Animation explored
Darksiders II is an action/adventure title brought to modern gaming consoles by Vigil Games and THQ Inc. It is a bigger game than it's predecessor in more ways than one. Sure, the landscape and general scope of the game is greater, however, the risks taken, the style of gameplay and the animation work done on this game is brought together to form a package that pushes all limits and helps re-define the genre of action/adventure.
Death Lives
The story behind Darksiders begins with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, primarily War. The first installment in the franchise puts the player in the shoes of the horseman who is wrongfully accused by the Charred Council, an ancient institution meant to preserve the balance between good and evil (angels and demons) in this fictional universe. While War is sent out to redeem his name and figure out the whole story behind his unexplained summoning which in turn brings the destruction of the human race. After fighting for his life and clearing his name, it appears that the battle is far from won and that there is a lot more in store for the horseman than it seems.
Enter Death. The leader of the Four Horseman is meant to help his brother clear his name when he is thrust into a universe of Corruption and meant to fight his way through in order to find answers to his questions and secrets kept hidden for eons. The plot and story of Darksiders II is meant to be parallel to that of the first game in the series as both horsemen struggle to find out the truth between the lies and accusations of those tainted by darkness within a universe the Horsemen struggle to keep in balance.
The full story behind Darksiders and more information of the Darksiders universe can be found here.
On to the animation
With the background story out of the way, let's move on to the truly remarkable animation mechanics and art that went into the making of this spectacular game.
Let's begin with the HUD.
The Heads-Up Display for Darksiders II is made to support several different animations. As you can see, there is an interactive map on the bottom right of the screen which displays the position of the Death in relation to the game world at all times. This map moves along with the player outlining places visited and those left unexplored (greyed out) on Death's journey. The map also displays the location of doors, chests, objectives and Dust, a crow meant to guide Death when he is lost or clueless. There are animations on screen when switching weapons or using power-ups that may cause death to raise corpses, cut across a field of enemies or shield himself with powerful magic giving him temporary invincibility.
There are several methods of customization and character development available at the player's fingertips as well. Whether this be changing Death's armor, weapons, abilities, or upgrading his skills and powers, it's all a huge improvement over the last game and step closer to the introduction of more RPG elements in the action/adventure franchise.
Transitions and cinematics
The animations within Darksiders II are captivating and original. The art style focuses on 2D transitions as well as 3D cinematics which cover everything from trailers to in-game cutscenes. The breath-taking scope of the game forces one to think about the transition from one area to another, from the Dungeons to the gates of the White City and how fluid these worlds really are in relation to their dynamic and unique characteristics and how they fit in within the Darksiders universe. A lot of trouble has been taken to perfect the transitions associated with the progression of the story when a player begins the game from where they left off.
Each chapter of the story has a unique 2D transition leading right into the action where the player last left Death waiting to continue on his journey. These transitions are created using 2D art that can be credited to Powerhouse Animation who also helped Vigil Games with story boarding their 3D trailers and cut scenes within the game.
Plastic Wax Animation Studios, who have worked on titles such as Saints Row - The Third, were entrusted with the responsibility of delivering quality CG content for the game (including trailers and cinematics). Plastic Wax created 5 trailers in total which were each released in order to build up to the release of the game. Marvin Donald of Vigil Games had this to say about their work:
"We needed cinematics that not only represented the stylized visuals, but the action and intensity of the game, and Plastic Wax nailed it, from the first teaser reveal to the last in-game cinematic."
High resolution character asset work was created by over 30 artists to make Darksiders II unique in its own right and far more graphic than its predecessor. The animation studio began by creating a high resolution model of Death himself to get a rough idea of the amount of animation work to go into the creation of the rest of the characters within the game world. Clearly the character models this time around have been far more superior and well-detailed to those in Darksiders. Their work on the universe lead the studio to pick out important assets to display during the showing of the trailers.
Live action in the universe
There is a lot of animation work that has gone into the combat system and mechanics within the game world. Whether this is seen in the combo system that shows Death as a versatile and limber Horseman or through the simple opening of a door where arms meant to be the incarnation of Death himself appear above the character and blow the doors wide open as the player navigates Death from one room to the next. Every enemy has its own unique finisher move that is bloody and gruesomely reminiscent of Mortal Kombat.
As Death continues to navigate the seemingly never-ending Darksiders universe, there are several power-ups and upgrades which introduce new and exciting moves to his plethora of attacks and special skills which can be strung together to rack up the combo points. The well-designed combat system offers loads of button mashing fun but remains intricate enough to vary the button presses and perform strings of terrific combos leaving Death's thirst for vengeance momentarily quenched. With this said, however, there are times when pressing a single button over and over again can very possibly clear a room of enemies without breaking a sweat. To counter this, enemies grow intelligent and powerful as the game progresses, making it harder to navigate through hoards of demons without changing your fighting style long enough to survive the battle.
To maintain smooth animations during combat, areas are chosen "based on memory, performance and size." This means that in-game battles are staged in certain rooms/areas based on how many animations will be running at one time, how intricate the architecture within the room is and whether or not the system will be able to perform optimally with a certain number of creatures being fought at the same time. If there are no issues with memory, then a greater variety of enemies can be shown on screen at a time. Similarly, no issues with performance (based on the size and complexity of the room) allow the game engine to handle more creatures in a room at one given time. Destructible objects are then added to introduce further chaos during battle.
Enemies and chests drop/unveil loot (Gilt), secondary weapons and potions which increase wrath or health. Animations associated with Death picking up these items flow smoothly even during combat.
Traversing the universe
There are several traversal mechanics at Death's disposal to help him make his way through the Darksiders universe. Whether it be wall climbing, running or jumping from ledge to ledge, it is clear that Death is far more agile than his brother War. With a robust system of moves to get Death from point A to point B, it can be slightly confusing to figure out where to go or what to do for those new to the universe.
The animations associated with traversal and movement are smooth and flow from one to the other as Death scales walls, jumps between narrow hallways of space and lands with enough ferocity to create a crater in the ground beneath his feet. Although it is not always clear as to where Death should be going or what ledges are grabbable and what he cannot cling to, the player gets used to the environment and eventually gets comfortable with Death's surprising agility (despite the fact that he carries a monumental amount of weapons and items on his person at all times).
Conclusion
Darksiders II is a fantastic game built on a solid animation system that comes together to form the complete package from conception to conclusion. The game flows smoothly as Death navigates the Darksiders universe from dungeons to ice caves to forests and more. There is never a moment when Death feels out of place within his environment as every transition, cutscene, cinematic and animation whether in or out of game binds the story to the horseman's unique and perilous journey to find the truth and clear his brother's name.
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