Darksiders is adventure on a biblical scale. After years playing games in which we prevent the end of the world, we're now cast as its harbingers: the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
How have Vigil found the heroic in the most anti of heroes? Darksiders II producer Ryan Stefanelli explains the basics: "In the first Darksiders, the horseman War was wrongly accused of causing the apocalypse and the extinction of mankind. This caused both the forces of Heaven and Hell to seek War's destruction, and War was more than willing to take all his attackers head on." Hey, we've all been there, right?
"Unlike his brother, Death is more than willing to work with some of the more shady characters of the Underworld. The story revolves around Death travelling through the Abyss, making deals and bargains, and ultimately having to make a very difficult personal decision."
This dark gothic world is realised in a familiar action RPG mould. Galloping through the first game's overworld atop a demon steed before solving dungeon puzzles with a playful kitbag brings a certain elfin hero to mind. The Zelda similarity is a comfortable 'in' for newcomers, so we run it past Stefanelli.
"With all its different elements - combat, traversal, puzzles, etc - a game like Darksiders can be hard to describe, so it's natural to compare it to another game for reference. Being likened to Zelda is about the highest compliment we could be paid!" he says.
ROLE PLAYING
Not that Vigil are resting on a tried-and-tested formula. "In Darksiders II, we're adding even more elements into the mix, such as role-playing elements and loot gathering," explains Stefanelli. While War's wardrobe unfolded as a relatively linear item-to-item jaunt, Death has a Marks & Spencer's worth of trinkets at his disposal. bangles, armour and shoulder pads boost defensive and magical capabilities, while bigger weapons make for bigger wounds.
Like the best loot-gatherers - your Diablos and World Of Warcrafts - the hint of something rarer, thus better, around each corner coaxes you forward.
Here, the Wii U's second screen proves a real boon. Until now, console thinking has been crippled by television acreage. Force too much junk - gallons of loot, for example - into one screen and interfaces creak and groan. Anyone who's tried to manage a Fallout 3 or Fable inventory bag will know that particular horror.
"Just to have something on the touch screen, we put the inventory and map systems on the controller - and even that small thing makes a big difference," he explains. "When you collect a new piece of loot, you just look down to see if you want it, and can equip it instantly. I can't say for sure if that'll be in the final cut, but it's really cool that the gameplay experience never has to be broken up by changing out equipment."
As Ocarina 3D proved, touch-screen inventories can be transformative in their ease of use. Instant equip single-handedly turned the Water temple from a soggy blanket to a wet-eyed wonder.
Comments
11 comments so far...
XBOXer_lt on 22 Sep '11 said:
music to my ears. i loved first game and now that it's sequel will come to Wii U is my dream come true. i cant wait for console as much as this game on it. hopefully launch day one....
snowdog on 22 Sep '11 said:
Getting the game to run on the touchscreen with just two lines of code is very cool indeed.
Great to hear so much positive feedback from developers, it's really easy to develop for by all accounts. Good times ahead methinks!!!
SpandexArmstrong on 23 Sep '11 said:
Cant wait to play this, the original was fantastic.
Hopefully this is a Wii U launch title, if so I'll be picking it up with the Wii U. Cant wait:)
TOKEN on 23 Sep '11 said:
wii u 50% power than ps3,hope its the better version?
plightstar on 23 Sep '11 said:
Loved the first one, though I will be missing out on the Tablet feature as I will buy the PC version, unless someone creates a mod that allows the Tablet to be used with the PC, like the Wii remotes or Kinect.
I never compared it to Zelda, always compared it to Legacy Of Kain with the excellent voice acting and adult themes.
Raptor117 on 23 Sep '11 said:
The first screenshot...Death hanging on to a wall with one hand looking into the abyss....reminds me of Legacy of Kain : Soul Reaver. Whatever happened to that series anyway? It is the age of classic reboots.
wrightandrewjame on 23 Sep '11 said:
I only actually finished the original yesterday, after cruelly putting it to one side when newer games came out. I must say that I really did enjoy it and the links to Zelda and to God of War were quite blatant, with nods to Portal and Soul Reaver as well, but that was a good thing. It felt like God of War with more depth or maybe Zelda with more violence. A wonderful middle-ground.
Before I was intrigued about a new Darksiders game, now I definitely want it. The story might not have been the best I've seen, but the fact that I was actually having fun playing it (which surprisingly few games are nowadays) means I can easily overlook that shortcoming.
Marlonjb on 23 Sep '11 said:
First one was a big let down for me so I'll have to see if this is any better. Soul Reaver and the LOK series definitely need a new game though!
Gamer1977 on 23 Sep '11 said:
THQ on Wii U: ''much more powerful than the other HD consoles''
Question: In what ways would the Wii U version be superior over the 360/PS3 versions?
THQ Employee: Well the Wii U is full of potential as far as specs go. I know that Metro: Last Light is running at a good 50-60 fps on the PC, so I'm not sure how the Wii U version will compare to that. But the Wii U version of games from ALL developers and publishers, have potential for much smoother framerates, improved textures, and additional bonus content that the 360/PS3 version's won't have. In a way, buying the Wii U version over the 360/PS3 versions, will be like buying the Blu-ray version of a movie instead of the standard dvd version. You get better visuals, and more additional content with the Wii U version of any game compared to the other console version. But this will only happen as long as a developer or publisher puts in the time and effort instead of doing a straight port.
Question: I noticed a lot of games for 360 and PS3 don't take advantage of TRUE 1080p. Could we see more games on Wii U taking advantage of true 1080p resolution?
THQ Employee: The Wii U is much more powerful than the other HD consoles, so Wii U doesn't have a huge problem doing 1080p for the majority of its games. Will Darksiders 2 and Metro: Last Light be in 1080p on Wii U? I can't speak for the teams behind those games. I don't work on those specific teams so I can't say what they plan to do with the Wii U versions of their games as far as graphics or content go. I do know based on the specs I've seen, the console is more than capable of graphics that surpass current consoles. It's like I said before. Expect majority of third party Wii U games from most publishers to have true 1080p, additional content, and smoother framrates than what the PS3/360 versions offer. If you want the DEFINITIVE version of any game in your library, I would suggest either the PC version or the Wii U version...at least for now. This is not a knock agains the 360/PS3 versions of any games either. Fans of the 360 and PS3 are the majority of the gamers who games...period. So publishers have to give them the best product we can.
Full interview: http://www.fedwars.net/wrestling_articl ... ticle_id=6
ste hicky on 24 Sep '11 said:
i'm sure this interview is from just after e3. this was posted in the wii u board back in june.
Lance Uppercunt on 24 Sep '11 said:
I really enjoyed the first one, right up until towards the end, when it went all 'Portal' on me.