In this climate of almost everything getting remastered, I was not expecting the Playstation 5 release of Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition to do a whole lot for me. I’d played the first game in the series and, whilst it did well to execute on some pretty obvious inspirations, I ran out of patience with it. Thankfully, the sequel has fared better with me. Vigil games have certainly improved on the formula but this seem a tighter experience.
What you get on the Playstation 5 version is some improved performance with the frame-rate mostly staying at a steady 60 frames-per-second. I did notice some screen tearing towards the end of my playthrough and some of the more intense scraps could bring their own hiccups. Outside of that, there’s improvements to the lighting and the image seems sharper compared to the previous generation ports. It doesn’t feel like it’s taking leaps and it certainly isn’t leveraging ray tracing or HDR. I don’t think this is an easy sell for someone who wants to upgrade. The graphical options are especially meagre, allowing you only to tinker with brightness or turn on improved shadows.
If you’re new to Darksiders II, the Deathinitive Edition does provide a complete package that looks the best it can on consoles. The three DLC dungeons offer you some extra content and the base game itself a lengthy campaign full of puzzles, platforming and combat to work with. Dungeon design seems smart and self-contained which I felt gave the proceedings a solid pacing throughout.
The story, as self-serious and grim as it is, works well to continue the tales of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The events of the last game leave War tied up by the Charred Council after his deeds on Earth. Death wants to absolve him and, if possible, restore humanity to it’s former self. It’s all very grand and dark and the voice performances deliver it all with a straight face.
The soundtrack really compliments the action and it’s really well done. I can’t really fault the production for nailing what is essentially a tale about the end of days. It’s not a series that’s elevated itself beyond a competent imitation but I can really appreciate when this hits its stride. Above all else, there’s a good momentum on offer.
It’s a decent journey with some clear objectives and the do a good job of selling a macabre underworld. The majority of the time is spent away from Earth, allowing for some creative freedoms in locations. That mostly means venturing from green pastures to barren hellscapes with some mighty castle keeps sprinkled in between. It’s a cohesive look but very much in line with the first Darksiders. The expanses between dungeons can feel a little empty. There’s a sprinkling of enemies to fight and chests to loot but not much else in the way of life.
The dungeons themselves tend to theme around a particular gadget. It makes them feel tightly designed with a focused approach to puzzle solving. It’s a great way to introduce you to the new gimmicks. Some of which compliment your ability to traverse. It never gets too convoluted but there are situations that require looping back to progress past an area. The way forwards always seems to be hinted at and each room seems to present it’s own challenge.
Platforming can be fiddly, especially when ledges are concerned. You’re not typically performing at against the clock but I had several instances of a the game not giving me a wall run when I needed it. These are minor setbacks but can build some frustration. At least checkpoints are frequent so not much progress is lost. Where you need to go seems well signposted, too. I know there’s complaints about yellow paint online but those visual clues have been present in games for decades, just in different formats. In Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition‘s case, I could spot exactly what was climbable and what wasn’t.
Combat is serviceable and Death’s character progression means you can always unlock new abilities or combos throughout the game. By the end, I felt pretty powerful, even if the challenge of new bosses were ramped up. It’s a mostly mashed out affair with light and heavy strikes mixed up to produce longer strings. Successful hits build up your wrath meter which can be cashed out for your more devastating abilities. There’s a decent flow to it, even if it can look chaotic.
There is a lock-on available but plenty of encounters involve more than one enemy, requiring some crowd control. The enemy variety is relatively strong, although it does rely on humanoid foes that have some easily telegraphed attacks. The combos and abilities available to you can make the combat feel exciting and do prevent me from hammering out the same strikes again and again. Out of combat, hit detection can be a little loose and it can be baffling to see a move whiff when trying to break an object ahead of you.
How you fall on Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition will depend on whether you’ve already played it. As a newcomer, I found it to be a solid experience that wears its inspirations very proudly. The story is taken very seriously but there’s time for spectacle and bombast. Whilst it is a sharper effort with some improved lighting, you can’t mistake this for something more modern.
+ Sharper and clearer to look at.
+ Has a fantastic soundtrack.
+ Combat is enjoyable.
- Platforming can occasionally be fiddly.
- Doesn't really utilise the Playstation 5 to its full potential.
Still never got around to playing this despite owning it for a long long time. Maybe I’ll pick this version up at some stage too.
I think it’s worth a look. I enjoyed more than the first game. It’s not doing much different but it feels a bit more refined.
There is no way the person reviewing this has played this os5 version beyond the first dungeon because as soon as you reach the second dungeon chaos begins. It’s an absolute mess.
It drops down to below 10fps in so many places, screen tearing everywhere, ledges where death tries to pull up but instead glides along the edge then crashes down to the floor, frame skips. It’s actually horrendous.