Written by: PlayDevil.com Staff

 

 

 

"Darksiders 2" defiantly takes a lot of inspiration from the first game. Running concurrently with the events of the original, Darksiders 2 will follow the horseman Death as he searches the heavens to discover why his partner War has been framed for beginning Armageddon (the premise of the first game). It almost seems comical when explained, but while there is a definite comic element, THQ seems to be taking the story quite seriously.

 

A new setting and character brings with it a different feel to events. Darksiders took place on a desolate destroyed earth, with shambling corpses and demons providing enemies. Fanciful though it was it remained Earth, building lay in ruins and the remains of society were still clear. Darksiders 2 moves the action somewhere entirely more mystical, the realm of the dead. In the short demo alone I saw floating ships, the Bone King and an arena where mortals may fight for one more chance at life after their death. It is a rich fiction with vivid imagery and colours and marks a notable change from the original.

 

Death’s substitution of War as the lead character should also bring with it alterations. War was by his nature a noble warrior, covered in armour, powerful and direct. Death will often forgo War's directness, preferring plotting where he can. This will show in the structure of the game, with town areas offering new interactions and options to the game. This format is to enable Darksiders 2 to have a denser, branching story as Death slowly uncovers clues to help with his investigation. These towns will also offer the more style conscious personality of Death the chance to tailor his look. Shopping will allow a range of powers, weapons and outfits to be accessed, allowing more alterations to be made to the character of Death than was ever possible with War.

 

Most of these were mere promises however, with the demo itself focusing on combat. Many similarities were present; the fast fluid movement remained, as did the range of weapons. Most noticeable of the changes here stemmed from Deaths agility with dodges and rolls, drawing on the lighter frame of the new lead, now replace War’s use of blocks. A grapnel chain also aids this sense of speed and motion, as Death is able to drag himself rapidly towards opponent to combine attacks, in a manner satisfying reminiscent of Spiderman.

 

With such a short hands off demo it is hard to comment on just how many of the developer’s promises will bear fruit. The series unique style certainly seems to have endured, with the added pleasure of the artists having more freedom in the more fanciful landscapes and customisation of Death. Combat also still looks like it will retain the original's high standards, with changes simply offering a slightly faster pace to the action.

 

But it is the talk of more freedom in the quests, plot and character development that really caught my attention, none of which will be seen until THQ begin to release information closer to Darksiders 2 release in the second quarter of 2012.