About 4 hours into playing “Darkest Dungeon 2,” while looking at one of the many menus and charts, I accidentally moved the right stick. Usually, this would in no way bother me or even be something I would notice. This time, however, I was somewhat surprised.
“Darkest Dungeon 2” is deep. It is artistically stunning, with more tutorials in it than pages in the latest political party platform. I will be the first one to say that I am usually not one for turn-based role-playing games (RPGs) outside of Pokémon. “Darkest Dungeon 2,” however, piqued my interest in its sheer artistry.
“Darkest Dungeon 2,” according to Steam, is a roguelike road trip of the damned. You embark on a road trip with 4 characters of your choosing. With 14 characters that all have different attributes about them, there are a lot of ways to go about each journey.
The game plays almost like a real-time strategy game within encounters, as every turn feels as though a combination of game knowledge and the thought you put into each action could make the player an unstoppable force. The temptation to rush through an encounter, however, was always heavy. This leads to my biggest issue with “Darkest Dungeon 2,” which is that, much like dark chocolate, it simply is not made for everyone.
Of all things to be major issues, a niche target audience is probably the best you can ask for. As mentioned, “Darkest Dungeon 2” is deep. Nearly every button during the traveling of the stagecoach opens a new menu, all of which are heavily detailed. You almost need a notepad just to keep up with all the information, which I honestly found quite charming.
No, “Darkest Dungeon 2” is not for everyone, but it is an astonishing game. Every frame looks as though hours were spent upon it. Each piece of music excellently captures the situation, enemies are well designed and varied and arenas have much more details than I expected them to.
As mentioned, four hours into the game, I was looking at a character sheet when I hit the right stick. My plague-doctor-inspired character, perfectly 2D animated with extreme care and attention to detail, turned slightly to the right. It then clicked to me truly how much went into this game.
“Darkest Dungeon 2” is a love letter to the fans of its predecessor. It cares greatly for fans who love tactical, strategic gameplay with tons of replay value. The art style is great, the gameplay is fun, and for those who want a deep, thought-provoking and immersive experience, it is all there for you.
Also, in my experience, it does not pull its punches with the difficulty. Decisions on which route to take in your journeys really make you think, as a wrong decision could lead you to wonder if you truly know anything about what you are doing here.
“Darkest Dungeon 2” will be released in full tomorrow, July 16, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and it will exit early access on Steam.
Editor’s note: We would like to thank Red Hook Studios for the early access key for this title, as well as for the press kit. It is highly appreciated.
