It’s another day, another horseman to take control of as the sequel to the surprisingly entertaining title of 2010, Darksiders, comes to the PlayStation 3, X-Box 360, and Microsoft Windows in the form of Darksiders 2. In the populated action adventure genre popularly dominated these days by the likes of God of War, Prince of Persia, and Ninja Gaiden, how will this title fare from the rest of the pack this time around?
[singlepic id=9263 w=600 h=380 float=center]The player assumes the role of Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and all-around badass, whose sole intention is to clear the name of War, one of his fellow Four Horsemen and the main character of the first game who was imprisoned by the Charred Council for assumingly destroying humanity. Assured of his brother’s innocence, he intends to defy the Council by attempting to resurrect humanity in the effort to clear his brother and set him free. This, indeed, will be a challenge for even likes of Death himself as he would have to venture through various realms and encounter numerous dangers along the way, all to prove his brother’s innocence.
While the game follows the hack-and-slash formula that players are used to by now, especially since the first Darksiders, some elements of the game have been enhanced this time around to give players a refreshing feel on the experience. Being Death, you are equipped with your primary weapon (the scythe) and a secondary weapon, which varies from fast and intense to heavy but devastating, along with other pieces of equipment that can aid you in many different ways. Your primary and secondary weapons not only vary in terms of loot value (from the simplest of weapons to legendary weapons with special properties), but also are upgradeable (for certain weapons), which can make all the difference in the world when fighting the most devious of creatures. Death can create various combos based on the weapons you are using, giving you an option for approaching different kinds of enemies you will encounter in the game. And speaking of devious creatures, besides the varying baddies you will meet in your quest to save War, the boss fights deserve some major props as they feel very much epic in their own respect.
[singlepic id=9265 w=600 h=380 float=center]While the puzzle segments can be somewhat repetitive as the game progresses, there is no doubt about the creativity of these puzzle-solving situations and how players would be able to use what they have procured over the course of their adventure to overcome mind-playing situations From the use of a teleportation item akin to the one used in Portal to using various ghost minions to pave way to your next goal, there is definitely a fun factor integrated to these parts, making these sometimes-draggy segments of the game more interesting to check out. And looking at the scale of the story, varying through different landscapes and realms, epic would be the most appropriate word to describe Death’s journey to his brother’s innocence. While the open world setting can be a bit overwhelming, it does give off an impression to explore more than what the main story can already offer you (with the help of your trusty steed, of course), what with the other side quests that can help your character improve further. Yes, the game can be a bit monotonous as you go through certain areas and finish side quests, but the epic feel of the game certainly makes up for it in more ways than one.
Darksiders 2 is a welcome addition in the very competitive world of the action-adventure hack-and-slash genre, with its epic feel, open-world interface, and deep RPG-esque elements, with the players being given the freedom on how they want their character to be customized in terms of weaponry and statistics. While the game can be somewhat repetitive at times, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a bad thing. In fact, you’re probably going to take a lot of time in your hands trying to accomplish every single side quest out there, besides the already extensive main storyline. By the end of the day, you will feel a sense of accomplishment having to go through an epic game like Darksiders 2, and that, my friends, is a good thing.
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