The-Darkness-Recomp README

The project's README from github.com/portingpete/The-Darkness-Recomp. As one markdown file: README.md.

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, gamma, bloom, frame cap, VSync), XMA audio, and saves.

Download and play

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.

No compiler, Python, or separate audio setup is needed for the Windows release. 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.

Click the game window to capture the mouse. F1 shows controls, F2 toggles capture, and Esc releases it. Graphics options are in Options > Video Settings. Choose Language there or in the settings launcher: System default, English, German, French, Spanish, or Italian. In-game language changes save automatically and take effect after restarting. See CONTROLS.md for details.

Preparing the game files

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 the AOT build's SHA-256 hashes before executing game code. The source generator also reads the original default.xex directly. Existing prepared files may be left in the folder; they are not read.

Checking the supported game revision

For builds with original-file loading, run this in your Darkness folder:

Get-FileHash .\default.xex -Algorithm SHA256 | Format-List

The supported original file's SHA-256 is (case does not matter):

default.xex  aace35a8f9bcdc7f28aeab9ff8cf3bdf200353f5c83705f6284487347acb3c5f

Direct decoding reproduces the previous memory image exactly (SHA-256 180b7fc8f57462f6bac3404ecab061a8d79914c7a3e9a12c238bd3449e72d049). The tested XEX metadata reports Title ID 545407EE, Media ID 0F213645, version 0.0.0.1, and All Regions. That does not establish compatibility with every USA/Canadian/international disc revision; the generated hash is the decisive check for this revision.

If the hash differs, report the hash and your disc revision. Do not post game files. If the game closes after launch, also attach the newest build_native/run/desktop-*/runtime.log. A different result can indicate a different revision or a modified dump. Previously published releases may still require prepared files; use a build containing the original-file loader.

Build from source

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+, 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 Launch.cmd:

Command What it does
Launch.cmd Play with sound
LaunchWithSettings.cmd Choose settings and language, then play with sound
Launch.cmd mute Play muted
Launch.cmd preview Engine preview build (muted by default)
Launch.cmd stutter Play with sound while recording slow-frame timings
Launch.cmd performance / render-profile / steady-60 Diagnostic recording runs
Launch.cmd help Full usage

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

Click the game window to capture the mouse (F1 controls guide, F2 toggle capture, Esc release).

Docs

Updating a downloaded release

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.

Updating a source build

Pull the latest version and run the build again:

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.

Packaging a release

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.

Tests

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

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

Project layout

Path Contents
app/ Windows entry points and display settings
assets/ Button-prompt artwork bundled with the game
cmake/ CMake helpers
config/darkness.toml Translation configuration
renderer/ D3D11 backend and engine scene reconstruction
runtime/ Native kernel, audio, input, XMA, and filesystem bridges
tools/ Translator driver, build.ps1, shader/menu/XMA codegen
tests/ Native and contract tests run by CTest

License

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

The-Darkness-Recomp (portingpete/The-Darkness-Recomp)

native
Searching Database…

298 ·GitHub
The-Darkness-Recomp
What is this?It is a native Windows port of the Xbox 360 game The Darkness, built by statically translating the original 360 executable into C++ ahead of time and running it with a DirectX 11 renderer, no emulator involved.
Is this an emulator, or something different?It is a static recompilation project, not an emulator: the original Xbox 360 binary is decompiled/translated into C++ source once (ahead-of-time) and compiled into a native DarkRecomp.exe, so there is no runtime CPU emulation.
How do I get it running?Download the Windows release ZIP from the Assets section, extract it, copy your own extracted Xbox 360 game dump into the included Darkness folder, then double-click Launch.cmd to play with sound (or LaunchWithSettings.cmd to pick video settings and language first).
Do I need to own the original game?Yes. The repo ships no game code, assets, or binaries; you must supply your own extracted Xbox 360 dump of The Darkness and drop its files into the Darkness folder.
Will any copy of my Xbox 360 disc work with this?Only the specific tested game revision is guaranteed to work; the port checks your default.xex against a known SHA-256 hash before running, and other disc revisions may not be compatible.
What hardware do I need to run it?A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC with a Direct3D 11-capable graphics card; no compiler, Python, or separate audio setup is required for the prebuilt Windows release.
Can I play it in a language other than English?Yes, you can pick System default, English, German, French, Spanish, or Italian in the video settings menu or the settings launcher, and the choice is saved and applied on restart.
What video options can I tweak?Resolution, field of view, gamma, bloom, frame cap, and VSync are all adjustable in Options > Video Settings.
Does it support a controller, or just mouse and keyboard?Both are supported — the game is described as featuring mouse look plus controller input alongside the standard mouse-and-keyboard controls.
What are similar projects?Fable-2-Recomp, TriAevum, SCSKiller, TranslucentTB, hells-gate-recomp, pinyon-shift, Game-Optimizer-CPUs-Threads-Optimizer, bbhost
Which topics is it in?engine, x86-64, binary-analysis, retrogaming, windows-10, windows-11, audio-processing, cmake, native, rendering, game, graphics
Creator
portingpete
Size
5.1 MB
Stars
298
Updated
CommitOct 16
Age
1mo
Commits · 90 Days