The Darkness Recomp

A native Windows x64 port of The Darkness (Xbox 360). The 360 executable is translated to C++ ahead of time and built into DarkRecomp.exe with a D3D11 renderer — no emulation at runtime.

Bring your own game dump. This repo contains no game code, assets, or binaries. Dump your Xbox 360 copy and drop the files into Darkness/ (step 1 below).

Playable today: full gameplay, mouse look + controller input, video settings (resolution, FOV, original Xbox gamma calibration and color profiles, bloom, frame cap, VSync, FXAA/SMAA/MSAA antialiasing, 16x texture filtering), keyboard remapping, cursor menu selection, XMA audio, and saves.

Download the Windows release. Choose The-Darkness-Recomp-v...-windows-x64.zip under Assets. The GitHub Source code downloads are for building the project yourself.

1. Right-click the Windows ZIP and choose Extract All.
2. Copy your own extracted Xbox 360 game dump into the included Darkness folder: the original default.xex, Content, System, and all the other files and folders from your dump. No XexTool preparation is required.
3. Double-click Launch.cmd to play with sound.

Use LaunchWithSettings.cmd to choose settings and language before playing. Use LaunchWithUpdates.cmd to check for new commits on GitHub's main branch before playing. It rebuilds and installs the selected commit automatically, preserving game files, saves, achievements, and settings. Commit updates require Git, Python 3.11+, CMake, and Visual Studio 2022 with C++ and Clang tools installed. The audio build also requires MSYS2 MinGW64 build tools at C:\msys64 and LLVM at C:\Program Files\LLVM (including llvm-lib.exe). For a downloaded installation, it keeps a separate source/build copy and copies your own dump there; allow space for another game copy and the compiler outputs. The first build can take several minutes. Source checkouts must be clean and able to fast-forward to main; local edits and divergent commits are preserved.

No compiler, Python, or separate audio setup is needed to play the Windows release. Use Launch.cmd for the installed build, or extract a newer release ZIP to update without building. The previous release-only updater remains available as powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tools\update_release.ps1. Use 64-bit Windows 10/11 with a Direct3D 11-capable graphics device. See START_HERE.txt for the folder layout and troubleshooting. An ISO alone is not enough; use an extracted dump of the supported game revision. The port decodes default.xex in memory at startup; _uncrypted.xex and basefile.exe are no longer required.

The original supported disc executable and the Russian localization identified in issue #37 are recognized automatically. Copy all files from the matching dump, including its own default.xex. The Russian localization uses the game's English content slot: choose English, or System default on Russian Windows. Its translated text, fonts, and audio come from that dump.

The added in-game PC menus also use Russian with that dump: video settings, keyboard and mouse bindings, and Exit Game. Their translation source is assets/localization/native_menu_ru.json. See the translation guide to improve the wording and rebuild the menus.

The mouse captures automatically when keyboard/mouse gameplay starts or resumes after a menu. Click the game window to recapture after a manual release or Alt-Tab. F1 shows controls, F2 toggles capture, and Esc releases it. Graphics options are in Options > Video Settings and in the video settings launcher. Both use the same saved settings. Click menu choices to select them; the mouse wheel also changes choices and E confirms. Choose Extra Content > Achievements in the main menu to see the original achievement list. Unlocks from gameplay are stored in saves/achievements.dat and persist between launches. The list uses your game dump's achievement text and selected language; multiplayer achievements require their original gameplay conditions. Xbox Live synchronization is unavailable. Use Options > Controls > Keyboard bindings to remap gameplay keys and mouse buttons. The four-page game menu supports primary/secondary keys, clear, defaults, and Save/Cancel. Exit Game in the pause or main menu closes the game after confirmation. Press F5 to open developer tools for mission selection, player speed, invincibility, noclip, all Darkness abilities and maximum Darkness level. Enable the F6 resolution shortcut there to allow live 720p/1440p switching; the shortcut starts off. Mission loading and Darkness grants can autosave; see CONTROLS.md before changing progression. Choose Language in Options > Video Settings or the settings launcher: System default, English, German, French, Spanish, or Italian. In-game changes take effect after restarting. See CONTROLS.md for language overrides and the full input guide.

In Steam, choose Games > Add a Non-Steam Game > Browse and select build_native/Release/DarkRecomp.exe in the extracted release. Set Start In to the extracted release folder and leave Launch Options empty. Sound and normal gameplay are enabled by default. Keep the whole release folder together.

The shortcut must target the game executable so Steam can follow the running game for its overlay, Steam Input, and session status. If you already added Launch.cmd or DarkRecompPreview.exe, edit that shortcut's Properties to use DarkRecomp.exe and remove --sound from Launch Options. The optional tools/add_steam_shortcut.py helper preserves existing shortcuts; it does not retarget them automatically.

The Windows build can run through Proton on Linux. Launch.sh and the file I/O compatibility fixes were tested with GE-Proton11-7 in Ubuntu 24.04 under WSL2. The opening level rendered with audio and created checkpoint saves; memory, file I/O and save-storage tests passed. Visible camera movement and completion of the opening tutorial were not confirmed. Steam Deck gameplay and performance remain unverified; a native Linux build is not available.

For automatic setup from Windows with Ubuntu in WSL2, double-click SetupLinux.cmd, then PlayLinux.cmd. The installer copies the game to Linux storage and preserves that copy's saves and settings on later updates. See STEAM_DECK.md for prerequisites, options, Steam shortcuts and the verified test scope.

