Darkness II

Stylish and brutal supernatural FPS The Darkness II was initially scheduled for release in October. Unfortunately, the wait’s going to be a little longer, as 2K has pushed back the game to the next year. So for our Darkness fix, we got in touch with Dave Kudirka, producer at Digital Extremes, to find out how they’re upping the ante for the sequel to a great game. By Avinash Bali The first game was a console-exclusive. What made you guys work on PC this time? Is the PC version being developed in-house? Yes, sadly many PC gamers missed a real gem when the first game was released on consoles only. At Digital Extremes, we have the engine and the tools to develop for PC and we are handling that all in house. All platforms are being developed together so the experience across all platforms will be the same. What led to the different art style? Is there some sort of deeper meaning over here or have you gone in for a cel-shaded look because, well, it looks cooler? For The Darkness II we decided to go back to the source material and draw heavy visual inspiration from the comics. We combined this graphic novel style with certain lighting techniques, which can be found in the film noir genre. The result is a highly detailed graphic style that is full of vibrant color and distinct barriers of light and dark; a style we’re calling “graphic noir”. This change brings us closer to the comic books that have inspired us along the way, but also allows us to generate some fresh gameplay using the mechanics of light and dark. Aren’t you afraid quad-wielding will make the game a bit too easy? How do you plan on balancing things out? It’s totally true—your two death-dealing demon arms elevate you to what seems to be a godlike status in The Darkness II. Once the player discovers how intuitive the demon arm controls are, they will quickly be able to orchestrate a fury of slashing and grabbing attacks in concert with mix-and-match dual-wielding. However, the constraints on Jackie’s powers help balance the difficulty; he can only use his powers in the dark, and some of his more dangerous enemies know how to exploit that. By using light as a weapon, they will create turning points in combat that can be very dangerous for Jackie. How different is the Brotherhood from the Mafia in the first game, and what do they really want Jackie’s powers for? Rival mobsters lack the knowledge necessary to compete with Jackie’s powers, but they try to outnumber and out-gun Jackie. They are loyal to their respective mob families and will stand and fight, but they fight with fear and desperation. By contrast, the Brotherhood is an ancient organization with greater knowledge and insight into Jackie’s powers, and they possess the tools and strategies necessary to battle a Darkness host, with the goal of capturing that power for their own use. Have you upped the ante as far as violence and gore go? What are some of the gruesome executions Jackie can pull off? Thumbing through the pages of the Top Cow comics, there is some really spectacular gore in there and we are showing a similar level of that gore in The Darkness II, but I think our graphic style helps keep it “fun”. Some of the executions we’ve revealed so far are the Spinal Tap, the Anaconda, the Wishbone and the Daisy Pop. By executing the Spinal Tap, you dangle your enemy with one arm while the other rips out his spinal column. Will players be able to upgrade their powers as well? What’s the most badass thing one can do with the demon arms? As you progress through the game, killing enemies and appeasing the Darkness, you get rewarded with “essence” that can be spent at talent shrines. These talent shrines offer multiple paths of customization that can upgrade all your powers, not just your demon heads. For example, “Gun Channelling” allows you to channel your Darkness energy into your equipped weapon(s) for a time-limited gain of ramped damage and unlimited ammo. Further upgrades down the same path will let you see enemies through walls and shoot through any surface in the world. In the hands of a seasoned FPS player, this power is pure destruction. The Darkness allowed players to explore a bit of the game world outside the story. Does that return in the sequel or will it be a strictly linear fare? While The Darkness II is primarily a linear narrative experience, there are opportunities to deviate from the critical path and explore some of the local color of the game. We want players to really feel like they are wielders of the Darkness, and to experience this story as Jackie. Other than that, we haven’t yet revealed any more details.