Having not ever read Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy I was excited to finally see what all the fuss was about. While this might not be the best representation of the 12th Century poet, I found it to be a pleasurable experience none the less. Before I go any further I must admit that even though Visceral Games did an astonishing job at reviving the survival horror genre with Dead Space, I feared that not even they could adapt an epic poem into an entertaining video game franchise. With that said, the God of War style combat is intriguing, so I sat down with the Animated Epic in hopes that I wouldn’t be totally lost when I finally get my hands on the game.

Everyone knows the basic story elements of Dante’s Inferno even if you haven’t read even an inch of its print. A guy named Dante has to travel through the 9 rings of hell to save the love of his life. If you’re on the fence about whether or not you’re going to pick up the game when it’s released then that probably isn’t enough to convince you. This is where Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic comes in handy.

The animated film does a great job at laying out the story for you, from start to finish. You are going to uncover why Dante becomes hell bound, how much of a sinful prick he is, and how it all concludes. And after you absorb all of that it should be enough to convince you that this story has depth. Dante has real reason for wanting to tear Lucifer a new one. Once you learn of this reason you are going to want to take control of Dante yourself and slash your way through any demon that comes across your path. It reminded me of the feeling I got after discovering why Kratos from God of War was so angry and vengeful.

This isn’t your ordinary animated retelling either. It was directed by 6 different directors, each showcasing new and unique art styles. The art style is constantly shifting throughout the entire feature. The way Dante appears in the beginning of the film is not how he’s depicted later on. During the early rings of hell he is portrayed as a scrawny man with wirily limbs. Deeper into hell he’s this Hulk-like figure with veins throbbing across his mega muscles. It was a clever choice because not only was I on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what’s going to happen next, I was waiting to see how Dante and the rest of the cast were going to physically change.

The transitions were done subtly, being careful not to take too much away from the story itself. To be honest there were a few times that I hadn’t even noticed the shift, even though the changes were very apparent once I realized them.

The fact that I was watching a Blu-ray copy only glorified the dramatic art styles. Too many people downplay how gorgeous 1080p truly looks and it’s times like these where I thank the gods at Sony for blessing my PS3 with Blu-ray playback. I can’t imagine watching this film on a regular DVD, especially not after I’ve seen the care that went into the different art styles. If you do plan on picking it up be aware that it comes in 6 variations, each displaying 1 of the director’s visual interpretations of Dante.

In the end I think the film served it’s purpose in prepping me for the release of the game. It makes for a perfect companion for the video game adaption. I went in knowing very little about Dante’s Inferno and left with an appreciation for the work. I may even place the Divine Comedy on my summer reading list.