The Darkness Preview

Starbreeze Studios, creators of games like Enclave, Knights of the Temple and Chronicles of Riddick, are currently involved with a brand new project, entitled The Darkness. With enough practice under their belt, Sweden-based Starbreeze now takes on a new challenge. Apart from being the company's first Xbox 360 game, The Darkness also stands as one of the most inviting games in line for 2007. Inspired by Top Cow's comic book series, The Darkness, this cool-looking action game revolves around a mafia hit-man named Jackie Estacado, who unexpectedly gets entangled into a rather dark, but exciting, plot.

I never get tired of using this baby.

The negotiator has arrived.

Paul Jenkins, known as one of the authors of The Darkness comic book series, also assumes most of the story credits for Starbreeze Studio's approaching video game. The game begins with a high-speed car chase, after which our hero dies but also, luckily, gains a range of remarkable supernatural abilities (that's the only way to go, baby!). These special 'Darkness' powers represent the very heart of gameplay and are definitely one of the game's chief selling points. Adjacent to these powers is another important feature of the game highlighted as another intriguing aspect of the whole experience. Namely, the developers are using the so-called vo-cap technology, a method of tracking facial expressions and lip movement as the actors perform the dialogue (it looked impressive when we beheld the game at the GC 2006.)

So, what drives our hero during his quest? Motivated largely by vengeance, he has been given a second chance to seek out those responsible for his death. Wielding a terrible demonic-like power, he'll be able to stand up to foes in many different ways. In practice, these unique skills force him to, shall we say, adjust the surroundings so he can be more effective in combat. In other words, Jackie's Demon Arms, which allow him to collect objects from afar and attack enemies at a distance, rely heavily on the environment he finds himself in. In essence, the demon attacks loose energy unless you manage to scour the area for shadows and darkness. Stepping into darkened areas, allows Jackie to replenish his powers and gain his strength back. Throughout the game you're gonna have to think on your feet and create the means for nourishing these dark powers. So, it's not all about pure action and mindless shooting. Most of the areas require you to narrow down lighted areas by taking out light bulbs, thereby making sure there's plenty of darkness to feed upon. In case you were wondering, a great deal of the character's power derives from the so-called Darklings; demon-companions, which may be summoned after you've completed specific goals or sub-missions. Still, there's also a variety of standard firearms on offer to help you in combat, such as pistols, shotguns and so on.

The Darkness takes the opportunity to make the most out of its physics engine, bringing many cool elements into play. The physics bare some resemblances to what Valve has done in Half-Life 2. Jackie can grab hold of numerous objects in the environment, and use them in battle, thus giving him a handy firearm substitute when he's out of ammo. While you're figuring out what to do without ammo, don't you think it would be easier to seize a car and fling it straight at oncoming enemies? Yep, just pick up a full-size police vehicle and toss it in any direction you wish. Huge objects such as cars can also be hurled at closed gates or may effectively be used for removing similar obstacles. Your far-reaching demonic arms allow you to clutch human opponents at throw them at other enemies - yet another, mark of respect towards HL2 and Gordon's grav. gun. But, The Darkness does have its unique moments. The best part is that the demon arms also work in combination with gun dual-wielding. Awesome. You fire your weapons and at the same time throw stuff around.

Your character carries many hidden traits. Darklings are, no doubt, the source of great power and will frequently help you on your way. An additional ability grants Jackie a chance to go through certain areas by using a more tactical approach. In certain situations, you may resort to scaling walls and ceilings to get the job done. It's possible to take control of a demon, detach from Jackie, and move through narrow areas (or pipes and air ducts) that would normally be inaccessible. It also makes it easier to reach particular locations and overcome different obstacles. Just to remind you, we've witnessed similar features in games like Stubbs the Zombie and Prey. Whatever the case, it seems clear enough that the developers are keen on granting as many alternatives to solving problems and in-game puzzles as possible. For that matter, level design was done with freedom and flexibility in mind.

Shh, don't scream. It's only a video game.

Lara Croft ain't got nothing on me!

On the visual front, The Darkness appears to boast quite enough next-gen. stuff to lure the average console gamer who might be out for the usual dosage of special effects. At this point, animation, character models and the environments look excellent, on top of which the vo-cap works splendidly and gives the characters an emotional edge.

With all these excellent elements put together, The Darkness truly stands on its own. In any event, the game was inspired by an original comic book character and from what was shown of the game thus far, Starbreeze managed to encapsulate all that in a well-thought-out environment. For the moment, the full game is heading towards a June 2007 release.