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DARKNESS, THE
Platform: PlayStation 3
86

The Darkness Review

This atmospheric and violent action game shouldn't be missed, regardless if you are familiar with the comic books

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Based on a comic book series of the same title, The Darkness is an atmospheric first person shooter/action title, released by Starbreeze Studios. The developer’s previous work, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, was a surprisingly good title that was based on material outside of video games (i.e. the movie series). With The Darkness, Starbreeze repeat their success, porting a comic book into a great video game adaptation. The Darkness is an often brutal but still emotionally engaging game that has excellent atmosphere and visual design, and must be experienced by even those completely unfamiliar with the comic books.

The Darkness PS3 game

Players take on the role of the main protagonist Jackie Estacado, an Italian American living in New York. The story and gameplay itself act as a flashback, whereas the loading screens are actually used to tell Jackie’s current mindset. We learn that our character’s past is crime-ridden, but he is trying to come clean and begin a new life with his girlfriend. On the eve of his 21st birthday, Jackie learns that he is a target for an assassination by the don of the New York mafia, "Uncle" Paulie. However, in the midst of his escape, Jackie suddenly acquires dark powers that allow him to repel his attackers. The voice of the Darkness tells him that he must obey it, and that it has apparently haunted his family for generations. Jackie refuses, and is mostly able to control the spirit at will, in order to survive the assassination attempt. Having control of these powers, Jackie sets out to seek revenge against Paulie. What results for the rest of the story is a disturbing and haunting experience with good twists, and some scenes that are among the darkest images of any medium. The narrative in The Darkness is great both in writing and delivery, with the unique setting further helping the game stand out.

The Darkness is a first person shooter, so there is a variety of modern day guns available to the player. Throughout the game, Jackie can get his hands on many different pistols, machine guns, and rifles. All this weaponry does a good job of getting rid of the enemy mobsters in the game and is your primary means of attack. Over the course of the game, players will also comes into possession of the "darkness guns" that are more powerful than many conventional weapons but consume some amount of darkness energy in order to fire. This dark energy can be restored by simply waiting in a dark area after shooting out the lights. In this regard, the game is somewhat reminiscent of Splinter Cell series, though it’s not always clear how much light there is at a certain location. Stealth tactics can be used for the majority of the game, thanks to the special powers.

The Darkness PS3 game

The most creative and varied gameplay comes with using the dark power abilities. Players’ powers include summoning different types of imp-like "darklings" that can attack foes, using "dark tentacles" to impale foes or break down walls, and creating a black hole that sucks anything nearby into it. The Darkness “mode” can be activated at any time, as your two friendly snake-like “Creeping Dark” creatures appear on screen. These creatures can be used to absorb damage by protecting the player, or sneak along floors, walls, and ceilings to take out unsuspecting foes by manually controlling a single snake. When exposed to direct light, your power is drained, so the player can never activate his powers in well-lit public areas. This balancing mechanic can be countered by only using your dark powers when in shadows, thus never wasting any energy due to light exposure.

The world itself is very detailed and the visuals borrow a number of textures and light elements from the developer’s previous game, Chronicles of Riddick. And, much like Chronicles, there is a number of open-world sections in the game where the player is free to roam the world and explore its various NPCs. There are also many side quests that the player can take on by talking with other people, which net you various rewards such as the collectible phone numbers, soundtrack tunes, and others. The main objective is always given to you, along with an address. Getting there is usually completed by taking the subway to another part of town and navigating the streets on your own, with no compass or artificial direction indicator to guide you. There is very little HUD in the game, which adds to the overall immersion factor.

The Darkness PS3 game

While the Darkness powers add to the originality of the game experience, it’s not without issues. The micro-management required for your spawned minions can be tedious, and the enemy AI can often kill your minion before they can activate their ability. While manually controlling the Darkness snake, things can become very confusing as orientation constantly shifts as you climb along walls and ceilings, as if playing an Alien from classic “AvP” title. The gunplay is also hit or miss, with most weapons feeling too inaccurate and having too much recoil. Jackie can also die fairly easily and takes a long while to regenerate health, especially in well-lit areas. Still, at least dual-wielding weapons is satisfying enough.

Aside from the strong single player, there are also a number of multiplayer modes to be had. Players can take on the role of either humans or darklings, each with their own advantages. Humans control the easiest and have regular weapons and armor, while the creatures are able to travel on any surface and use stealth. These two character types are used in a variety of modes, including deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag. The “survivor” mode meanwhile follows a known “zombie” formula. One player starts off as a darkling, and attempts to infest as many human players as possible, who in turn also try to get the remaining human players. In an alternate version of the mode, one player starts off as human and can earn points by killing the other players as darklings. There is no reinventing the wheel in the game’s multiplayer offerings, and given that most should experience the single player first and foremost, the multiplayer is just a nice addition.

The Darkness PS3 game

Possibly the strongest point of the whole experience is the presentation and visual style of the game. Technically, the game isn’t anything to brag about, though there are some nice animations and facial detail. Artistically though, the game creates a unique and haunting atmosphere that is among the more memorable in the genre. The deep emotional and physical impact that the game presents to the player is both draining and satisfying. There are some rather memorable scenes and locations in the game, which must not be spoiled due to their sheer effect. Oftentimes, the game’s atmospheric environments rival even Max Payne in their excellence of setting the mood. The soundtrack certainly helps things, with some pulse pounding tones and appropriately creepy riffs. The voice acting is also amongst the best, especially for the main character and his many dialogues.

While The Darkness doesn’t present any groundbreaking gameplay mechanics, it is still a very solid shooter that stands on its own thanks to great storytelling and original setting. The gunplay is not without issues, but the unique dark powers at your disposal more than make up for any shortcomings. To restore health and gain power upgrades, the player uses his Creeping Dark creatures to devour dead enemies’ hearts. Need we say more? While multiplayer is sufficient in content, lack of players and without a unique gameplay mode, it is nothing more than a side attraction from the excellent story. Even if you’ve never heard of the comics, players who seek a unique, dark, and often gory experience with a great story should look no further than The Darkness.

Our ratings for Darkness, The on PlayStation 3 out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
Presentation
90
Great visuals and music tones set up one of the most atmospheric games in recent memory. Coupled with good voice casting and lack of HUD, this title is very immersive.
Gameplay
84
The Darkness powers add some element of innovation to what is otherwise an average first person shooter. Some guns feel innacurate, and the game has some tough difficulty spikes.
Single Player
89
The story is memorable, with some amazing scenes that you won't soon forget. Depending on how many side quests the players attempt, this is easily a 10 to 20 hour experience.
Multiplayer
70
Serves as a decent addition to the package, but lacks any real attraction with a lack of memorable game modes.
Performance
85
The game looks and runs great, borrowing many elements from the Chronicles of Riddick engine.
Overall
86
Atmospheric, violent and driven by a strong story, The Darkness is a uniqely fresh title in the action shooter genre that is well worth experiencing.
Comments
Darkness, The
Darkness, The box art Platform:
PlayStation 3
Our Review of Darkness, The
86%
Great
The Verdict:
Game Ranking
Darkness, The is ranked #107 out of 1957 total reviewed games. It is ranked #4 out of 13 games reviewed in 2007.
107. Darkness, The
108. Forza Motorsport 4
Xbox 360
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Screenshots

Darkness, The
13 images added Sep 10, 2010 11:05
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