Dante's Inferno review

Dante's Inferno is a hack 'n' slash game inspired by -- and I use that word loosely -- the section of the Divine Comedy of the same name. But where the source material sees Dante following a guided tour through Hell, the video game has Dante fighting to save the soul of his late wife Beatrice. And by fighting, I mean brutally kicking some demon ass.

First and foremost, I cannot speak to the obvious God of War comparisons. I've never owned a Playstation console -- the unfortunate byproduct of not having money for multiple systems -- so Kratos' exploits have sadly passed me by.

99% of Dante's Inferno takes place in one of the nine circles of Hell, where you'll face demons and the damned based on those circles. Some of the enemies are truly grotesque and will stick with you long after you put down the controller. Combat is quick and violent, with Dante slicing through the opposition like a tornado of knives on lower difficulties.

When you're not swinging your 10-foot scythe like a blood-thirsty Babe Ruth, you'll spend the rest of the game traversing lower and lower via vines, climbing walls and swinging ropes. There is nothing revolutionary about the platforming, but I did enjoy the sensation of constantly descending. As you near the conclusion of your eight-hour climb downward, you really get the sense just how far you've descended into the earth.

Unfortunately, eight hours is all that the campaign lasts. There is also a 'Gates of Hell' mode to unlock, which is a timed series of battles against increasingly difficult enemies, but it doesn't do much to add to the experience.

What really holds Dante's Inferno back, though, is the repetition. The entire game can essentially be beaten by spamming the same two or three combos over and over again, and while the enemies change based on which circle of Hell you are in, they're all variations of the same six or seven base models. You fight normal minion and demon in circle one, but fire minion and flying demon in circle five etc.

The environments also bleed together, which add to the repetitious feel. The two most memorable levels -- an abandoned desert city and ice state -- are the last two stages of the game and are over far too quickly. More level and enemy variation would have gone a long way toward breaking up the monotony of combat.

What's good:
- Combat controls are tight and satisfyingly bloody
- Interesting bosses
- The sense of descent

What's bad:
- Repetition
- Short campaign
- Doesn't bring anything new to the table

Score: 7/10