Nine Circles of Hell Before Breakfast?

The game, Dante's Inferno, is based on the famous poem, The Divine Comedy, as translated into English by Longfellow. The Inferno is the first portion of this three-part description of one man's concept of the afterlife. The game developers, to lend a human element to this sweeping concept, have Dante returning home as a soldier who has been away at the crusades. Upon arrival, he finds his beloved Beatrice has been murdered and her pure spirit stolen away by a malicious entity from Hell. Dante pursues the being in an effort to find and rescue his love. In order to find her, he must enter and traverse the nine circles of hell--a concept originated and made popular by Dante Alighieri, the poet who created the original saga. Alighieri used the concepts taught by the Catholic church of the time and popular Medieval concepts of the Afterlife in creating his nine circles of hell. In keeping with the concepts of the times, it is extremely literal in interpretation, unlike more modern interpretations such as the play, "No Exit" by Sartre, which focus on internal processes rather than external.

The art work is well-done, and in keeping with the medieval theme. The game play seems to be fairly standard, and should be readily usable by any player familiar with gaming systems. Violence, nudity, and strong language are an integral part of the game. It is rated "M", for over 17; so don't plan to purchase it as a surprise gift for the younger crowd. Compared to MMORPG's, the concept is limited, and the field of play narrow.

Furthermore, I can attest this is NOT a game to be approached on the first day of the New Year on an empty stomach with a sleep deprivation head-ache from the night before. Or maybe the empty stomach part was a good idea.

With all that said, if you are an adventurer who wishes to battle your way through the nine circles of hell, confront your personal (and Dante's) battle with the seven deadly sins, test your integrity under the worst of circumstances, to rescue the fair damsel, Beatrice, then this may be a game for you. The Demo is now available on Xbox. The full version will be available for PSP (39.95),PS3 (59.95), and Xbox(59.95) starting February 9th. If you are truly eager to test your metal, it can be pre-ordered from http://www.dantesinferno.com, where you may also enjoy trailers and background information while waiting for the full game.