A creditable effort with frustrating issues to address.
Can Series X get anywhere close to a high-end PC experience, and what about Series S?
Darktide looks surprisingly impressive for a multiplayer-centric game.
For starters, there’s an extreme level of environmental detail in each gameplay space.
The high quality game’s lighting is also very evocative.
Darktide makes heavy use of volumetric lighting as well, which really enhances the atmosphere.
Combat is very pleasing too.
Enemies come in huge hordes, dispatched with weapons fire at a distance or melee swings up-close.
They break apart into gory bits seemingly with the software of any force whatsoever, which feels very satisfying.
Third-party studios rarely take such a bold approach, but it’s definitely paid off for developer Fatshark.
Putting the Series X presentations side-by-side, there’s an immediately apparent difference in image quality.
The game looks messy in the performance mode with visible aliasing in virtually every shot.
All of the super-fine geometric detail simply doesn’t resolve properly here.
Darktide’s anti-aliasing, which is a form of TAA, has some odd properties.
Series S gets just one visual mode, which targets 30fps.
Compared against the Series X performance mode, it looks quite similar.
The game suffers from substantial aliasing, though again the image actually has more effectively anti-aliased edges in motion.
That’s because resolution has been cut down further, averaging around 720p.
So, how close does Series X get to the PC game?
However, PC’s improved TAA has stability problems not seen in the console version.
It’s completely missing on consoles.
The PC version packs RT reflections and a probe-based RTGI, which increase the fidelity of the lighting significantly.
They don’t really stand out too much, but they do add a lot to the visuals.
In the Series X quality mode, Darktide runs at a pretty consistent 30fps, even in intense firefights.
However, the title suffers from occasional hitching, compromising the experience with a barrage of high-latency frames.
Series S follows a similar pattern.
Microsoft’s junior console hits and holds a stable 30fps, punctuated occasionally by frame-time stumbles.
The Series X also packs a performance mode, of course.
This option aims for 60fps, but often falls short.
Extended frame-rate dips are common, and harsh stutters pop up from time to time as well.
Beyond the frame-rate figures, Darktide has some issues with networking.
Graphics aside, Warhammer 40,000 Darktide is an entertaining co-op adventure.
It’s also very beautiful of course, with a stunning level of detail and impressive lighting throughout.
Darktide is a visually impressive title that is let down a bit by some unfortunate quirks.
