Death will soon ride again according to THQ Nordic. In a surprising reveal they’ve announced that Darksiders 2, arguably the best game in the entire series, is getting remastered for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. Bet you didn’t have that one on your 2024 bingo card.
THQ Nordic was keen to point out that revamping Darksiders 2 is not related to the recent Darksiders teaser trailer. In other words, it looks like Darksiders 4 is still on the cards, unless Nordic is teasing something else, in which case it’s going to have a lot of pissed off fans baying for blood.
This new remaster is going to be based on the Deathinitive Edition of Darksiders 2, itself a PS4 and Xbox One re-release of the original PS3/Xbox 360 game.
According to the press release, this new “upgraded edition” of Darksiders 2 is set to feature 4K resolution, ray tracing and enhanced lighting and shadows. PS5 players will get full haptic feedback support for the Dualsense controller, and the game will benefit across all platforms from much faster loading times.
No word on whether the PC version will get any upgrades.
The new Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition will launch on October 15 for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles for $29.99 / €29.99.
However, there are a few ways to get it cheaper or even for free. Apparently, PlayStation customers who pre-order the game before October 14 will get a whopping 50% of, bringing it down to approximately $15/€15.
If you already own the Deathinitive Edition of PS4, you’ll get the upgrade for free when it launches.
On Xbox, you’ll also get the upgrade for free if you own the Deathinitive Edition. To help with that, THQ Nordic has reduced the price of the Deathinitive Edition on the Xbox store by 50%, bringing it down to $15.
It’s a generous scheme and a surprising announcement in general., especially since you’d expect the first game to get the current-gen revamp first since it’s…well, you know, the first game in the series. Still, it’s a damn pleasant surprise as Darksiders 2 is a seriously fun action game starring a badass lead character, heaps of loot, excellent combat and a cool world.
I can’t help but wonder about the financial decision behind it, though. As much as I love the Darksiders franchise, I’m not sure there’s a huge market for a remaster, especially when most of the people who would want it will likely already own the Deathinitive Edition and will therefore get this upgrade for free. Presumably, it’s to help bolster the series’s presence ahead of a full reveal for Darksiders 4, which will presumably finally bring all four Horsemen of the Apocalypse together.
Whatever the reasoning, I’m seriously pumped to have an excuse to experience Darksiders 2 all over again. And it has sparked some hope in me that the original Darksiders might get the same treatment.
