The Darkness II

Story:

The Darkness II picks up two years after the first game, and man, Jackie Estacado’s life is STILL a mess. He’s now the head of a mob family, after dealing with his uncle in the first game, trying to keep his empire together, but he’s drowning in guilt over the death of his girlfriend, Jenny. The Darkness - an ancient, sentient power living inside him - isn’t exactly helping his mental health. Then, boom: a shadowy group called the Brotherhood shows up, aiming to rip the Darkness out of him. What follows is a revenge-fueled rollercoaster packed with betrayal, creepy visions of Jenny, and a lot of existential angst.  

The story isn’t super deep, but it’s got heart (pun intended, since Jackie literally eats hearts to heal). The writing often leans into Jackie’s internal struggle - he hates the Darkness but can’t escape needing it. The Brotherhood’s leader is a solid villain, mysterious enough to be somewhat interesting, and there are some legit emotional moments, especially when the game forces Jackie to relive Jenny’s death. It’s like a dark, bloody soap opera with demons, and I’m here for it.  

Graphics:

Visually, this game is super pleasant to look at. It's a huge difference from the first game's realistic-ish dark and bleak gritty style. The Darkness II uses a comic-book-inspired "cel-shaded" art style, so everything looks like it’s been ripped straight from a graphic novel. Thick black outlines, exaggerated shadows, and splashes of neon against grimy environments make every scene pop. The Darkness itself is a writhing mass of tendrils and glowing eyes, which contrasts perfectly with the gritty New York streets and the game’s surreal nightmare sequences. And the way blood sprays in inky black bursts instead of realistic red? It’s stylized violence at its best.

In contrast, a certain "asylum" level - is all about bright, almost sterile colors, bringing a sense of calm. Is it the most technically advanced game? Nah, but the art direction is so bold and consistent that you’ll remember it long after the credits roll. I certainly did. Think Borderlands meets Hellraiser - it’s got that same edgy, over-the-top vibe (without cringey Borderlands jokes).

Audio:

No complaints about the sound design either. Jackie’s voice actor, Brian Bloom, nails the weary, gravelly tone of a guy who’s seen too much. But the real star is Mike Patton (of Faith No More fame) as the voice of the Darkness - guttural growls, whispers that sound like they’re coming from inside your skull, and lines like: "Kill them… feast on their hearts…" that’ll make your skin crawl.  

The soundtrack mixes eerie ambient tracks with bursts of heavy metal during fights, which works surprisingly well. Guns have a satisfying crunch, enemies gurgle when you stab them, and the Darkness’ tendrils make this gross squelching noise as they tear through bodies. Put on headphones, and the audio alone will make you feel like you’re losing your mind alongside Jackie. 

Gameplay: 

This is where the game goes from "good" to "holy crap, did I just rip that guy in half?!" The big sell for me is "quad-wielding": you’ve got two guns in your hands and two demonic arms controlled by the Darkness. One arm slashes, the other grabs. Want to use car door as a shield? You can. You can also shoot a dude in the face while simultaneously hurling a dumpster at his buddy, then finish the last guy by spearing him with a tentacle. It’s chaotic, fluid, and stupidly fun.  

The skill tree lets you upgrade your powers - unleash a black hole that sucks enemies into the void, summon explosive demonic minions, or unleash a swarm of Darkness creatures to overwhelm and devour enemies. The more creatively you kill, the more "Darkness Points" you earn, which keeps combat feeling fresh. There’s even a light mechanic: enemies with flashlights or UV weapons can weaken you, forcing you to smash lights or stay in shadows.  

The campaign is short (6-7 hours), but the co-op "Vendettas" mode adds replayability. You team up as four assassins with their own Darkness powers, blasting through side missions that tie into the main story. Game also mixes up the action with the non-combat levels where you learn more about the world and characters in it (including Jackie himself). 
My only gripe is that some of these non-combat sections drag, and the AI isn’t the brightest. But when you’re juggling guns, tentacles, and environmental kills, who cares?

This is a solid FPS with some great ideas, but it's quite short, and most importantly, it ends on a cliffhanger. Since The Darkness II is sadly yet again proven to be one of those "good game - sold poorly", I doubt we'll ever see The Darkness III.

While the developer, Digital Extremes, hasn't closed down and even went on to make the extremely popular MMO Warframe, there is no hope for seeing the ending in the game form.