Rather than using a cel-shader effect as seen in games such as Ubisoft's XIII, The Darkness 2 is built from hand-drawn textures where individual pen strokes are clearly visible. The Darkness 2 employs a new art style Digital Extremes calls 'Graphical Noir' as a visual nod to the comic book origins of the series. Besides, it's the emotional punch and raw style of Jackie's story that makes The Darkness 2 such a surprising and worthy game. It's best saved for after the single-player game, though, as it will take you that Long to master the core powers. We found ourselves often relying on just a handful of simple but effective tactics as a result.Ī new co-operative mode called Vendettas has also been added, letting up to four players explore new missions and weapons. It isn't uncommon to find yourself accidentally switching weapons mid- tight, picking up and dual-wielding SMGs when you'd intended to slash an enemy or grab a car door for a shield. The only detraction from this comes from the way the developer sometimes hams up the violence and language to the point of near-parody.Īgain, these narrative problems are mirrored in the feature-set too, as Jackie's vast array of powers sometimes becomes unwieldy. Jackie is like the Hulk a sympathetic character who you want to succeed even though he's not a conventional hero nor, when you get right down to it, is he very likable. This mix of powerful emotions and weird abilities makes The Darkness 2 feel all the more touching, in a way that you wouldn't expect given the subject matter and penchant for fine leather jackets. Before long, he can rend enemies limb from limb, possess his demonic familiar or channel dark energy into his weapons thanks to the collectable, if in-congruent, relics that litter the world.
Jackie consumes the hearts of his enemies to unlock new powers for the demon tentacles that arch from his back. As he's pushed closer to the edge he starts to question his sanity, while also learning more about what makes him special.Īs the tonal pace of the game changes, so does the mechanical. It's about fury too-these islands of calm dissipate or take on a sinister bent as Jackie gives in to his demons more and more on his quest for freedom. The Darkness 2 isn't just a game about grief, however. Gunfights collapse into minute-long flashbacks, while early rampages end with a return home to light a candle in Jenny's honor. It's an emotion that developer Digital Extremes isn't shy about exploring in rude detail either, with Jackie's experience often alternating between moments of crazed ultra-gore and times of Zen-Like stillness. Fate naturally has other plans in mind, manifesting as a mystical brotherhood determined to rip the demon from him, but all Jackie wants is some silence in which to grieve - and that grief becomes the driving force of the game The Darkness II. a demonically-empowered mob boss who just wants to be left alone to brood over his murdered girlfriend. He's more like a whirlwind of super-ambivalence Jackie Estacado may have been drawn from a comic book series, but he isn't like most superheroes.
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