The Darkness

Through You, I Am Born…

There is a darkness in all of us; lurking in the most hallowed recesses of our mind, haunting us with pain and agony. It is a sensation we all learn to suppress in our youth. It is perhaps the fear of growing older; the fear of death; the fear of rejection; the fear of the unknown; or, simply, fear in its most basic, primitive form. It was the daunting, lingering consciousness; the devil on our shoulder; the serpent in the garden. It is a timeless, formless, omniscient, and omnipotent entity. A parasite of the weak and suffering. A harbinger for a much worse fate, a fate which offers no light at the end of the tunnel. A fate shrouded only…in darkness.

You are Jackie Estacado. It is your twenty-first birthday. You work for the New York mafia under the helm of “Uncle” Paulie, who has just placed an assassination hit on your head. As the attempt fails, you slowly become consumed by the voices in the shadow, that lingering malignant force known as the “Darkness.” So begins the downward spiral as Jackie’s life becomes enveloped in the continuous efforts of Paulie and New York’s corrupt police force, the increasingly-possessive Darkness, and the implication of all those Jackie holds dearest to him. What unfolds is a brilliantly woven tale of crime, revenge, and an enduring perseverance towards redemption.

The Darkness is loosely based on the comic series of the same name, created by Top Cow Productions, and made its first appearance in the tenth issue of the Witchblade franchise. Pound for pound, The Darkness is easily one of the best adaptations of a comic series into a video game. Presented in the format of a post-narrative with Jackie confessing his past (the events of the game) to the player, or otherwise some outside third party observer, the story is brilliantly paced and chillingly atmospheric; from the dimly-lit streets of a modern day New York City to a desolate and infernal wasteland in Hell eternally trapped in a World War I-state of despair, the game is absolutely a thrill to experience.

Stay In The Shadows…

The game manages to blend conventional first-person shooter combat with the unique powers of the Darkness, though by the late game, as your abilities develop and grow, you’ll soon find yourself less reliant on your firearms. If you’ve played games such as Chronicles of Riddick: escape From Butcher Bay (which Starbreeze Studios also made), or Thief, you’ll find yourself at home with The Darkness; there is a definite emphasis on shadow management in the game, a little phrase I like to apply to the act of shooting out lamp posts and ceiling lights. The Darkness fuels on, you guessed it, darkness: if you can remain in the shadows, it will serve as a type of body armor, absorbing and quickly healing through a tremendous amount of damage. Likewise, every time you manifest the darkness in the form of a various power - tentacle arms, snake, etc. - you’ll expend some of the darkness absorbed. If you head back into the shadows, you’ll see the two protruding serpentine heads from your back sucking in a vapor-like mist, replenishing your darkness. When their eyes shine, they are finished.

Use of conventional weapons takes a backseat for the second half of the game; however, up to that point, they are your primary means of fighting off the onslaught of bloodthirsty mobsters after your head. Most weapons can be dual-wielded, and feature a double crosshair mechanic that seems purely for aesthetic purpose, as you cannot individually control each arm. Rather, both arms move simultaneously with the right analog stick. Far too often, though, you’ll find the crosshairs automatically locking on to the heads of enemies when you move them even remotely close to the body. This, combined with the later immensely powerful Darkness abilities, make the game overall too easy.

But I could not conclude this section on combat without mentioning the Darklings. As the name might imply, Darklings are tiny demon-manifestations of the Darkness power that you cannot control, but rather, spawn from various seeping voids in the ground and set to wreak havoc on everything in sight. There are four types of Darklings; the first of which, the Berserker, is as the name suggests, a crazed miniature warmonger who will attack anyone it sees. The others are Gunner, who uses a Gatlin-gun; Kamikaze, who will sacrifice its own body to destroy various barriers throughout the game world; and Lightkiller, who will zap out any light sources within the immediate area.

Like yourself, keeping these little guys in the darkness is the key to their survival. Should they stay in the light for too long, even the slightest bit of damage could take them out. You are only allowed to summon one of each type of Darkling, but can have all four active at any given time.

