Red Hook Studios has announced the development and upcoming Early Access release of Darkest Dungeon II, a sequel to its fantastically macabre, Lovecraftian nightmare game, Darkest Dungeon. The turn-based Dungeon crawler might have suffered from an over-reliance on RNG at times, but the tone, brutal roguelike features, and depth of customization for characters, makes for a fantastically brutal experience. Darkest Dungeon II promises to be much the same.
Details on what the new game will be like are thin on the ground at this time, but the announcement trailer gives us a few hints. Not only does it appear that standout character classes from the original game will make a comeback — Plague Doctor, Crusader, Grave Robber, Highwayman, Leper, and Hellion — but they will be venturing beyond the estate that dominated the first Darkest Dungeon game. It appears as if this game may be drawing from one of the HP Lovecraft's most lengthy stories: Beyond the Mountains of Madness.
This may mean we're looking at more outdoor environments, perhaps an expanded sanity mechanic. What we do know for sure though, is that the same voice over artist, Wayne June, will be back to provide scathing commentary and sarcastic support for your goals. PCGamer has confirmed that the composer, Stuart Chatwood will also return for Darkest Dungeon II.
Some changes hinted at in that interview include a "tuned up" combat system, and perhaps a new theme for the game that makes it a little different to the feel of the original. The metagame will receive the biggest overhaul though. Darkest Dungeon II will be about a gruelling journey, rather than rebuilding a hamlet.
Darkest Dungeon 2 will enter Early Access at some point this year, before a general release to the wider public at an unspecified date.
