Girl Gamer

EA Tells Gamers to "Go To Hell!"

By GG-AngelThanatos 2 years, 4 months ago • 2 Comments

Hey, where are we going, and why are we in this hand basket?

It’s what happens when video game adventure meets classic literature – Dante’s Inferno, based on the “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri is headed for a console near you…and man, is it intense.

Dante, a fighter in the Crusades, returns home to find that his lover, Beatrice has been murdered. As luck would have it, he shows up just in time to witness Death dragging her soul to Hell. The dashing warrior steals Death’s powerful, soul-reaping scythe and follows him into the depths to take her back.

“Where thou shalt hear the desperate lamentations,
Shalt see the ancient spirits disconsolate,
Who cry out each one for the second death…”

No time for love, Dr. Jones, it’s time to whoop some demonic ass! Armed with the powers of both good and evil, Dante must descend deeper and deeper into the Inferno to save his true love. (Okay girls, go ahead….all together, now: “Awwwwwww”)

Each circle of Hell has its own name, as indicated in the poem, as well as its own look, feel and challenges. They are:

Limbo
Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Wrath/Sloth
Heresy
Violence
Fraud/Hypocrisy
Treachery

(A note of trivia for you: the popular vision of Hell being a fiery inferno began with the publication of this poem!)

After traversing the evil unknown, you must defeat the Circle’s guardian (i.e. boss) before descending into the next.

But wait, you ask, how can Dante be armed with both good and evil? Good question! The evil is Death’s scythe, which delivers two types of attacks and earns you “Unholy Points.” The good is a holy cross that Beatrice gave him, which absolves the sinners, destroying them and earning you “Righteousness” points. How this will affect game play is still to be determined.

As if Dante’s day wasn’t bad enough, turns out Lucifer himself wants Beatrice for his bride.

Dante’s Inferno is beautifully crafted and appears to be a very deep, spiritual and psychological story. Dante wields both good and evil to win his lover back, which is hypocritical. He must face his own sins on his journey – war crimes, family secrets, etc. Of course, the concept of fighting the very depths of Hell to save the soul of his lover is romantic and timeless.

Dante’s Inferno ships February 12, 2010. Will religious groups object? Will scholars? After all, the story tries to reinterpret the first part of the classic poem, but doesn’t duplicate it exactly. It should be interesting to see what kind of controversy, if any, surrounds this game.

Sounds like Electronic Arts (EA) was trying to start some trouble of their own. Sending $200 to a few selected video game critics, they enclosed a note that said, “In Dante’s Inferno, Greed is a two-headed beast. Hoarding wealth feeds one beast, and squandering it satiates the other. By cashing this check you succumb to avarice by hoarding filthy lucre, but by not cashing it, you waste it, and thereby surrender to prodigality. Make your choice and suffer the consequence for your sin. And scoff not, for consequences are imminent.” (Gaah!!) lol

This game is not for children, nor is it for the faint of heart. Play if you dare…

You can follow the developer diaries at: http://www.dantesinferno.com

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