The Darkness 2 throws an unusual concoction of mafia drama and demonic horror into a blender of nasty violence and gore!
Contains: Frequent Strong Violence and Gore, Very Strong Language, Strong Sex and Torture
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Darkness 2 is a First-Person shooter that is set two years after Jackie Estacado used the Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend's murder.
-------------------------------------------
STORY - 3/5
-------------------------------------------
The story is an unusual concoction of mobster drama and grisly horror, which works well to a compel you aswell as shock you. As mafia hitman Jackie Estacado, Don of the Franchetti crime family, you are basically a flesh puppet for the Darkness, doing it's bidding once it surfaces, although Jackie has learned to control it to an extent. But a secret occultist society led by psychopath Victor want to steal the Darkness from Jackie, having studied it, knowing what made it tick, and performing unspeakable torture acts on previous hosts who wouldn't give it up. Jackie refuses to give it up… but at a terrible cost that will ignite him into a vengeance-fuelled rampage. It's a strange plot, but is never boring and constantly keeps you interested into how the story develops and thickens around the characters.
-------------------------------------------
CHARACTERS - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
The Darkness is a destructive, malevolent force beyond the realm of reality, from a place much darker, but it's almost conjoined with Jackie over the years, and despite being able to lock it away deep down inside for some time, he'll have to unleash the Darkness once again to get the villains who are out to take it. Jackie is possessed by The Darkness, some sort of parasitic creature that speaks to you as a demonic voice in your head and manifests itself as two demonic snakelike appendages that shoot out of your shoulder blades and appear on the sides of the screen. They snap and growl when you whip them out, and over time you'll earn new abilities. The carnage it causes and power it grants the host makes Jackie almost unstoppable, and an incredible vessel to hone the power to exploit those around him into submission before they suffer a vile death. It whispers eerily and produces hallucinations that bring about emotional moments from Jackie's past, trying to convert him into something truly evil that isn't in complete control. But the protagonist is mostly behind the wheel, but for how long can he remain in that higher position before the Darkness overthrows him and possesses him for good? You'll be playing as Jackie Estacado, an interesting character battling an inner demon from some otherworldly evil, and loading times showcase his monologues as he reflects on the past - the good times and the bad - and you slowly understand that once his girlfriend Jenny was murdered in the first game, he not only had nothing left to live for, but had nothing left to lose, making him even more dangerous when angered. He is haunted by hallucinations of his dead girlfriend when the Darkness is unleashed as it deceives him into a false sense of hope, no matter how much he wills it to be or how real it seems. But he presses on nevertheless and you notice the strength of the bond between the two, recognising a believable chemistry between Jackie and Jenny, and the love they once shared.
-------------------------------------------
GAMEPLAY - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
Embrace the Darkness, and let it consume you. But any light will cause it to manifest deep inside you, resulting in a weakened Jackie. It will re-emerge once the light has been destroyed, but enemies are quick to use this against you, due to their knowledge about your demonic arms that possess you, and cause all sorts of bloody carnage onto those that threaten it and the Darkness's host. The intensity of violence is nothing short of frighteningly violent and shockingly gory, and the Darkness will be the focus point for the extreme levels of blood content because of the punishing executions that range from pulling an enemies head off, twisting them in half, and coiling around a victim before the second arm bursts through the chest, snarling in the process (a kill move suitably named Anaconda). Bisecting and decapitating numerous foes as you pursue your objectives is a common, grisly image to behold, but the high level of death is always a part of the game that proves entertaining, despite the fact the game throws stomach-churning kills your way frequently. Shooting enemies produces sprays of blood, but picking a stunned enemy up while they scream with the left demonic arm and executing him nastily until his pained expression and shriek are disfigured beyond recognition is a delight to relish in a sadistic sort of way. For instance, you may wince in shock the first time you view a punishing style of execution that involves one arm latching onto a foes head and tilting it back, while the other one ferociously plunges down their throat with the defenceless enemy unable to resist.
Mixing attacks together with a variety of firearms which can be duel-wielded and your monstrous tendril arms that protrude from your back make for plenty of fast-paced and exciting segments of gameplay, and the shooting feels so solid that you don't have to resort to repetition by utilising your most destructive weapons. The demonic arms see a lot more involvement throughout the game than in the predecessor, whether to be used murderously or to proceed beyond immovable obstructions. The left Darkness arm is primarily used for picking up objects to throw, hoisting up hostiles to slaughter, and latching onto locked gates and doors to rip from the joints, whilst the right arm can be used to swiftly strike enemies in a myriad of directions of your choosing, smash lights if you want to save ammo, and cut fuses that power doors or generators. Your savage and merciless demonic arms need to quench their appetite by feeding on hearts, and ripping dead enemies unneeded hearts out and devouring them in plain view benefits your health as much as their wellbeing while also granting valuable dark essence to spend on your talent trees.
