History YMMV / DarksidersIII

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: The Tempest initially appears as simply a terrifying tornado that lingers around certain areas of The Scar, necessitating a rapid sprint from points of covers to avoid being sucked up for an instant kill. The Watcher describes it as a kind of living being at the center of the storm, and when you finally destroy it a loud echoing ''"Thank you!"'' is heard as the twister dissipates permanently. And that's it; no call backs, no further comment from Fury or the Watcher, no mention of any kind about who the being was, whether it was Angel or Demon or something else entirely, or how it apparently was cursed into to becoming the Tempest.

* TheyChangedItSoItSucks: A common criticism with ''Darksiders III'' - the change in game-play to emulate {{Soulslike RPG}}s made players frustrated, especially when they were hoping for ''III'' to be similar to the first two games.

** {{Downplayed}} with the Stasis Hollow's Stasis Shield that turns Fury invulnerable and her {{Combo}}s cannot be interrupted, thus allowing players to whale on hapless foes while they can't do a thing, arguably granting the highest level of survival. However, Stasis Hollow is acquired late in the game (the last Hollow Form, in fact), and with every hit dealt against enemies, the duration of the shield decreases, yet when armed with the right enhancements (and a hefty amount of Wrath shards), players can easily refill the Wrath gauge and use Stasis Shield repeatedly. Not even the remaining bosses can hurt Fury when Stasis Shield is activated.

* DemonicSpiders: The Elite enemies added in NewGamePlus. They weren't there in the initial playthrough, and they are MUCH more powerful that their normal counterparts. Even on Balanced difficulty, a single hit from them is enough to cut your (upgraded) health in half, and some of their attacks can kill you in one hit if you're already damaged damaged. Not helped is how they appear as pitch black palette swaps of otherwise ordinary enemies, making it tricky to discern their attack animations, especially in darker areas where they almost disappear into the background.

* ContestedSequel: The reception to ''Darksiders III'' has been mixed for critics and players alike - on one hand, [[FollowTheLeader the game taking on elements popularized]] by the SoulslikeRPG genre is a change of pace, but technical issues and removing some of the game-play that made the prior installments stand out diminishes the overall quality of this one.

** [[BonusBoss Abraxis]]: for being such a dangerous force threatening the Balance, he sure goes down quick. His attacks are also very telegraphed and easy to dodge, nor does he have the {{Hit Point}}s needed to stand up to players' onslaught. It also doesn't help that he can be fought right after gaining the Stasis Hollow, which gives Fury access to both a scarily effective protective shield and a weapon whose charged attacks ''slow enemies down''.
* ContestedSequel: The reception to ''Darksiders III'' has been mixed for critics and players alike - on one hand, [[FollowTheLeader the game taking on elements popularized]] by the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' series is a change of pace, but technical issues and removing some of the game-play that made the prior installments stand out diminishes the overall quality of this one.

** Also downplayed with the Force Hollow; while the Hammer of Scorn is on its own a relatively decent weapon, it is the only base-game weapon that can break enemy guards with its basic attacks, causing blocking enemies to stagger. While useful on its own, this isn't much of a game breaker, but when paired with a Frenzy Shard, it basically ''stunlocks'' them, with every hit either staggering them or breaking their guard within one or two hits. It's so ridiculous that it can reduce [[spoiler: ''[[BonusBoss Wicked K]]'']], an otherwise fairly tough challenge, to a complete non-threat.
** Played straight with [[SuperMode Havoc Form]]: it fills up fairly quickly (even without the weapon upgrade that increases its gain by up to 50%), Fury is NighInvulnerable when using it or inflicts so much hit-stun that nothing ''can'' hurt players while it's active, with basic attacks receiving a huge damage boost and, most importantly, Fury's {{Hit Point}}s regenerates while using it. Havoc Form isn't just a defensive mechanism or a damage boost, but it's essentially another healing item. Very early in the game (halfway through the Hollow), players can find a weapon upgrade that increases Havoc Form duration.

** The first two games stated that humanity has been completely destroyed in the Apocalypse, but here, we are shown that this is ''not'' the case. In a midst of a destroyed city full of demons, there is a giant magical tree where Ulthane and his fellow Makers provide shelter to human survivors. Ulthane gives Fury an item that can [[VideoGameCaringPotential teleport any human she encounters to safety]], and despite her initial disdain for the "useless, hairless simians", Fury agrees to help. And in the end, when an entire army of demons attacks the Maker Tree, [[spoiler:Fury leads the human survivors to safety and becomes their protector]].

