You Should Play Dante’s Inferno

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15 years ago, on February 9, 2010, EA and Visceral Games introduced players worldwide to an unprecedented exploration of Hell in the action-adventure game, “Dante’s Inferno.” Inspired by the success of “Dead Space” and adaptations like the movie “300,” Visceral Games aimed to create a game resembling a graphic novel, drawing from popular narratives. Guided by this vision, director Jonathan Knight decided to develop Visceral’s next significant project based on the first part of Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century poem, “The Divine Comedy.” Although “Dante’s Inferno” was moderately successful, it didn’t achieve the same level of acclaim as its sci-fi horror counterpart. Nevertheless, players still have a chance to traverse the Hell of the 12th century once more.

As a passionate gamer, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Dante’s Inferno. But here’s the catch – while my gaming buddies across the pond in Australia and Europe were already diving into its depths from February 4 and 5 respectively, North America had to wait until February 9. Quite a tease, isn’t it?

The Complex Adaptation of Dante’s Inferno

In contrast to Dead Space, which was an entirely original tale, adapting Dante’s Inferno presented both opportunities and difficulties for Visceral Games in transforming its narrative into a video game. Given that The Divine Comedy is an 700-year-old poem, Visceral had the freedom to manipulate the story as they saw fit. However, The Divine Comedy wasn’t inherently action-packed or character-focused, making it less straightforward to adapt into a AAA video game. To address this, Visceral Games made significant changes to various parts of the poem and incorporated numerous new components, resulting in a unique take on The Divine Comedy. This interpretation featured gameplay reminiscent of God of War and a chilling aesthetic by artist Wayne Barlowe.

Instead of concentrating on a relatively benign narrative about Alighieri being guided by Virgil through the nine levels of Hell in Dante’s Inferno, the story takes a darker and more introspective turn. During the Third Crusade’s Siege of Acre, a Templar Knight named Dante narrowly escapes death and encounters Death itself, who condemns him for his transgressions and the fate of his loved ones. After slaying Death and seizing its scythe, Dante creates a tapestry of his sins before returning home to find his wife Beatrice deceased. Beatrice’s soul is taken by Lucifer due to Dante’s infidelity, compelling him to battle through the demons and monsters of the nine circles of Hell in an attempt to save Beatrice’s soul.

The Demons and Monsters Dante’s Inferno

In contrast to how Dante and Virgil in “The Divine Comedy” rarely engage directly with the denizens of Hell, the inhabitants of Hell in “Dante’s Inferno” are transformed into colossal, grotesque adversaries. This is particularly evident in the game’s formidable bosses, such as the judgmental squid-like King Minos, the worm-like jaws of Cerberus, and the lustful Cleopatra who spawns minions. Apart from these bosses, players will mainly encounter common enemy types, including bat-like pests, Satyr-like demons with horns, massive asterian beasts, and skeletal minions. However, certain circles of Hell host more unique monstrous enemies, like the siren-like temptresses, conjoined hoarders/wasters, and warlock-like heretics. Dante can even command some demons, such as asterian beasts and Phlegyas, to fight others, solve puzzles, and navigate difficult terrains.

Dante’s Inferno’s Gameplay and Criticism of The Divine Comedy

Similar to Kratos’ Blades of Chaos, Dante’s scythe is a versatile weapon with multiple functions. It acts not just as a scythe for slashing demons, but can also function as a spear or a short sword attached to Dante. Moreover, it has a chain that can be used as a hook to traverse chasms or capture demons. However, this scythe is only one of the tools in Dante’s arsenal. He can also use Beatrice’s cross to shoot holy attacks at demons and recover health when demons are defeated. By combining these two weapons, they can be enhanced to unleash more potent combo attacks using the energy and souls of vanquished demons and tormented spirits.

As a gamer delving into the world of ‘The Divine Comedy’ in ‘Dante’s Inferno’, I find that Visceral Games has given me an engaging twist on Alleghieri’s original work. Instead of blindly following his judgments, I have the power to decide the fate of historical, biblical, and contemporary figures myself. If I choose to punish these souls for their perceived transgressions, I am rewarded with a substantial number of souls to enhance my abilities. On the other hand, if I opt to absolve them, I must navigate through a challenging rhythm mini-game to secure a hefty sum of souls. This interactive element makes me feel more connected to the story and its characters, creating an immersive gaming experience.

The Potential of a Dante’s Inferno Remake

Although Dante’s Inferno garnered modest acclaim and generated revenue not only from the game but also through an animated film and comic adaptations, it did not lead to a follow-up game. At the conclusion of Dante’s Inferno, Dante acknowledges his transgressions, rescues Beatrice’s soul, and vanquishes Lucifer before he could initiate his scheme to usurp God and dominate all three realms of the afterlife. As Dante prepares to set foot on Purgatory’s island-mountain, his tapestry transforms into a serpent; Lucifer chuckles as “To Be Continued” flashes across the screen. Regrettably, due mainly to lackluster sales, Electronic Arts (EA) decided against producing a sequel centered around Purgatory for Dante’s Inferno.

Though Visceral Games is no longer in operation, their extensive library of games continues to be cherished by many fans even today, with Dead Space and Dante’s Inferno standing out as particular favorites linked closely to the studio. The 2023 remake of Dead Space has garnered positive reviews and financial success, while God of War has experienced a resurgence with its Norse duology. Considering this, Electronic Arts (EA) might consider remaking Dante’s Inferno for contemporary platforms. As the next significant horror-adjacent game developed by Visceral following Dead Space, it seems logical that EA would create an Inferno remake before tackling a Dead Space 2 remake. This could also provide Dante’s Inferno with the attention it warrants.

In the year 2018, Tal Peleg, an animator at Naughty Dog, shared a fan-created short video depicting a potential storyline for a Dante’s Inferno sequel, which he titled “Dante’s Redemption: Act 1”.

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2025-02-09 14:07