Accompanying you throughout will be a Darkling, and this demonic entity that claims to be created from your head will invest in your efforts and prove a nuisance to enemies so you can finish them off and claim an assist. Whether it be jumping on top of them and attempting to rodeo them, grabbing their leg and resisting the kick back, or simply witnessing him (it) urinating wildly on a corpse, the Darkling adds a comic vibe to the level of violence committed, and is a funny little gremlin to have around for the journey into hell and beyond. When you've unlocked the ability, you'll be able to grab hold of this impish creature and launch him at unsuspecting foes, subsequently clawing onto them and tearing them apart with glee, gifting you with essence power after the completion of the bloodthirsty process. And even occasionally, you'll be able to play shortly as this little nocturnal monster that hurls abuse when Jackie is unable to navigate past an obstacle, which is a brief but gratifying delight.
Every kill you make doesn't go unnoticed, since you gain essence points for every death from yours or the Darkling's messy hands. The more violent the kill, the more you get, but the point system that makes the game look like an arcade run-and-gun shooter at times isn't distracting, in fact, it suit's the game well, putting the names of executions on the screen after witnessing a foes gruesome demise aswell as every other skilful kill possible. You can grab a variety of environmental objects and turn them into makeshift weapons, such as car doors that can be grabbed and used as a temporary shields before casting it forcefully into an enemy's midriff and slicing them cleanly in half; aswell as poles and snooker cues that act as sharp javelins to impale foes to walls. Depending on the type of environment you are in, you'll find a plentiful amount of suitably placed objects that can be turned against your enemies, and watching the Bulletstorm-like phrases pop up on screen upon finishing the enemy in a specific way, whether it be a simple 10-point kill or a devastating spine rip that earns you a significant amount more, is a gratifying sense of accomplishment and savagery.
To spend your dark essence energy requires accessing a talent shrine, which are available at specific points in levels. In the talent shrine is 4 unique skill trees to consider, each for their own uses, and each requiring you to form a link in the chain should you want one further down the specific skill tree you focus on. This implementation provides the action with a bit more depth, diversity and flexibility, since not everything can be unlocked in a single playthrough. You can cycle through the 4 skill trees which focus on different aspects of your abilities: One solely influences conventional weapons; another on different styles of executions; another talent ring aims at granting you brief but powerful attacks and subsequent upgrades for them; and the final talent tree includes some benefits to the Darkness's insatiable hunger for human hearts aswell as a possible chance for a Black Hole to appear on a corpse. But of course, they take time to reach, especially the powerful ones at the high-end of the tree, and more than anything else keep the action from drifting into repetition.
The aforementioned special, but limited in time, abilities are Swarm and Gun Channelling. Swarm unleashes a venomous green cloud that stuns aswell as distracts enemies, allowing you to finish them off with ease. But the cooldown required means you can't use it often, although an upgrade causes it to replenish much faster for more frequent use. Gun Channelling focuses on your weapons, and when activated, this unique ability dramatically increases gun damage for a few precious seconds, giving you a crucial edge over your enemies, so make it last before it runs out. A cool upgrade for this power allows you to see nearby enemies through walls, even going as far as letting your bullets penetrate through the walls and impact your opponents flesh in doing so. But as said before, some upgrades take time and effort to acquire, some more expensive than others, but if you constantly kill with skill, they are fun to aim for in the long run.
-------------------------------------------
GRAPHICS - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
The cell-shaded graphics are the core aspect and difference in the visual department from the first game, not only making the gore not so horrifying as it would be in a realistic graphics style, but most notably emulating the aesthetic of its graphic novel namesake. It's a big difference from what you may be used to, but nothing is squandered in The Darkness 2, as the art designs are wonderfully diverse and detailed, and often splattered with bloody imagery (usually less on your arrival, and plenty when you exit an area).
When the Darkness is faced with any kind of artificial light on your nightly travels, it will withdraw from the screen, making you weaker and unable to use it while the brightness still shines. Any illumination that hurts the Darkness will drain all the colour from the screen, blurring your vision and distorting the sound as if you were on the verge of dying. Only by destroying the lights can the Darkness to return with all the dark energy and magnificent power it brings, or else it'll feel like your suffocating in the black and white area, and effectively creates a sense of unease where you must return to the dark, and stay in it.
-------------------------------------------
SOUND - 5/5
-------------------------------------------
Viscera squelches as it is separated from a target's torso, hearts juicily squish when being chewed by the hungry demon arms and the bloody sound effects only make you more driven to skewer and dismember as many enemies that stand in your way for the gory visual and audible result. The audio continues its effectiveness through to the story with excellent voice acting enforcing the plot, most notably Brian Blooms' terrific tone of voice while portraying the protagonist and the Darkness's antagonising and chillingly strained rasps when urging its host to stay out of the light or deceiving him on the task ahead.