** After [[spoiler:Envy]] nearly kills her, Fury wakes up in the Maker Tree with Jones at her bedside. Fury is utterly broken by her defeat, sounding close to tears, and Jones gives her a much-needed pep talk. Despite chewing her out for her arrogance before, when Fury is at her lowest point, he is there for her. It's made all the sweeter when the ending reveals that Jones is actually [[spoiler:her brother Strife, which also implies that all this time he has been on Earth, helping humanity along with the Makers]].

** The aforementioned change to game-play utilizing ''Dark Souls''-stylized elements, such as losing accumulated souls upon death and enemy mobs capable of defeating players since this installment heavily downplays MookChivalry.
*** Adding to this is the fact that players do not fill up {{Hit Point}}s or the Estus Flask-{{Expy}} at checkpoints. Thankfully, enemies drop Health Lurchers much more often than enemies in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' drop Estus Flask refills, but when players find a checkpoint right before a boss fight, the usual plan of attack is to run in, watch the cutscene, get themselves killed, respawn with full health and healing items and THEN try for real, which destroys any kind of build-up of tension.

** While camera controls in the ''Darksiders'' series were never the best for an ActionGame, ''Darksiders III'' is placed squarely into this, coupled alongside the {{Downplayed}} MookChivalry. Because this game makes the latter trope more pronounced compared to the previous games, players will be fighting against the camera upon target-locking one enemy, as they also have to contend with paying attention to other {{Mook}}s in the vicinity attacking them off-screen. This gets worse if fighting takes place, for instance, in a corridor, as the camera decides to ensure it follows Fury's rear - if her back is to the wall, the camera will position behind her rather than displace and give players a better view from another angle. Furthermore, although the user interface denotes when another enemy off-screen will attack, the warning is so minuscule on the head-up display that players will hardly notice it and get struck no matter what.

* UnderusedGameMechanic: There are several puzzles that require an equippable sword as a key in order to solve. Fury can attack enemies using this sword and even use the dodge mechanic like the Hollow weapons to deliver a boomerang counterattack like some of the enemies in the game. However, due to the nature of having to find the [[Franchise/KingdomHearts 'key blade']] after the player has probably killed all enemies in the area, there are not many chances throughout the game to use this weapon as...well, a weapon.

* MagnificentBitch: [[spoiler:The true villain of the game, {{Envy}}, poses as Fury's Watcher and spends the entire game steadily manipulating her to Envy's own ends. Having Fury eliminate all the SevenDeadlySins, Envy emerges when Pride has been defeated to usurp all their power and defeats Fury effortlessly. Declaring that the world will be hers, Envy proceeds to storm over to the Charred Council and nearly erases them herself to achieve her own ends, showcasing a brilliant and cunning mind underneath her selfishness and deadliness]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: After complaints listed in ScrappyMechanic, alongside technical and performance issues at launch, Gunfire Games released a patch a week after its release to address the latter, including re-balancing game difficulty and more lenient MercyInvincibility. Two weeks later, the developers added a "classic" mode, which hearkens to the game-play in prior ''Darksiders'' titles where players can [[{{Cancel}} dodge-interrupt]] {{Combo}}s, as well as instantaneous item use, with more performance optimization.

** The ending of the game reveals that Jones is actually [[spoiler: Strife, implying that all this time he has been on Earth, helping humanity along with the Makers]].

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: The "Horse with No Name" trailer shows Fury's close relationship with her horse Rampage. After all the snark and anger she has shown through promotions, it's rather touching to see her playfully nudge the steed only to get a playful shove back in return. [[spoiler:It makes Rampage's death all the more heart-breaking]].

** Played straight with [[SuperMode Havoc Form]]: it fills up fairly quickly (even without the weapon upgrade that increses its gain by up to 50%), Fury is NighInvulnerable when using it or inflicts so much hit-stun that nothing ''can'' hurt players while it's active, with basic attacks receiving a huge damage boost and, most importantly, Fury's {{Hit Point}}s regenerates while using it. Havoc Form isn't just a defensive mechanism or a damage boost, but it's essentially another healing item. Very early in the game (halfway through the Hollow), players can find a weapon upgrade that increases Havoc Form duration.