In Darkness, There Is Light…

In a contemporary gothic modern New York, The Darkness manages to blend the rough urban city streets with a borderline-dystopian atmosphere to create a very eerie, very distinct setting. The landmarks are beautifully drawn and the game runs at a solid, steady frame rate even during the most hectic scenes, perhaps only suffering a minor slowdown when the Void power is used. Character animations are very clean and sharp, and the design of the Darklings - and the Darkness itself - are stylishly creepy.

There are two specific portions of the game where you are thrust into an Otherworld; a hell-like realm where World War I is eternally fought. The presentation of this world is perhaps the most stunning the game has to offer, and each of these segments are easily the most memorable of the game’s impressive campaign.

Devour The Hearts of The Impure…

The game’s story is remarkable in and of itself, but it’s the pacing and the presentation of that story which make it stand out. The Darkness, like Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, combines the distinct qualities of First-Person Adventures, western Role-Playing Games, and to an extent, Platformers, for a uniquely engaging hybrid. The story is fairly linear, and allows the player to proceed from beginning to end without a hitch. Within that midst, however, are various side-missions you can pick up from the citizens of New York. They’re mostly superficial, but always reward you with a collectible item which contains a phone number, that you can then use on one of the game’s many public phones to listen to various funny, often hilarious recordings.

The game is limited open-world; you have the freedom to explore the streets of New York through whichever route you wish to take, but there are certain areas with restricted access until a later portion of the story. Likewise you can enter many buildings in the game, and as previously mentioned, all lights can be interacted with. Perhaps one of The Darkness’s most entertaining features is a fully realized, living, breathing world. At any time during the course of the campaign, you can approach and turn on one of the many television sets and see constantly-changing broadcasts. Most notably of which, during a scene early in the game while in the apartment room of Jackie’s girlfriend, you will start watching “To Kill A Mockingbird” - the actual, live version. Should you be dedicated enough, you could sit there and watch the movie in its entirety.

But where is my head? How could I have forgotten the game’s most brutal mechanic. Upon killing an enemy, Jackie can summon his Darkness powers to devour the heart of the lifeless body. There is a dual purpose to this (not including the simple entertainment factor): the more hearts you devour, the more powerful your Darkness powers will become; additionally, one heart will serve to instantly replenish your Darkness powers should you not be able to find shadows to hide in. You’ll only be able to devour the hearts of those who seek to harm you. If you kill an innocent, the Darkness will make some snide comment about filth or unworthiness.

There is a very loose multiplayer tagged on which allows you to play as the Darklings themselves, but overall it’s a feature that seems to have been included simply to please an online crowd without showing as much depth or individuality that the single-player flourishes in.

A Symphony In The Night...

The music is mostly on the average side; some very few orchestral themes which serve to emphasize the game’s very dramatic storyline, but otherwise nothing you’ll be humming while ripping hearts out of mobsters. The voice work, on the other hand, is outstanding. Featuring the talents of Mike Patton (of former Dillinger Escape Plan and Faith No More fame) as the Darkness, and Kirk Acevedo (from the popular TV show “Oz”) as Jackie Estacado, the conflict between Jackie and his literal-inner demons becomes much more emotional. The complete dissonance between Acevedo’s soothing, suave voice and Patton’s raspy, serpentine hiss lends toward a wonderfully torn anti-hero found in Jackie. The secondary characters also provide some very emotional, well-delivered lines to create a brilliant ensemble rarely put together for a video game.

And The Verdict Is…

From comic book to game console, The Darkness is perhaps one of the best translations between two mediums this generation, and any other. With an exhilarating campaign, memorable and well-voiced characters, and a heart-wrenching story about revenge you’re likely to remember for years to come, The Darkness invades your mind and body, and it’s in every way a thrilling experience.

Pros: Entertaining Darkness powers; remarkable voice acting; memorable story and characters; excellent pacing between gameplay and exploration; some very beautiful environments

Cons: Difficulty remains relatively easy throughout; anti-climactic ending leaves a lot to be desired; multiplayer lacks lasting appeal and value

The Final Verdict: 8.5/10
The Darkness is wholly a one-of-a-kind experience; with its empathetic main character, his haunting personal villain, and the melancholy of his anguished life, The Darkness is one of this generation’s greatest unsung heroes.