The sequel to hit indie, historical Marble-Run-like experience, Rock of Ages, is just a few days away at this point and we now have our first look at what the genre mashup title is all about. It's been six years since its prequel was released and the developers have taken full advantage of that. The graphics are much improved, but the gameplay is much the same, with a few interesting additions along the way.
This time there's multiplayer, with up to four boulders rolling down hill at the same time. The 2v2 game mode with customizable banners and insignias makes for a very different style of game than its predecessor. That goes hand in hand with the improved physics system, which lets you smash into one another as much as you can the environment and defences set up in your path. You'll be able to smash and break through everything and anything in your path if given enough momentum and the pieces you send flying will react accordingly.
Much like the original though, you'll be making your way through art history as you play through the game's main campaign mode, facing off against historically inaccurate representations of some of the past couple thousand years' greatest styles and figures.
Although it's not necessarily the most fan-friendly of financial models, Rock of Ages 2 also has some DLC available right off of the bat. The Classic Pack will give you access to some traditional boulder types and three new army banners, alongside the original game. There's also the Binding of Isaac pack, which is entirely free and gives you a trio of avatars from that universe to play with instead.
Rock of Ages II launches on August 28 on Steam and on consoles in the days following.