-------------------------------------------
CONTROLS - 5/5
-------------------------------------------
Quad-wielding may sound complex and awkward, but actually being able to slash, grab and throw with the demon arms while simultaneously firing two weapons is smooth and accessible to anyone familiar with shooters. The shootouts are fun and frantic when you mix up your attacks and the controls are easy to grasp off the bat. The R2 button and right analog stick are used in unison to direct slashes and cut enemies apart, L2 is used to pick enemies and objects up, while L1 and R1 is the perfect aim-and-shoot combination seen in most shooters.
-------------------------------------------
ATMOSPHERE - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
The gothic nature of the horror themes is splendidly replicated in-game to set the right mood, while the thrilling mobster drama dilemmas are woven with typical gangster characters, overall creating an unusual but none-the-less gripping atmosphere that surrounds the story and the comic-book influenced visuals and artwork.
-------------------------------------------
ENEMY AI - 2/5
-------------------------------------------
Obviously, enemies will have knowledge of your unorthodoxy demonic possession and will inevitably have orders to specifically exploit your weakness when faced with direct light. Therefore, several variations of enemies will not only come well equipped with assault weapons, but also focus on trying to force the Darkness back inside you with some light source equipment. They'll occasionally throw flashbang grenades that severely disorientate you and cause the Darkness to be briefly unavailable while you recover, and sometimes come equipped with huge flashlights that they intentionally shine right in your line of sight until you shoot them out. Despite their keen attempts to halt your progress, artificial intelligence is pretty average, making assailants relatively easy to add to a long list of slaughters, and not proving as challenging to deal with as they perhaps should be in moderately sized groups.
-------------------------------------------
LENGTH - 2/5
-------------------------------------------
The Darkness 2 is a linear game, with the action only pausing when a mission is complete while you get briefed on the next objective at your mansion, giving you freedom to roam this environment to speak to friends and mob members about the current events in an escalating war with a demonic twist. It's a surprisingly short game, totalling approximately 7 hours on a first playthrough if you don't rush through and listen to what everyone has to say, but skilled veterans will be able to complete this action-packed sequel in less than 5 hours on a second visit on the new game plus setting in which you keep your upgrades, especially if you skip conversations and cutscenes.
-------------------------------------------
REPLAY VALUE - 4/5
-------------------------------------------
A Vendettas campaign which has a short parallel running story to the main game and a Hit List mode comprised of side missions can be completed partially on your own but mostly in co-op, and involve 4 unique characters working for Jackie with their own special weapon infused with darkness powers and unique skill trees to purchase upgrades. It's basically more opportunities to tear and mutilate the same old enemies with some different tools, but it still proves entertaining once the main story is beaten to lengthen the experience.
Relics can be found in each chapter of the campaign, at first not seeming anything significant other than extra essence power rewards to spend on upgrades, but a certain knowledgeable character who knows a lot about the Darkness can fill you in on the background on each unholy object should you find them, making them worthwhile collectables if you don't mind brief history lessons on their darkly magical origins and meaning to the narrative. You'll be encouraged to at least play through the story again upon completion due to the inability to purchase all available upgrades in the skill trees, aswell as a couple of important decisions that impact the characters and most notably which ending you receive, and the story does a great job of getting you engaged with the efforts of the protagonist towards the end while making you ponder how it'll come to an effective close.
Frequent and gory violence is The Darkness 2's strongest point, but the macabre and cruel deaths are a pleasure to witness at the hands of your character in the gruelling, absorbing and potentially chilling tale that merges horror into gangster affairs. The cast is brilliant, and the script is really well written to make you feel deeply involved with Jackie and Jenny's love, making you realise just how much the main character cares about her, and how far he'd go to try and see her again. This action-horror shooter is good, gory fun, but keep in mind - you don't control the Darkness, the Darkness controls you! Make no mistake, this grotesque sequel is a disturbing game, but it only gives what everyone playing it wants - vengeance paid in gushing blood and flying viscera with equally vicious sound effects.
===========================
OVERALL SUMMARY - 8.5/10
===========================
Good Points: Comic-book inspired visual design is splendidly detailed, Excellent voice acting, Demonic arm executions are horrifically nasty and accompanied with disturbing sound effects, Gunplay is solid and exciting, Engaging narrative that integrates gothic horror themes into a mobster revenge thriller, Vendettas mode adds longevity to the game, Talent trees and multiple endings encourage at least two playthroughs.
Bad Points: Surprisingly short campaign, Average enemy intelligence.