Darksiders 2: Jay Fitzloff Talks Combining Adventure, Action and Role-Playing
Summary
In this Q&A, we interview Jay Fitzloff, the producer of Darksiders 2, to get an inside look at the game’s development. Fitzloff shares the game’s unique combination of action, adventure and role-playing mechanics, and the various features that make Darksiders 2 stand out as a genre of its own.
Table of Contents
- Combining Combat, Traversal, Exploration, and Puzzle Solving
- Adding New Features and Upgrading Basic Elements from Darksiders 1
- Darksiders 2 as an Adventure-Action-Role-Playing Game
- A Wide Variety of Weapons for Death, the Anti-Hero of Darksiders 2
- Darksiders 2 as Its Own Genre
Introduction
Darksiders 2 is a popular video game that blends action combat, Zelda-style dungeon puzzles, and role-playing game mechanics into a unique experience. In this Q&A, we speak to Jay Fitzloff, the producer of Darksiders 2, about the game’s development and the various features that make the game stand out from other titles.
Q&A
Combining Combat, Traversal, Exploration, and Puzzle Solving
Q: What are the basic elements that make a Darksiders title?
A: We’ve kept the same basic elements from Darksiders 1 that we feel make a Darksiders title what it is. And those three things are combat, traversal and exploration, and puzzle-solving.
Q: How have you upgraded these basic elements for Darksiders 2?
A: So Darksiders 2 still has that blend of those elements, but we’ve increased all of them, and then we’ve added a lot of new features to kind of up the ante with Darksiders. So we’ve got stuff like a level-ending experience system, randomly generated loot when you kill creatures, open chests. There are literally hundreds of thousands of different items to find. It’s a much bigger world, we’ve got side quests, we’ve got areas to explore. So it’s the same basic feel of Darksiders, but just a much larger and broader game with even more elements than the first game had, if you can believe that.
Q: How does Darksiders 2 blend these different mechanics together?
A: We consider it an action-adventure game, but we feel that kind of genre has kind of lost its way, where action-adventure really not commonly means an action game where there are some items that you pick up here and there that change from thing. We want to make it an adventure game first, almost adventure action, where there’s so much to explore, so much to discover, that it adds a lot of replayability, and you know, it’s worth going off the beaten path.
Adding New Features and Upgrading Basic Elements from Darksiders 1
Q: What are some of the new features that players can expect to see in Darksiders 2?
A: Darksiders 2 has a lot of different weapon types. So there are the scythe and dual scythe, which are the standard methods, the ones you start with. Then there are two classes of secondary weapons, heavy weapons and light weapons. There’s this wide variety, so there’s something for what you would gravitate towards, you’ll find it within Darksiders.
Q: How does Darksiders 2 build on the mechanics of Darksiders 1?
A: We’ve kept the same basic elements from Darksiders 1 that we feel make a Darksiders title what it is. But we’ve increased all of them, and then we’ve added a lot of new features to kind of up the ante with Darksiders. So we’ve got stuff like a level-ending experience system, randomly generated loot when you kill creatures, open chests. There are literally hundreds of thousands of different items to find. It’s a much bigger world, we’ve got side quests, we’ve got areas to explore. So it’s the same basic feel of Darksiders, but just a much larger and broader game with even more elements than the first game had, if you can believe that.
Darksiders 2 as an Adventure-Action-Role-Playing Game
Q: How would you describe the genre of Darksiders 2?
A: We consider it an action-adventure game, but we feel that kind of genre has kind of lost its way. Where action-adventure really not commonly means an action game where there are some items that you pick up here and there that change from thing. We want to make it an adventure game first, almost adventure action, where there’s so much to explore, so much to discover, that it adds a lot of replayability, and you know, it’s worth going off the beaten path.
A Wide Variety of Weapons for Death, the Anti-Hero of Darksiders 2
Q: What different types of weapons can players use in Darksiders 2?
A: Death has a lot of different weapon types in Darksiders 2. So there are the scythe and dual scythe, which are the standard methods, the ones you start with. Then there are two classes of secondary weapons, heavy weapons and light weapons. There’s this wide variety, so there’s something for what you would gravitate towards, you’ll find it within Darksiders.
Darksiders 2 as Its Own Genre
Q: What sets Darksiders 2 apart from other video games in the genre?
A: What sets Darksiders 2 apart is it has so many elements and so much going on that it’s practically its own genre. People who play the game, it never gets old because there’s always something new going on, there’s something new to discover. We’ll throw a curveball at you and all of a sudden you’re doing something different than you had the entire game. So when somebody plays the game, it’s an easy game to get wrapped up in because it’s so unique and has so many elements and combines everything so well that it’s really unlike anything else out there.
Conclusion
Jay Fitzloff, the producer of Darksiders 2, shared with us how the game blends action, adventure, and role-playing mechanics, and how the game builds on and upgrades the basic elements of Darksiders 1. Fitzloff also explained how the game stands out as a genre of its own, and the wide variety of weapons that players can use in the game. With its unique combination of features, Darksiders 2 is a must-play game for any fan of action-adventure and role-playing games.
