On the Necromancer side of things, Death can learn to call upon a flock of deadly crows and can even outfit the group of birds with healing attributes and ice damage. Immolation will start accepting skill points after Teleport Smash has been unlocked and will augment the move with fire damage. The game allows further enhancements to these powers by either leveling up the ability (a maximum of three times) or by investing more points in to complimentary abilities. Death can deal damage to opponents by teleporting through them and will appear behind the enemy, setting Death up for further attacks. For example, Teleport Smash is the first option in the Harbinger Tree. Each skill tree provides its own unique set of abilities that players can invest in to customize Death to their personal play style. These skill points can be placed in one of two skills trees - Harbinger and Necromancer. Upon leveling up, skill points are awarded. Death is now able to level up throughout the game by earning experience. Darksiders II has changed the formula a bit and the end result feels more like an RPG. The first Darksiders was very much an action-adventure game. This creates a much different platforming experience than we saw in 2010 and it allows players to move steadily throughout the many areas contained within the game, resulting in the inability for boredom to take hold. Death can run up/alongside walls (Prince of Persia style), leap to and from pillars with ease and perform various other acrobatics to traverse the many lands he crosses.
This Horseman’s agility is put on display outside of battle as well. The varied styles that Death takes into battle is rewarding and, with plenty of new moves to purchase and an all-powerful Reaper form, is easily adaptable for the several types of enemies found along the journey. In a second, Death can switch from twirling scythes around him at blinding speed to bringing the business end of an oversized axe down upon an unfortunate enemy’s head. Death’s combat capabilities are much more diverse than War’s and the increase in combat depth is quite welcome. These can range from the hard-hitting, slow-swinging hammers to lightning-fast gauntlets. Death’s iconic scythe is always at his side, but his secondary attack comes from whatever other weapon he has chosen to equip. Thanks to the speed of Death and the quick slashes from his dual-wielded scythes, we end up with a character that has more of a rogue-like build although Death is perfectly capable of wielding weapons that rival that of War’s sword thanks to the new loot system, but more on that later. Players must take on a more proactive role during fights as movement is key in these battles. Unlike his brother, Death is agile and relies on dodging to avoid taking damage blocking is not an option here. One of the most drastic changes from the previous entry is that Darksider II‘s protagonist, Death, plays and handles much differently than the unstoppable force, War. The long and perilous quest leads the Pale Rider on a remarkable journey where he must perform the opposite task than he’s accustomed to: bring life back from the dead. Instead of picking up at the end of the first entry, Darksiders II follows Death - brother of War and most feared of the Horseman– as he tries to absolve War’s alleged crimes while the events of the first Darksiders are currently going on. While the title Darksiders II informs the player that it is a sequel, the game isn’t your typical follow-up. Not wanting anyone to miss the latest apocalyptic adventure, THQ has gone all out in the marketing department to avoid releasing another “sleeper hit”. The story of War’s journey for redemption was an epic tale revolving around the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, angels, demons and the complete annihilation of mankind. 2010 saw the release of an exceptional title known as Darksiders, but unfortunately it went largely unnoticed despite all of its glory.