His Review with Ian
After getting our not so demonic four hands on this slice of mafia horror pie back in October 2011, I was eager to see how the demo transferred into the fuller bodied experience.
At its heart The Darkness II is a linear FPS with an emotional narrative running right through it. I play as mob head Jackie who fights his inner and outer demons endeavouring to bring vengeance upon those faceless beings that’ve erased some of the loved ones in his life. Jackie is a little bit like Tracey and I, alone we/he have only 2 hands, but together/with added darkness, we are a quad wielding force hell bent on playing games/destruction that can bring pleasure/pain in a big way with our tentacles.
The introduction to The Darkness II, through a summary of what had gone on before, was a thoughtful and sensitive nod to players who either hadn’t played the original or acted as a refresher for those who haven’t entered this world since the original game was released five years ago. As a world and experience, it was full of authentic mobster allies: Vinnie, Tony, Johnny etc. It could have easily fallen into the realms of lazy stereotyping like many films and TV series do, but the vocal acting really shone and kept the characters on the right side of believable. There was some dialogue gems scattered around: “Let’s go tweak some nipples and see what happens” or “Who the F*%! is Nosferatu? Your Grandmother!” It was these performances and the emotional narrative of the story where the game really excelled. There’s Jackie - with his relationships to his goons and women, or there’s Jackie in those monochromasterful solo cut scenes where he regales to us his thoughts and inner motivations. There’s Jackie with moments of familiar mundanity with tellings off from his Aunt and then there’s Jackie as a partner and lover, gently embracing Jenny… he never wants to let go of her. All of this indicates that there is some deep emotional play going on here, devices that are not usually found in FPS, but The Darkness II is all the better for their inclusion. On the flip side to all these tender and revelatory moments, there is a standout performance from Johnny Powell (played by David Hoffman) with his twitchy physicality being matched by a verbal stuttery which conveys his fearful respect of Jackie but healthy disregard for most other things.
The Darkness II is also a combat game and here it works well too. Sitting somewhere between the real, with guns and bullets and the fantastical as I’m consumed by darkness and grow a huge pair of tentacles which can whip, stun, slice and cause big tubs of damage, I was also able to utilise parts of the environment as weapons when my ammo was running low; impaling enemies with air-conditioning fans and scaffold poles or slicing them in half with car doors and street signs is a gory and satisfying mode of despatch. I’m unsure if the two work together cohesively intellectually, but on the ground, in the melee – I just got carried away with the thrill of it all. When either brandishing a tasty pair of Desert Eagle’s or holding firm a Kalashnikov with both hands, the game rewards kills with eau de darkness. Head shots are worth double darkness, however incentivising me even further was the chance to take enemies down using my tentacles, to grab foes and choose one of 4 delightful execution methods including; the onomatopoeic head removal service “Daisy Pop” or the charmingly detailed “Assecution”. For these I receive triple darkness essence per kill as well as receiving extra bonuses like ammo, health or a human shield. It’s a blood tasty progression tree that is inherently tied to earned experience, the more ambitious the kill, the greater the reward and the more things you can unlock. This sustained my motivation levels throughout the game and kept the combat most appealing.
There are some great environmental touches and experiences within the game. The brothel being housed in a mannequin factory and a jump inducing ride on the ghost train really ramped up the quality of the design and demonstrated real thought and reason behind these choices. The cut scene in the cemetery also had the most naturalistic rain I’ve ever seen in a game with clear droplets bouncing off the pavement and umbrellas whilst the emotive soundtrack drew me into the very poignant and emotional scene. The multiplayer also weaves satisfactorily into the single player narrative, without it becoming killahencman.com and needlessly eating your time. It introduces other playable, non Jackie, characters that also possess the darkness, can use it and complete tasks. A brave and rewarding choice of multiplayer design from the folks at 2K.
There is, however, a split in the game – not only in the behaviour and actions of Jackie as he begins to get consumed by the darkness, but in terms of quality and consistency. For all the highs mentioned above, there are some moments which reek. It is totally linear, no deviation at all from the tight rope is possible, the enemy modelling is highly repetitive and the difficulty is very low (I played it on Normal). It’s hard to die. You can generate health by eating the hearts of your dead foes when they’re chewing pavement or hung upside down courtesy of your demonic extension. This non-dying does help with the flow of the game as there isn’t much interruption and having to go back to save points etc. It’s also quite a short game, I took my time and clocked in at 8.5hrs on the single player campaign and there’s not much chance of me playing it through again. There aren’t any genuine choices for me as a player. I could have been asked whether I wanted to keep the darkness within me or let it out and unleash the grapes of wrath on the world at certain intervals. This could have let me invest more into the Jackie, his character, the story and the outcomes. But sadly no, it began to feel a little generic; guns, baddies, progression, vengeance.
