Darkest Dungeon 2, the sequel to developer Red Hook Studios’ deliciously bleak rogue-like RPG, leaves early access on 8th May and arrives on Steam the same day.
Darkest Dungeon 2 launched into early access back in October 2021, but sidestepped a Steam release in favor of Epic Games Store exclusivity throughout its journey towards version 1.0. With Red Hook now almost ready to plop a ghoulish bow onto the release experience though, Darkest Dungeon 2 will finally be creeping onto Valve’s platform.
And if you haven’t been following Darkest Dungeon 2’s last year and a half of development, you might not be familiar with the changes this sequel brings. Chief of these (other than the shift to 3D) is the switch to a structure described by Red Hook as a “grim turn-based roadtrip” across five regions.
This time, players progress through the game by steering a thunderous stagecoach – whatever miserable party of survivors they’ve assembled riding within – down ominous country lanes, picking routes as the track forks and halting at roadside stops to make use of local amenities or experience whatever grim events and turn-based combat encounters may be in store.
There are plenty of additional strategic wrinkles, of course. There are plenty of boons, buffs, upgrades to be gained from the new Altar of Hope systems, and each of Darkest Dungeon 2’s dozen heroes can be augmented with the likes of new skills and items. Additionally, the original game’s Affinity system returns, forcing players to manage their party’s relationships and psychological wellbeing, lest the current run is thwarted by dysfunction.
Eurogamer’s Robert Purchese enjoyed Darkest Dungeon 2’s new outlook a lot when he investigated its early access release in 2021, and Red Hook has made numerous significant changes to that initial core as development has gone on.
Curious players can currently download a demo on epic and Steam which features two of Darkest Dungeon 2’s five regions (Sprawl and Foetor) and four starting heroes. Progress isn’t saved between runs and only one region can be experienced per run.
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