Well, Electronic Arts seems committed to producing original game ideas, and you don’t get more unique than a videogame based on The Divine Comedy . Coming from Redwood Shores, the guys that brought us Dead Space , Dante’s Inferno is an action game that will take you to Hell itself. The Pope is going to love this.
As well as the official announcement, Dante’s Inferno has an official Web site and, of course, the above video. As you can see, it doesn’t reveal too much, but I am really digging the style and the fact that a crucifix gets rammed in some guy’s head .
Based on the sheer audacity of the idea alone, I am intrigued to find out more, and really hope that Redwood delivers. I may not have been on the Dead Space love wagon, but Redwood has proven it’s capable of solid gameplay. Hopefully this can build upon what Dead Space had done and truly give us something that’ll make us sh*t our pants.
Also, I think it’s sad that there are some ignorant tools online who already think this is some sort of “lame Devil May Cry remake.”
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE )–Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate.* An abducted soul, a lifetime of sins, a journey to the depths of despair. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that EA Redwood Shores, the studio behind the hit horror game Dead Space™, is now working on another original property — this one based on the medieval epic poem The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The dark fiction gave birth to the Tuscan Italian dialect and is widely considered the work that has defined the western world’s contemporary conception of hell and purgatory. The poem tells the tale of Dante who journeys through the twisted, menacing nine circles of hell in pursuit of his beloved Beatrice. Dante’s tortured and tormented world is an ideal setting for this 3rd person action and adventure of a video game, Dante’s Inferno ™.
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. In part one, known as Dante’s Inferno, Dante traverses all nine circles of hell; limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery.
“The time is right for the world of interactive entertainment to adapt this literary masterpiece, and to re-introduce Dante to an audience who, until now, may have been unfamiliar with the remarkable details of this great work of art,” said Jonathan Knight, Executive Producer for Dante’s Inferno . “It’s the perfect opportunity to fuse great gameplay with great story.”
For more information on Dante’s Inferno , please visit www.dantesinferno.com and sign up for the newsletter and bookmark for news, features and upcoming events.
* Translation: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
Published: Dec 15, 2008 12:41 pm