Watching The Darkness 2's Jackie Estacado stumbling upon an impish creature deep within the bowels of a decrepit subway station makes for a compelling sight: Swathed in a tattered Union Jack shirt and a stylish catskin hat, the knobbly scamp gleefully performs an act most indecent for a public space – namely, relieving himself all over a dead thug.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":683620,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"C"}']That neatly summarizes the behavioral qualities of the Darkling, your lackey and de facto sidekick in The Darkness 2. As a carryover from 2007's first-person shooter The Darkness, the Darkling's job is to assist you in combat and be an oddball source of comedic relief. But as developer Digital Extremes is quick to point out, the little guy is so much more.
In the first game, the player had the capability of summoning squads of Darklings from spawning pits dotting every level at regular intervals. Each Darkling type brought a unique ability to the table; I had raucous fun with a constant pack of Darklings obediently following me, able to send the pugnacious hellions off to give someone a very bad day with a simple push of a button.
Gone are the various Darkling types in the sequel; instead, Jackie has to contend with a single and very individualized Darkling. Digital Extremes is tapping the initial concept of the Darkling as a baseline in its design goals for the game. "Everyone loved them from the first game, and we wanted to bring them back because we love their personalities as well," says Lead Designer Tom Galt. "At the same time, we felt that sending minions off to attack people didn't fit with our concept of up close and personal combat, so we've had to figure out how to use the Darklings in our system."
Just like Jackie's perpetually hungry Demon Arms, the Darkling is a constant presence within areas devoid of light. “If you go into the dark, he spawns automatically; he's always there with you,” Galt states.
Players will quickly discover that the Darkling's role in the game's narrative goes beyond watering bodies and gouging the eyeballs of hapless enemies – think of him as a more barbarous Robin to your Batman. “He's Jackie's crony, and not only does he fulfill certain gameplay purposes (such as scrounging guns and ammo for you), he's also extremely crucial within the story,” Galt explains. “He's a fully realized character.”
The degree of the Darkling's importance in the game's narrative wasn't fully revealed during the presentation, but Galt is confident that the character as a whole will become quite memorable. "He and Jackie kind of banter back and forth a little bit," Galt says. "He has a twisted sense of humor, and it definitely shows through his actions."
The Darkness 2 is slated for a Fall 2011 release on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.