Darksiders II

The game of Vigil Games, despite some turbulence (moreover shared with the whole THQ, which is really in great difficulty) in the development stages, is among the best action and adventure titles that have been seen not only this year, but even for some years now. Compared to the previous episode, which veered persistently towards a drift à la Zelda and was satisfied with an unconvincing combat system, Darksiders II offers much more and, in large part, a decidedly superior quality. But it also has some noticeable differences in terms of game design. Where the War adventures, two years earlier, focused on dungeons with a large structure, increasingly complex puzzles and clashes with giant bosses who, too, were above all "interpreted" and dealt with through the right gadget, the events of Death shift a little bit about the goal.

This time the level design is more linear, the exploration focuses more on the stunts, the puzzles, although present and although characterized by some very valid found, never push too much on the complexity. At the same time, the fights offer significantly greater satisfaction. The development of the protagonist Death is articulated according to two trees of very different skills and which, in fact, allow you to create a character suitable for your style, depending on whether you prefer, for example, to rely on the support of evocable creatures or directly to pizzas in the face Although the management of particularly large groups of enemies is sometimes a bit complex and, rightly, also for this reason you often risk relying on some combination of keys a bit random, the game offers an approach to combat varied, rich, with different opportunities and above all supported by a role-playing loot system with titanic dimensions. All this, combined with an incredibly vast adventure, full of optional missions with really huge traits, and an attempt to offer a minimum of variety, for example with shooter stages, goes to compose a game that, as mentioned, is absolutely among the best of its kind. And it is despite some undeniable defects, from the technical quality swinging to the repetitiveness of some missions - moreover aware and made fun of by the script - to get the feeling that, paradoxically, despite the enormity of the game, some could be expanded a little its components.

Some bosses are truly spectacular.

For a slightly more in-depth analysis of the base game, however, I refer you to the review of the PlayStation 3 version. Here, however, it is appropriate to take a look at what the contents of this Wii U re-edition are, to understand if and how much it is worth it. Let's start from the bases: from a "technological" point of view, Darksiders II retains, in principle, the strengths and weaknesses of the game seen on the other consoles, with some rather significant variations. The graphics engine, today as three months ago, does not always manage to do justice to the great work done in outlining the game worlds and, indeed, adds some problems on Wii U. If on the one hand you notice, it must be said, higher quality textures, especially in the interiors and in the confined spaces, on the other we have a decidedly lower general detail, which emerges quite brutally in the wider scenarios (for example in the large plain that occupies the center of the map where you ride for a good half of the adventure).

More generally, in the more demanding "open world" phases, there are clearly slowdowns greater than those that frustrated the other versions. And the thing, combined with a frequency of uploads that seemed to me slightly higher than the PS3 version, can undoubtedly be annoying, although it must also be said that the problems occur mainly in transit areas, where there is no a lot to fight: when the going gets tough, between boss and dungeon, all in all Darksiders II for Wii U behaves like its little brother Sony branded.

Riding in larger environments creates some problems for the game engine.

In short, you can fly over, with a little goodwill, the differences in the technical realization, above all because, as mentioned, they only affect the gameplay up to a certain point. Although, without a doubt, the evocative power of certain large scenarios pays some duty. Among other things, it is not known to what extent these problems are the result of a job perhaps forcedly rushed to be at the launch, of the technical limits of the console or, perhaps, of the compromises to which it is mandatory to undergo to exploit the GamePad. And in fact, to help forgive, let's face it, a Mr. Wii U controller support might think about it, but here too there are ups and downs. First of all, it is possible to play entirely on the GamePad, without even turning on the TV, and it is certainly a welcome option, which, as for several other games, represents a fresh and pleasant possibility. Although it must be said that the game is not really designed for viewing on a small screen and sometimes one has to deal with elements that are not very easy to read. We are not at the levels of when we played the first Dead Rising on an SD TV and we could not read the writings, but in short, at times, the effect is not the best.

This also affects the accessibility of menus via GamePad when playing in the traditional way. During the game, the touch screen shows a screen actually well thought out, which allows you to select weapons on the fly, to change equipment with a couple of touches. While you are fighting, of course, it is still preferable to pause, but certainly, after having collected a good avalanche of weapons, or at least in the "quieter" phases, managing the inventory at your fingertips is functional and pleasant. The problems are manifested in the various pause screens, which are exactly the same as those that can be displayed on the TV, therefore they are also not suitable, in terms of size, for use on the touch screen. You can zoom with a double tap, but the result is still artificial and not particularly lean in operation. To be used with the fingers, these screens are uncomfortable, they certainly work better with the stylus, but you almost always end up having to follow the path of traditional controls first. In short, from this point of view, with greater effort, something more could be done, perhaps making the screens specially designed and different from those visible on the TV appear on the touch screen. Beyond the touch controls, the motion sensor is supported, as an optional replacement for traditional controls, for dodging (and, therefore, also to encourage the horse to run) and for swimming. But we are on the side of the superfluous, if not the annoying.

