GAMES · STORY NOTES

Darksiders

Darksiders is a hack and slash action-adventure video game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. The game's inspiration is from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, with the player taking the role of the horseman War.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Darksiders (video game) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

FULL SPOILERS AHEAD

The story, including the ending.

These write-ups discuss major events and outcomes for this listed work. Each source and its coverage are identified below.

Source plot synopsis — includes the ending

=== Story ===
Since the beginning of time, Heaven and Hell have been at war. To preserve balance, a mediating force known as the Charred Council emerged, recruiting the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to enforce its will. Anticipating humanity's future significance, the Council declared them as a third kingdom under its protection. A truce between Heaven and Hell was sealed by the Seven Seals, which would only be broken when humanity was ready to join Endwar. The breaking of the final seal would summon the Four Horsemen and begin the Apocalypse.
The Horseman of War (voiced by Liam O'Brien) arrives on present-day Earth amid the outbreak of the Endwar between angels and demons while humanity is caught in the crossfire. He confronts the archangel Abaddon (voiced by Troy Baker), only to discover that the Seventh Seal remains intact and the other Horsemen have not been summoned. During the battle, Abaddon is slain by the colossal demon Straga (also voiced by Troy Baker). War almost defeats Straga but mysteriously loses his strength and falls under the judgement of the Charred Council (voiced by Fred Tatasciore), who accuse him of prematurely triggering the Apocalypse. Granted permission to uncover the true culprits, War is stripped of his powers and bound to the Watcher (voiced by Mark Hamill), a Council servant empowered to execute him for disobedience. He returns to a ruined Earth, where a century has passed since "the Destroyer" annihilated humanity and defeated the forces of Heaven. The stranded remnants of the angelic army have formed a resistance force called the Hellguard, led by Uriel (voiced by Moon Bloodgood).
The demon merchant Vulgrim (voiced by Phil LaMarr) directs War to the Black Tower and to seek advice from the imprisoned demon lord Samael (voiced by Vernon Wells). Upon release, Samael reveals that four ancient monsters called the Chosen, whose hearts must be offered to open the Tower. War slays all the Chosen, only to learn they were meant to prevent Samael’s return. Honoring his word, Samael restores the path to the Black Tower and hints that the Charred Council has deliberately kept War weakened.
Inside the Black Tower, War frees Azrael (voiced by Keith Szarabajka), the Angel of Death. Azrael confesses that he and Abaddon conspired to break six of the Seven Seals. Their goal was to lure demon lords into an ambush and then convince an ancient smith Ulthane (voiced by JB Blanc) to reforge the Seals and erase all trace of the plot. But Abaddon’s death ruined the plan, and the Endwar began in earnest.
War fights a rematch with the demon Straga, whose death causes the Tower to collapse. Azrael transports himself and War to the Garden of Eden, where War visits the Tree of Knowledge to receive a vision. In this vision, War sees that Abaddon went to Hell after his death and was offered the choice to "serve in Heaven or rule in Hell". Knowing he was doomed for punishment in any case, he chose to become the Destroyer. He also guards the unbroken Seventh Seal, which would otherwise call the Four Horsemen to Earth. War is also shown that the Charred Council was aware of the conspiracy; they allowed the Apocalypse to happen and summoned War themselves, knowing he would track down the conspirators to clear his name. War then sees himself slain with a glowing sword. Azrael deduces the sword is the Armageddon Blade, a weapon powerful enough to kill the Destroyer, which has been broken into shards; War gathers the pieces and takes them to Ulthane, who reforges the blade.
Uriel, Abaddon's former lieutenant and leader of the Hellguard, confronts War, whom she still believes guilty of launching the Apocalypse and causing Abaddon's death. She challenges him to the Death Oath, a duel to the death. War is victorious, but spares her life, and reveals the Destroyer's identity as the fallen Abaddon. Enraged, Uriel leads the Hellguard into battle against the Destroyer, but they are defeated, as in War's vision. War then enters the battle with the newly forged Armageddon Blade, refuses the Destroyer's temptation, and after a fierce battle succeeds in killing him.
War retrieves the Seventh Seal from the Destroyer, but is subdued by the Watcher, who knows that if War were to regain his strength, he would turn against the corrupt Council. Uriel intervenes, killing War with the Armageddon Blade as foreseen in his vision. The sword also shatters the Seventh Seal, which restores War to life, and frees him from the Council's control, whereupon he kills the Watcher by crushing his head. Uriel warns War that he cannot stand alone against the forces of Heaven, Hell, and the Council; he replies that he is not alone, as the other three Horsemen are seen descending to Earth.

Characters

The player character is War, first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Along with the rest of the Horsemen, War is not aligned to Heaven or Hell but instead serves at the whim of the Charred Council, whose purpose is upholding the balance between the two forces. He maintains a strict code of honor and will battle any obstacle in his way. It is prophesied that War and the other Horsemen will descend upon the Earth once the Apocalypse begins.
Throughout the story, War is bound to and accompanied by The Watcher, an emissary charged by the Council to watch over and guide War on his journey. Because of his assigned role, he is constantly skeptical and cynical of War's actions, much to War's annoyance and often anger. He relishes his duty and enjoys needling War and bossing him about simply because he can. War later employs the guidance of Samael, once a mighty and feared demon, now imprisoned, who himself seeks vengeance against the Destroyer, the main antagonist of the story and leader of the victorious forces on Earth. Many other characters become central to the overall plot, recurring at times. Among these is Uriel, leader of Heaven's armies after their first leader, Abaddon, was killed during a major battle; now stranded on Earth, Uriel seeks revenge against those she believes responsible. Another recurring character is Vulgrim, a demon merchant who provides gear and abilities for War in exchange for human souls. Finally there is Ulthane, also known as the Black Hammer, an "Old One" who at first is hostile towards War, but the two quickly become allies; first after Ulthane aids War in entering the Griever's lair, then providing War with a magical revolver and re-forging the Armageddon Blade for him.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Darksiders (video game). Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license