Dante's Inferno for the PlayStation 3 is a 2010 hack-and-slash action-adventure gamedeveloped by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is a loose, highly stylized adaptation of "Inferno," the first part of Dante Alighieris 14th-century epic poem, the Divine Comedy.
The Narrative and Setting
The game reimagines Dante not as a poet, but as a tempered veteran of the Crusades. Upon returning home, he finds his beloved Beatrice murdered and her soul dragged into Hell by Lucifer. Driven by love and guilt, Dante pursues her into the underworld.
The games setting is its most definitive feature. Players descend through the Nine Circles of Hell:
- Limbo
- Lust
- Gluttony
- Greed
- Anger
- Heresy
- Violence
- Fraud
- Treachery
Each circle is uniquely designed to reflect its specific sin, featuring grotesque landscapes, thematic architecture, and tortured souls matching their transgressions.
Gameplay Mechanics
The gameplay heavily draws inspiration from the God of War series, utilizing fast-paced, combo-heavy combat.
- The Weaponry: Dante primarily fights using a giant, transforming Death's Scythe (stolen from Death himself) for close-quarters melee combat. For ranged attacks, he fires holy projectiles using Beatrice's Holy Cross.
- The Holy vs. Unholy System: When defeating standard enemies or confronting famous historical sinners (like Pontius Pilate or Cleopatra), the player can choose to either Punish or Absolve them. Punishing tethers to the Unholy skill tree, upgrading scythe attacks. Absolving tethers to the Holy skill tree, upgrading cross and magic abilities.
- Magic and Relics: Players can equip customizable magic spells and collectible relics that alter stats, offer passive buffs, or grant special combat maneuvers.
- Beast Taming: At certain points, Dante can hijack large, monstrous underworld beasts to rampage through hordes of enemies and clear environmental obstacles.
Presentation and Style
The game operates at a fluid 60 frames per second on the PS3, prioritizing fast, responsive inputs. The tone is dark, gritty, and mature, featuring heavy religious imagery, body horror, and explicit depictions of gore and nudity. The narrative is pushed forward through a mix of in-engine cinematic cutscenes and stylized 2D animated sequences.
