Starbreeze’s first person shooter The Darkness continues to impress, thanks to its macabre storyline, insane violence and high level of polish. Much like the developer’s previous effort, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, the game transports gamers to a horrific world infected with corruption, where players must blast enemies to pieces or eat their faces; whatever suits them.

They play as Jackie Estacado, a 21-year-old tough guy with a hit on his head, thanks to Uncle Paulie, the leader of a notorious crime family. Little does Paulie know that his former protege just came into possession (or perhaps it’s the other way around) with a demonic force called The Darkness, an evil power that grants him superhuman strength and the company of two long serpents that delight in torturing enemies. Their hobbies include biting their adversaries’ faces off, impaling them, tossing them into black holes and devouring their hearts for health. In addition, Jackie uses Darkness Guns, a set of dual wielded guns, which serve different functions. The one in his left hand unleashes a shockwave blast, while the rapid fire pistol in his right pelts enemies with numerous rounds of ammunition.

Jackie can also summon darklings, impish creatures that come in different varieties. The Kamikaze Darkling, for example, blows himself up with the help of dynamite strapped to his back. Not only can he take out enemies, but also various obstructions.

Darklings also come in handy for shooting lights. The Darkness loses power whenever it encounters light, so gamers should blast as many lights as possible, either with the standard issue pistols and machine guns or by sending Darklings to do the dirty work. The light kills them, but they’re more than willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good and murder to satisfy their blood lust. In fact, if gamers feel especially devious, they can toss a jackhammer a Darkling’s way. Confronted by an enemy, the creature will proceed to “jackhammer” his face.

Previous demos showcase a thrilling cemetery battle in which Jackie and his pets cut through mafia hit men. A new section, The Other World, looks even more interesting. At various points in the game, he enters this parallel dimension, a never ending trench war starring the Germans and the Allies. Demonic looking Germans, in uniform, march across war-torn battlefields, executing captive Allies that appear to be lost souls, perpetually fighting a war they cannot win. 2K Games didn’t say how Jackie escapes, but he has access to authentic World War I weapons including a Luger pistol and pump action rifle.

The developers also discussed the New York City subway, which functions as the game’s hub. Players use it to travel to various sections of the game, interacting with a colorful cast of characters and completing mini challenges. One, for example, involves intimidating a bully into allowing an old man to play his harmonica.

Similar to most non-player character interactions, players have a variety of responses to choose from, and NPCs respond in kind (or not) depending on what they hear. Of course, if Jackie needs to take a break from pushing people around, he can also donate some money to some break dancers, who proceed to put on a show, spinning around on a piece of cardboard.

Starbreeze did a remarkable job on the subway. They took some liberties, since copyrights prohibit them from using logos, but it looks and feels like NYC’s transit system, minus the strange odors.

Whenever Jackie takes a train, players must sit through a brief load sequence. The same holds true in between levels, except instead of staring at a static screen, gamers watch cut scenes that further the story, thus eliminating the tedium of following a “LOADING” bar.

After a year of previewing The Darkness, we can’t wait for the final copy, due in stores June 25. We love the gore, the gunplay and the attractive graphics, but we’re also attracted to its twisted narrative. Providing it plays as good as it looks, this’ll be a great way to kick off the summer.

Originally from GameDaily