14 DAY TRIAL // The original Darksiders has been an unexpected success for publisher THQ and with the sequel now in development the team behind the game is interested in making the game more open while at the same time delivering a more visceral experience.
Speaking to VG247, Daniel Isaac, who is the creative director working on Darksiders II at Vigil Games, said, “Everything in Darksiders 2 happens in alternate dimensions” like “the Underworld, where souls go once they’re claimed.”
The developer says that, “The beneficial part of removing ourselves from the tether of Earth is that we can create completely new worlds, with new creatures, with completely new environments. It’s creatively very liberating.”
The protagonist of Darksiders II is Death itself, who needs to clear the name of War, which is easier said than done and requires a trip to the Dead King, the owner of an artifact known as the Well of Souls.
Isaac says that players will quickly discover that Death is very different from War when it comes to combat, being a more graceful figure on the battlefield, relying on finesse where his apocalyptic brother relied on just brute force.
Death will be better able to perform crowd control with his hammer while using a scythe to target specific individuals and take them out of the fight quickly.
Isaac says that the battle system will have the depth to surprise fans of the first game and get them to try out new moves and combos while also offering simplicity for first comers who will only make just a few moves to get through the game.
Another big change in Darksiders II is that Despair, the horse of Death, will be available from the start of the game and will be crucial in order to explore the game world, which is now bigger and harder to navigate.
Darksiders II will be launched in June of next year on the PC, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, with a Nintendo Wii U version also in the works.