* FoeYay: Though Fury has her moments with each of the Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath's personality and his statement during their second fight of [[spoiler:how he and Fury could have loved each other in another reality comes across as a form of a lover scorned and spurned by the other]].

* UnderusedGameMechanic: There are several puzzles that require an equippable sword to solve. Fury can attack enemies using this sword and even use the dodge mechanic like the Hollow weapons to deliver a boomerang counterattack like some of the enemies in the game. However, due to the nature of having to find the [[Franchise/KingdomHearts 'key blade']] after the player has probably killed all enemies in the area, there are not many chances throughout the game to use this weapon as...well, a weapon.

* TheyChangedItSoItSucks: A common criticism with ''Darksiders III'' - the change in game-play to emulate {{Soulslike RPG}}s made players frustrated, especially when they were hoping for ''III'' to be similar to the first two games.

* GuideDangIt: Gluttony's second phase - while it's fairly clear from the arena layout that players are supposed to make him swallow the underwater mines that have been constantly following Fury throughout the level, figuring out how to do so is harder since the game gives players no method of grabbing these mines without them exploding, thus it's best to herd them along until they get pulled in by Gluttony's inhaling attack.

* TheyChangedItSoItSucks: A common criticism with ''Darksiders III'' - the change in game-play to emulate {{Soulslike RPG}}s made players frustrated, especially when they were hoping for ''III'' to be similar to the first two games.
* WinTheCrowd: The mere announcement of a third game had fans excited, as the franchise was thought to be dead after middling sales of ''Darksiders II'' and Creator/{{THQ}} taking series developer Vigil Games down with them.

* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:Envy's true form]] whose attacks are far more telegraphed and who staggers much easier than [[spoiler:Pride]] before her and also doesn't really block a lot, leaving you wondering how [[spoiler:Envy stood any chance against the Charred Council]].
** Abraxis. For being such a dangerous force threatening the balance he sure goes down quick. His attacks are very telegraphed and easy to dodge and he doesn't really have the health needed to stand up to your onslaught. It also doesn't help that you find him right after gaining the Stasis Hollow, which gives you access to both a scarily effective protective shield and a weapon whose charged attacks ''slow enemies down''.

* GameBreaker: {{Downplayed}}; the Stasis Hollow's Stasis Shield turns Fury invulnerable and her {{Combo}}s cannot be interrupted, allowing players to whale on hapless foes while they can't do a thing, arguably granting the highest level of survival. However, Stasis Hollow is acquired late in the game (the last Hollow Form, in fact), and with every hit dealt against enemies, the duration of the shield decreases, yet when armed with the right enhancements (and a hefty amount of Wrath shards), players can easily refill the Wrath gauge and use Stasis Shield repeatedly. Not even the remaining bosses can hurt Fury when Stasis Shield is activated.
** Played entirely straight with the Havoc Form. It fills up fairly quickly (even without the weapon upgrade that increses its gain by up to 50%), you are either invincible using it or inflict so much hitstun that nothing ''can'' hurt you while it's active, your basic attacks get a huge damage boost and, most importantly, your health regenerates while using it. So it isn't just a defensive mechanism or a damage boost but it's also essentially another healing item. Oh, and very early in the game (halfway through the Hollow) you can find a weapon upgrade that increases Havoc Form duration.
* GuideDangIt: Gluttony's second phase. While it is fairly clear from the arena layout that you are supposed to make him swallow the underwater mines that have been constantly following you throughout the level, figuring out how to do so is harder since you have no way of grabbing these mines without them exploding so you have to herd them along until they get pulled in by Gluttony's sucking attack.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Used by and against Fury, to most, Fury is the runt of the litter in the Horsemen, getting almost no respect from any character she interacts with, Fury, Rightly, chafes at this, and calls out the characters who do so, pointing out that regardless of the situation, she ''is'' still a nephilim and one of the Four Horsemen. Her status as the least favoured of the Horsemen however is probably due to her very abrasive personality, which in turn is probably due to her treatment, but she does get called out herself a few times on her attitude.

