Darksiders II
Death seeks to clear his brother War's name and resurrect humanity.
Darksiders II is a hack and slash action role-playing game from Vigil Games, published by THQ. It arrived in August 2012 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, then served as a launch title for the Wii U in North America and PAL regions that November. The story puts players in the role of Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who is determined to prove his brother War innocent of destroying humanity. With a development budget of $50 million, it ranked among the most costly video games ever made at the time.
A re-released version, Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, came out under Nordic Games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2015, later arriving on Nintendo Switch in 2019 and Google Stadia in 2021. A parallel sequel, Darksiders III, launched in November 2018, and a spin-off prequel, Darksiders Genesis, followed in December 2019.
**Gameplay**
Control falls to Death, one of the Four Horsemen. The core experience blends action role-playing with hack and slash combat. Puzzles appear frequently, asking players to manipulate levers, doors, elevators, and portals to navigate areas and reach goals, often requiring a key or specific ability to proceed.
Maps are large, featuring open world zones that can be explored on foot or riding Death's horse, Despair. Dungeons house most quest objectives. Both main and side quests exist, each with their own boss fights. Fast travel lets players teleport between map points instantly. Inside a dungeon, fast travel back to the overworld is allowed, preserving the dungeon location for later continuation without losing progress.
Death has two primary scythes, one in each hand. Secondary weapons split into slow options like hammers, axes, and maces, and fast options like gauntlet-style weapons that give claws or bladed arm extensions, trading range and power for speed. Despair is available in open overworld areas for quicker movement, while a raven named Dust guides Death toward objectives.
Movement includes swimming, wall-running, and climbing on specially placed wooden pegs and beams. As quests progress, Death gains "Death Grip," a grappling hook for certain objects, and "Voidwalker." Other abilities like "Soul Splitter" and "Interdiction" allow controlling multiple characters to solve puzzles.
On-screen meters show Health, Wrath, and Reaper resources when they change, alongside an experie
- Developer
- Vigil Games
- Publisher
- THQ
- Release Date
- August 2012 (Windows, PS3, Xbox 360); November 2012 (Wii U)
- Genre
- Action role-playing hack and slash
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U
- Budget
- $50 million
- Player Character
- Death
Lore & Background
The story of Darksiders II runs parallel to the previous game. The Four Horsemen—War, Strife, Fury, and Death—are the last of the Nephilim, cursed fusions of angels and demons. To preserve universal balance, they received power from the Charred Council in exchange for slaughtering their kin. Death personally killed the last Nephilim, Absalom, but secretly preserved their souls in an amulet, defying the Council, and gave it to the Crowfather for safekeeping. When War is accused of starting the Apocalypse early and dooming humanity, Death sets out to clear his brother's name and resurrect mankind.
Reader's Guide
Darksiders II is significant as a major action role-playing hack and slash title that expanded the Darksiders universe. Its development budget of $50 million made it one of the most expensive video games ever created at the time. The game introduced open world regions, a horse named Despair for faster travel, and a raven named Dust to guide the player. It featured a skill tree, eight player statistics, and a variety of weapons including scythes, hammers, axes, and gauntlet-style weapons. The game's legacy includes a ported version, Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, published by Nordic Games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2015, later ported to Nintendo Switch in 2019 and released on Google Stadia in 2021. A parallel sequel, Darksiders III, was released in November 2018, and a spin-off prequel, Darksiders Genesis, in December 2019.
Did You Know?
- The game was one of the most expensive video games to develop of all time, with a total budget of $50 million.
- It was released as a launch title for the Wii U in November 2012.
- The player character Death can transform into a grim reaper form when the Reaper resource meter is full.
- Stonebites, colored stones hidden throughout the world, can be traded to a character named Blackroot for permanent statistic upgrades.
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