Illuminating The Darkness
We’d say The Darkness ranks among the wildest, most spectacular games you’ll see on Xbox 360 for quite some time. Based on the Top Crow comics of the same name, The Darkness tracks the exploits of Jackie Estacado; a mafia hit-man turned demon-possessed antihero. By harnessing the spectacular powers of the Darkness, Jackie aims to overthrow the Franchetti crime family, ruled by his cousin Paulie. However Jackie must be wary that the Darkness does not overpower him too.
Earlier this year at the E3 show in Los Angeles, Starbreeze Studios demoed scenes in which Jackie summoned his powers to hurl police cars and dumpsters at his enemies, and employed agents of the Darkness, called ‘Darklings’, to attack on his behalf. It was an unforgettable display, and the guys have even more surprises lined up for the Leipzig Games Convention taking place this week.
Here’s what game designer Patrick Liu has to say on the project so far:
Xbox.com: What makes Jackie Estacado such a compelling hero from a gameplay point of view, and also generally given his comic-book background?
Patrick Liu: It seems like antiheros always are popular nowadays! Anyway, besides being an Italian hit-man in New York Jackie is quite a normal young guy at first; 21 years old to be exact - which has grave implications on the story. He still has the same problems as everyone else, such as a love life and annoying relatives (in a special kind of way), which people can relate to. Then there are the Darkness powers, of course, a fantastic opportunity from a gameplay perspective. The supernatural elements give plenty of occasions to design all sorts of new ways to get rid of enemies and solve puzzles. In The Darkness it is evident that you become extremely powerful yourself, without the help of technology and fancy weapons, which is quite a difference.
Xbox.com: What's new from the E3 version, what does the Leipzig demo convey that we didn't already know about the gameplay?
PL: It has a completely different focus. While the E3 demo showcased more action and the Darkness powers, this one has more emphasis on the storytelling bit, showing the beginning and playing out the premises and background of the game. It gives a good picture of the cinematic feeling we are aiming for with a bunch of cool events. And there’s of course action as well, and some neat features considering the player/world interaction.
Xbox.com: The game is described as non-linear - how does this pan out? For example, will there be many different endings both good and bad? How much is the player guided by a specific plot and specific tasks versus open-ended exploration?
PL: The game is non-linear so far as it is hub based, where you can go back and forth between levels through the subway system. A reason for the player to do so is that there will be a bunch of side missions aside from the main story, for example run different errands and help out just ordinary people, and you will of course be awarded for exploring the rest of the world too. The game is still story driven and there’s always a clear path for players who are eager to know what happens next.
Xbox.com: Plenty of games around are boasting destructible environments - you seem to have had more fun than most with yours! Are there any stand-out moments that you're especially proud of?
PL: That’s a tricky one, the best has yet to be seen. Although it’s fun to throw cars at people (or other cars for that matter), I personally like the more subtle details. For example I actually like shooting off bits and pieces of the washbasins. And all the different wall marks just look marvellous!
Xbox.com: How does the gameplay change tactically throughout, do the objectives change with each new location? Is this an open-world scenario, or chapters?
PL: The game is divided into different chapters, and there will be significant difference between some areas but I can’t go into any details. There’s also a progression of the Darkness powers which will give you all new abilities, and with that there are also new possibilities for you to solve problems and take out your enemies throughout the game. You could, for example, use some more sneaky powers, or go in guns blazing, or completely wreak havoc with some of the more destructive powers! And if you don’t want to get your hands dirty, there are several kinds of Darklings at your disposal that have their own way of ridding enemies.
Xbox.com: Is there a limit to how much you can rely on the Darklings for assistance, could you just hold back and let them handle the dirty work?
PL: You know, the Darklings are mischievous little demons, and you know what they say: never trust a demon! Mostly they are quite helpful though, since they are fond of chaos they’re very destructive in all kinds of ways. Jackie can always command the Darklings and tell them where to go and so on, but if you’re busy with other stuff the Darklings are more than capable to take care of themselves.
Xbox.com: Please tell us more about the in-game TV channels - exactly what kind of content are you able to tune into, and where does it come from...?!
PL: We haven’t finalized the content for the TV yet, and our only limit is how much we can cram onto a disc. At the moment we are working on the public domain content, and we also communicate more or less important messages to the player in the game through the TV.
Xbox.com would like to thank Patrick Liu, Starbreeze Studios and 2K Games for giving us this interview opportunity. We can’t wait to play The Darkness!
