{"id":100783,"date":"2019-09-25T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/darksiders_ii_deathinitive_edition"},"modified":"2019-09-25T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T17:00:00","slug":"review-darksiders-ii-deathinitive-edition-deaths-a-fine-way-to-make-a-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/09\/25\/review-darksiders-ii-deathinitive-edition-deaths-a-fine-way-to-make-a-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition &#8211; Death\u2019s A Fine Way To Make A Living"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/8414c49b81fe1\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/8414c49b81fe1\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99474\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99474\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>There\u2019s something to be said for how the Switch became the go-to console for remasters; titles that have already seen the light elsewhere and are getting a new lease of life thanks to Nintendo\u2019s console. It\u2019s something to be celebrated when a port appears as if from nowhere, nearly four years after its initial release, and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/darksiders_ii_deathinitive_edition\">Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition<\/a><\/strong> is one such port; it launched way back in 2015 with the \u2018improved visuals\u2019 and \u2018better lighting\u2019 that its subtitle hints at, much to the delight of those waiting patiently for <strong>Darksiders III<\/strong> to finally arrive. Four years later, and Darksiders III has been and gone, so of course the time is right for the Switch to get a port of its predecessor. Fortunately, there\u2019s plenty to enjoy and those who have been awaiting this release will be more than satisfied.<\/p>\n<p>Darksiders II puts you in the boots of Death, a stroppy emo-manchild who appears to have never grown out of his rebellious Pantera phase. His rather entertaining cockiness neatly counterbalances the game\u2019s more melodramatic moments, and it\u2019s never not fun to pay witness to comedic quips from one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.<\/p>\n<p>Death is also extremely powerful, and it\u2019s not long until you discover just how much trouble you\u2019re in if you cross his path. Wielding a pair of Scythes that look and feel about as cool as you would expect, the combat throughout Darksiders II is perhaps its strongest asset; it never becomes tiresome as Death picks up a swathe of new abilities throughout the campaign. Trying them out for the first time on unsuspecting enemies is a complete and utter joy.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99475\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99475\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Tight gameplay has been a staple of the series since it began and thankfully Darksiders II hasn\u2019t lost any of that particular magic. In comparison to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/wiiu\/darksiders_ii\">original 2012 Wii U launch release<\/a>, this Deathinitive Edition feels both smoother and faster. Death has a fair amount of ground to explore and when you\u2019re not on the back of your trusty steed Despair \u2013 which you can summon in open areas as if from nowhere \u2013 you\u2019ll be parkouring your way around dungeons, castles and fantastical ruins, all of which look pretty nice.<\/p>\n<p>The inspirations of other titles run heavily throughout Darksiders II, and it would be somewhat foolish to proclaim this isn\u2019t an amalgamation of the likes of <strong>Uncharted<\/strong>, <strong>Zelda<\/strong> and <strong>God of War<\/strong>, all wrapped up in one dark fantasy package. Leaning heavily into their exploration aspects without feeling like a carbon copy, the game\u2019s levels feel vast and open, even though there\u2019s only really one way to find your way through. Thankfully, your crow companion Dust is on hand to point you towards areas of interest if you\u2019re finding it tricky to work out where to go next. Away from the dungeons, he has a rather helpful habit of discovering treasure chests, so be sure to keep an eye on his movements.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99478\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99478\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Fortunately, there are enough puzzles buried in the dungeons keep the brain engaged \u2013 particularly near the end \u2013 as you attempt to navigate your way to the next dungeon room. Exploration is most always rewarded with either enemies to fight or chests to open, each subsequently offering some kind of loot or upgrade to your armour, clothing or weaponry.<\/p>\n<p>The game\u2019s narrative runs parallel to the original <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/darksiders_warmastered_edition\"><strong>Darksiders<\/strong><\/a>. Death has taken it upon himself to balance the universe, the ultimate goal being to restore humanity and clear his brother War of his crimes after trapping the souls of their Nephilim brethren in an amulet. In order to return humanity to life, he must travel to the Tree of Life by order of the Crowfather. Safe to say, unless you\u2019re fully invested in Darksiders lore, the story offers little more than tying the path you take through the dungeons together. You meet a smorgasbord of characters along the way, none of which are particularly memorable or stand out for any discernible reason. Fortunately, Death is all the company you need \u2013 a sentence that makes complete sense in the context of Darksiders II.<\/p>\n<p>From a technical standpoint, port developer Vigil Games has done its utmost to squeeze a rather large open world experience into a Switch cartridge. Visually, it\u2019s an impressive showcase of the Vigil\u2019s obvious talent, as the \u2018Deathinitive\u2019 upgrades \u2013 namely the lighting and the crisper visuals \u2013 are all here, present and correct. This is a handsome game, and the unique vision of Joe Mad&#8217;s creative direction bursts off the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Due to the shiny upgrades that came along with the Deathinitive Edition elsewhere, the Switch has had to take a little bit of a step down in terms of fidelity \u2013 yet it would seem this version has come off lightly in that regard, particularly when it comes to the near-infamous framerate issues which were a major issue of the original launch. This vast open landscape looks terrific in handheld mode, while playing docked on a bigger screen means you naturally see the game\u2019s age a little clearer; still, there\u2019s nothing that would suggest the Switch is holding Darksiders II back or lagging behind its previously-released counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>Having said that, the camera can still be a pain when you\u2019re traversing across walls and broken pillars to navigate yourself over a lava pit; it remains firmly on you rather than your destination, which perhaps can be chalked down to the fact that the core mechanics are now seven-years-old. It\u2019s hardly a dealbreaker and requires little more than moving the camera to your desired location \u2013 though, when you\u2019re in the middle of a time-sensitive puzzle, it can be very frustrating. Still, in combat any camera issues are immediately purged thanks to the game\u2019s brilliant lock-on system. As you\u2019re surrounded by those foolish enough to think they can take you down, a quick flick of the right thumbstick is all it takes you have your attention turned.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99480\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/99480\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\"><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>This Deathinitive Edition naturally comes packaged with the three previously-released DLC expansion packs, namely Abyssal Forge, Argul\u2019s Tomb and The Demon Lord Belial. Offering several hours extra on top of the already impressively stacked campaign, they round up to around thirty hours of Darksiders content to take with you wherever you go.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>It feels like it\u2019s been a long time coming and thankfully, any concerns fans may have had ahead of a Switch release can be laid to rest by Death himself. Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition is a visual feast, offering little to those who have already played through elsewhere but holding nothing back for the purists and new players alike. Age-old camera issues remain, but if you\u2019ve been waiting to get on board with Death and his Horsemen, this late-to-the-party package is an easy recommendation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s something to be said for how the Switch became the go-to console for remasters; titles that have already seen the light elsewhere and are getting a new lease of life thanks to Nintendo\u2019s console. It\u2019s something to be celebrated when a port appears as if from nowhere, nearly four years after its initial release, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100783\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}