Darksiders Warmastered Edition

A quick note on edition: the original 2010 release of Darksiders is no longer sold on Steam, superseded by this Warmastered Edition remaster, which THQ Nordic notably gave free to existing owners rather than charging for the upgrade. This review covers that current, actively sold release, the version any new buyer will actually find and purchase today.

A confident hybrid, not a shallow imitation

The praise here is specific and comes from reviewers who clearly know both of the game's major influences well. "Darksiders is a compelling action adventure with God of War (I-III) style combat, and Legend of Zelda style progression, all with puzzles, gadgets and a catchy 'Mystery Sound,'" one detailed reviewer summarizes, crediting artist Joe Madureira's "unique and over-the-top art-style" with giving the game real visual identity beyond its influences. Another reviewer puts it more bluntly: "if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then somewhere out there Kratos and Link are blushing a rosy shade of pink." A separate detailed pros-and-cons review specifically praises the weapon balance directly: "I could use every weapon and ability well, and none of them I felt too powerful or too weak" — genuine mechanical credit rather than vague enthusiasm.

A genuinely free remaster, and a fast-patched launch problem

It's worth crediting THQ Nordic directly for how this specific remaster was handled. "Thanks for the free upgrade, Nordic. Other publishers should follow your suit," one reviewer writes, specifically naming other companies that charge for similar remasters by comparison. A separate reviewer documents the remaster's rocky launch honestly, then follows up with a December 2016 update confirming a rapid fix: "Performance has been patched in mere days. I've gone from 15 FPS to 60 on the first level," describing the game as running well even on entry-level hardware shortly after release. That's a specific, dated account of a real launch problem being resolved quickly rather than left to fester.

A specific, serious cutscene bug on Steam Deck and Linux

Set against that praise, this review sample surfaces a genuinely serious, well-documented technical problem affecting a specific subset of players directly. "Due to the beloved format of the cutscenes in this game (.wmv, Windows), the game doesn't play any cutscenes as most Linux distros (ESPECIALLY SteamOS) don't have the codec for it installed," one reviewer explains, adding pointedly that "if you are playing for the story... you aren't getting any." A separate reviewer states the core objection directly: "this game should not be Steam Deck verified" given broken audio and missing cutscene visuals, and a third reports the game "crashes constantly" on Deck despite official compatibility claims. That's a specific, reproducible, and independently corroborated issue serious enough to research directly before buying on Deck or Linux specifically.

A puzzle-heavy back half some find overwhelming

Beyond the technical concerns, a recurring critique targets the game's structure rather than its systems. "The first half of this game is fun if dated... Then the second half of this game happened and it's like they ran out of ideas. Puzzle after puzzle after puzzle," one reviewer writes, describing a shift away from the combat-driven momentum that defined the opening hours. That's a specific, structural pacing complaint worth knowing about for anyone expecting the whole campaign to maintain its early balance between fighting and problem-solving.

What the completion data adds

Steam's achievement statistics offer a useful independent read on how far players actually get. Early milestones sit around 55-63% of the tracked playerbase, but that curve falls away sharply toward the harder, presumably late-game or completionist achievements, several of which sit around 4-6%. That's a steep drop-off consistent with reviewers' account of a back half that loses some players' engagement through its heavy puzzle focus, though it's also broadly typical of how completion rates fall off in any single-player campaign of this length. As with several other older titles in this catalogue, the achievement schema here returns only generic internal identifiers rather than readable names, so this review can describe the general shape of that decline without tying it to specific chapters or bosses.

The start of a franchise that never got its intended ending

It's worth noting the wider context this game sits in: Darksiders spawned two numbered sequels following different Horsemen, with a planned fourth entry and broader franchise plans disrupted by original developer Vigil Games' closure years ago. Reviewers who've followed the series often frame their appreciation for this first entry specifically in that context, treating it as a strong opening chapter to a story that was never fully able to conclude as originally envisioned — useful background for anyone deciding whether to invest in the series knowing its overarching narrative remains incomplete.

Where it lands

Darksiders earns real, specific praise as a confident, well-balanced hybrid of its Zelda and God of War influences, backed by distinctive art direction and genuine mechanical depth. The publisher's decision to provide this remaster free to existing owners is a rare, consumer-friendly gesture worth acknowledging directly, and the fast post-launch performance patch is a real point in its favor. The documented cutscene codec bug on Steam Deck and Linux is serious and specific enough to research before buying on those platforms, and the back-half pacing complaint is worth setting expectations around. For Windows players specifically, this remains a strong, well-earned recommendation, and the fact that THQ Nordic handed existing owners this improved version for free only sweetens an already solid deal.