Well this is a first! It’s not often we come across a game based on a poem, but that’s exactly where Visceral Games have gotten the inspiration for their latest project, Dante’s Inferno – a third-person action adventure adaptation of the medieval epic poem The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The dark fiction gave birth to the Tuscan Italian dialect and is widely considered to have 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.
“The time is 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,” said Jonathan Knight, executive producer for Dante’s Inferno. “It’s the perfect opportunity to fuse great gameplay with great story.”

And who could argue with him really? Everything is in place for this to be a fantastic romp through the nine circles of hell: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery (apparently – I, um, haven’t gotten round to reading the poem yet). We had a brief hands on with the Lust level and let’s just say this is definitely a mature game with incredibly explicit kills and bladed baby spitting mammaries (yes really) – all running at a blisteringly slick 60 fps.
With a soundtrack from esteemed composer Garry Schyman, comic books in association with DC comics confirmed, and a demo available from PSN and Xbox Live this month, EA are going all out to ensure that the gaming public is ready for the fires of Dante’s Inferno when it hits shelves on February 12th.