Are you afraid of the dark? Your enemies will be. After developing the critically acclaimed Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Starbreeze Studios comes out in full force with The Darkness. In short, this game is excellent and a must play. Story, style, action and character all merge together wonderfully. The story slowly unravels, the action steadily ramps up, and by the time the game is finished you’re left thinking “Wow, what a great experience, I want more.”
The Darkness is as much about first person shooting as it is about exploration. Between firefights you’ll spend your time visiting sections of New York. You’ll talk to residents and engage in some optional, yet entertaining, side quests. These interactions do a good job of keeping the story moving. The story is told through in-game conversations, text messages, phone calls, and loading segments. When you transition from one section of NY to another the game has to load, but Starbreeze took advantage of this. Instead of watching a loading bar fill, you’re given a short cutscene in which Jackie, the main character and victim of the Darkness, talks about himself. Some of these will be generic reflections on himself and the city; others will help propel the story. These are excellent and really help give the game its dark and gritty atmosphere. The story that is told, its twists and turns, and the general feel are its biggest strength. You don’t need to be familiar with the comic to enjoy it, I wasn’t. Starbreeze must have realized this isn’t a commonly known character, so as a bonus there are a couple issues to unlock, giving you a chance to familiarize yourself with Jackie.
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