Days of Darkness - Day 3

We recently had a chance to interview Lars Johannsson, the producer of The Darkness at Starbreeze Studios. Read on to find out all about the game!


It has been said that players need to learn how to control their powers. Will this be like an RPG element added to the game? Level ups? Points? What kind of RPG element will it be?

Not really an RPG element to the game, through the story Jackie is learning how best to use The Darkness and it can manifest in different ways, as the story progresses and Jackie becomes stronger the player can unlock more powers to use in the game. We do have a level up system which allows Jackie to drain more power and stay in Darkness mode for longer and this is done through devouring hearts of fallen enemies.

Have you enjoyed making The Darkness? What's different about it to other games you have made?

The Darkness has been a really challenging but extremely enjoyable title to work on, the subject matter is such that it has allowed us to really express ourselves and share our vision with Top Cow who have been very supportive over what we have tried to do.

Will NPC interaction be key to finding out information about a person/mission? Will we be using interrogation techniques?

Interacting with the NPC's will be key to the story telling and also mission information, when your character can actually speak to people within the game world we think it makes the experience a much more immersive a believable experience...there are no interrogation techniques that Jackie can use himself but we do feel the long arm of the law at some point.

Is there a point in the game where we venture into a different world? What challenges will we have to overcome inside?

Yes there are, for reasons we cannot reveal Jackie ends up in a place worse than hell called the Otherworld, a place loosely based around a WW1 setting, it is were the Darkness resides and it is here that Jackie will find out more about why he was chosen by the Darkness...and also how he can gain control over it.

The different challenges that Jackie will have to overcome focus around a Zombie Soldiers that cannot be killed by conventional methods, utilizing different weapons in this alternate environment.

Will the game follow a strict storyline that runs parallel to the comic? Have you added to the storyline at all?

The storyline was inspired by the comic volume "The Resurrection", together with Top Cow writer Paul Jenkin's we took pieces from this story changing it and adding to it so it worked for the game. We think that what we've ended up with is an enthralling rollercoaster ride that people new to the Darkness or people familiar with comic will enjoy just as equally.

Can we expect any day-time missons? What will we have to resort to when not using our powers?

The majority of the Darkness is based at night, but there are sections of the game where the player will need to resort to alternative means of attack to accomplish their goals.

Non-Linear progression? What can the player expect from this?

The game is based in a section of New York (and the Otherworld, as mentioned earlier) and these locations are linked via the subway systems that the player will use to travel, within the subways and the locations the player has lots of people to interact with, can pick up side missions or go exploring.

Are you still incorporating multiplayer into the game? What will it be like? What game modes will there be? What do you do in those game modes?

The game has a multiplayer where you actually get to play as the Darklings, you can choose from a multitude of the usual modes (DM, TDM, CTF) but as well as that we have alternative, innovative modes, Survivor, Darkling Vs Human...the one we've been having the most fun with is Last Human, where one person is a human and has to hold off the darklings for the longest amount of time possible.

Can we expect extra content for the game via the Xbox Live Marketplace?

We have plans, but currently at this time we are keeping our cards close to our chest...watch this space!

Will you be releasing a demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace? When can we expect it to be released? What will it feature?

Again like the content, we have plans...and I guess you will see it when it comes :-)

Thanks Lars!