (and don't even get me started on Ruin). Art styles change, especially with ongoing games or any media for that matter. I've seen it in Halo. I've seen it in LoZ.
But War is the poster boy for the whole damn series, and I've seen his model go from badass to caveman so fast! I noticed it when Darksiders III came out, and even though he had very little screen time, it was still jarring. Then, in Genesis, Airship Syndicate redeemed his model pretty well. Hopefully, you guys know what I mean.
This is the War I know...
Joe Madureira was a HEAVY contributor to War's design, and his unique style is what made War so recognizable.
When the trailer dropped, I was so excited, as Darksiders was a huge inspiration for me as an artist. So, when I saw War's design, I must admit, my face scrunched in judgment...because...
This doesn't look like War to me.
Now I'm not going to tell professional artists to do their job or say that this is the worst thing I've ever seen. But this isn't War.
The proportions of his face are difficult to look at in a positive light. After a lot of study, I realized that his nose and mouth had been raised higher on his face. On top of that, his cheekbones also had been raised, which makes his ever-so-strong jaw look almost hollow. The forehead was also angled in a way that makes his eyes weak and his brow not as determined as seen prior.
Another pet peeve I have, even though it's minor, is that his facial scars are wrong/not even present. At least, in the first game, we can clearly see he has a scar on his upper left lip, while there are smaller ones littering his chin, indicating his fighting spirit.
MY ATTEMPT/ CONCLUSION
I wanted to test this theory and adjust his face in a way that resembled his reference material provided by Joe Mad and his video game counterpart. (My altered version)
I'm no professional, and I'm not saying I'm better than anyone. Hell, I'm not even saying that this looks better than the trailer, but I hope that by sharing this, if you were feeling like something was off with his design, then you're not alone.
There is no release date for Darksiders 4, and I think that's great. The devs have all the time in the world to make this game amazing.
But please...
Bring my boi back.
