I recently had the opportunity to get a peek at Darksiders 2. As a seasoned gamer, I’m a huge Zelda fan and the first Darksiders game really seemed to fill that void on my Xbox 360. As I got deeper into Darksiders childhood memories of exploring the world of Hyrule came flooding back, I’m pretty sure my subconscious replaced the new item sound from the game with the unforgettable melody of the 1986 classic.

Darksiders 2’s story line takes place concurrently with the first game, with the Horseman Death attempting to uncover the truth behind his brother War’s involvement in the apocalypse that is currently happening on Earth.

Unlike his brother, Death doesn’t find his actions restricted by the likes of The Watcher and his actions and attitude are agile and cunning. Death’s arrogant attitude is quite apparent based on his fighting style, talks with other character and his refusal to even use his own hands to open doors or chest, instead conjuring a set of giant hands to handle those mundane tasks for him.

War’s lumbering movements and wings have been replaced by a speedy Death, whose movements through the world are akin to a parkour athlete. Death combines his wall running and fast feet with his ghost hand ability, which is reminiscent of Bionic Commando’s grapping hook. It allows him to swing through the environment as well as latch onto enemies and pull himself to them.

In addition to the new moves, there are now loot drops from enemies outside of the scripted boss and chest items. These items falls into one of three gear sets: necromancer, slayer and wander type items that give added perks, health leech, heavy armor and agility – respectively.

Death can acquire a large assortment of scythe weapons through his journey as well as claws that deal less damage, but have a higher attack rate. To further deal damage to the foul creatures littering the landscape, there is the addition of a branching skill tree system that allows you to focus on the harbinger or necromancer branches to make Death better fit your playing style.

Constructs, similar in size and grandeur to the gate keeps in the first game, serve as vehicles that allow Death to traverse impossible to reach areas as well as activate switches and devices. Horses also make an appearance this time around, providing Death the opportunity to engage in some mounted scythe-swinging combat.

The team at Vigil defiantly use the old “go big or go home” motto when crafting the world for the second installment in the series. According to the developers the world from the first game could fit in just one of Darksiders 2’s many dungeons. The team also added in side missions and smaller dungeons that reward you with unquie treasures to encourage players to wonder off the beaten path and explore.

Overall, Darksiders 2 looks to brings back the same action and game play that fans of the first game enjoyed, but with a faster, more polished feel. The addition of an expanded world, side quests, loot and skill trees should extend the overall game play and provide a reason to play through a second time for the completionists among us.

*THQ provided travel and hotel accommodations for us to attend this preview event.

 

Tags: darksiders, darksiders 2, THQ, Virgil games