The Darkness Progress Report #2

I’ve been slowly working my way back through The Darkness. I have diligently put aside the bigger titles (like GTA IV and Mass Effect) in an effort to finish a half dozen or so “half-finished” games. These aren’t games I have just played, but games I was more than half completed with.

That isn’t to say The Darkness is a bad, or sub-par game. It is actually quite enjoyable and fun. By the Chronicles of Riddick guys (Starbreeze), The Darkness is a well-developed FPS.

It definitely is coming together even better near the end, as you finally have enough Shadow Shield (life) and Ammo to make it through a fire fight without losing either. Early game required a fair amount of hiding while shields could recharge. The game also had a very Half-life 1 feel for the ammo collection. You generally get just barely more than it takes to kill everyone. Every missed shot reduces your overall pool, and sometimes you will find yourself switching from empty guns after killing just a couple of guys.

Luckily, I finally got the Black Hole power and nearly max level of darkness. Instead of hiding in the shadows picking people off, now you hide in the shadows and take out entire squads of SWAT. It gives the game an almost RPG feel. Whereas before you had to take cover all of the time, and fought one-on-one with a “pop-out-and-shoot” mechanic, now you are the overpowered juggernaut which the AI run in fear from.

Progression can be fun.