Darkest Dungeon 2 Review – The Torch’s Flame Lives On

On the way to the Mountain of Madness

The plot of Darkest Dungeon 2 It consists of five confessions, which are unlocked as we defeat the final boss of each. The Academic (performed again by Wayne June) tells us through these confessions the events that followed our victory in the first match. The evil ended up spreading across the world and we are entrusted to go to the The mountain with the “Flame of hope“, a torch that will put an end to the chaos and destruction unleashed.

Your carriage awaits you

Although the word “dungeon” still appears in the title of Red Hook Studios’ game, the truth is that Darkest Dungeon 2’s level design is quite different from its predecessor.. Although the first installment mixed hero management and exploration of randomly generated dungeons, This sequel is a pure roguelite. Here we will have to try to reach the final boss in each run.

As usual in the formula, we will create a group of four characters. Once our team is formed, we will lead a carriage by a map that branches out as in Kill the arrow. During our journey, We will find different paths that will lead us to participate in different types of events. Some will be clashes against enemies, but there will also be others, such as stops that will allow us to rest, recover useful objects or special places that will allow us to know the history of our characters.

It is important to emphasize here that the inclusion of transport in this second part implies taking into account an additional aspect: the sustainability. If our vehicle takes too much damage along the way, they will ambush us. In these special battles, each round we will lose a hero who will be in charge of repairing the cart. When it is fixed, the fight will end, even if we have not defeated all the enemies.

The Death Squad

As I mentioned before, before each raid we will form a team of four heroes, each with its own class and advantages. The combat system remains faithful to the franchise. We will fight against various enemies in turn-based battles where we have to decide in a very calculated way what action to takesince any failure can mean the loss of a team member. If a character dies, he becomes a tombstone. If we do not finish the fight in time, said tomb will disappear and will lead to the definitive death of our hero for the rest of the game.

Another mechanic also retained in Darkest Dungeon 2 is anxiety. When one of our characters begins to experience a difficult period (either because of decisions we make during the journey, or because of damage received in combat), their Anguish increases. If this reaches the maximum level, you will eventually enter a mental state that will cause various effects, both positive and negative..

But the most interesting thing that Red Hook Studios did to freshen up this sequel is the implementation of the Affinity

The light of hope

Those of you who have already ventured into the dark world of the first Darkest Dungeon will know this, but those of you who are initiated should be clear that you are facing a very demanding title for the player. A wrong decision at any given time can end in disaster. Furthermore, There are times when RNG or luck seem to matter more than they should. and they make the game somewhat unfair.

As is common in the roguelite genre, dying means starting over and losing all the items we have obtained along the way. However, the people at Red Hook Studios have been a little more benevolent in this second installment by incorporating the candles. These are a permanent resource that we can spend between games

In this way, a sense of progress is created and this encourages us to keep trying again and again until we achieve the desired final victory. In this sense, we are facing a title that can become a real well of hours.

macabre beauty

But if there’s anything that makes Darkest Dungeon special, it’s its fantastic aesthetics dark darkand this second installment couldn’t be any less. The art team did a great job designing scenarios and enemies that perfectly reflect the harshness of a world that wants to eat us alive (almost literally). Now The characters are modeled in 3D, but they retain that feeling of watching a moving comic book that the original had.The bestiary is also very varied, you will find everything from bandits to creatures and abominations taken from Lovecraft’s worst nightmares.

Regarding the soundtrack, we continue to encounter dark melodies that further accentuate the suffocating atmosphere work. The sound effects are powerful and perfectly reproduce the impact of the weapons and even their weight.

Eventually

Darkest Dungeon 2 is a sequel that, without disrupting what made the original title great, reshapes the formula to create a more accessible game.. But be careful, because that does not mean that it is easier. In fact, if you are new to the saga, the immense amount of information that is given to us (something difficult to understand because it is explained with symbols) can represent a fairly high initial barrier. In addition, their fights are always so tough. We will face many frustrating, even unfair, situations. However, if we persist, we will be able to enjoy the return of one of the best independent films of recent years. This time with a more striking artistic section if possible and a few other surprises.