The implementation of motion control appears frankly superfluous.

From the point of view of additional content, without a doubt, the Game of the Year edition nature of the game is much more interesting, which includes here all the downloadable content seen in previous versions. We therefore have the various small and large extras of the DLC distributed over time, partly linked also to assorted pre-orders. Without going into the petty analysis of the individual objects, it is appropriate to spend two words for Death Rides, which adds some optional missions well integrated in the fabric of the main campaign, but above all Argul's Tomb, a real separate content. It is an extra mission accessible from the game menu, therefore not included in the story, which however shares the rescue, allowing you to use the equipment and skills gained in the main game (the mission, however, requires some powers that, if not have still been unlocked, will be granted to Death for the occasion). The DLC includes three sections, one with shooter mechanics (although, technically, it is not mandatory to rely on the practical cannon and you can engage directly in not necessarily simple fights), and two more traditional, with a little exploration, a very successful final boss and even some well thought out puzzles, with some clever and quite different use of powers from what you see in the main game. Beyond this, it is a section suitable for "grinding", full of enemies to shoot down and with several interesting pieces of equipment. Nothing unmissable, but certainly pleased to find these contents included in the package.

Andrea Maderna had a lot of fun returning to the worlds of Darksiders II and, despite all the limitations, he found at times pleasant to play a "home" game in a more or less portable way. Talk to him about life and death on Facebook and Twitter.

The first Darksiders was warmly welcomed by the players and you can definitely not deny their good taste in this case. It was a very correct slasher, which, compared to its direct competition, may not have distinguished itself with an extremely complicated combat system, but he made up for any shortcomings in this field with an interesting topic, the ability to maintain our interest throughout the campaign, and excellently prepared puzzles. The second movement is similar in this respect, although I am pleased to say that in some respects it is even better than its original.

Before we get into the details of the plot of Darksiders II , it is worth briefly recalling what the previous installment of the series was about. The whole was very loosely related to the Apocalypse of Saint John. In the game, we played War, i.e. one of the four biblical horsemen. The character in question was wrongly accused of bringing Armageddon upon humanity, and throughout the entire game we tried to restore balance under the watchful eye of the Observer. While the ending of Darksiders: Wrath of War clearly suggested the creation of the second part of the series, it is not a direct continuation of the events of that game. The action of Darksiders II takes place parallel to the events of the "one". While the War is trying to hunt down the mighty Destroyer, we direct the other horsemen - Death - who wants to save his brother at all costs (I used bold letters here not by accident). All of this, of course, means taking part in a new adventure, which, as expected, is long and full of countless adversities.

The plot of Darksiders II was conducted quite efficiently, skilfully justifying the subsequent efforts of the controlled character on the way to saving the War. For the most part, I followed the action with great interest and many times I was pleasantly surprised, but I still think that the writers did not do as well as before. Above all, there were no equally expressive supporting characters as in the previous installment of the series. The new heroes of the story are mostly colorless and probably the authors themselves noticed it, because we witness many returns (not wanting to spoil too much, I will only say that we meet again, among others, the demon merchant Vulgrim). The second point is a fairly average ending to the story. The game doesn't end with as much bang as it should , and the final boss is a disappointment (also in terms of the difficulty of the duel).

As I mentioned at the beginning, Darksiders II in terms of gameplay does not differ significantly from its predecessor, being a slasher with clearly marked elements of exploration. The combat system is still very accessible. Its core is the use of two buttons, responsible for the main one (as we are controlling Death, it could not be anything but large scythes) and an additional weapon (here we can choose both a slow two-handed weapon and various blades characterized by high attack speed) . I like the fact that the game does not require you to remember long combinations of buttons, but focuses more on the intuitive use of available blows, supported by dodges and various special attacks. The latter category includes transforming into a deadly Reaper, launching lightning-fast charges or summoning magical beings to help.

