The apocalypse is a pretty standard setting for video games. At this point, you’ve likely been tasked with saving the world so many times that the idea seems kind of stale. Which is why Darksiders is so refreshing, since humanity is already entirely wiped out, and now it’s just a bunch of divine beings bickering over whose fault it was.
Darksiders takes a lot of inspiration from other, more successful titles, but what this series lacks in originality, it makes up for in setting and personality. And now you can play the second - and best - Darksiders game anytime you want on the Nintendo Switch.
This Reaper Is A Keeper
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition - as you might have guessed from the punny title - puts you in the spiked boots of Death, one of the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse. In the first game, someone accidentally set off the Rapture, and now mankind is dead and the Earth is overrun by demons. War, another Horseman and the brother of Death, has been accused of being the culprit behind the premature end of the world and will be soon be sentenced to oblivion at the hands of a tribunal known as The Charred Council. So, since Death is the best bro ever, he rides out to find a way to bring humans back into existence to let War off the hook.
While the tale itself isn’t the deepest and devolves into a standard quest structure of, “Go do this thing and then I’ll tell you what to do next,” the lore is quite fascinating, and the characters are likable and have some playful dialogue.
But no one has more fun in this game than Death himself. Darksiders II’s version of the Grim Reaper looks like a purplish-grey Danzig wearing a skull mask, but sounds like a catty, gravelly-voiced Jeremy Irons. He’s sarcastic, irritable, and wants everyone to just get to the point already because he’s tired of their faces. His reactions to the people he bumps into and the situations he finds himself in are far more humorous than they have any right to be. And while he has more witticisms than you’d expect out of Death, he’s not a complete barrel of laughs. He has no problem reminding people that he’s the freaking pale rider, and he can end you if he so chooses. If it wasn’t for this characterization, Darksiders II’s narrative would probably be far less tolerable.
The Leftover Casserole Of Games
Darksiders titles have a reputation of being pastiches of other games. It’s got the character action combat of God Of War or Devil May Cry, the vertical movement and traversal mechanics of Uncharted or Assassin’s Creed, and the dungeon-centric puzzle-solving of The Legend Of Zelda. Darksiders II also decided to throw one more ingredient into this gumbo by including a loot system similar to Diablo. With so many different components all mixed together, it somehow manages to feel like it’s own unique thing. It’s certainly not innovative, but it ends up being pretty enjoyable.
All the different gameplay elements feel good, and the loot helps liven things up by constantly changing your armor and weapons. The drops weren’t always all that interesting though, and it seemed like the best stuff came from side quests or chests, while the gear that enemies left behind was only incrementally better than what I had equipped. The dungeons you have to work your way through could drag on, and the solutions to some puzzles weren’t all that clever. It’s also worth mentioning that Dust, your faithful raven who’s supposed to point out where to go, is utterly useless most of the time, which can make finding your objective a little annoying.
This Pony Ride Has A Few Bumps
This Switch port doesn’t have any major problems, but there were some concessions made to get it running effectively. In handheld mode, there were some loading hitches when opening doors or entering new locations on the map. Whenever a boss fight began or ended, the cutscenes wouldn’t have any sound effects, so they just looked like monsters that were roaring silently. Death would also get caught on the scenery and frozen in place, leaving me no option but to spin around in circles until I had to reload my last save.
These bugs didn’t hamper the experience, and in docked mode, it seemed to run smoother. However, if you’re going to be playing this on your TV, you’d probably want to get it on a stronger console or PC, as it will obviously look far more attractive. So just know there are a few minor kinks when playing it on the Switch’s smaller screen.
Mr. Reaper’s Neighbourhood
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is a pretty good choice for a game to take on the go. The campaign is pretty long, lasting about 15-20 hours with plenty of content, so you could easily have it last for a long trip or commute. It doesn’t set out to revolutionize the gaming industry, but it’s a fairly solid action-adventure that’s nice to have on the Switch.
At the very least, you should check it out to become acquainted with this interpretation of the Grim Reaper. I never knew I wanted a Death that sounded like Scar from The Lion King until now. Thank you Darksiders II.
3.5 Out Of 5 Stars
A Switch review copy of Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition was provided to TheGamer for this review. Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.
READ NEXT: Rage 2: Rise Of The Ghosts Review: Haunted By Mediocrity
