Darksiders II

Darksiders II opens with Death charging up a frozen keep on Despair, his fearsome steed, hacking the few enemies brave enough to get in his way. The next stage sees him running up and across walls, clinging to pillars, shimmying at speed across hand holds and taking out ice skeletons with ferocious combos. A boss battle soon follows, which is surprisingly more intense than what you’d normally expect at this early stage.

This assured opener will feel familiar to Darksiders fans – it’s still offering third-person hack ‘n’ slash gameplay with platforming, and it’s still the same standard controls. The dark comic-book style hasn’t changed much either.

Darksiders II is different, though. It’s more atmospheric, the controls are more responsive and the environments are richer. The last game was a rough diamond; but this feels fully polished.

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