The original Darksiders remains a solid action adventure game that lives dearly in the hearts of those who embraced it for what it was, rather than pointing out the flaws and similarity in design to other, more popular games. With those shoes to fill, Darksiders II steps up in almost every way to reinvigorate the franchise while staying true to the original. Darksiders II tells the tale of Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as he fights to prove the innocence of his fellow horseman War who is currently being held accountable, imprisoned by the Charred Council, for his part in unleashing the Apocalypse at the beginning of the first game. Death’s quest – quite bizarrely – leads him down a path where his only option is to restore humanity that is now lost to the constant war that rages between Heaven and Hell. Death’s journey takes him far to new lands and introduces different races along the path in a story full of secrets, twists and a few turns that are hard to see coming. The strength in the story is driven through excellent voice work and a devotion to a mythological groundwork laid in the first game. At its heart Darksiders II is an action adventure game that draws from some of the greatest franchises over the years and combines them into something darker and more mature; while this still runs deep within the heart of the game one can’t help but feel some of that depth has been sacrificed to build a narrative that would appeal to all, rather than only reaching a niche audience like the first game did. During your adventure as Death, you’ll uncover hidden truths and drive through the darkest of lands. The game’s main driving force is through the use of Dungeons, which are filled with perilous traps and puzzles for you to solve and aids in the game deftly towing the line between keeping players moving but not tiring them out from the elongated and often all too button-mashing combat sequences. Death feels like a breath of fresh air as he glides across the landscape. The fluidity of his movement, and the ease with which he climbs and maneuvers in combat, offers players more freedom than in the the previous game. Death actually feels all powerful and, even in his weakened state at the opening of the game, you feel the true power behind him is a few hours away and only a couple of unlocks from unleashing. The upgrade path offers differing powers to be unlocked as you level up and the ease with which you can pay to completely rebuild your characters’ skill tree offers little consequence to making the wrong decision or changing your mind throughout the game. Players will have different ideas on how to play the game and Darksiders II fully embraces this ethos by allowing a freedom to choose your perfect style. Perhaps the most infuriating thing about Darksiders II is the…
