In Darksiders II, the player controls Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The core gameplay is that of a third-person hack and slash action-adventure with role-playing elements. It takes bits of gameplay from other games and franchises, such as Prince of Persia and Devil May Cry.
The game consists of main story missions, but also features side quests that can be accepted and completed at the players convenience.
Character Health / Stats & Combat Abilities
In the upper left corner of the screen, multiple meters track Death's Health, Wrath, Reaper energy, and experience.
Health
- Despite having a health meter, Death can not die and will respawn at the last checkpoint. In order to heal you will either need to use Potions or level up, regaining your full health in the process. Note that Death can carry a maximum of 5 potions at a time.
Wrath
- Wrath energy is Darksider's mana system. Gained over the course of battles, the energy can be used for special abilities in combat to ease the battles.
Reaper
- Reaper energy is a separate form of energy that is gathered through combat and acts similar to Dante's Devil Trigger in Devil May Cry, transforming Death into his grim reaper form and making him more resilient to attacks and stronger.
Other noteable stats that can be viewed from the menu screen:
- Strength - Death's damage output via physical weapons
- Defense - Death's resistance to physical attacks
- Arcane - Death's Wrath ability damage output
- Resistance - Death's resistance to physical or elemental attacks
Movement & Controls
At first, the game will be linear, but as you progress the maps are more vast and have open world regions. Worlds can be traversed via "fast-travel", whereby the player can teleport to certain map points instantly, and they can also fast-travel from a dungeon to an overworld.
Menu Controls | |||
| Select / Move Cursor | D-Pad | D-Pad | Arrow Keys |
| Confirm / Accept | X | A | Enter |
| Previous Screen | O | B | Backspace |
| Toggle Stats | ▀ | X | Q or W |
| More Info | ▲ | Y | Q or W |
On Foot Controls | |||
| Move Character | L Analog | L Stick | W, S, A, D |
| Move Camera | R Analog | R Stick | Mouse |
| Jump / Climb | X | A | Space Bar |
| Interact / Drop | O | B | E |
| Attack | ▀ | X | Left Click |
| Secondary Attack | ▲ | Y | Right Click |
| Dodge (in combat) | R1 | RB | Left Alt |
| Focus | L1 | LB | |
| Beam Jump | L1+X | LB+X | |
| Walk Toggle | - | - | B |
| Aim | Q | ||
| Reaper Form | V | ||
| Use Wrath Ability | #1 - 0 | ||
| Summon/Banish Despair | L1+R1 | LB+RB | C |
| Charge w/ Despair | R1 | RB | |
| Summon Dust | Z | ||
| Open Menu | Select | Back | O |
| Pause Menu | Start | Start | I |
| Access Radial Map | Down | Down | Tab |
| Hotkey Ability / Gear | - | - | Highlight + 1-4 |
| Skip Cinematics | ESC, Space Bar, Enter | ||
Construct Controls | |||
| Move Construct | L Analog | L Stick | W, S, A, D |
| Construct Attack | Left Click | ||
| Construct Heavy Attack | Right Click | ||
| Aim | Q | ||
| Fire Construct Fist | Middle Click | ||
| Detach the Construct Fist | Middle Click | ||
| Jump Off / to an Extended Chain | E | ||
Underwater Controls | |||
| Move Character | L Analog | L Stick | W, S, A, D |
| Speed Burst | Left Alt | ||
| Swim Up | Space Bar | ||
| Swim Down | Right Click | ||
Flight Controls | |||
| Camera Movement | R Analog | R Stick | Mouse |
Wall Run
- A mechanic ripped straight from Prince of Persia, Death can wall run along any smooth wall by angling toward a wall and run / jumping onto it. This allows you to traverse small gaps to reach other ledges, vines, etc.
Corner Jump
- If Death finds himself wall running into a dead end, he can jump to the adjacent wall, across the corner, to continue his run on the other side.
Wall Bounce
- Sometimes Death may find himself needing to ascend with seemingly no way up. In these cases, often two smooth vertical (or horizontal if you are crossing a large gap) walls will be close enough together that he can jump back and forth between them until he reaches his destination.
Inventory & Equipment
As the player kills enemies and opens chests, they will find new equipment that can be equipped via the inventory. This equipment can be anything from a secondary weapon to armor. Additionally, special Possessed weapons are rarely acquired, which can be upgraded by trading in unwanted items.
The following is a quick overview of the types of equipment Death can equip:
- Scythes - Death's primary weapon
- Secondary Weapon - Death's secondary weapon can be many types
- Shoulders - Defense bonus
- Armor - Primary source of Defense
- Gloves - Defense boost
- Boots - Defense boost
- Talisman - Unique items that grant different bonuses
Puzzles
Like the first game, Darksiders II makes frequent use of interactive puzzle elements, requiring the player to think their way through a series of levers, doors, elevators, portals, etc. in order to traverse areas and reach objectives.
Money & Collectibles
As Death defeats enemies, break pots, and sells old equipment he will obtain money, which can then be used to "Train" and learn new skills.
Additionally, there are three types of Stonebites, which are blue stones hidden throughout the world. These can be traded to the character Blackroot, in groups of three, in exchange for various permanent statistic upgrades.
