Dante's Inferno Game Review (2025)

Common Sense Media Review

Dante's Inferno Game Review (1) By Brett Molina , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 18+

Highly violent game with nudity, disturbing imagery, & gore.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 18+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Violence & Scariness

    a lot

    Lead character Dante battles enemies using a giant scythe and Holy Cross. Combat is incredibly violent, as blood spews following strikes and most encounters end with heads lopped off, limbs dismembered, and bodies decapitated from the torso. Some enemies look particularly gory and gross or disturbing. A larger foe on the gluttony level, for example, spews vomit. Another enemy is the "unblessed infant," a baby wielding blades for arms. Players will witness scenes such as heads on spikes or characters hanging from ropes in a suicide.

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  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    a lot

    Most - if not all - the female characters are topless. Some characters show their bare buttocks. Some of the characters in the game's Lust level are particularly sexual. They moan and writhe seductively. One enemy type uses an attack where a giant snake shoots out from between their legs. There's also a scene featuring a naked woman under a blanket which hints at Dante having an affair. However, no graphic sexual acts are depicted.

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  • Ease of Play

    some

    Players perform scythe attacks using light and heavy strikes and ranged attacks with a Holy Cross. Stringing together combinations is pretty easy to execute. Dante is also equipped with special powers to vanquish enemies, which are pretty easy to execute.

  • Positive Messages

    very little

    While the negative message of using extreme violence is predominant, there is also a message about absolution. Using Dante's Holy Cross, players can choose to absolve or punish enemies or specific characters for their sins. Often times, absolving sins generates a greater reward than punishing.

  • Positive Role Models

    very little

    While players can choose to forgive characters for their sins, Dante is a difficult person to like or admire. As he descends into each circle of Hell, players revisits many of his most heinous sins.

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Dante's Inferno is a very violent, gory game meant only for adult eyes. Using a scythe and Holy Cross, players can lop off heads, dismember enemies' limbs, and literally split foes in half. Prepare to see plenty of blood spewing from foes. Some enemies are particularly vile and disturbing, such as gluttonous behemoths spewing vomit and "unblessed infants," babies with blades for arms. Players will also see some sexual content, such as topless female foes and bare buttocks. The female enemies moan and writhe around seductively, and some attack with a giant snake that shoots out from between their legs.

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Dante's Inferno

Parent and Kid Reviews

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  • Parents say (16)
  • Kids say (26)

age 15+

Based on 16 parent reviews

darthsitkur Adult

June 17, 2013

age 15+

haven't played the game but i LOVED the animated movie

I haven't played the game but i LOVED the animated movie and it's one of the best animated movies I've ever seen, it's creepy, it's gruesome, it's bloody, it's action packed, it's scary, it's intense, it's brutal, it's dark, it's gritty, and it's disturbing, just the way I like it, in other words, it's a great action packed horror film

Zero Tolerance Parent of 3, 4 and 5-year-old

February 9, 2012

age 18+

An "EPIC" depiction of Dante's decent into HELL

When I'm not teaching college-level courses, I'm playing video games. Being recently assigned to teach a course in poetry, I assigned to my students Dante's Inferno from the author's Divine Comedy, the actual epic poem. It is a magnificent and important piece of work. I had been sitting on Dante's Inferno, the game, for months. So, having to teach the poem, I played through it. Now if you are looking for a modern-day vision of Dante's Inferno, of Dante's vision of hell this is *the* game to get. Now if you are disinterested in a man's depictions of hell, then you want to avoid this game. There are plenty of depictions of Freddy Kruger-type silhouettes of trapped in walls. There is plenty of T&A, including the player character's love interest. As the story goes, an oath he made to not "partake of the flesh" while away on the crusade, an oath vowed in what appears to be a sex scene of sorts. This will play out in the narrative. Also there are smaller enemies being succubus (or succubi), who attack the player with weapons emanating from the female genitalia. The second circle of hell, lust, culminates with a boss who generates enemies from the nipples of her bear breast. Even the defeat of said enemy is suggestive. Dante will decent further into hell in the game. The author, Dante, orders the circles of hell in according to what he believes to be the worst sins, with the unsaved/unbaptized yet "good people" (think Virgil, Ghandi, etc) in the first circle down to TREACHERY in the last circle (think Judas, Brutus, etc) where the player will inevitably fight a...well-endowed Lucifer. And while there is SUGGESTION and explicit nudity, none of it compares to the God of War sex mini-games which are simply pornographic. The nudity in this game is more aesthetic like that depicted in classic art. It's just pervasive. Throughout the game, the player will be able to render judgement upon historical figures (shades) who appear in the Divine Comedy. Violent execution or the blessing of forgiveness..the player decides. Indeed, this game is NOT for children. I just wanted to provide details for ADULTS as well. Some of us would rather not expose our spirits to this kind of content. Now if you're a fan of Dante's Inferno and can handle the content, prepare for a treat. Ah, I did indicate positive message! Yes, well, if one finds themselves in hell, it is because they did something to get there. So the story is thus a story of redemption. And upon adventures through each of the outer circles (the inner circles, the worst circles are rather brief), details are revealed to show how Dante must overcome the particular sin he has committed which justifies his place there. So even within the graphic nature of the game, there is a moral lesson to be learned. Oh, I keep forgetting things... one can align themselves with holy (divine?) or evil power, depending on if one "saves" his enemies or condemns them. Personally, I choose holy because using the cross as a projectile weapon was great AND the passive heal (which you will need to beat the boss). The evil path lends for stylistic attacks and buffing magic (heretic, pagan) spells. Less useful, IMO.

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What’s It About?

DANTE'S INFERNO is based on Dante Aligheri's The Divine Comedy. Lead character Dante is a Christian soldier fighting during the Crusades, when he returns home to find the love of his life, Beatrice, slain. Her soul is then snatched by the devil, forcing Dante to descend into the nine circles of Hell to defeat Lucifer and save Beatrice's soul. The levels representing the circles of Hell are based in part on the seven deadly sins, such as Greed, Lust, and Gluttony. Using a scythe acquired following a battle with Death, as well as a Holy Cross from Beatrice, Dante slays a myriad of bizarre, demonic foes. Players can string together ranged and scythe attacks to deliver crushing combos. Dante also acquires magical powers to deal further damage. Once players conquer the campaign, they can advance to the arcade-focused Gates of Hell Arena, where players face a series of challenges to achieve a high score.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:

Parents say (16):

Kids say (26):

While Dante's Inferno is a technically solid game, it's hard not to miss the striking similarities between God of War. From the way players boost their health and magic meters to the attacks and tactics used by players, the game often mimics Sony's highly successful action game. It's very difficult to ignore the similarities, but the imitation works for the most part. Combat against lesser foes can be intense and pulling off some combos is gratifying, but none of the game's signifcant encounters are particularly epic or memorable. Also, the game's campaign grows tedious as you approach the game's final levels. For adult players seeking a thrilling "hack-and-slash" adventure, don't settle for the carbon copy when its inspiration is far better.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about merging video games with literary classics such as The Divine Comedy. What classic books would work well as a video game?

  • Why do game developers make such violent games? What is the impact of seeing such violent media?

Game Details

  • Platforms: PSP, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Electronic Arts
  • Release date: February 9, 2010
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content
  • Last updated: August 31, 2016

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Dante's Inferno Game Review (2025)

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