The Darkness

Tangible

When New York-based mafia assassin Jackie Estacado is double crossed and blown up during a contract hit on the eve of his 21st birthday, he suddenly comes into a demonic inheritance when the evil Darkness possesses his body and leads Jackie on a trail of bloody vengeance against those that sought to kill him. However, in an effort to take control of the Darkness and resist its consumption as he tears through the mafia ranks, Jackie must also venture into a twisted and terrifying version of the Estacado family history, and strike at the very heart of the Darkness itself.

Published by 2K Games and crafted by Starbreeze Studios (The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay), The Darkness is slapped with an '18' certificate courtesy of the BBFC (M for Mature in the USA), so it's not surprising to find that this comic book-inspired first-person shooter is a tad on the gruesome side. Indeed, whether dual-wielding machine pistols, performing up close and personal executions with assault rifles, or unleashing the devastating force of Estacado's evil possession, The Darkness is an absolute festival of gore-splashed bloodletting from start to finish.

While Jackie's crusade of vengeance is covered in gushing crimson, which may be off-putting to some, the truly disturbing aspect of the game is the Darkness itself, and not in a visual sense. Brilliantly voiced by Mike Patton, lead singer of rock band Faith No More, the Darkness creeps, growls, and screeches wonderfully beneath the skin of both Jackie and the player, driving the story forward with its ceaseless insistence on evermore devastating bouts of killing in order to capture Jackie's soul. Indeed, when combined with a truly compelling storyline (something so disgracefully lacking these days), the frighteningly faceless Darkness gives the gameplay an element of tangible immersion not often experienced in a videogame.

The game's fairly straightforward first-person gameplay mechanic is offset by the addition of progressive Darkness abilities, which are steadily unlocked throughout the game by feasting on the hearts of downed foes. These powers include: Creeping Dark, a slithering snake-like extension of the Darkness that stealthily delivers its deadly intent and can search through places not readily accessible to Jackie; Demon Arm, a snapping spiked tendril capable of impaling enemies and using heavy objects as weapons; through to the hugely powerful Black Hole, which drags closely-situated targets into a spinning vortex of inescapable death.

Beyond the associated powers of the Darkness, Jackie can also summon up four separate disposable demonic minions to aid him during the game, all of which offer up specific traits while lending proceedings a definite sense of humour with acid one-liners that usually involve urinating on the deceased. These handy creatures arrive in the form of the Berserker, which hunts down and mauls its targets; the Lightkiller, which extinguishes light sources close to Jackie to keep him surrounded by power-giving darkness; the Gunner, which carries a heavy duty mini-gun on its back and doles out firepower; and the self explanatory Kamikaze, which runs headlong at foes before exploding in a ball of fiery fury.

Snazzy special powers, summoned demons, and a wealth of weaponry options aside, the true appeal of The Darkness resides in its Chronicles of Riddick-style RPG elements, which complement the engrossing storyline, establish a convincing human connection to Jackie, and also draw the player even further into unfolding events. For example, outside of the main narrative - which can be followed fairly closely in terms of set related missions - the player can also embark on a selection of secondary missions, tasks, and errands in order to unlock bonus game content. For example, various NPCs will ask Jackie for help during the game, sending him on something as simple as message delivery, or a briefcase switch, through to the more involving location and execution of a snitch or the methodical assassination of multiple mafia henchmen. The extraneous missions, many of which involve body count to help further Darkness progression, cleverly contribute to the overall game transcending the perceived notion of first-person shooters and their linear structure, effortlessly creating a much more rounded gameplay experience for the player.

In terms of exploration, the player guides Jackie around various parts of New York, all of which are mini-sandbox environments interconnected by two branching hub subway stations. While these city areas are perhaps a little sparse on actual human activity (the game plays out at night to allow for the slight discrepancy) players face new story-related challenges in each and will return to all several times while gathering side missions. Sadly, the constant back-tracking and errand running does start to pale a little by the time the game's finale rolls around (as does the gut-wrenching ferocity of relieving a corpse of its heart), but the repetition is forgivable considering the overall strength of the gameplay as a whole.

While not relaying too much of the game's complete storyline, which has plenty of shocking moments, perhaps the most unsettling sections of The Darkness are reserved for Jackie's forays into the actual mind of the Darkness. These sections are played out in an eerie re-creation of World War I trench warfare where German troops are featureless lumbering atrocities and English soldiers resemble horrific human puppets stitched together with thick thread lest their bodies fall apart. Here Jackie comes face to face with his past in an effort to contain and control the Darkness, and, all in all, the somewhat disturbing aesthetics on display are perhaps only matched by the astounding source imagination utilised from the comic book inspiration.

There's little doubt that The Darkness deserves its place amongst the upper tier of current next-gen offerings, and that right is perhaps never more apparent than when marvelling at the game's character animation (be it through Jackie or just a chatterbox NPC waiting on a subway platform), and also the fabulous vocal performances delivered by every in-game character. Yes, the language is often so blue that Chubby Brown would blush with embarrassment, but mafia types aren't best known for their personal etiquette and a lack of blistering expletives would have only sullied the game's level of believable authenticity.

The bottom line with The Darkness is that it pushes the stilted FPS genre in a direction not often associated with mindless run and gun action. The seamless integration of brilliant performances, staggering character animation and near photo-realistic presentation only serve to enhance impressive white-knuckle action gameplay and a truly creepy yet compelling pseudo RPG storyline. The Darkness grips from the off and never comes close to letting go until the satisfyingly comic book payoff slides elegantly into the closing credit roll. It may be covered in blood and certainly not for the faint hearted or weak bowelled, but The Darkness is a bona fide class act... who said gaming's summer months never offer anything of worth?

90%

By Stevie Smith