Learn more about Heresy and absolution in new Dante's Inferno dev diary, demo due out in December

by: Chuck - posted: 11/10/2009 2:30:00 PM

I'm still trying to figure out where I stand on Dante's Inferno.  On one hand I see a game that looks like a lot of fun and that will push a lot of peoples buttons given all the Christian imagery the game is using.  On the other hand I see a game that's seems to be a wanton rip off of God of War with a controversial marketing campaign that seems to be pushing the game harder than it needs to be pushed.  By that I mean that if Dante's Inferno is such a great game, why is EA pushing the envelope so hard with the marketing?  It almost feels like the marketing department is over compensating for something.

We'll get some clue of how good the game is in December when EA releases the first demo of the game.  From the description EA sent over it looks like this is only the first level or so of the game so I'm not sure how much of the controversial stuff we'll see before the game is released in February.

Back to the topic at hand, here's the latest developer diary which shows off the Heresy level of the game.  It's full of fire, brimstone, and burning souls which should remind people a lot of their typical definition of hell. 

Visceral Games INVITES PLAYERS TO TEAR OPEN THE

‘GATES OF HELL’ WITH DANTE’S INFERNO DEMO



Experience One of the Most Anticipated Games of 2010… in 2009



Redwood City, Calif. – November 10, 2009 – Spend the holidays in hell! Visceral Games™, the award-winning developers behind the critically-acclaimed Dead Space™ franchise and a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced a demo for Dante’s Inferno™. Coming this December, the ‘Gates of Hell’ demo includes the entire opening level and gives gamers a taste of Visceral Games’ blockbuster adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, The Divine Comedy.



The ‘Gates of Hell’ demo will introduce players to the game’s hero, epic story and intense action gameplay, tracing Dante’s battles from the surface all the way to the Gates of Hell. Players will experience fast-paced hack-n-slash combat as they fend off waves of enemies before taking on the ultimate battle against Death. After defeating this boss, Dante will be armed with Death’s scythe, a powerful holy cross, and will be ready to tear open the Gates of Hell. The demo also features two stunning cinematic movies made by Blur, the award-winning visual effects, animation and design studio.



“Our main goal from the start of this project has been to create a journey that will make gamers truly feel like they are going through hell,” said executive producer Jonathan Knight. “The demo will give everyone some insight into how we are treating the story and a taste of the gameplay. And with nine more circles of hell to explore once the game comes out in February, we are literally just scratching the surface.”



EA’s Dante’s Inferno is an epic descent through Dante Alighieri’s nine circles of hell – limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. At a blazing-fast 60 frames per second, each circle features unique environments, all new creatures, terrifying demons, story elements and are scored distinctly to set a tone that fits each circle of sinners.



Gamers will get to go to hell in North America beginning February 9, 2010 and in Europe on February 12, 2010 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PlayStation® Portable (PSP®). The Gates of Hell demo will be available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.



Dante’s Inferno has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI. For more information on Dante’s Inferno, please follow the Dante’s Inferno team at Visceral Games on Twitter at www.twitter.com/danteteam and visit the game’s official web site at www.dantesinferno.com where the team explores a new circle of hell, with new content and updates on the ninth day of every month.