Darksiders II Deathfinitive Edition PS5 Review – Death Returns Again

Darksiders II Deathfinitive Edition PS5 Review

As the sequel to a popular action RPG, Darksiders II had a lot of goodwill to live up to. The first game appeared in 2010 and its progeny arrived in 2012, notable for being one of the most expensive games of all time to develop. A remaster, called Darksiders II Deathfinitive Edition, came out only a few years later in 2015 for Wii U, PS4 Xbox 1, and PC. The Nintendo Switch version sailed into port in 2019. Now, nearly ten years later, the game is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Whether it was worth the wait and if Darksiders II still holds up are legitimate questions. The best news might be that owners of the PS4 or Xbox One versions get a free, shiny upgrade for their recent console. No downside to that.

One Badass Horseman of the Apocalypse

Darksiders II’s narrative is a convoluted amalgam of characters from the Bible, mythology, and straight-up heavy-metal fantasy. The story sends one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death, off to rescue his brother War from unfair imprisonment. Ultimately, Death’s goal is to reach the Tree of Life. There, he will rid the world of Corruption and free humanity from the Well of Souls. It’s a winding tale. Death journeys across several sprawling landscapes, from lovely forests to the City of the Dead. A lot of familiar characters make a cameo, like Absalom, Uriel, and the ubiquitous evil demon Lilith.

When it was released, many critics and players remarked that Darksiders II’s parallel story wasn’t quite as impactful as the first game. That may be true. Darksiders’ narrative was a bit more compact and operatic. That said, the sequel’s story is well-written and acted and holds up well.

One of Darksiders II’s most sadly neglected aspects is its musical score by Jesper Kyd. It’s beautifully orchestrated and often full of Celtic-influenced melancholic moments. The action and combat cues are exciting. Kyd’s score is a rare soundtrack that rewards standalone listening.

Fetch Me Something

We can argue about Darksiders II’s story but, like most action RPGs, the narrative is there to propel the character from one encounter to the next. While Death’s mission is a linear one overall, there are quite a few open-world-ish areas with side paths and secrets. There are also a ton of environmental puzzles to solve, most of them ranging from tolerable to rewarding. Death has a horse to speed up travel and of course, the title contains a lot of platforming, wall-running, and a grappling hook. My biggest gripes are that the wall-running can be a bit finicky and imprecise, and the camera speed and tight view can’t be adjusted. These little issues occasionally resulted in a bit of disorientation and frustration.

For a game first released in 2012, Darksiders II’s combat holds up extremely well. Death has a fast twin-bladed attack and can use a range of slower heavy weapons for big damage. The player has an ever-growing list of combos to master, special attacks, and skill upgrades to play with. Anyone familiar with Devil May Cry or God of War will recognize the moves and mechanics, but they’re still a lot of fun and the combat can be challenging. The DualSense controller’s haptic feedback works well, too. It adds even more punch to the action. Heck, even mounted combat is effective. The only thing on my wish list? A Soulslike lock-on mechanic.

Not New, But Shiny Anyway

Like it did on the previous Deathfinitive version releases, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports include a substantial amount of DLC, including additional missions, weapons, and cosmetic items. The Deathfinitive edition rebalanced the combat and overhauled the graphics and textures, boosting resolution to 1080p. Thanks to its timeless, stylized graphic novel art direction, Darksiders II doesn’t look dated, though there are some pretty chunky models here and there, even in 4K and with ray tracing tossed in. The game looks incredibly sharp, crisp, and vibrant. Even with the PS5’s power, however, there was some pop-in in the larger areas. The accessibility features and settings in general are pretty thin for a high-profile game in 2024, with virtually no control over how the game looks or controls aside from some low-bar basics.

While I wouldn’t call Darksiders II underrated, sales notoriously underperformed in 2012. Since then, lots of players have taken the opportunity to enjoy the game on a variety of platforms in the expanded and excellent Deathfinitive edition. Any fan of recent action RPGs will almost certainly enjoy Darksiders II’s combat and world. It looks great on the PS5 and anyone with the PS4 version gets a free upgrade. It’s definitely worth diving into again, or for the first time in the new version.

***PS5 code provided by the publisher for review***