There’s a common trend in this industry to disregard certain releases because ‘they’re not our thing’. To be fair, this approach makes a lot of sense. After all, why play Command & Conquer 3 if you hate real-time strategy games? What’s the point in investing time in Viva Piñata when the thought of building a garden reduces you to tears? Thousands of gamers ignore dozens of titles simply because they’ve already prejudged them. Luckily, the first-person-shooter gets an easier ride than most. More often than not, everyone enjoys wielding a gun and blowing the brains out of everything and anything they can; it has an uncanny appeal. However, stick a distinct theme or idea in the mix and, well, a few instantly turn off their interest radars. Again, it makes sense, but every now and then these folk are going to miss out on an absolute gem – The Darkness is such a beast. We’re sure for every person who’s excited about Starbreeze’s Xbox 360 debut, there’s someone else dismissing it simply because they haven’t read the comic. Heed our advice: don’t let yourself become such an individual.

The Darkness is special; there’s no two ways about it. To cast it aside because of a lack of interest in the graphic novel is a huge mistake. In fact, such is the impact it has you may just be tempted to tag along with Jackie Estacado long after you’ve seen the end credits. Rather than stick to what we all expect from an FPS – namely long, linear corridors, a barrage of weaponry and swarms of generic enemies – the Swedish developer has taken it off the beaten track. Sure, there’s still a touch of all of the above, but you’re going to feel a lot closer to Jackie than your average videogame character. When you’re not extinguishing foes, you have the opportunity to simply see the world through Estacado’s eyes. You aren’t forced to start off in level 1-1, made to venture forth shooting countless enemies until you get to a big boss at the end; far from it. After a brief, frenzied car chase and a snippet of the story, you exist within a very open and powerful environment. We’ll happily admit that certain sections are blocked until specific objectives have been completed and that a handful of NPCs will continually perform the same actions, because Starbreeze has pulled out the magic where it counts – your surroundings constantly feel gritty and real. Passers-by have tasks they’ll ask you to complete, pay phones can be used to call numbers found dotted around the place and you have the power to pull a gun on any innocent bystander; it’s fun to watch harmless and unarmed individuals panic. There’s a perpetual sensation that you’re in control of a man with a cause rather than a guy who’s required to murder common bad chap A because that’s all there is to do. It’s an essential ingredient that ensures the dark and moody atmosphere simply never lets up.

Of course, the main narrative itself is far from insignificant. If truth be told it’s epic. Once the story has sunk its teeth in you’ll be well and truly hooked. The countless twists and turns coupled with a genuinely captivating tale is nigh-on impossible to tear away from. It all starts off lighthearted enough: young Jackie, a local hitman, is on his way to assassinate a target on behalf of his corrupt Uncle Paul. See, everything is smelling of roses! Regrettably, ‘Uncle’ Paul is a bit of an asshole. Scratch that – he’s a fullon asshole. Troubled by his paranoid ways, he puts a hit out on his nephew; from there, all hell breaks loose – literally. It refuses to dip either, largely thanks to the characters who continue to drive the core of it forward. You’ll legitimately care about what’s already occurred and what the future holds. A major reason for this is Jackie, who’s been exceptionally well thought out. He’s deep, charismatic and has been voiced to perfection – like a teenage girl who’s fallen in love, we couldn’t help but hang off his every word… or another, more manly analogy! The true gateway into his heart, though, is through the loading screens that link each area together. Yes, we know that sounds odd, but some clever so-and-so decided that rather than stick some bog-standard artwork in the background and maybe a line of text saying ‘to fire your guns, pull either trigger’ (you know who you are!), Estacado should appear in a darkened room, narrating on current or past events. It not only fills you in on his youth, but also does an excellent job of opening the cursed one up. At certain intervals, he really lets his guard down; you may just find yourself relating to him in a very odd way!

