The Darkness

By Jay Williams

I remember coming into work early in the morning about 18 months ago, eager to get my hands on a copy of The Darkness back in 2007, only to be shattered by the fact that it simply didn't arrive...

So I though to myself: a quick stop at my local shiatsu massage parlour should help me clear my head and allow me to think of my next move.

My usual relaxation therapist, Benny, was still on vacation from the Christmas break so I had to settle with Beatrice (a power house of a woman I might add) to release the tension.

Newly revitalised, I stepped out from the massage shack and into the glaring light of the sun, but alas I was no closer as to how and when I would be able to play The Darkness.

So I grabbed a quick slushie from the 7-Eleven.

As I left the convenience store, I came across a smelly man who was living in a dustbin and screaming at the sky. 

Intrigued by the grotty man's musings, and partly paralysed by a brain freeze from the slushie, I listened more closely to his words and he began to speak of ancient teachings and something about the prophecy that caught my attention - but more to the point he said he knew a guy, who knew a lady-boy who could get me a copy of The Darkness.

The details of how I got the game are kinda sketchy - I blanked out after drinking a 'special milkshake' at a very disturbing party - but when I came around some 18 months had passed - but I had the game in my satchel.

Ignoring the paranormal passing of time, I started playing the game and stepped into a very dark and forboding New York City, taking on the persona of mob hitman Jackie Estacado via the PS3 controller.

Based on the Top Cow comic book, the game plays like most first-person shooters - aim, shoot, kill, explore, rest, kill some more, find a new weapon/power, kill even more, eat someone's heart, tear their face off, shoot, aim, rest, etc.

From the outset I was a bit disappointed with the game - it's just not that good - which is why I used the Barker-esque intro to lull you into reading about a mediocre game.

You play twenty-one-year-old Jackie in this game and start off with two weapons, but Jackie isn't your ordinary chap. Apart from being a hitman, he has supernatural powers termed “The Darkness”.

This power is revealed to you in the form on a creepy voice that guides you throughout the game and provides you with instructions on how to use your powers. 

In addition to "darklings" (little creatures that are summoned from the underworld - I know, it's weird) "dark tentacles" (that can be use to impale foes and break down walls), and "creeping dark" (tendrils that sneak along floors, walls and can attack foes from afar), your hitman character can also summon “black holes” that removes foes to a place I know not.

So, on your bloodbath of a journey through New York, you can call upon these vile powers to dispatch foes and so forth, and they add a seriously violent and disturbingly graphic element to the game.

The weapons are an integral part of any shooting game, and The Darkness avails you with pistols mainly. These you pick up from fallen foes, but later on you get your hands on "darkness guns" which are more powerful than conventional weapons but consume some amount of darkness energy (or 'mana') in order to fire, so stick to those shadows.

Most of the gameplay takes place in dark and gritty places because, you see, the thing about your abilities is that they only work in the dark and are less affective in well-lit areas.

Leveling up your “Darkness” abilities is pretty cool because once you kill an enemy you have to use your “dark tentacles” to devour their still-pumping hearts - and it is quite graphic I might add. Emos will love it, but for those of you who don't like blood and guts and horror stuff I'd advise you look away.

Gameplay isn't exactly revolutionary here, and that's a pity because the darkness concept is very cool. There's nothing really new apart for your “Darkness” - it's pretty much your basic first person shooter.

However The Darkness does have an open world environment for you to explore, comprised of the subway and two different parts of New York City. They aren't that large, but this is a good thing because our anti-hero is kinda slow in the old movement department...

I found myself cursing my controller for not having a sprint button numerous times.

Also I found movement of the characters, hmmm.... How can I put this? Clunky. 

There's something that just didn't feel right about the controls, but the in-game cut scenes and dialogue are great and the special affects are really cool (this may be the reason for the clunky movement) so if you're after a horror game with awesome graphics and plenty of gore, you'll find reason to celebrate with The Darkness.

My next point is the level of difficulty: it isn't very high and doesn't really pick up throughout the game. No challenge = no fun.

Your foes stay at the same level and aren't very smart. Most of the time I just sat back and popped my foes off with the pistol, but feeling a bit more sadistic you can choose you rip your enemies apart with your “Darkness”. There's no real compulsion to do so though, which is a shame.

I was sort of hoping for huge mobs that would force me to use my most powerful weapons and magic, but this rarely occurs.

In all, the best things about The Darkness are the story, which is well fleshed out and features plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested, and the graphics, which are very detailed and impressively graphic.

The gameplay is mediocre but if you're not a first-person shooter die-hard you'll probably find it quite a lot of fun. And really, this game is all about the blood lust of “The Darkness” and who cares how dull the game is when you are eating hearts for fun?

This is not the best game I've played to date, but it was released in mid 2007 and seeing as it's 2009 and I had some fun playing it, that's a pretty good thing when you think about it.

But the confluence of events that led me to meeting Benny, then finding this game at a wild 'strangers' party and being brain-dead for more than a year is all part of the propehcy. Don't underestimate the prophecy. The signs are out there...

Game: The Darkness
System: PS3
Players: 1-8
Online: Yes
Developer: Starbreeze AB
Distributor: 2K Games

Rating: 60%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)