Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition

by Mikhail Dec 29, 2017 | 1 Votes | 1 Played | 0 Reviews

10 rate

Genres:

Action , RPG , Adventure

Graphics:

Labels:

Fantasy Setting , Dungeon Crawler

Platforms:

Play as Death himself in Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition and explore a vast world and numerous dungeons. Take quests, fight a wide array of monsters, and solve puzzles inside dungeons. Customize Death and make him your own through an intricate leveling system, role-playing progression, and a huge selection of weapons. Play Now Similar Games

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Summary Plotline Gameplay Community Graphics/Sound Conclusion

Summary

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition in the PlayStation 4 is a remaster of the original Darksiders II game, which was released on last generation consoles. It has everything present in the original game albeit with all the released DLC and graphical improvements. Developed by THQ Nordic, the title can be closely compared to Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda games. After all, it has a “open world + dungeon” formula, a horse-riding mechanic, along with puzzles and a hack ‘n’ slash battle system. By all means however, it’s not just a mere reskin: it has a darker story, a more athletic protagonist, and a grim setting.

Given that it’s a PlayStation Plus title this December (and you have a week or two to download it) should you give it a shot? Let’s find out.

Plotline

Without diving much into spoilers, Darksider II’s plot revolves around Death and his quest to absolve his brother and fellow horseman, War, of his alleged crimes and resurrect humanity. Overall, the plot won’t become a literary masterpiece if it turned into a book, but it’s decent enough to keep you looking forward to the next parts of the story. In addition, you would want to pay attention to the names and jargon since there are way too many, making the story a little convoluted.

Gameplay

Primarily, Darksider II is an action RPG, with its core elements revolving around hack ‘n’ slash battle mechanics and exploration. In addition, you will also be treated to dungeon crawling elements wherein you’re required to solve puzzles to reach certain objectives and beat monsters. The game contains open world regions that you can roam with your horse, named Despair, and Dust, a raven that guides you to your goals. The dungeons are where you will mostly be spending time on, considering that they contain the bulk of accomplishable objectives.

Darksiders II’s weapon selection is incredibly varied. Death’s primary weapons are his two scythes, while you can choose from a vast array of secondary weapons. These are divided into two groups: Light and Heavy, with the former offering fast attacks and the latter strong yet slow attacks. Examples of Light weapons include claws, gauntlets, and tonfas while Heavy weapons are composed of hammers, axes, and maces. The battles are fast-paced and exciting, with a heavy emphasis on producing combos and aerial attacks.

A large part of the world can be interacted with, and Death can move around various places through running, swimming, and climbing. As you progress further into the game, you can unlock other options like using a grappling hook and opening portals. These allow you to creatively think of a way to beat puzzles and go around various obstacles.

Progression in Darksider’s II is pretty much similar to any role-playing game you can get your hands on. You can upgrade eight class statistics and with every level Death gains, you will be given skill points you can use to unlock new abilities on your skill tree. An experience meter is shown on screen which shows how close you are to leveling up, alongside health and wrath, with the latter acting as the game’s MP. There’s also the Reaper bar that when filled, can transform Death into his grim reaper form, allowing you to deal more damage and be more resistant to enemy attacks.

Community

Darksiders II is mainly a 30-hour single player experience with no co-op or multiplayer element. It also doesn’t have a dedicated online community, which is a bit of a bummer. However, note that the game has a small following on Steam, so you can definitely discuss the game with them.

Graphics/Sound

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is a remaster of the old PS3 and XBox 360 title. It has improved graphics and it now supports 1080p and runs at 60 FPS. However, there are still minor rendering issues and small framerate drops, but these are just minor nuances and will barely affect your gameplay experience. The soundtrack still holds up well today, fitting the entire grim atmosphere the game provides.

One thing that sets Darksiders II apart from its peers is its world and monster design. No two dungeons are the same, while the world itself looks astonishingly well-made, much like the Zelda games. Monster designs are outlandish yet fit the overall setting. They range from mummies to scythe-wielding cloaked demons to large golems.

Conclusion

Overall, Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is a must-download for PlayStation Plus users. Although the title offerings this month pale in comparison to the others, the game is pretty decent and is well-worth a playthrough. With fantastic action-RPG, puzzle, and hack ‘n’ slash elements, it’s a great option if you’re looking for anything remotely comparable to The Legend of Zelda on the PlayStation platform. Give it a shot and start exploring the various realms as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.