Despite claims to the contrary, we’re not morons, and we understand and respect that no matter how good the mood is, it isn’t the reason someone is going to play The Darkness. It’s a welcome surprise, but we doubt anyone has been begging for a brooding central character or an open-world mechanic when our pal Jackie can grow tentacles out of his back. That’s just common sense. Thankfully, when it’s time to bring the pain, the action is in a league of its own. Being the contracted killer that he is, Estacado is quite handy with a firearm. Pistols, shotguns, automatics – he’s the daddy with them all. The true beauty of the gunplay, mind you, is how realistic it is. For example, while dual-wielding some pistols, walking up to a wall will result in our protagonist holding the guns up to his chest. Nice touch, you think to yourself, but slightly pointless. Well, it kind of is until you start experimenting. Position Jackie correctly and you can keep yourself concealed (with good ol’ lefty close to your heart) and fire off a wad of bullets with your other weapon. It’s all part of a master plan that continually keeps The Darkness rooted in realism even with its rather paranormal overtones – and the same can be said for the killing. Aside from the frantic pace you can unload ammunition at, getting close to a goon and whacking one of the triggers will prove just how sick you are (we, for instance, are downright vile). For you see, doing so activates one of the many execution moves that are waiting to be abused. Putting the barrel of a gun in someone’s mouth and blowing off their jaw? Yep, that’s in there. Pumping multiple shots into a man’s head and chest, probably puncturing his lungs? It just wouldn’t be the same without it. Knocking a deserving jackass to the floor before mercilessly ending his existence? We’ll let you find out for yourself. The risk of putting your life on the line to perform such a move is very much worth the reward.

Hell, The Darkness even successfully places the final piece of the combat puzzle: the AI is ferocious. It takes a brave (read stupid) person to run and gun their way through numerous adversaries. Nine times out of ten you’ll be brought to your knees. Always on the move and continually looking for ways to outsmart you, you’ve got to use your noggin to outthink your would-be assassins, a premise that allows the conflict to stand out even further. Finding yourself in a one-onone situation is, naturally, a different story (it would be wrong to do anything but devour your prey), but during an ambush, ammo, heavies and the sheer quantity of bullets all conspire against you, and it’s damn fine!

Clearly, we’re quite enamoured with The Darkness, and yet we still haven’t touched upon the technique you’re all dying to hear about (and the medium that provides the game’s unique edge). It was harsh to make you wait 1300 words or so before spilling the beans, but save the best till last and all that! Are you ready? The supernatural powers that accompany you throughout are phenomenal. They raise the bar in so many different areas, the experience wouldn’t be half what it is without them. First and foremost, it makes aggressive encounters more fun. The sheer amount of moves available multiplied by the way in which they are introduced equals sheer ingenuity. As soon as a new power makes itself known, you’ll instantly have an urge to take advantage of it. Not such a shock when one such ability is detaching a Maw tentacle and controlling it to open locked doors, investigate suspicious areas and, unsurprisingly, maul people’s faces. It adds a whole new dynamic to proceedings, which Starbreeze uses to integrate a few intelligent puzzles. Initially it can be frustrating directing the Maw – it’s definitely not intuitive – but after you’ve ripped a few hearts from your victims’ bodies you’ll find a way to adapt. Certainly not ideal, but far from problematic. When you fancy a change, the black hole is a good choice; sucking a room full of people into the depths of hell is a handy skill to have. Need more? You can summon a Darkling to do your evil bidding. ‘A what?’ we hear you cry. A Darkling! Imagine calling upon an urchin of sorts who will obey your every command and you’ve pretty much got the idea. Actually, you’re spot on! They become a necessity during particularly tight situations, and ordering a kamikaze to run headfirst into a group of troops is more than a novelty.

Predictably, there’s always a catch, and to guarantee these powers take on a life of their own, they become especially dangerous when Jackie is in the… wait for it… dark! Try unleashing them in the light and they won’t work or will have little to no effect; the poor little Darklings even start to burn. In addition to giving you a good reason to return to your guns – though we defy anyone to try to hold back from using both simultaneously – it injects a smidgen of strategy that some may not even pick up on. Stepping into an enemy’s territory that’s awash with light may see you reaching for your pistols initially, but get some experience under your belt and each city street becomes a hunt for the shadows. Eventually the shattered glass from lampposts you’ve destroyed decide the best path to take. You can shy away from such a tactic, but the sensation of watching your prey run while screaming ‘what the f*** is that’ is a good reason to use it whenever possible.

The Darkness is far better than you think it is. Admittedly that’s an odd thing to say, but no matter how good you’re expecting it to be, it’ll probably still surprise you. Be it the many side missions that litter the streets, the dozens of collectables that unlock decent additional content – such as a selection of complete comic books – or the story penned by renowned Darkness writer Paul Jenkins, Starbreeze has hit gold. Even if you’re a diehard fanatic who lives for Jackie Estacado, this game ticks all the right boxes. It goes above and beyond the basic structure associated with the FPS genre (meaning even if you hate them you may find yourself feeling differently now) and creates a universe that relies on atmosphere, intensity and fascination to survive; it succeeds in every category. Calling this the game of the summer isn’t doing it justice due to the typical mid-year drought, but it could very well wear that crown once the sun has set and is deserving of a whole lot more.

Simon Miller