Darksiders is adventure on a biblical scale. After years playing games in which we prevent the end of the world, we're now cast as its harbingers: the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
How have Vigil found the heroic in the most anti of heroes? Darksiders II producer Ryan Stefanelli explains the basics: "In the first Darksiders, the horseman War was wrongly accused of causing the apocalypse and the extinction of mankind. This caused both the forces of Heaven and Hell to seek War's destruction, and War was more than willing to take all his attackers head on." Hey, we've all been there, right?
Darksiders II shifts the focus to War's brother Death (their parents really had a gift for names). Stefanelli explains that the game, "happens during roughly the same time period as the first game. Knowing that his brother would never commit such an atrocity, Death works behind the scenes to clear War's name.
"Unlike his brother, Death is more than willing to work with some of the more shady characters of the Underworld. The story revolves around Death travelling through the Abyss, making deals and bargains, and ultimately having to make a very difficult personal decision."
This dark gothic world is realised in a familiar action RPG mould. Galloping through the first game's overworld atop a demon steed before solving dungeon puzzles with a playful kitbag brings a certain elfin hero to mind. The Zelda similarity is a comfortable 'in' for newcomers, so we run it past Stefanelli.
"With all its different elements - combat, traversal, puzzles, etc - a game like Darksiders can be hard to describe, so it's natural to compare it to another game for reference. Being likened to Zelda is about the highest compliment we could be paid!" he says.
ROLE PLAYING
Not that Vigil are resting on a tried-and-tested formula. "In Darksiders II, we're adding even more elements into the mix, such as role-playing elements and loot gathering," explains Stefanelli. While War's wardrobe unfolded as a relatively linear item-to-item jaunt, Death has a Marks & Spencer's worth of trinkets at his disposal. bangles, armour and shoulder pads boost defensive and magical capabilities, while bigger weapons make for bigger wounds.
Like the best loot-gatherers - your Diablos and World Of Warcrafts - the hint of something rarer, thus better, around each corner coaxes you forward.
Here, the Wii U's second screen proves a real boon. Until now, console thinking has been crippled by television acreage. Force too much junk - gallons of loot, for example - into one screen and interfaces creak and groan. Anyone who's tried to manage a Fallout 3 or Fable inventory bag will know that particular horror.
But just because your television struggles with piles of rat meat and forks (Fallout 3 is a silly game), does it mean that games should forgo piles of rat meat and forks? Hell no, says Wii U. And Stefanelli concurs.
"Just to have something on the touch screen, we put the inventory and map systems on the controller - and even that small thing makes a big difference," he explains. "When you collect a new piece of loot, you just look down to see if you want it, and can equip it instantly. I can't say for sure if that'll be in the final cut, but it's really cool that the gameplay experience never has to be broken up by changing out equipment."
As Ocarina 3D proved, touch-screen inventories can be transformative in their ease of use. Instant equip single-handedly turned the Water temple from a soggy blanket to a wet-eyed wonder.
Touchy-feely kitbags needn't just smooth over the cracks. As Stefanelli describes it, the touchpad could alter the rhythm of Darksiders II's combat: "It allows for quick weapon and equipment swaps. For example, you could have two different equipment sets for Death - one that's geared towards heavy weapons and big armour, and another that's designed for mobility and quick strikes.
On the Wii U, all it would take to switch from one to the other would be a hot button on the touch screen, and multiple swaps could be made during an intense combat without ever pausing." Iron boots are so yesterday.
SWITCHED ON
As much as the touch screen complements the TV, don't forget it can replace it too. It is this feature, the ability to switch from TV to tablet, that most impressed the Vigil boys. "Our one and only goal once we got the Wii U hardware was to get Darksiders II running on it. We didn't even have running the game on the touch screen on our 'to do' list. but once we got it running, we just fooled around with getting it on the touch screen as a lark. It took all of five minutes and two lines of code, and boom! - there was the entire game running on the controller. Amazing."
Vigil paint a picture of touch-screen versatility - so much so that we almost worry if the scope could lead to conflict. Do you build the game around dual screens - feeding into televised combat with touch-screen proddings - or ensure the whole game can be appreciated on that single controller screen, should the need arise? We have faith Vigil will come up with the answers. Whatever the outcome, the Zelda-ish inspirations should at least gel with you lot. Though with any luck, stefanelli hopes to outgrow those particular connotations.
"Hopefully a couple years from now, a new game will come out and everyone will say that it's 'like Darksiders'. When that happens, we'll know we've really achieved a benchmark." With Wii U's help, this is very much a possibility. Already a force to be reckoned with on ps3 and 360, on Wii U, this is Death warmed up.
