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THQ have released a truly leviathan fact sheet for Darksiders 2, which details everything from game mechanics to developer bios. Chances are, if you are at all interested in this game, you’ll find a lot to learn here.
You can read the full fact sheet just after the break. But here’s your final warning – it’s huge.
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Vigil Games
Category: 3rd Person Action
Release: June 26th, 2012 (North America)
Platforms: Xbox 360™, Playstation 3, PC, Wii U
Short Description
Awakened by the End of Days, Death, the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen embarks on a quest to undo Armageddon. Along the way, the Horseman discovers that there are far worse things than an earthly Apocalypse, and that an ancient grudge may threaten all of Creation. Become the terrifying force which everything fears but nothing can escape. Death Lives in Darksiders II.
Death Lives
- Wear the mask of Death and become the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen, responsible for the destruction of entire civilizations and the death of countless souls.
- Summon the dead, assail atop Despair, and tear down colossal foes beyond Heaven & Hell, making you the most chilling opponent on any battlefield.
- Unleash the power behind the mask and become the terrifying force which everything fears, yet nothing can escape.
Key Features
- Play as Death, the most feared horseman of the apocalypse
- 3rdPerson Action Adventure Game
- More Than 20+ Hours of Gameplay
- Create Your Own Death
- Massive Universe with Dungeons and Side Quests
- Improved Combat System
- Highly Detailed Art and Graphics
- Wealth of Content
Key Messages
- Play Death – Become the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen, able to destroy entire worlds and battle forces beyond Heaven and Hell.
- Epic Universe – Unlike anything the player has seen before, delivered in the unique style of Joe Mad.
- Player Choice & Customization – Slayer, Necromancer, & Wanderer armor sets, varied weapons, along with the Harbinger & Necromancer Skill Trees allow players to create their own Death.
- Replay-ability – Side quests, open world feel, Skill Tree customization, and leveling system with endless armor & weapon set combinations offer compelling reasons to play through DSII again and again.
- Traversal – Death is a nimble and agile character capable of many new traversal methods including wall-running, ghost-handing, wall jumping and many others, with the ability to chain them together.
VIGIL GAMES – DEVELOPER BIOS
Han Randhawa, Art Director
Getting his start in video games in 1994 at Psygnosis, Han has worked on every aspect of game art creation across multiple platforms. Being a huge fan of comic book, sci fi and fantasy art, he was a natural fit at Vigil. As Art Director, Han brings the energy and motion of the Joe Mad style into Darksiders II every day, as well as helping the hive of screaming talent that is Vigil Games create a seriously stunning title.
Joe Madureira, Creative Director
As co-founder and Creative Director of Vigil Games, Joe is responsible for the overall look of the studio’s titles. Also a 20-year veteran of the comic book industry, he has illustrated numerous best-selling titles including Uncanny X-Men, Battle Chasers, Ultimates, and Avenging Spider-Man!
David Adams, Studio General Manager
David is the driving force behind Vigil Games and as Studio General Manager; oversees all aspects of Darksiders II. Founding his first studio in 1997, David made a name for himself with the studio’s first title, Crush. David then took on the role of Development Director for NCsoft for about a year before co-founding Vigil in 2005.
Haydn Dalton, Principal Designer
Working on platforms ranging from the Commodore 64 to current consoles, Haydn started his career as an artist but gradually transitioned into game design. Arriving at Vigil shortly after its inception, he brought his console game design expertise to the table and helped shape Darksiders into the game it became – and is bringing that same level of craftsmanship to Darksiders II.
Ryan Stefanelli, Producer
A co-founder of Vigil Games, Ryan was the Lead Level Designer on the first Darksiders, and has worked with the other Vigil co-founders nearly his entire career. Before the important stuff (Darksiders), he was a designer on various massively multiplayer online games.
Jay Fitzloff, Producer
Jay has made his mark in a wide variety of roles within the video game industry – from journalism to marketing to public relations to farming…though to be fair, the farming part had very little to do with games. Now a Producer at Vigil Games, Jay oversees and assists with a multitude of Darksiders II facets that are as varied as his career.