Many of the aforementioned unique attacks can be unlocked from the skill tree. This is not the only remnant of RPG games, because during the game we also find a lot of equipment (items of clothing, amulets, weapons), which we choose in the inventory according to our needs. Gathering fans will be satisfied as the loot is random, and collecting sets of rare items is quite a challenge. It is worth adding here that Death turns out to be more agile than War, and it can be seen during skirmishes. The game, moreover, often requires you to show great dexterity when avoiding blows from opponents. This is good news, especially for die-hard fans of "classic" slashers. The positive image of fights is undoubtedly influenced by a diverse bestiary, which includes not only different types of demons, but also overgrown insects or constructs, i.e. something like golems. The quite frequent bosses are equally interesting, and although many of them are defeated in a very traditional way, i.e. by targeting their sensitive points, there are also exceptions to this rule. A nice surprise awaits, among others, players who remember the titans from the last part of Castlevania .

When it comes to exploration, just like in the "one" we have a division into acrobatic performances with the use of interactive elements of the environment and logical puzzles. I would like to focus on the second component at this point, because the puzzles in Darksiders II are one of the strongest points of this game. It starts out innocently, because you have to roll the ball into a large hole or pull the levers in the right order. Over time, however, the puzzles become more and more complicated, and I can assure you that you will often stop trying to figure out the next step. The variety and attractiveness of these challenges is undoubtedly influenced by the various skills and gadgets unlocked by the game. Later in the game, you will have to play with portals, give correct orders to summoned creatures or tear the soul of Death apart, thanks to which two copies of it appear in a given location. It is worth noting here that each puzzle has its own logical justification and therefore the satisfaction with solving them is HUGE.

Darksiders II is a comprehensive game - there is no doubt about that. Completing the main storyline itself takes a minimum of 20 hours and during this time the boredom practically does not make itself felt. This is undoubtedly influenced not only by the aforementioned gifting of Death with newer and newer skills, but also by a large variety of visited areas, which include both numerous dungeons (abandoned forts, citadels, caves) and vast areas on the surface (forests, frozen, city of the dead). I do not want to reveal too much at this point, although I will mention that we will also have a second visit to Earth, characterized by slightly different rules of play from the other stages. It is also worth noting that the game rewards the re-examination of the same locations, because, like Batman's recent adventures, reaching certain areas is possible only when you have a specific ability.

3 in the morning again. Another five hours that Darksiders 2 simply ate. Actually, we just wanted to complete one particular quest. But then we found a treasure chest on the map that absolutely wanted to be looted.

And then there was this one legendary item that we were looking for until we passed out. We also had to reach the next level of character to learn new skills. Plus the cool hero, the fantastic art design and this insane urge to soak up more and more of the game in us. But one after the other.

Death saves war

At the same time as the events of the first Darksider , war's brother Tod sets out to prove his innocence. We remember: In the first part war was accused of having conjured up the apocalypse and was condemned without further ado.

At the beginning of Darksiders 2, Death seeks out the Guardian of All Wisdom to find out the real reasons for the apocalypse. But the eccentric old man does not even think about telling Death the truth straight out of the box, but drumbles something about a "tree of life" and stands in his way.

Death finally defeats the guardian of wisdom, but is immediately catapulted into a kind of parallel world, the home of the creators. An ancient race that created entire universes with its power. But their own world is now on the brink, an evil power called "Corruption" has occupied large parts of the Creator planet. So, to get to the tree of life, death has a lot of work to do.

Fight, climb, puzzle

The basic gameplay has not changed compared to its predecessor. Darksiders 2 also impresses with a terrific mix of combat, exploration, climbing passages and puzzles.

Right at the beginning, death ends up in the creator city Dreistein. Mighty mountains tower up into the sky behind the rock city, smoke ripples into the deep blue of the sky. Here at the latest, every finger is tingling, we absolutely want to go on an exploration tour right away. The beautiful Alya, like all creators of huge stature, helps death on the way to the tree of life: First of all, he is supposed to get the creators' huge forge afloat again. For this he has to visit a fire and a water temple and from there - well, what? - Divert lava and water into the forge so that the shop starts to smoke properly again.

The story is driven by such extensive main quests, which we mainly complete in dungeons. These in turn are connected to one another by a large upper world. But the tree of life is not the end of the game, and the Creator Realm is not the only one that Death visits on his way. Even if you are rushing through the game quickly, you should plan a game time of at least 20 hours - not including side dungeons and additional tasks.

Lively Grim Reaper

Outwardly, Tod doesn’t have much resemblance to his brother Krieg, but rather resembles a crazy heavy metal singer with his long, dark hair, well-trained stature and characteristic mask.

Anyone who played the first Darksiders will quickly notice the biggest innovation in the game mechanics. Unlike his beefy brother, Tod prances nimble through the game world and moves much more elegantly. War could hold onto ledges and pull up.

But against death, which apparently effortlessly climbs up columns, nimbly climbs along tendrils and also walks nimbly along walls, the burly war looks as elegant as a living room cabinet wall from the 80s. As a result, Darksiders 2 plays a whole lot more dynamically than the anything but lame first part.

