The Darkness 2 begins two years after the end of the first game with Jackie now taking the role of the Don. Since he has been at the top over the past couple years, he hasn’t had any use for the Darkness. Unfortunately for him, that all changes once he is shot up at a restaurant and must turn to the Darkness to help him survive the assault. Seeing as how it’s been tucked away and ignored for two years, the Darkness isn’t too happy with Jackie and makes this known through various dialogue and interactions.
With that brief into our of the way, it’s time to brutally slaughter Jackie’s enemies, which were the Brotherhood in this demo. The Brotherhood is especially dangerous due to the fact that they’ve been around for quite some time (1,000+ years) and know about the Darkness and its weaknesses.As he enters a rundown carnival, one thing is immediately apparent. The art direction is heavily influenced by the comics. Actually, to obtain this look the artists working on the game hand-painted every texture to give it that comic book inspired feel. The feud between Jackie and the Darkness became increasingly obvious as he made his way to his opponents. At a couple different points, the demon arms that aid Jackie in combat were tugging on his equipped weapons until forcefully batted away.
Enemies appeared and it was time to put those demon arms to use. Here we got to see the “quad system” working flawlessly. It is appropriately named the “quad system” since each demon arm is controlled independently and two one-handed weapons can be fired separately as well. This creates numerous unique options. Two enemies were taken out simultaneously with one receiving a nice helping of lead while the other got impaled by one of the demon arms. The third thug shooting in the background was approached and dispatched using a move that ripped him in half by the legs (known in-game as the wishbone). If you want a clear picture of how it played out, reference the fatality that Noob performs in MK 9 called “Make-A-Wish.” This was one of many possible finishers. Shortly after, the demon arms grabbed a door off of a car and held it in front of Jackie as mobile cover. Jackie was then able to shoot over the object with both weapons. Once the enemy count dropped drastically (down to one to be specific) the door was thrown through the remaining opponent slicing him in half. The system works a lot smoother than the first game.
The final part of the demo showed off the Darkness’ abilities. Dark Essence can be used at talent shrines to upgrade powers or weapons. During this playthrough, the weapons were upgraded with an ability called “Gun Challenging.” When activated, damage is increased and ammo is unlimited. This can be further upgraded to add even more such as extra damage. Jackie then utilized the Heart of Darkness which allowed him to see through solid objects to target enemies. In the final confrontation, the Darkness dispensed a black hole that sucked up all enemies.
With everyone except the leader defeated, victory seemed secured. However, since the Brotherhood knows how to combat the Darkness, lights were turned on. For those of you who didn’t play the first game, the Darkness cannot be used in the light (hence the name). Left defenseless, Jackie falls to the ground as the screen fills with white. He then wakes up in a prison cell (possibly an asylum?) where a doctor confronts him. Jackie asks where he is and he is told that he had another episode. It is not known at this time whether Jackie is really confronting these enemies or if he has gone insane.
We can all find out October 4th when we can get our hands on a copy for PS3, Xbox 360, or PC.