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Much like its malevolent, bloodthirsty namesake, The Darkness II is an uncomplicated beast. Calling it a smorgasbord of raging gunfire and copious gore sums up what it has to offer fairly accurately. And yet, for all the bodies that pile up throughout its roughly eight-hour run, the game proves that even pulling off mindless violence can be tricky.
For its signature gameplay mechanic and story hook, The Darkness II puts players in control of a chaotic force called The Darkness. Craving bloodshed above all else, the entity has wreaked havoc across history through various human hosts. New York mobster Jackie Estacado tasted its powers in the first game, and lost the person he loved most. Having since bottled up his demonic powers, Jackie must unleash them again when deranged cultists attack his crime family. A dark descent into further tragedy follows, as he explores the mysteries surrounding both the demon inside him and his own past.
Had it not been for a well-timed Steam sale, I might never have checked out the second act of Jackie's ill-fated journey. From what I've read, his first outing impressed many with its gritty tone and grotesque powers. After playing the sequel to completion, off and on over the past few months, I can see how the series originally gained a following. Of course, as someone who has only played the newer game, I can't fairly comment on the quality of its predecessor. Based on its own merits, however, The Darkness II comes off feeling like a sort of clumsy retread of other shooters, except with its intensity jacked up to extremes
The bulk of its single-player campaign is spent carving a gory (and mostly linear) path through gun-toting cult lackeys. As it turns out, having demonic powers comes in handy when stacked up against these deadly wackos. Jackie can use his tentacles to snatch objects in the environment, tearing off car doors to make movable shields and impaling enemies with makeshift javelins. Slashing melee attacks make for easy dismemberment, resulting in levels strewn with severed limbs and diced torsos.
The Darkness II completely embraces a bloody identity. Even simple acts like restoring health take a turn for the macabre. If he needs healing, Jackie can rend hearts from the chests of fallen foes with his serpent tentacles, which gobble them down to recharge hit points. In a pinch, Jackie can also use his demon appendages to wrench stunned enemies into the air to gain health and bullets from gruesome executions. One particularly creative takedown involves the snake-like limb coiling around a hapless captive and rupturing the body Chestburster-style. I appreciated these mechanics not so much for the brazen gore, but for actively integrating health and ammo management into the flow of battle.
Though The Darkness II packs intense combat, it doesn't always work in its favor. At times, the barrage of gunfire can become downright disorienting. Between weapons that kick back with obtrusive recoil and enemies that launch assaults with suicidal abandon, gunfights often turn into loud, obnoxious affairs. Fights become even more unmanageable when the game throws enemies with teleportation powers or whips that can yank guns away into the mix. The settings for these clumsy shootouts range from forgettable (a multi-level parking garage) to twistedly fun (a dilapidated carnival complete with a morbid haunted house ride). Shooting through these environments takes up the bulk of the runtime. The only breaks come from chatting with Jackie's mobster buddies at his penthouse manor between battles and surreal hallucinogenic mental hospital visits.
A sadistic gremlin with a thick British accent called The Darkling accompanies Jackie on missions. Along with harassing baddies, he adds much-needed levity to otherwise grim situations. He gleefully passes gas and relieves himself on corpses, and has his fair share of snarky remarks. His crude brand of humor comes as a welcome distraction from the bleak turns the plot takes. Drawing on gritty underworld settings and occultism, Jackie's narrative isn't a happy one. Visions of his frisky girlfriend Jenny, killed off early in the last game, haunt him throughout his journey. For a cold-hearted mob boss, the writers did a surprisingly good job making him at least somewhat likeable. Sure, he kills without remorse and sulks a fair amount. But he's candid about who he is and what he wants, no matter how unpleasant, and wins sympathy with an unbending determination. It's a shame his story ends on such a massive cliffhanger here, which will likely never see a resolution in video game form, at least.
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Stealth sections where you play as The Darkling, sneaking around dark corridors and tearing out the throats of patrolling guards, add some diversity to an otherwise standard shoot-and-move-forward routine. For a game that sells itself on malevolent paranormal powers, I rarely felt particularly empowered. Due to the shadowy nature of his abilities, Jackie becomes vulnerable when exposed to bright light, which momentarily disables his powers and blinds his vision. His relentless adversaries are smart enough to take advantage of this weakness. Flash grenades become deadly if caught in their blast range at the wrong moment. White-coated goons shine handheld spotlights on your position as their comrades go in for the kill. Avoiding or shattering nearby light sources adds a layer of tactical depth to otherwise mindless gunfights. At times, however, this can work against the game's entertaining qualities. I wanted to tear through waves of chumps and create mayhem on the battlefield. Due to the fairly brutal difficulty, which can spike unpredictably, I more often found myself sinking behind cover like in any other first-person shooter. Thankfully, decent checkpoints help alleviate the frustration of getting caught in challenging chokepoints.
One addition developer Digital Extremes made to help The Darkness II stand out from its predecessor was giving it a cel shaded coat of paint. To an extent, its graphical style mimics Borderlands cartoony artwork. Unlike that game's expressive visuals, however, the stylized graphics on display here don't feel like an integral part of the game's identity. Apparently the developers used the cel-shaded technique to emulate the look of the comic book source material, though the glossy visuals also help cover up less-than-impressive technical merits. Models look bare and textures grubby. Even the cel-shading itself doesn't look quite right, as if Vaseline had been smeared over the meshes. While not blatantly ugly, there's not much here to marvel the eyes.
Bottom Line
7/10
At its core, The Darkness II deals in carnal simplicity. It satisfies primal urges to maim and eviscerate faceless bad guys and indulge in raw bloodlust. Other than the mindless violence, there isn't a whole lot to latch onto, but as a short ride through a demented comic book universe, it entertains decent enough. Anyone hoping for a shooter with substance should look elsewhere.
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