Illustration 32 of Divine Comedy: Inferno by Paul Gustave Doré
SPOnG has often lamented the lack of video games adapted from medieval literature.* Luckily for us, Electronic Arts has taken a major step to rectify this sad state of affairs with the announcement of Dante's Inferno, based on Dante Alighieri's epic poem, The Divine Comedy.
The game, (like the poem **) has been labelled as a third-person action adventure, is being developed at EA Redwood Shores by the team behind Dead Space. That fact, the subject matter and the teaser trailer below (which débuted at the Spike TV VGAs) suggest that the game will probably have survival horror leanings.
The poem tells of Dante's journey through the nine levels of Hell to rescue his beloved Beatrice. The structure, let's face it, screams 'Make me into a game!' The poem is widely thought to have been crucial to the Western world's concept of Hell and Purgatory.
SPOnG's grateful for the creation of the game, if for no other reason than the fact it prompted EA to summarise an epic poem. The publisher's description reads as follows - "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 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.”
Also, we believe that the copyright ran out a little while ago. Frankly, we can't wait for the Wii version of Gaius Petronius Satyricon; let alone a handheld version of the Marquis De Sade's 120 Days of Sodom, both great works of literature (that are out of copyright) as well!
No platforms or release date have been announced, but (at least) the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 with a late 2009 release date sound like a good bet.
Based on the information given, it would appear that the game is unrelated to the C64 title of the same name.
* No, Beowulf is not medieval and we'll fight anybody who says that it is... with big swords and axes.
** Okay, we know that's not the case.
The game, (like the poem **) has been labelled as a third-person action adventure, is being developed at EA Redwood Shores by the team behind Dead Space. That fact, the subject matter and the teaser trailer below (which débuted at the Spike TV VGAs) suggest that the game will probably have survival horror leanings.
The poem tells of Dante's journey through the nine levels of Hell to rescue his beloved Beatrice. The structure, let's face it, screams 'Make me into a game!' The poem is widely thought to have been crucial to the Western world's concept of Hell and Purgatory.
SPOnG's grateful for the creation of the game, if for no other reason than the fact it prompted EA to summarise an epic poem. The publisher's description reads as follows - "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 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.”
Also, we believe that the copyright ran out a little while ago. Frankly, we can't wait for the Wii version of Gaius Petronius Satyricon; let alone a handheld version of the Marquis De Sade's 120 Days of Sodom, both great works of literature (that are out of copyright) as well!
No platforms or release date have been announced, but (at least) the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 with a late 2009 release date sound like a good bet.
Based on the information given, it would appear that the game is unrelated to the C64 title of the same name.
* No, Beowulf is not medieval and we'll fight anybody who says that it is... with big swords and axes.
** Okay, we know that's not the case.
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Comments
Joji 15 Dec 2008 22:34
1/2
Don't mess this up, EA. This has the potential to be something very cool.
Philaster 16 Dec 2008 11:20
2/2
Just to clarify, Dante isn't going to rescue Beatrice, she is in fact rescuing him. She is saved and among the blessed, no danger can ever harm her again. The tour through hell, purgatory and heaven has been organised by her grace to save Dante's soul before it's too late.