Earlier this week, us here at Capsule Computers were given the opportunity to take some hand-on time with the upcoming Darksiders II video game from THQ. The build that we were given was a similar build to the one on display at E3, so anyone who has seen that version of the build being played will likely encounter similar content to the content presented here.
Firstly, I want to point out that we have previously covered a different portion of the game earlier in the year and that this build of the game did eventually lead us to the portions of the game from that build. So if you want to check that out, you can here.
Okay so in this build of the game we start in this icy realm with our trusty horse that has a few of it’s own abilities like being able to run like a horse and this cool charging like ability where it moves faster for a short period. However, whilst the main character Death is on it’s back, he is also able to swing his scythes around and damage opponents. I feel that these mechanics will be of greater use later in the game.
After a short ride on a straightforward path, we end up facing some icy enemies before having to enter an icy dungeon. Combat in Darksiders II is very action orientated and has Death equipped with short scythes as a fast weapon and, should you choose to equip something, he also has larger weapons as a stronger hitter. By ultilising each weapon for different purposes, players are able to maximise their efficiency in combat and enhance their survival.
Unlike War in the first Darksiders, Death is a more agile fighter and is able to dodge attacks as opposed to shielding and skating around in circles. I feel that Deaths dynamics are much more fluid than War’s and this should be more appealing to be players that didn;t quite enjoy that aspect of the protagonist in the first game.
Anyway, our adventure continued into this icy dungeon where we were tasked with killing icy grunts, smashing down icy holding cells for enemies and collecting all kinds of loot. What we took away from this dungeon was that game felt like it was a cross between Devil May Cry and Prince of Persia in mechanics, which is a pretty good mix in our opinion.
Of course, the game is much more RPG like this time around with players being able to loot many enemies that fall by their hands and as a result, Death is an amazingly customisable character. During our play through we were able to mix and match armour, weapons and much more. However, I’m a Min-Max style player, so I went with the gear that would yield the highest attack power. This, I found was probably a good thing when it came time to face against the areas boss.
Dodging is an incredibly important skill to utilise within the game and I quickly learned this whilst facing some of the larger enemies, like bosses. Iwhen getting bounced around by them, it becomes increasingly hard to remain living. Therefore, holding your finger over that dodge button is a must and hitting it at the right time is even more mustly. When you’ve got your ryhtm down, you can very easily take out a boss monster if you know what you’re doing.
Overall this build of the game was much less buggy than the previous build of the game and it is shaping up to be an incredibly impressive looking title. As someone who didn’t like the first Darksiders, I have to admit that I am slightly curious as to how this one will turn out and after my few playthroughs of the game, I might be willing to check it out.
