You’d be forgiven for being excited about The Darkness II purely because it’s an actual game being released in 2012. The beginning of every calendar year is infamously considered to be the doldrums of the industry; so much so that any new game is met with some sort of dubious enthusiasm just because it’s something new to play. Yet, despite its notoriety for desolation and relative mediocrity, the start of the year usually throws up a few unexpected gems to whet our appetites for things to come. The Darkness II may just be that game if initial impressions are anything to go by.

The first thing you’ll notice about Digital Extremes’ take on this twisted series is its striking visual style. It utilises a cel-shaded look that really pops out of the screen. There’s a wonderful array of colour that’s a far cry from most contemporary shooters, and it really goes a long way in giving The Darkness II that comic book feeling without being too cartoony or juvenile. Screenshots really do not do it justice as the visual fidelity comes to life in motion, combining impressive animation with an anomalous and welcome hand-drawn style.

It certainly gives credence to the gratuitous violence so often splashed across the screen via an arterial spray or two. Bodies are twisted, bent and ripped in half; hearts pulled from their resting places and limbs shattered, broken and mutilated beyond recognition. The Darkness II offers a mesmerising cacophony of carnage, its art style allowing you to bask in the calculated violence rather than be horrified by it: a perfect example of visuals and style complementing gameplay. This madness and destruction is by your hand, after all – or rather the two snake-like, demonic heads on either side of you. The titular Darkness is the real star here, elevating this from a simple shooter to a whole other beast.

The Darkness was impressive for its time back in 2007, but now it just feels archaic. The Darkness II, on the other hand, is firmly planted in modern times, propelling you through the action with tight and intuitive shooting and explosive set pieces. These moments don’t govern the action, but rather augment it in truly spectacular fashion, particularly when combined with your demonic friend. You can still eat hearts to regain health and whip enemies to death, but now the Darkness has been given much larger gameplay implications.

Grabbing objects is one such change, allowing you to pick up something like a metal pole and use it as a javelin to create your own human-shish kebab. Or how about some improvised cover? Pick up a car door and you’re free to run out into open ground, safe in the knowledge you have your own portable bullet sponge. It really changes the way you approach each combat situation and separates The Darkness II from other shooters. You can use your environment to conserve ammo, or launch yourself straight into the action, using The Darkness to ravage your foes with a profusion of special finishing moves. There’s even room for growth, with different types of kills doling out points (similarly to Bulletstorm) to be spent on a comprehensive upgrade tree. Before long it looks as though your arsenal of demonic abolition will be stock full of a diverse array of gut-busting abilities.

So don’t be excited for The Darkness II because it’s something new to play, be excited because of the promise it holds. It seems more polished, imaginative and more focused than its predecessor; abandoning the small scale, clunky open-world trappings in favour of a linear, action focused experience, guided by a refreshingly sublime art style. If all goes according to plan we could have a real, early gem on our hands.

The return of Mike Patton doesn’t hurt it either.

The Darkness II is set to hit store shelves on February 7 (North America) and February 10 (Europe). As always, check back to Thunderbolt for continued coverage post-release.