There is an awful lot to like in The Darkness II; a combat system which rewards a guns blazing attitude rather than a duck and cover chicken shooter, an emotional thrust that is rarely scene in this genre of game and is also tied in to the multiplayer experience. It is a genuinely satisfying experience to play, so get your arms ready and give Jackie a four handed salute!
Her review with Tracey
Demons come in all shapes and forms. Jackie Estacado, has more than his fair share as he’s tortured mentally with painful memories of his murdered childhood sweetheart Jenny and quite frequently is tortured physically as the ancient demonic power (known as The Darkness) that possesses him won’t let him die, even when he’s been grotesquely beaten, mauled, shot in the head, stabbed, nailed to a cross or burnt alive - twice. Sucks to be him right? Well not quite as the Darkness also allows Jackie to channel some of that dark power to swish two grotesque, glowing eyed, fang toothed tentacles around. It’s a blessing and a curse, both of which are dramatic and messy and provided one of the best FPS experiences I’ve had in a long time.
Despite the heavy masculine odor seeping from every pore of this game, I found it engaging, emotional and intoxicating. The female characters in this game as most seem to end up with bullet holes in their pretty foreheads pretty quickly, as seen in the opening sequence. When attacked whilst sitting down to eat, Jackie is dragged to safety by his loyal mob whilst fire engulfs the Italian restaurant. The potential for stereotyping mafia men and their busty blond bits on the side or wise old women relatives is brimming from the word go but thankfully the dialogue and characterisation is consistently sharp, brilliantly executed, authentic and hits just the right tone (publisher 2K are certainly no strangers to feisty American-Italian crime family culture as they were also responsible for Mafia II. Jackie’s men know about his ‘special abilities’ and though might occasionally question his motives, are always ready to fight by his side. Chatting to the various characters hanging out at his mansion not only provides a break from the full on action but reveals amusing anecdotes about hookers, observations about pigeons and sausages whilst showcasing the range of personalities surrounding Jackie. It’s an accurately realised world that’s like an interactive comic book with cross hatching pencil marks clearly visible against heavy black outlines and the colour pallet/illustration lifted straight from the pages of Top Cow’s comic book series (which actually make a sneaky appearance in the game).
Written especially for the Darkness II, author Paul Jenkins has taken key themes from the comics, specifically Jackie's amazing powers of healing and his battle against the evil Brotherhood of the Darkness who want to steal the Darkness away from him. The choices now facing Jackie is to voluntary give up the power he has been supressing or be tortured to death until it drains from him. Perhaps either would be a very tempting offer but there's also the small matter of Jenny's soul being held captive in psychobabble hell by the Darkness which keeps Jackie fighting on.
It’s all rather ironic considering Jackie was afraid of the dark as a kid. It was Jenny who helped him overcome his fear and Jenny who he fell in love with. Now he IS the darkness and isn’t afraid of anything. He’s nothing to lose which makes him dangerous, daring and bold. As a player, I felt like could run in and take on the the world - I’m the f'ing darkness man! Whilst I'm filling an enemies belly with bullets, I'm also slashing and grabbing, squeezing the life out of my victims or slicing them up for the butchers counter.
Though ugly as sin, the demon arms became integral to my game as I ripped my way through man and metal, grabbing and gobbling up warm hearts as a grim health bonus. It's not total invincibility but it does make for some powerful, fluid progression, both during close up encounters or long range murders which adds depth and satisfaction. Not that the A.I are particularly crafty but they are persistent and brutal, especially when Jackie has to navigate through pain inducing corridors of life sapping life. As expected, the use of light and dark, shade and layout play an important part, as does the soundtrack, all of which is beautifully crafted to create tension for the player.
If Ian's favourite character was the twitchy Johnny, then mine was the grotty Darkling assistant. A figment of Jackie's imagination, the torn union jack vest with dead cat hat wearing, cockney Darkling will fetch exploding gas canisters for you at convenient moments, hunt down then stick his Sharp thumbs into bad guys sockets then pee acid on them whilst cackling as they take their last breath. As with most of the charatcers in the Darkness II, his language is liberally peppered with swear words and he affectionately calls Jackie 'Monkey' as he boredly enquires "can we go tear something apart now". It's great that I could play a couple of levels as him but a shame I couldn't pee on anyone. Still, he keeps Jackie on task and adds some grim humour to what could otherwise be a sombre affair.
Overall, the story can be done in a couple of sessions but it doesn't feel short due to the pacing and content whilst there are genuine moments of tension and tenderness. Fans of the first Darkness game should welcome the improved ease of using guns and tentacles whereas newcomers to the series will find a hugely satisfying tale of love, revenge and power wrapped up in a knotty, engrossing demonic tendril.