Darksiders II (2012)
Darksiders II is a 2012 role-playing (rpg) video game made by Vigil Games and Spike Chunsoft.
Death rides to clear his brother's name. War, one of the Four Horsemen, stands accused of triggering the apocalypse early, and Death sets out across warped realms to undo the ruin and prove him innocent. Built on Joe Madureira's bold comic-book art, this 2012 action RPG hands you a scythe-swinging, wall-running horseman and a sprawling map of dungeons, loot, and skill trees. Combat blends God of War spectacle with Zelda-style puzzle dungeons, while an open world and constant gear upgrades let each player shape their own Death. The source material is grim, yet the play stays fast and acrobatic.
Quick answers
What is Darksiders II about?
Death rides to clear his brother's name. War, one of the Four Horsemen, stands accused of triggering the apocalypse early, and Death sets out across warped realms to undo the ruin and prove him innocent. Built on Joe Madureira's bold comic-book art, this 2012 action RPG hands you a scythe-swinging, wall-running horseman and a sprawling map of dungeons, loot, and skill trees. Combat blends God of War spectacle with Zelda-style puzzle dungeons, while an open world and constant gear upgrades let each player shape their own Death. The source material is grim, yet the play stays fast and acrobatic.
When was Darksiders II released?
Darksiders II was released on 14 August 2012.
Who made Darksiders II?
Darksiders II was made by Vigil Games, Spike Chunsoft and THQ.
Similar games
Explore Darksiders II guides
Darksiders II in our writing
- Companion guide: Angels & the Divine
A few thoughts on Darksiders II
Death's grim swagger belongs beside Judas Priest's Painkiller, a metal record built on the same apocalyptic-horseman imagery and relentless drive. Readers should chase Neil Gaiman's Sandman, where Death appears as a wry, humane young woman rather than a monster, a sharp counterpoint to this scythe-wielding reaper stalking dead worlds to redeem his brother.
Fantasy wars where whole kingdoms burn
Darksiders II sets Death loose across realms already wrecked by an apocalypse that started early. These stories share that scale: dynasties collapsing, alliances breaking, and armies clashing over what's left of the map. House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones bring the succession wars, Oathbringer and Brisingr the epic-fantasy rebellions, and Howard Shore's score the dread underneath it all.
Open-world action RPGs stacked with loot and skill trees
Death's scythe-swinging campaign is really a loot-and-level treadmill wearing horror-comic armor, the same hook that drives these open worlds. The Witcher 3 and Skyrim hand you a map to fill with gear and side quests, God of War trades the scythe for an axe but keeps the spectacle, and GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 prove the formula works outside fantasy too.
Metal built to soundtrack the apocalypse
Darksiders II plays like a metal album cover come to life, all horsemen and ruin, so it's no surprise the mood matches this music. Painkiller and IX Equilibrium bring the speed and menace, The Spectre Within leans into doom-laden prog metal, and In the Court of the Crimson King supplies the older, stranger dread that got there first.
Manga-inflected art behind a Western action hero
Joe Madureira drew Death with the spiky hair, oversized weapons and exaggerated motion he picked up from manga, and it shows in every frame of Darksiders II. Rurouni Kenshin, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece and Saint Seiya are part of that same visual lineage, comics where a character's silhouette does as much storytelling as the plot.