*The Darkness II* sees the return of Jackie Estacado, the mobster with
gruesome supernatural powers. This demo requires the application Steam to
run. The game is a direct sequel, set two years after the excellent first
game. Jackie has controlled his Darkness powers, but of course events leave
him with no alternative but to use them again. Like its predecessor, The
Darkness II alters the traditional FPS with the two Darkness tentacles that
give you interesting abilities and gruesome killing moves. In this demo you
play a series of sequences and cut scenes that show you how the game has
developed. Graphically, The Darkness II has more of a comic book style, but
is still very gory. Controls are almost unchanged - they are well mapped for
joypad play - although manipulating Estacado's own arms and the darkness as
well means the game takes some getting used to. Thankfully, learning how to
use the darkness is lots of fun. Your two supernatural tentacles perform
dramatic death moves on enemies, and can be used to destroy the environment
and throw objects around too. This violent gameplay is The Darkness' main
draw, setting it apart from other first person shooters. Story wise, The
Darkness II continues the disturbing themes of the first game. Jackie has to
live with a power that forced him to helplessly watch his girlfriend's death,
and now an evil organization called The Brotherhood wants to take the power
from him. The demo is great fun to play, but doesn't show us enough of how
The Darkness II will be structured, and we haven't been able to test out any
of the cooperative online multiplayer modes promised in the full release. *
The Darkness II is a promising action horror game with great gameplay and an
intriguing storyline.*Download *The Darkness II Demo* in Softonic
