Darksiders II: The Demon Lord Belial DLC Review

Darksiders 2 has received its third, and possibly final (at least the last for the Season Pass), DLC titled The Demon Lord Belial. As the name implies, the focus of this add-on content is the Demon Lord Belial as he roams a post-apocalyptic Earth. Death, having heard that the Third Kingdom may still have a presence, travels to Earth where the angels and demons are still using the planet as their battleground. Following the lacking DLCs that came before, Is Death’s (potentially) last downloadable outing finally the quality expansion we’ve all been waiting to play?

Let’s find out what’s HOT and what’s NOT in our review of Darksiders 2: The Demon Lord Belial DLC.

HOT

Extending the Narrative

The Demon Lord Belial easily has the most interesting story and that may be because it doesn’t feel as detached as the other two DLC packs. As mentioned above, Death travels back to the war-ravaged Earth in search of surviving humans. Uriel, a familiar face from the main campaign (and the first game), returns to briefly appear in the beginning before Death sets off on his journey. During his time back on Earth, he meets a new character called Hunter, who actually managed to pique my interest. Finding out the struggles of the Third Kingdom is a compelling plot point given that we hear or see very little of the humans that were caught in the middle of this end of the world war. This makes it feel like more of an extension of the main story, fleshing out an important part of the narrative, rather than creating a mini side story. Combine this with the disgusting Demon Lord Belial’s mischief and you have the foundation for greatness.

NOT

Wraps Up Quickly

Despite it’s intriguing concept, The Demon Lord Belial DLC ends way too quickly, thwarting the promising foundation laid by the extended narrative. Right when you start enjoying where the story is leading, it ends. The content was completed in 45 minutes, and it could very well be possible to finish it in less time (say, around 30 minutes). If this is, in fact, the conclusion to the game’s DLC lineup, it is not only underwhelming, it’s flat out disappointing. Fighting a few Pit Spawns and Defilers on a fairly linear path through a rehashed environment doesn’t exactly create a winning recipe. The DLC finale should have been teaming with epic moments, such as those found throughout the main campaign. But, instead, we are left with yet another half-baked piece of content that feels rushed, which is only backed by how quickly it comes to a close. Trust me, you won’t be replaying this content once it’s over.

Eliminates Puzzles

Darksiders 2’s puzzles help vary the experience by breaking up the hack ‘n slash encounters that have surely lost some of their luster by this point. For some reason, this once integral portion of the game has been eliminated in The Demon Lord Belial DLC. You’ll be running through small to medium environments battling it out with demons and little else. Don’t expect to find any intricate puzzle platforming like that found in Abyssal Forge. Death Grip and Redemption round out the tools at Death’s disposal, and their use isn’t emphasized much until partway through the final battle (even then, only one is utilized).

Verdict

It’s hard to say much else about The Demon Lord Belial because it fails in the exact same places as its predecessors and this hits even harder knowing that this may be the last piece of DLC. The only real draw here is grabbing the three new Legendary Weapons, but even that still may not appeal to those who have maxed out their level and already have excellent equipment. The Demon Lord Belial DLC starts out strong and raises hopes, showing that it may have more to offer than the previous downloadable installments. Those expectations are crushed by a sub-hour, mediocre experience. The lack of playtime and the combat-only design, leaving out an important mechanic of Darksiders 2, makes up what can only be described as the most inadequate offering presented to owners of the game, Season Pass purchasers especially. In short, both Death and you deserve better than this.

[Editor’s Note: The Demon Lord Belial was reviewed on the PlayStation 3 platform. The DLC was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]