The success of the original Darksiders was something of a surprise to a lot of gamers. It was undeniably generic, taking many cues from The Legend of Zelda, God of War, and even Portal. Much of this could be forgiven, however, since it provided a quick and satisfying action-oriented romp through a world full of interesting characters and factions. Two years later, the franchise returns with Death filling in for his brother War, and with the goal of establishing its own unique identity in the action-adventure space. Darksiders II falls short in a lot of ways, but none of these minor gripes can overshadow its superb gameplay elements.
Taking place simultaneously with the events of the first game, Darksiders II puts you in the role of Death himself: one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Your mission is to clear the name of your brother, War, who is accused of triggering the end of the world before the proper time. Death thus spends the majority of the game seeking the Well of Souls, which has the power to resurrect humanity and undo the damage that War has done. While Darksiders II deserves credit for giving you a clear objective from the outset, this narrow direction can frustrate over time. Death is constantly strung along a seemingly never-ending thread of missions to achieve the same goal, without getting much closer to it until the very end. You never really feel like you're making much progress in Darksiders II, and the story suffers from such poor pacing. And when the story does finally begin to pick up, it is not really all that captivating. When compared to the numerous revelations and the terrific ending of the first Darksiders, it is hard not to be disappointed by the offerings of Darksider II's more ponderous tale. It is, however, partially redeemed by its population of varied personalities and its numerous competing factions. They both contribute to a very well-established sense of place, and make you feel genuinely interested in the politics and power struggles of Death's world. Since the purpose of the Four Horsemen is to maintain the "Balance" of power within the realm, Death gets the privilege of getting to know--and kill--creatures from all sorts of different backgrounds. It all makes for a flawed narrative, but one that does just enough to keep you interested in what's around the next corner.
Darksiders II follows much of the same formula as its predecessor: mop up enemies, solve a puzzle, fight a boss, and move on. It may not be the most original template, but it's one that has certainly stood the test of time. The game is decidedly open-ended, giving you the freedom to traverse the overworld and pursue quests at your leisure. Both the narrative and geographical scope contract significantly in the latter half of the game, however, and it is hard not to feel a bit robbed of the wide expanses and packed quest logs of the first two acts. The main path forward is always a clear one, but meandering is encouraged to hunt down collectibles and complete side-quests. These, along with the wave-based arena known as the Crucible, reinforce a stellar non-linear design philosophy, and are in fact the best ways to acquire the most powerful loot in the game. Borrowing from modern MMOs, Darksiders II implements a new colour-coded loot system that allows you to deck out your Death however you wish. This adds a severely addicting element of customization that many third person action-adventure games would be wise to ape in the future. Alongside an RPG-esque level system and skill trees, Darksiders II smartly integrates elements from various genres to enhance the overall gameplay experience. It is elements like these that had me jumping right back into my Nightmare difficulty run (a mode in which just one combat death erases your progress permanently) immediately after the credits rolled on my first playthrough. Darksiders II can be easily finished in under 20 hours, but anyone who entirely neglects the side attractions and the fun of the loot hunt are doing themselves a disservice.
But let's get to what Darksiders II is really about: the gameplay. It plays it safe, and doesn't deviate much from the original, but still provides a deeply engaging combat feeling. You're given your basic medium attack with your scythes, and can choose between a light or heavy one for your secondary attack. Death is also given a number of special abilities and a gun, all of which can be used in sequence to deliver your foes to their, well, deaths. You can use a basic evade roll to dodge enemy attacks, and then follow up with a devastating string of combos--all of which feel perfectly satisfying. Darksiders II is at its absolute best when Death is let loose against throngs of enemies so he can wreak havoc and live up to his namesake. When you're not dispatching enemies, you are likely solving puzzles, the majority of which hit the perfect levels of difficulty: not so easy that they feel tedious, but just hard enough to feel like you really accomplished something when you solve them. Unlike the story elements, the gameplay is perfectly paced. The combat and puzzles ramp up in difficulty at a perfect curve, and provide a constant challenge throughout the game. At the time of writing, I am more than halfway through my second playthrough and still have yet to tire of the fiercely engaging offerings of Darksiders II's pitch-perfect gameplay.
The sights and sounds of Darksiders II warrant special mention, as well. The colour palette is an appropriately dark one, but, perhaps with the exception of the second act, never becomes too monochromatic. Purples are prominent, and are often paired with orange-browns and greens; its natural compliments. Characters and environments, while not mind-blowing, look good enough, and fit in with each other nicely. The soundtrack is surprisingly impressive--especially its orchestral epics--and varies appropriately with each new setting. The sound effects, while well done, often suffer from strange clipping and will at times cut out entirely. I was forced to restart the game multiple times to bring back all of the game's audio. Similarly, the game will outright freeze from time to time (three times for me, so far), also forcing a restart.
It is clear that Darksiders II is not a perfect game: it has technical issues, pacing problems, and still rips off far too much to be entirely original. But in the end, none of this goes so far as to seriously compromise the core gameplay experience that Death brings to the table. It is a game that plays it safe, and strives to perfect established mechanics rather than invent completely new ones. Fortunately, it does with great finesse; making it a title very easy to recommend.