* NeverTrustATrailer: Despite getting an dedicated trailer days before release, players never actually get to ride Rampage as it only appears briefly in the game proper [[spoiler:before getting killed early on in the story]].

** During the fake-out [[spoiler:gathering of the Horsemen]] after meeting Lust, observant players may notice that [[spoiler:War and Death’s descriptions of their adventures [[SpottingTheThread don’t match up with the events of the previous two games]]; Death, for instance, claims to have freed War and proven his innocence, except his mission in ''VideoGame/DarksidersII'' was to ERASE his crime by resurrecting humanity, not prove him innocent]].

*** When Lust is defeated, they offer information on [[spoiler: the location of Envy. Fury takes this as them not knowing Envy was already killed, but it's clear they and most of the other Sins saw right through Envy's disguise the moment Fury entered the room. The confrontations with them often include at least one AsideGlance or veiled acknowledgement towards Fury's Watcher just before a change in camera.]]

-->"''I hope it's not Envy. That one's a terror''."
* RootingForTheEmpire: It is very easy to sympathize with [[spoiler:Envy]] after the massive HannibalLecture she gives to the Charred Council.

*** Adding to this is the fact that you do not fill up your health or Estus-{{Expies}} at checkpoints. Thankfully enemies drop Health Lurchers much more often than enemies in VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII drop Estus refills, but when you find the checkpoint right before a boss fight, your usual plan of attack is to run in, watch the cutscene, get yourself killed, respawn with full health and healing items and THEN try for real, which destroys any kind of build-up of tension.
** The poisonous sludge scattered particularly around Lust's abode and the grinders around Wrath's level. Normally when you fall great heights you simply lose a bit of health and get teleported back up. But when you fall into either of these, your HP drops to zero and you get to start over from a checkpoint.

* ThatOneAttack: Avarice is not a hard boss. However, once you get him well below half health he will grab a freezer to hit you with. That freezer has huge hitboxes, practically no wind-up and deals massive damage. You can simply wait until he drops it and goes back to his normal attack patterns, but that takes so long that you'd be forgiven for not figuring that out.
* ThatOneBoss: [[spoiler:Wrath's second fight]] not so much because he's hard but because of the long boring ride to reach him every time and his extremely boring and tedious first phase. That is, when he gets low on health, he will run away and start attacking the angels and demons scattered around the arena. And if he kills any of them, it restores a rather enormous amount of his health, meaning you have to absolutely go all-out or have to delete several bars worth of health before he finally shifts to his second phase (which is just a slightly scarier version of the early-game encounter).
* ThatOneLevel: The Scar has some infuriating non-combat sequences where you must outrun a tornado that instantly kills you if it gets too close. You barely get enough time to make it meaning that you have to be absolutely perfect, the slightest misstep and you're toast. Ditto for the sequences where you must freeze rotating spiked blades with the Stasis Hollow in order to safely walk across them. The effect barely lasts long enough for anything other than a perfect sprint.
* TheyChangedItSoItSucks: A common criticism with the game. The change in gameplay to emulate Soulsborne titles made players frustrated, especially when they were hoping for it to be similar to the first two games.

* ThatOneBoss [[spoiler:Wrath's second fight]] not so much because he's hard but because of the long boring ride to reach him every time and his extremely boring and tedious first phase. That is, when he gets low on health, he will run away and start attacking the angels and demons scattered around the arena. And if he kills any of them, it restores a rather enormous amount of his health, meaning you have to absolutely go all-out or have to delete several bars worth of health before he finally shifts to his second phase (which is just a slightly scarier version of the early-game encounter).

* HolyShitQuotient: Compared to its predecessors, there are ''tons'' in ''Darksiders III''.
** [[spoiler:Fury's horse, Rampage, is killed early on in the story]]; this has not happened to either War or Death in their respective games.
** [[spoiler:The revelation that not only is Fury's Watcher actually Envy in disguise, but she humbles Fury to the brink of HeroicBSOD]].
** [[spoiler:After the FinalBoss fight with Envy, Fury briefly throws down with the ''Charred Council'' of all entities, something no other character in the series has yet to do, and barely escapes with her life]].
** [[spoiler:Just as the game ends, ''Strife'' appears in the flesh after spending a majority of the game disguised as a human]].