Darksiders II Preview

GamingExcellence is offering an unfortunately hands-off preview of Vigil’s action-RPG sequel to Darksiders, and they seem pretty positive about the title, at least based on what they’ve seen and heard:

Death’s primary weapon is dual wielding scythes, with a default secondary weapon being a large hammer. The scythe is a quick attack weapon with moderate damage, while the hammer is much slower, but devastating on contact. As well, you’ll see the return of the trusty pistol, and addition of claws, a very quick low damage attack, among many others. As with Darksiders, the attack system is combo based and there are many attacks possible with a single weapon, or combination of your primary and secondary weapons.

Some of the most notable gameplay enhancements are intended to help drive the narrative, and offer the player more choice. Where Darksiders allowed you to play at your own pace, the sequel will introduce new timed traversal sequences, such as scaling a wall or solving a puzzle before being engulfed in a lava flow. Also new to Darksiders II is the addition of (very large) side quests, where the first game took place in a partially open world, the narrative was very linear with very few places that really allowed you to deviate. Darksiders II introduces these optional side quests that you can undertake to level up your character and get more background on the story. All of this takes place in a much larger world, with a wide variety of environments, from tight claustrophobic dungeons, to lush outdoor worlds.