Darkest Dungeon II

Darkest Dungeon 2 is the eagerly awaited sequel of the original game of the same name. It has been available in early access on Steam and Epic Games since October 2021. But with version 1.0, the RPG has, however, received its full game release and is no longer in early access, which fans had feared it would remain in for all eternity. It leaves several fans and critics alike pondering whether or not the sequel will live up to Darkest Dungeon, as that specific title has stood the test of time.

What is Darkest Dungeon 2 about?

As a follow-up to Darkest Dungeon, Red Hook Studios created and released Darkest Dungeon II, a role-playing video game. The player character in Darkest Dungeon II, called the Protégé, travels through a broken and dying world in a stagecoach with four other heroes. The group will visit a number of novel places, aid the new apocalypse survivors, and battle the horrors that now prowl the wasteland.

It is the player's team's responsibility to transport the "flame of hope" through various environments to reach "the Mountain," where they will face a boss and attempt to save the world. This is because the corruption that afflicted the protagonist's estate in the first game has spread throughout the larger kingdom.

According to the official website, the game’s focus is on “the humanity and the psychological vulnerability of the heroes and asks: What emotional toll does a life of adventure take?”

Darkest Dungeon 2 gameplay

The gameplay of Darkest Dungeon 2 is essentially the same as that of the original, with a few additions to the original mechanics, a new 3D visual aesthetic, and a more upbeat theme of hope in the face of evil. In contrast to the first game, where players could choose from a pool of characters that appeared at the stagecoach, the heroes in the sequel are all distinct.

As each character becomes more closely aligned with a traditional RPG archetype, party builds become more rigid and players are no longer allowed to take two classes at once. Players can now explore the world in the stagecoach itself, traveling down different roads and choosing branching paths in a third-person view. This has significantly changed exploration.

This gives players more options for how they progress through the game and makes it easier for them to see the results of their choices right away. The party will encounter various horrors as they ride in a stagecoach through dungeons in this turn-based RPG with roguelike elements. Sometimes only physical harm results from injuries.

But more frequently, traumas and nightmares result, leaving a psychological scar that might cause madness or insanity in the victim. It means that players still make progress even after failing, which lessens the pain of losing a key character because they know they must continue down the same path, no matter how bleak it may seem.

Darkest Dungeon 2 announcement trailer

What platforms will Darkest Dungeon 2 release on?

The PC version of Darkest Dungeon 2—which is already available on the Epic Games Store and will be on Steam when it launches—is the only one for which a release date has been officially announced.

The first game was ported to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile platforms, and Red Hook Studios has confirmed that Darkest Dungeon 2 will eventually be released on consoles as well.

When will Darkest Dungeon 2 be released?

Darkest Dungeon 2 has been in Early Access since its release in October 2021, and many fans feared that it would stay there indefinitely. But Red Hook Studios stated that the 1.0 version of Darkest Dungeon 2 would debut on May 8 on both Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Darkest Dungeon 2 PC system requirements