Darksiders II follows Death in a more open world with a stronger action-RPG flavour. The map is huge, the dungeons twisty, and even when the pacing drags, riding alongside this lean cat of a horseman remains a joy.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player16+
Description
Action-adventure by Vigil Games and THQ, November 2012. Death, another Horseman of the Apocalypse, travels across varied worlds to clear his brother War and resurrect humanity. Enriched RPG loot system with collectable armours and weapons, varied dungeon exploration and environmental puzzles. Darksiders sequel with a more RPG approach and even more varied worlds.
Darksiders II review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The hero's silhouette transforms over the hours: every piece of equipment found shows on the model, pauldrons that widen, hoods, gauntlets, a scythe whose blade changes shape, so that the same character never looks twice the same. The skull mask, the only fixed element, serves as a landmark amid a wardrobe that never stops accumulating.
The long climbing stretches unfold without a score: you hear only hands on stone, ropes creaking and the wind of high places, and the music waits for a ledge to be reached before returning. Jesper Kyd also writes pieces several minutes long, with no obvious repeat, designed to hold whole dungeons without the ear ever catching the loop.
An action adventure from Vigil Games, Darksiders II hands the role to the horseman Death in a vast quest blending snappy combat, Zelda style dungeon exploration and a strong action RPG component with loot and skill trees. The hero's agility, the variety of environments and the scope of the adventure make it a generous, long title. The sometimes overwhelming loot and an uneven production temper the whole. An excellent game for fans of exploratory hack and slash and dark fantasy worlds on Xbox 360.
