The Darkness II Review
The Darkness II Review
The word “visceral†is thrown around the games industry an awful lot, but in the case of The Darkness IIâ€"a gore-filled shooter more than happy to cover your vantage point in digital visceraâ€"the term actually works.
Protagonist Jackie Estacado has moved up in the criminal underworld, and is now the Don of his own crime family. He’s kept his demonic Darkness powers at bay for some time, but after an assassination attempt, those black tentacles make their way out again. From there, you’ll spend the rest of the game knocking out streetlights, blowing holes in enemies, eating hearts, and generally feeling like a demonic Charles Bronson.
The sequel’s move to a new developer brings some changes to the approach, many of which are positive. New “quad-wielding†controls are a bit awkward at first, but once you get the hang of flinging an enemy into the air and simultaneously slashing him in half with your demon arms, it’s grotesquely satisfying. Additionally, the new art style is considerably closer to the franchise’s comic book roots, and the level of aesthetic detailâ€"including hand-drawn crosshatched texturesâ€"is amazing. Other welcome additions include more intelligent enemies, as well as Vendettas, a cooperative multiplayer mode that proves great with pals.
Missteps emerge, however, with the newly linear structure. The original entry oozed charm thanks to its open setting, where you could unleash your powers in a living, breathing city. Meanwhile, the sequel plays out more like a traditional first-person shooter, moving you from level to level, though it loses something in the processâ€"and the campaign is much shorter.
Luckily, The Darkness II redeems itself significantly with its story. The juxtaposition between your revenge-fueled slaughter of humans and moments of genuine, emotional drama is pretty incredible, and the narrative ends up being the real reason to check out this violent affair.
The bottom line. The Darkness II may have lost some of its predecessor’s appeal, but the enjoyable combat and excellent story pleasantly help make up the difference.
Comment