DEATH & DARKSIDERS II FICTION
Death
Born/Created: Age of Abominations
Race: Nephilim
Aliases: Pale Rider, Reaper of Souls
Realm/Location: Various
First appearance: Darksiders 2
Affiliations: The Four Horsemen, The Charred Council, Despair
Weapons: Harvester (scythe)
Personality keywords: stylish fighter, efficient killer, relentless, fearless, self-possessed, elegant, dry and sarcastic, cunning, resolute, self-sacrificing, loyal to his siblings
Death is the dreaded enforcer & most feared of the Four Horsemen. Like War and the other Horsemen, Death is of a race known as the Nephilim. Spawned by the unholy union of Angels and Demons by the Demon Queen Lilith, the Nephilim were the most powerful beings in the Universe.
When Mankind was given the prize of Eden, Absalom, leader of the Nephilim, led his armies against Heaven and Hell in an attempt to steal it back. For this crime, the ruling members of the Charred Council condemned the Nephilim to destruction.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were granted a reprieve from this fate on the condition they aid the Council in victory over their kind. The Horsemen all accepted, but it is Death who bore the greatest burden of guilt for the near extinction of his race. Taking on his iconic mask to represent his role as executioner the day this genocide pact was struck, he has not removed it since. In addition, the souls of his fallen brethren were trapped in a talisman forever bonded to his chest, leaving him cursed to be eternally tormented by the lost spirits.
Death is a singular, almost lonely figure amongst the four remaining Nephilim and considered to be their leader. Like the other Horsemen, he is a terrifying warrior. But, none kill with the same chilling efficiency and with such elegant style. For Death, battle is an art. He is attracted to the discipline of mastery, the grace of an artful strike, the beauty of a good death.
From the moment of his creation, Death has had an air of foreboding; this dark acknowledgement instills fierce and calculated purpose behind his actions, a chilling and daunting driving force behind his might.
The Horsemen have witnessed the rise and fall of many worlds. Death has encountered the destruction of civilizations, the disappearance of entire realms, and the deaths of countless souls…many before the blade of his lethal scythe, Harvester.
Death has a powerful bond with War, despite their differences in temperament. So when War is imprisoned by the Charred Council for allegedly conspiring to start the Apocalypse, Death swears to clear his brother’s name – no matter the cost to himself.
Through the fantastical realms of Darksiders II, the Pale Rider fears no being and will stop at nothing to complete his pursuit of vindication.
Game Fiction
Good and evil, darkness and light – the two sides of the scale that is the Universe must always be equal. Thus was the decree of the Charred Council, an ancient body charged by the Creator to preserve this balance.
Long ago, the Council forged a truce between the warring legions of Heaven and Hell, to hold their final battle until the End of Days, when the Kingdom of Man would join to determine the final order of things. This pact was enforced by the Council’s sworn servants, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – fated to ride in the last moments of Armageddon and drag the world into a new age.
As eons passed, Angels and Demons challenged the truce. It was often bent, but never broken. That is until the Horseman, War, triggere d the Apocalypse before its allotted time. Or so the Council would claim…
Death, the most feared of the Four Horsemen, knows better. Confident that War, the most honorable and incorruptible of the Horsemen, is the victim of a deep rooted conspiracy, Death defies the Council’s orders and sets out on a personal mission to prove his brother’s innocence.
As the Earth is cleansed of life, Death rides forth once more. He will travel to the realms that lie between Heaven and Hell, work with powerful forces that operate outside the Universe’s ancient laws, and reap the souls of any creature foolish enough to stand in his way.
Death’s quest brings him across the cosmos, and he soon learns that more is at stake than the redemption of War – the very universe is in danger. A dark force, Corruption, is rotting and decaying every realm, and its dread mark is everywhere. He sojourns in the Maker’s Realm, where he witnesses the tattered ruins of that once-proud civilization, now destroyed by Corruption.
The source of this dreadful plague lies in Death’s sorrowful past. Death not only helped exterminate the Nephilim, but he faced down the First Nephilim, Absalom—the misbegotten, tortured being whose birth brought Corruption into the world.
GAMEPLAY MECHANICS
Movement & Traversal
The differences in traversal methods between the first Darksiders and its sequel, for the most part, boil down to the differences between their protagonists – War and Death. War was more a straightforward, charging type who was more likely to power his way through obstacles, whereas Death is a more nimble and agile character.
Moves Unique to Death:
- Wall run: When players jump onto a wall at an angle, Death performs a wall run move that carries him a set distance. Wall runs can be chained together, allowing Death to traverse down a narrow hallway by performing this move between walls.
