Manifest The Darkness
The Darkness is strictly for mature gamers and is gloriously and unashamedly violent, with coarse language, plenty of bloodshed and grisly animations. There's nothing particularly innovative about the shooting segments, but if it's worked in the past there's no real need to push the boat out in this respect. As is stands the mechanics are still very solid and the fighting segments are impressive with sharp AI and plenty of meat to the action. You'll see a small target reticule which is controlled free hand, although it does feels as if there's a helping hand being given with aiming, and you'll be fighting tooth and nail against corrupt police, dead soldiers and even your own mafia crime family as you try and get to the bottom of The Darkness.
The weapons do their job effectively, for example, a close-up shotgun blast will send an enemy flying backwards, but are fairly useless at long range, spraying bullets with a sub-machine gun will take out more than one enemy in a single magazine and enemies can be taken out with one carefully placed headshot with a pistol. There's no health metre in the game, but instead you'll see a 'red mist' materialise on the screen when your health is low (the same as Gears of War) and it replenishes and the screen clears over time (providing you don't get shot again).
By far the most impressive thing about combat are the animations of the characters as they slump over tables, impale themselves on spiked railings and interact physically with the environment or any object that they bump into during their collapse. Furthermore, the bodies of enemies stay exactly where they are, so you can take out an enemy out and watch him slump over a pool table, come back 5 minutes later and he'll be in exactly the same position – this is something which you don't see much off in first person shooters and kind of makes the whole experience feel more real.
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageIn close-up combat there are a number of special moves, where you can show your enemy no mercy by putting a bullet through their head at point blank range and watching their blood splatter on the ground or the wall behind. The violence isn't restricted to just enemies either, so you can walk up to the tramp who's playing the harmonica in the subway or the little old lady who's waiting patiently for the next train and put a bullet in the back of their head showing no signs of remorse.
The weapons in the game and the mechanics of shooting is similar to many other games, but it's this tried and trusted gameplay in conjunction with the graphics, animations and atmosphere that has been created which enhances the experience and sets it apart from the many other shooters on the market.
The feature that most people will be gagging to try out is the power of 'The Darkness'. You can manifest into the darkness at almost any point in the game, giving you access to a range of evil powers. The whole game is played primarily from the first person perspective, although this does occasionally switch to third person during character interaction, and when you manifest 'The Darkness' it appears as two serpentine creatures which show up on the screen either side of your peripheral vision. You'll start off with a few darkness powers, including 'creeping dark' which allows you to creep through tight spaces, interact with the world and stealth kill enemies. This power takes the form of a user controlled snake-like appendage that slides along the ground, up the walls and through windows and small openings. You can use it effectively to scout ahead of you to see if there are any enemies lurking or use it solve a number of puzzle solving scenarios which you'll stumble across from time to time. For example: you'll use the snake to slide into a grate to turn off a fan so you can progress in the game. The 'creeping dark' power can also be used to great effect by sneaking up on enemies and savaging them! This power is extremely effective, although it's not easy to control and navigate through vent shafts and narrow openings. (I'm told they're still tweaking this power).
Later on in the game you'll unlock further powers, such as the 'demon arm' which allows you to grab onto and smash objects that may be blocking your path, such as when you need to remove a large bell which is blocking a doorway. It acts like an extendable arm, is extremely easy to use and it can also pick up other objects, such as tables and chairs which can throw around.