Death Finally Meets His Maker in Darksiders II

Despite a shift in protagonist, along with a new selection of skills and features, Darksiders II is very much more Darksiders. Which is a good thing, because the original Darksiders was an underplayed gem. It took the Zelda formula and wrapped it up in the superb artwork of Creative Director Joe Madureira and a fascinating universe.

Things are a little less Zelda this time around, though greater emphasis is placed on story telling and world building. During my eight hour sojourn in the game, I met and conversed with more characters than I did in the entire first Darksiders. This is a great thing, as the world and characters are one of the most appealing aspects of the Darksiders universe.

In this sequel we meet the Makers, one of whom, Ulthane, War met in the original Darksiders. They are an ancient race of strong crafters who reside in the Forge Lands, which just so happens to be where our new protagonist – Death – is trampling through on his quest for the Tree of Life. He is told early on in the game that it is here that he will be able to resurrect the Human race and save his brother, War. This all takes place alongside the events of the first game.

The opening delves a little further into the origin of Death, War and the other Horsemen, explaining that they are members of the long dead race of Nephilim who were traded their incredible power in return for destroying the rest of their kind.

Very early on in the game we find out that the rest of the Nephilim aren’t dead, per se, but their souls are trapped within an amulet which breaks and becomes embedded within Death’s own chest. I’m looking forward to seeing how the story progresses and whether there’ll be another excellent cliffhanger to rival that of the first Darksiders.

Death is very different protagonist to that of the original game, War. For starters, he’s a lot more nimble. Within the first ten minutes of the game you’ll be introduced to horse riding and wall climbing, the latter of which is new for this game. You’ll be spending almost as much time running up and along vertical surfaces as you do the ground beneath your feet. Death is also a lot more fashionable than his brother, constantly changing his outfit as he finds discarded weapons and armour throughout his journey.

This equipment system is clearly influenced by Diablo and World of Warcraft, to the extent that the items have different coloured names depending on their rarity. The rate at which new loot drops means you’ll constantly be dipping back into menus to optimise your loadout.

Thankfully, the developers at Vigil have made it very easy to compare pieces of equipment to see which has the best stats. With a constant barrage of new toys, you’ll have plenty of choice of what to wear (it all affects Death’s appearance) depending on your playstyle. Some might increase the power of your skills, while others might improve your health, defense, or experience gain.

Speaking of experience, Darksiders II has become an action RPG, with the addition of an experience system. Levelling up will allow Death to use more advanced weaponry and equipment. Not only that but each level gives a point to spend on Death’s skill trees. There are two trees to spend these points in, which will be very familiar to anyone who played Diablo II – skills unlock at set levels and can be upgraded multiple times. These abilities give Death the ability to raise armies of the dead, gain extra combat moves and much more.

These skills, along with the robust and deep loot system, gives the player a huge amount of choice and will mean that no two games of Darksiders II are the same. Each Death will look and play very differently. The hunt for rare loot will also incentivise exploration and returning to old areas in order to farm experience. As a result, Darksiders II looks to be much less linear than its predecessor, whilst still retaining that strong narrative thread throughout.

Graphically, while Darksiders II won’t tax your PC or win any awards for technical achievement, it does look great. This is all thanks to Joe Mad’s wonderful art style, which has been lovingly recreated in-game. It’s colourful and cartoony while at the same time being epic and detailed. Environment and character designs in particular are a delight, despite some aliasing and the occasional screen tear. It’s a step up from the original Darksiders, certainly, and that game was pretty good looking too.

It’s a shame Darksiders II slipped from its June release date, as I suspect that many more people would have picked it up during the Summer drought. Don’t let that stop you, though. The game looks to be a deep, fun adventure that should last you a fair while. With a story and world as well crafted as that found in the Darksiders franchise, there’s no reason not to give this game a try. Even if you didn’t play the original.

Darksiders II will be released on 21st August 2012, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.