Xtra-vision descends into the depths of the Devil's playground to bring you a flaming-hot preview of EA's Dante's Inferno.
From the award-winning developers behind the critically-acclaimed Dead Space franchise, 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. Pre-order the game now, for your PS3 or Xbox 360, from Xtra-vision.
Visceral Games' blockbuster adaptation of Dante's epic poem, The Divine Comedy, opens with an intensely exciting battle that takes the hero from the surface of the earth, all the way to the gates of Hell. Re-imagining Dante as a crusader, the game sees him return to Florence, only to discover that his true love, Beatrice, has been murdered. As her soul escapes her body, she is kidnapped by the dark shadow form of Lucifer. Sworn to her rescue, Dante must journey to the Gates of Hell and beyond to battle undead monstrosities and unholy boss demons.
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...
"Our main goal from the start of this project was to create a journey that would make gamers truly feel as though they were going through hell," says executive producer Jonathan Knight.
Written in the 14th Century, The Divine Comedy was published and read aloud in Italian - unlike the Bible - thereby making the poem accessible to the mass public. The poem delivers a striking and allegorical vision of the Christian afterlife and the punishments of Hell.
"The world of Alighieri's Dante's Inferno is such a rich, detailed and often alarming universe," continues Knight, "that all of us at Visceral Games put our hearts, and dare I say souls, into creating something truly intense and exciting."
Charged with writing the game's inventive storyline was screenwriter Will Rokos. Best known for his Best Original Screenplay nomination for Monster's Ball in 2001, Rokos collaborated with the game's creative team to craft an all new narrative that paralleled the original poem.
"The task of adapting a revered and classic piece of literature for the gaming medium was a tremendous challenge," says Knight. "Dante Alighieri's masterpiece forms the foundation of the game's plot, but Will's take on the Dante/Beatrice story brought the necessary conflict and action that made the material really work dramatically. It was an enormous thrill to partner on the script with someone as creative and talented as Will."
"Taking such a naturally rich and deep universe and adapting for the video game has been one of the most interesting and challenging projects I've worked on," adds Rokos. "I really got into re-imagining Dante as a flawed hero with a dark past, and his determination to save the love of his life from a terrible fate. It was a truly unique experience to re-create one man's hell, one circle at a time."
Beyond the novel plot, clever dialogue, rollercoaster gameplay and Next Generation visuals, Dante's Inferno also sounds sensational, with a score from award-winning film, tv and video game composer Garry Schyman, who most recently won many prestigious awards for his work on BioShock.
"Our primary goal with this project was to bring Dante Alighieri's vision of hell to a new audience and a new medium, and that went beyond the visuals," explains Knight. "The sound and music are equally critical to the experience, and Garry's epic score adds layers of power and tension, as gamers descend through the nine circles of Hell. We were incredibly fortunate to have worked with talent of his calibre."
"Scoring Dante's Inferno was one of the most interesting and challenging projects I ever tackled," reveals Schyman. "Literally being asked to score Hell was fantastic especially once I saw the surrealistically frightening world that Visceral Games had developed. I thought long and hard about every piece of music I wrote to create something new, surprising and fitting. It has turned out to be one of the most creative experiences in my career."
"The time was right for the world of interactive entertainment to adapt this literary masterpiece, and to re-introduce Dante to an audience that, until now, may have been unfamiliar with the remarkable details of this great work of art," concludes Knight. "It was the perfect opportunity to fuse great gameplay with great story."