Last week, Sydney’s third Insert Coins finally gave us the chance to get down and dirty with 2K Games’ and Digital Extreme’s The Darkness II. A sequel four years – and a new developer – in the making, early screenshots seemed to illustrate just how much of a turn the title had taken from its original; where the first game was murky and black, this new sequel is vibrant with colour.
That’s not a bad thing.
I have to admit that I’ve never played the first Darkness game, but I’m quite familiar with the comic book series and I’ve heard nothing but great things about the title. It’s gained somewhat of a cult status in the gaming world, and considering the amount of Insert Coin attendees who walked away from the consoles with a smile, I can imagine previously-owned copies are going to be flying off the shelves.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, you play as an Italian-American Mafioso named Jackie Estacado. Jackie’s no ordinary mafia-man (in fact, he’s the Don of his particular group, but that’s not what I meant); at 21, the ancient force that’s been in his family for generations, known as The Darkness, activated and gave him extreme strength, regenerative powers…oh, and two demon arms that are good for ripping people to shreds and eating hearts.
Where the first Darkness game was a romantic story of sorts — MaximumPC said the game had “the most authentic instance of romance ever conveyed in a videogame” – this story is set to be a mystery. The game opens with Jackie in a perilous situation, and shortly afterward, you’re controlling him in a sequence that explains how you got there. Jackie’s confused about what’s happened in his recent past, to the point where I’d say he’s got some selective amnesia going on; it’s safe to say you’ll be spending a chunk of time reliving Jackie’s recent history to uncover his story.
Gameplay-wise, The Darkness II is a tad different from common first-person shooters in that you’re able to dual-wield pistols and automatic weapons, but also those two demon arms I mentioned earlier. Your left demon arm is used to grab objects (for impalement!) and dazed enemies to either throw or assassinate in a spectacular fashion. Your right is used to slash through obstacles and daze baddies in order for the left hand to do its thing. Basically, on the Xbox, bumpers are for demon arms, triggers are for guns.
Using your demon arms is fun, and most gamers trying the demo died pretty quickly using the “I’m only going to rip people to shreds!” gameplay method. You’ll need to decide when to use close-quarters combat, and when to hang back. Jackie’s Darkness powers work best…well, in the darkness…so ensure to eliminate any light-sources you can in an area before exacting bloody havoc.
Upgrades mean the powers you have and exercise don’t get stale at all. On top of that, the powers seem to be far more refined than in the first game. I was told that the numerous — and seemingly, mindless — automaton Darklings from the original game are gone; they’ve been replaced by a solitary evil assistant, of sorts, with a personality all to his own. My Darkling was quite a help in vanquishing foes…and stopped after one kill to urinate on a body’s dead corpse. Gross, but awesome fun.
Let’s get this out of the way now: the game is beyond gory. Right at the beginning of the title, Jackie wakes up as he’s getting crucified; the cutscene shows nails driven into his hand. Once you’re past that, the next scene shows a woman being shot in the head, immediately followed by a spectacular car crash. Add to that Jackie’s graphic demon arm killings, and you’re can tell the blood will be flowing, and frequently.
All in all, The Darkness II was a treat to play, and the new visual style didn’t detract at all. There’s more colour in the game, but it didn’t retract one bit from the demonic undertones that you’d expect with a franchise like The Darkness. I’m excited for the title’s release on 10 February on Xbox 360 or PS3, and you can be sure we’ll follow up with a full review.
In the meantime, you and I both have about 16 days left to get through the original The Darkness; I have a feeling we’ll be glad we did!
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