Players who pre-order The Darkness II ahead of its prospective release date in February 2012 will receive a free upgrade to the game’s ironically-named “Limited Edition.” Normally this sort of promotion nets early adopters with little more than marginally different box art, as in the case of Darkspore or 2008’s Prince of Persia, but this time could be a little different.
The Darkness II Limited Edition includes:
- Alternate darkling outfit: “Crazy Abdul”
- Two character ability upgrades:
- Gourmet Hearts: provides bonus for eating hearts
- Relic Hunter: locates collectible items in the world
- Custom illustration by Marc Silvestri
- Free digital download of The Darkness Origins Volume 1 and Volume 2 comics
Character skins and digital comics are a nice bonus, but that middle bit about the character ability upgrades is the most interesting. Veterans of the original 2007 The Darkness might remember that consuming the hearts of your enemies is an integral part of nearly every combat encounter, used for enhancing protagonist Jackie Estacado’s supernatural abilities over the course of the game. Previews of the sequel have suggested an even greater emphasis on that Gotta Eat ‘Em All mechanic by shifting from a passive, universal upgrade to a new currency-based model where players can spend “Darkness Essence” from enemy hearts to unlock specific points on his skill tree.
In short, a special ability that grants you an additional bonus for eating hearts sounds akin to a universal experience bonus in an RPG — the sort of character perk you’d want to grab as soon as possible and carry through the majority of the game. Toss in the Relic Hunter part about marking collectibles for you and the Limited Edition sounds like the must-have version for anyone interested in the game.
Learn more about Jackie Estacado’s saga by hitting the Press Release button below or visiting the official Darkness II website. The Darkness II, Limited or Not, is due to hit the PC, PS3, and 360 February 7, 2012.
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