- Beam running: Along thin platforms (ropes, chains, etc.), War would move across them by performing a hand over hand method. Death, being much more agile, simply flips himself up to the top of the beam and walks/runs across it.
- Pillar Climb/Jump: Death can climb up pillars or other similarly slim objects with ease, and leap from/to them.
- Wall bounce: By running to and jumping at a wall, Death momentarily performs a vertical wall run, slows for a moment, then detaches. If players jump during the wall bounce, they leap 180 degrees behind themselves. This jump move can be chained, allowing Death to run/jump up a narrow gap with walls on both sides.
- Death Grip: When this item is acquired, it allows Death to hook onto attachments scattered throughout the environments and pull himself toward them. Death can jump off of these objects zipped to, and can chain the Death Grip together with other moves or another Death Grip throw.
Combat
As with its predecessor, combat in Darksiders II is meant to be sleek and fast. Players who learn all the ins and outs of the combat system are rewarded by being able to effortlessly switch between weapons, maneuvers, abilities and combos – racking up high combo counts and laying waste to the enemies that attack them.
The basic attacks and maneuvers that a player would use in combat are:
- Evade: Unlike War, Death is not able to block. Instead he dodges attacks. Death can dodge any direction – or use to quickly evade & close a small gap between an enemy and himself.
- Jump: Not a combat move onto itself, and used more often in traversal, jump’s main function is as a combination with other attack methods.
- Scythes: Death’s main weapons throughout the game are his dual scythes. The weapons change shape as Death goes through his combo of attacks, at points joining together to form a single polearm-type weapon. With his scythes, Death can perform special maneuvers such as tossing an enemy into the air, or throwing the scythes a short distance and have them boomerang back to him.
- Secondary Weapons: Attacks with a chosen secondary weapon are easily combined with scythe maneuvers to keep combos rolling.
- Death Grip: Useful in traversal, the Death Grip is equally useful in combat. Shooting the Death Grip at smaller enemies both pulls them towards Death and knocks them down – allowing the player to attack them while they’re down, or time to deal with other enemies while they get back up. On larger enemies (those roughly twice the size of Death or larger), the Death Grip pulls Death toward the creature. This is a handy way to quickly close the gap between a boss when an attack opportunity presents itself. In some cases, using the Death Grip is essential in defeating an enemy – such as when attacking the head of a towering creature is it’s only weak point.
- Reaper Form: There are two ways that Death makes use of his Reaper Form in combat:
- Reaper Attacks: These are relatively quick attacks that death can make as part of a combo where portions of the Reaper Form are seen. For example, by holding the scythe attack button, the Reaper Form will shoot out of Death and make a scythe sweep on all the enemies in front of him.
- Reaper Transformation: Earned automatically when the player spends 6 skill points, players can fully change into Reaper form when they fill the Reaper Meter shown in the upper left corner of the screen. The Reaper is very powerful, able to cause massive damage to many enemies, but the time Death can stay in Reaper form is limited. The Reaper Meter drains quickly while in Reaper form.
- Spells/Abilities: Death can gain an array of spells and abilities that can be used in combat. From calling up a horde of exploding zombies to enshrouding himself in necrotic energy that damages all who come near, these abilities can become even more potent than Death’s weapon attacks if a player chooses to focus on them. In a way, players can choose to take a more wizardly path as opposed to being strictly a warrior.
- Horseback: Death will also be involved in combat while on horseback & is slightly different while riding Despair. The horse has a much faster movement rate, and Death can use his scythes while in the saddle. Despair can also charge enemies, doing damage and knocking them to the ground. However, Death loses his evade and Death Grip abilities.
Puzzles
The percentage of game time taken up by puzzles in Darksiders II will be roughly the same as that found in the original. The puzzles in Darksiders II will also take up a similar motif in that most will be designed around a new item that the player has acquired and/or a feature unique to the dungeon.
Since each puzzle within the game is unique onto itself, there is not general set of rules that applies to all of them. Instead, here is an example of a new item being attached to a puzzle.
Example: Death Grip
In the Maker’s Area, when the player first receives the Death Grip, they will be presented with a series of puzzles meant to educate them on the item’s uses. First they will find a locked door and a switch that can’t be reached by methods they’d previously employed. By pulling the switch with the Death Grip, the door becomes unlocked. In a room not far after, they will need to gain keys to free constructs held in cages. Getting the keys to these cages will require using the Death Grip.
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