There is much to do

When we arrive at the first dungeon, the "cauldron", it's there again, that tingling in the fingers. The fire temple rises majestically into the sky, glowing lava bubbles in huge pools. But a creator is waiting for us in front of the entrance and asks Death to look for a lost item for him in the mine.

Darksiders 2 often works with such motivating additional tasks. The game is not limited to mini-tasks. In addition to the main dungeons, there are many sprawling secondary locations where Tod can go on a tour of discovery to his heart's content. The treasure chests with extra gold and objects hidden everywhere provide additional collecting mood.

Blocking is overrated

The combat system of Darksiders 2 is similar to that of the first part, but has an exciting new feature: A block button is completely missing. Even when fighting, Tod relies on his agility, hooks and rolls out of the danger zone at lightning speed when attacked, only to counter at the next moment.

Practical: We can target an opponent at the push of a button, which automatically moves death around him. The hero then strikes either with his standard weapons (two sickles) or a secondary weapon (selectable from claw gloves, axes, hammers, etc.).

Both weapons can also be combined in combinations to form powerful attack chains. Just like the entire movement, Darksiders 2's combat system is extremely intuitive; After a few minutes you have internalized all the relevant buttons.

The only problem: the mouse and keyboard controls are hopelessly overloaded. Especially the evasion in combination with Tod's special maneuvers causes knots in the fingers again and again. Our tip: grab the gamepad, it works perfectly.

Death learns

For successful fights and solved quests there is a hail of gold as well as experience points, which give death skill points. Then it goes to the character development of our apocalyptic rider.

The skills are divided into two talent trees. The messenger of death tree mainly improves combat skills. For example, death hisses through opponents with the teleport blow and fills his own with their life energy. The necromancer tree, on the other hand, is responsible for Tod's magical abilities. With the "crow feast" attack, for example, death summons a flock of birds that attack enemies. And when "exhuming", groaning ghouls crawl out of their coffins and attack Tod's adversaries. Darksiders 2 is also so flexible and motivating to play because the expansion of the talent trees actually affects the way you play.

Away from the fighting

In the dungeons not only hordes of opponents wait for Tod's sickles, the way to the goal is also peppered with numerous climbing passages and puzzles. The former are usually not a problem for death. With the ingenious climbing skills you have mastered even demanding passages in no time.

However, in such situations the camera gets a bit hooked here and there and in very rare cases is not optimally positioned. Then there is a risk of annoying crashes that are not your own fault. Training for the gray cells is more challenging and error-free than climbing. It gets tricky, for example, when we have to roll several balls into corresponding holes and doors and switches block our way.

You ponder for a while, but the subsequent wow factor and the childlike joy when the next door opens are all the greater. The learning curve and the increasing difficulty of Darksiders 2 are well balanced; the game never gets frustrated or even unfair.

On horseback

The world of Darksiders 2 is huge, the walking distances are long. So Tod's two helpers, the crow ashes and the glowing horse Despair, come at just the right time. Should we ever get lost in the corridors of the upper world or a dungeon and no longer know what to do, just press the appropriate button to send ashes into the air. It then flies with a loud croak to the next correct fork in the road or to the correct exit or passage.

Despair is available right from the start of the game and mainly serves the masked man as a means of rapid transportation. But that only works in the upper world, in the dungeons the nag stays in the virtual stable. Very lazy players use the new, practical fast travel function with which they can get from one place to one they have already visited in no time at all.

Old-fashioned, but stylish

Technically, Darksiders 2 is on a consistently high level, but without setting standards. Rather, the title is characterized by the unmistakable style of the American comic artist Joe Madureira.

The concise characters, the breathtakingly huge final bosses, the varied dungeons and of course the post-apocalyptic-crazy look of the main character Death ensure that the Darksiders world looks cool and works well. The successful effects also support this mood. The fighting and climbing inserts also impress with their buttery smooth animations. On the other hand, there are the sometimes muddy textures, low-detail shadows and the general lack of polygons - a fresh graphics engine would have done Darksiders 2 quite well.

There is hardly any reason for criticism when it comes to the sound either. All effects - from battle screams to the rattling of scythes or bosses' roar - fit perfectly. The English speakers also breath frightening life into their roles. A prime example of this is the main character Death, who is voiced by actor Michael Wincott (The Crow).

The German dubbing, on the other hand, falls off somewhat. For example, the funny Scottish dialect of the creators is completely lost. The overall acoustic package is rounded off by a catchy orchestral soundtrack. In short: death is addictive. And that's best noticeable in the morning at 3.