This executable ports The Darkness, using translated code and engine integration for its supported Xbox 360 revision. It cannot load another Xbox game by replacing the files or changing a hash. Supporting a different title requires its own translation configuration, runtime integration, renderer, and testing; the upstream XenonRecomp toolchain is a starting point for that work. The automatic revision check also applies to The Darkness title updates: an updated executable needs a separate verified translation before it can be used.

Copy the original extracted files into Darkness, then launch the game. The runtime uses Windows' built-in AES provider to decode default.xex and expand its zero-filled blocks in memory. It checks both the original file and decoded image against an approved pair of SHA-256 hashes before executing game code. The Russian executable shares the same translated code, imports and TLS layout; its localization data remains intact. Startup menu overrides also preserve the dump's cached strings and fonts. The source generator also reads the original default.xex directly. Any approved executable can be used to build the shared translation. Existing prepared files may be left in the folder; they are not read.

The game checks the supported revision automatically at launch; no manual hash check is needed. If it reports default.xex differs from the supported AOT revision, your dump uses a different revision or a modified executable. Include your disc revision and the newest build_native/run/desktop-*/runtime.log when reporting the problem. Do not post game files.

1. Game files — from your own dumped copy, fill in Darkness/:

Use the original extracted dump; no decrypted executable or raw image is needed.

Darkness/
  default.xex               # original encrypted executable
  Content/  Content_Eng/ .../ ExtraContent/
  System/                   # engine shaders and system data

darkness_switch_tables.toml already ships with the repo — keep it and add the rest from your dump. Nothing else under Darkness/ is committed.

2. Build — one step (dependency setup + generator + translation + XMA codec + compile + tests):

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tools\build.ps1

The build downloads the pinned XenonRecomp source and applies the bundled Darkness patches automatically. Existing checkouts from the old setup instructions are supported too. The first build needs an internet connection.

You'll need 64-bit Windows, Git, Visual Studio 2022 with the ClangCL toolset, CMake 3.24+, Python 3.11+, MSYS2 MinGW64 build tools at C:\msys64, LLVM at C:\Program Files\LLVM, and ~15 GB free. Output lands in build_native/Release/.

The XMA audio build also requires MSYS2 at C:\msys64 with MinGW64 GCC and make, plus standalone LLVM at C:\Program Files\LLVM (for llvm-lib.exe).

3. Play — double-click a launcher:

Extra arguments reach the game untouched, e.g. Launch.cmd play --fps 120.

For runtime hitch diagnostics, use LaunchStallProfiler.cmd, reproduce the hitch, then close the game. The newest build_native/run/desktop-*/runtime.log includes [STALL] reports for frames over 16.67 ms and runtime/HLE calls over 2 ms, [WAIT] details, and the largest slow-frame contributors. The launcher uses your saved game settings. Profiling is disabled by default; set DARKRECOMP_STALL_PROFILE=1 to enable it for another launch, or use tools/run_native.py --stall-profile for a bounded development run. Build with -DDARK_STALL_PROFILER=OFF to exclude the profiler completely.

The mouse captures automatically when keyboard/mouse gameplay starts or resumes after a menu. Click to recapture after a manual release or Alt-Tab (F1 controls guide, F2 toggle capture, Esc release).

• CONTROLS.md — every binding, launcher option, and setting
• RENDERING.md — how the renderer and frame pacing work
• STEAM_DECK.md — Proton setup, validation scope and diagnostics

Run LaunchWithUpdates.cmd to build and install the latest official main commit before playing. It requires the build tools listed above and a complete supported game dump. The updater retains a separate source/build copy outside your installation, tests the build, and verifies the resulting package and files with SHA-256 hashes before installing. Close the game first. Recovery copies and build logs are kept in the folder printed by the updater. Network failures still let you play the installed version; build failures stop the update and leave the previous program files available through Launch.cmd.

To install only published releases with no compiler, run:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tools\update_release.ps1

When updating from v0.1.5, extract the new ZIP once to install the new launcher; the older updater does not recognize the added Russian menu files.

Close the game, extract the new Windows ZIP into your existing game folder, and replace the included program files. Keep Darkness/, saves/, and DarkRecomp.settings.ini to preserve your game files, progress, and settings. You do not need to rebuild.

LaunchWithUpdates.cmd also updates source checkouts. The checkout must be clean and able to fast-forward to official main; it preserves local commits and refuses divergent histories. It rebuilds and tests the selected commit before marking the installed program current. Alternatively, pull and build manually:

git pull --ff-only
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tools\build.ps1

Keep your game dump and existing build directory. Unchanged generated files retain their timestamps so the native build can reuse previous compilation work.

If an older setup stopped with AOT gate: Generator failed (0), these same commands install the missing generator patches and regenerate the output.

Maintainers can build, test, and package a Windows ZIP with:

python tools/package_release.py --version v0.1.1

Run from a clean, committed checkout with the build prerequisites installed. The ZIP and SHA-256 checksum land in build_native/releases/. The packager includes the launcher, runtime dependencies, notices, and audio-library source; game dumps, saves, settings, build tools, and diagnostic logs are excluded.

The build already runs the full suite. To re-run it later:

ctest --test-dir build_native -C Release --output-on-failure

GPLv3 — see COPYING, matching the upstream UnleashedRecomp / XenonRecomp toolchain this port builds on.

Development includes assistance from OpenAI Codex.