So I won't mark this review as a spoiler, but I'll mark where the spoilers start. I have three words for anyone who hasn't played this game yet: PLAY. THIS. GAME. There are a few ways to play it: on original hardware, that is, the xbox 360 or the ps3; on an emulator, like xenia or RPCS3 if you don't have an xbox 360 or future xbox releases; or, backwards compatible on an xbox one or xbox series x/s. I took the third option, and it ran just fine, though it did not have an unlocked frame rate or save states. The unfortunate truth is, you'll be stuck playing this on a controller rather than on PC.
If you know anything about my reviews, you know that I love to nitpick and don't throw the word "masterpiece" around lightly. This game is a masterpiece. The reason I give this game five stars is simple: The Darkness is a game that deserves high praise and is much greater than the sum of its parts. The plot of the story is average, the gameplay is subpar and has aged poorly but is still fun, and the graphics and presentation show their age quite a bit. However, this game contains peak SOVL. It's unfortunate that this came out in 2007, and as a result was overshadowed by titans gaming that released that same year such as Bioshock, CoD 4, Halo 3, and Mass Effect, among many others.
The graphics are a mixed bag. You can definitely tell this game was made for consoles in 2007. It's about the same level of quality as some of the other releases from 2007, but shows its age a bit more because it tries to go for a "realistic" look. The lighting makes the game a little frustrating, but overall it's nothing too bad. It perfectly captures the dingy atmosphere of mid 2000s New York City. That entire city is just one massive public restroom at the street level and below, and the art style shows that. There are moments of comedy seamlessly thrown in to make the city more lively and believable, which is something I appreciate. The strange ramblings of the locals, the idiosyncratic street performers, and the unlockable voicemails you can listen to when you collect certain letters around the city are hilarious and charming. They don't veer off into Saints Row 3 style wacky territory either, as these are things people in the real New York City would absolutely do because being cooped up in that hellhole does things to people. The layout of the city is also incredibly immersive. I really like how the game doesn't spell out where to go, you have to talk to people and call the city's information center in order to figure out where to go next. It reminds me of the immersive way Morrowind is designed, but on a much smaller scale and much more linear. This helps put you into the shoes of Jackie Estacado.
Unlike something like Silent Hill 2, which I've admitted has an excellent story and atmosphere but extremely boring gameplay, there's still a pretty fun game buried under the jank of the combat system in this game. The fact of the matter is, the gameplay simply hasn't aged well. There are things like auto-aim that will help ease the transition from PC to console if you're not used to playing with the controller, but the game takes a lot of getting used to. For one, the Darkness takes a while to figure out using. It's kind of immersive in that way, because Jackie is just learning how to use his powers as well, so it's like you're learning how to control the Darkness alongside him. That being said, you'll only start out with one or two abilities and will have to rely on the subpar shooting mechanics and unreliable guns. Staying in the darkness will recharge the Darkness, and, if you have all of your powers unlocked and maximum darkness level, you can wreak absolute havoc all over the place. Things like the darklings, which have terrible AI but can still do some pretty serious damage and turn off the lights in the rare occasion they actually work properly, help make the combat much more enjoyable with their fun banter and their chaotic nature. The darkness powers itself are really good as well, like the overpowered black hole, the stealthy creeping darkness, the darkness tendril that I just used for taking out lights, and the darkness guns I never use. Overall, the game is pretty fun but has some issues. For one, the puzzles are unintuitive when they show up, and the elements you need to solve the puzzles blend into the environment too much. Another thing is the fact that the game does have you fighting in open fields, which is incredibly frustrating because your powers just weren't designed for combat in open fields. Another final thing is the fact that your darkness powers get automatically put away when you run out and you have to manually bring them back. This is a simple button press, but can lead to you forgetting to bring them back and getting brutally killed by your enemies in like two shots.
The story (Big spoiler warning here):
.
.
.
"JENNY IS DEAD, PAULIE BETRAY ME, I SO FED UP WITH THIS WORL"
- Tommy Wiseau in his breakout role as Jackie Estacado.
The plot is nothing to write home about. However, this is a video game, and video games have two advantages over movies: they're longer, and you directly control the character. It starts kind of in medias res, at the moment your boss and uncle Paulie betrays you. Eventually, the events leading up to Paulie's betrayal are revealed, and you grow more attached to Jackie and realize that the situation isn't really his fault. You also grow to become attached to his girlfriend as well, because in the beginning of the game there's a romantic scene where you just sit on the couch and have the opportunity to watch the entirety of To Kill A Mockingbird. You feel guilty for leaving her alone in her apartment, which leads to you feeling even guiltier when she is killed by Eddie Scrote - I mean Shrote, and you feel a bloodlust towards the villains. The villains themselves aren't really compelling, as they're very one dimensional, but this game does really know how to make you hate them and relish in their demise. There's also a psychological element to it, where you not only feel for Jackie but also the Darkness itself. The World War I levels show how the Darkness feels isolated and paranoid, and how Jackie's family has borne the curse for a very long time. There is some very disturbing imagery that gives you a good insight into just how bleak things are for both of these characters.
Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this game and am looking forward to the second one.
If you know anything about my reviews, you know that I love to nitpick and don't throw the word "masterpiece" around lightly. This game is a masterpiece. The reason I give this game five stars is simple: The Darkness is a game that deserves high praise and is much greater than the sum of its parts. The plot of the story is average, the gameplay is subpar and has aged poorly but is still fun, and the graphics and presentation show their age quite a bit. However, this game contains peak SOVL. It's unfortunate that this came out in 2007, and as a result was overshadowed by titans gaming that released that same year such as Bioshock, CoD 4, Halo 3, and Mass Effect, among many others.
The graphics are a mixed bag. You can definitely tell this game was made for consoles in 2007. It's about the same level of quality as some of the other releases from 2007, but shows its age a bit more because it tries to go for a "realistic" look. The lighting makes the game a little frustrating, but overall it's nothing too bad. It perfectly captures the dingy atmosphere of mid 2000s New York City. That entire city is just one massive public restroom at the street level and below, and the art style shows that. There are moments of comedy seamlessly thrown in to make the city more lively and believable, which is something I appreciate. The strange ramblings of the locals, the idiosyncratic street performers, and the unlockable voicemails you can listen to when you collect certain letters around the city are hilarious and charming. They don't veer off into Saints Row 3 style wacky territory either, as these are things people in the real New York City would absolutely do because being cooped up in that hellhole does things to people. The layout of the city is also incredibly immersive. I really like how the game doesn't spell out where to go, you have to talk to people and call the city's information center in order to figure out where to go next. It reminds me of the immersive way Morrowind is designed, but on a much smaller scale and much more linear. This helps put you into the shoes of Jackie Estacado.
Unlike something like Silent Hill 2, which I've admitted has an excellent story and atmosphere but extremely boring gameplay, there's still a pretty fun game buried under the jank of the combat system in this game. The fact of the matter is, the gameplay simply hasn't aged well. There are things like auto-aim that will help ease the transition from PC to console if you're not used to playing with the controller, but the game takes a lot of getting used to. For one, the Darkness takes a while to figure out using. It's kind of immersive in that way, because Jackie is just learning how to use his powers as well, so it's like you're learning how to control the Darkness alongside him. That being said, you'll only start out with one or two abilities and will have to rely on the subpar shooting mechanics and unreliable guns. Staying in the darkness will recharge the Darkness, and, if you have all of your powers unlocked and maximum darkness level, you can wreak absolute havoc all over the place. Things like the darklings, which have terrible AI but can still do some pretty serious damage and turn off the lights in the rare occasion they actually work properly, help make the combat much more enjoyable with their fun banter and their chaotic nature. The darkness powers itself are really good as well, like the overpowered black hole, the stealthy creeping darkness, the darkness tendril that I just used for taking out lights, and the darkness guns I never use. Overall, the game is pretty fun but has some issues. For one, the puzzles are unintuitive when they show up, and the elements you need to solve the puzzles blend into the environment too much. Another thing is the fact that the game does have you fighting in open fields, which is incredibly frustrating because your powers just weren't designed for combat in open fields. Another final thing is the fact that your darkness powers get automatically put away when you run out and you have to manually bring them back. This is a simple button press, but can lead to you forgetting to bring them back and getting brutally killed by your enemies in like two shots.
The story (Big spoiler warning here):
.
.
.
"JENNY IS DEAD, PAULIE BETRAY ME, I SO FED UP WITH THIS WORL"
- Tommy Wiseau in his breakout role as Jackie Estacado.
The plot is nothing to write home about. However, this is a video game, and video games have two advantages over movies: they're longer, and you directly control the character. It starts kind of in medias res, at the moment your boss and uncle Paulie betrays you. Eventually, the events leading up to Paulie's betrayal are revealed, and you grow more attached to Jackie and realize that the situation isn't really his fault. You also grow to become attached to his girlfriend as well, because in the beginning of the game there's a romantic scene where you just sit on the couch and have the opportunity to watch the entirety of To Kill A Mockingbird. You feel guilty for leaving her alone in her apartment, which leads to you feeling even guiltier when she is killed by Eddie Scrote - I mean Shrote, and you feel a bloodlust towards the villains. The villains themselves aren't really compelling, as they're very one dimensional, but this game does really know how to make you hate them and relish in their demise. There's also a psychological element to it, where you not only feel for Jackie but also the Darkness itself. The World War I levels show how the Darkness feels isolated and paranoid, and how Jackie's family has borne the curse for a very long time. There is some very disturbing imagery that gives you a good insight into just how bleak things are for both of these characters.
Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this game and am looking forward to the second one.