Almost 6 years old. This is how long the players of Darkest Dungeon are feverishly awaiting a sequel to the acclaimed title from Red Hook Studios. But their patience is now partially rewarded, since the aptly named Darkest dungeon ii launched at the end of October in early access on the Epic Games Store. Like its ancestor, it should change and evolve a lot during this period of development and community feedback, but here is our preview of what the ruthless RPG already has in store.
And as much to tell you that if certain elements of the first opus are unsurprisingly back, the Canadian studio has made a lot of effort so that veterans do not have the impression of playing Darkest Dungeon 1.5, both in terms of content and the form.
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Did you think that having faced and defeated the adversaries of the Darkest Dungeon after hundreds of hours of play in the first opus would ensure victory over the forces of evil? You are very naive. In Darkest Dungeon II, the world is in ruins, the survivors are counted on the fingers of a leper's hand, and your cart with which your 4 heroes move carries - literally - the last flame of hope of the humanity. If it goes out (over time or following unfortunate events), it is defeat. Same thing if your heroes all die, of course. The goal, eventually, is to survive different areas to reach a distant mountain and rid it of its evil occupants.
As in the first game, the intensity level of the flame influences the statistics of heroes and enemies in combat, but here it is impossible to rekindle it simply with a torch. It will take advantage of positive events on its way to restore its panache, while it will also be necessary to do its utmost to lower a "loathing" gauge (early access is mainly offered in Spanish, but some translations are still missing), under penalty of being overwhelmed by too many too powerful monsters.
And if I talk about path and cart, it's because the progression structure of Darkest Dungeon II has changed significantly compared to that of the first. Farewell to the village where to return between each expedition in a dungeon represented in the form of boxes (I miss this exploration system, by the way), here you will have to direct your horse-drawn vehicle on a road with several branches (well, try, because the inertia fortunately a little configurable of the vehicle is atrocious). Impossible not to think of Slay the Spire and other rogue-likes of the genre, since you will have to choose between fights with potential rewards, treatments, event zones, watchtowers to know the next zones…etc.
Beware of greed, however, since you will have to try to survive the planned fights and surprise ambushes until the next inn to heal and improve your characters and the cart, while bosses protected by several waves of creatures obviously stand on the road. The way to the mountain promises to be long and it will most likely take many tries to get there.
The Flame in the Mood
Among the events that can be encountered during the adventure, two are especially worth mentioning. First of all, the temples. Here you will have to choose one of your heroes and relive a scene from his past (either via a text or via a single combat) in order to unlock a new skill (when in Darkest Dungeon you had to buy it in town). This part where the narration and the staging are specially put forward is a very good idea, because it allows you to vary the pleasures and to attach a little more to your heroes who are doomed to die. We also appreciate the events where it will be necessary to decide how to interact with survivors to recover resources, objects or rekindle the flame. Your troop members each come up with their wish, and it's up to you to decide who to follow. This can then bring or distance the members in (dis)agreement.
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Because one of the other new features of Darkest Dungeon II is that now each adventurer peer has their own relationship. Over the adventures in combat and outside (random events, objects to use at the inn…), a gauge will fill up in a positive or negative direction, and in the long term a relationship of friendship or hatred can be born. A rich idea on paper, but which will however require a little refining work from the developers. Not only the different types of friendship or hatred are not clear (like afflictions or virtues, you will tell me), but above all it is too bad for the fights.
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Too often, an action will generate a positive or negative reaction from one member of the group towards another and break the rhythm. How many times in just a few hours of play have one of my adventurers laughed at or complained to another about stealing their kill when killing an opponent should just be good for everyone? The answer ? Too. But nothing that can't be improved and fixed during early access fortunately.
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A hard game only on the EGS: a dream for masochists
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Darkest Dungeon II is a very difficult game and one that is not here to spare you. The monsters (the bestiary is already made up of many new creatures) hit hard, the mental health gauge fills up very quickly (and causes physical damage in addition to an affliction when it is full) and the slightest error is pay cash. But it is of course the wish of the developers, especially since now a run is not completely lost.
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In this sequel, the player has an account level to progress simply by playing in order to unlock new objects, traits and classes (9 in number in early access, including a new character). Good news for players who like to have a carrot to move forward and not be overwhelmed with options from the start, but less so for those who want to be able to play with all the tools right away. Note also in passing that you will not be able to sell your surplus items against one of the in-game currencies: you will have to throw them away, fortunately against experience for your account level.
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Regarding the fights, with a few differences, they are very similar to those (solid) of the first game. We therefore find turn-based 4 squares against 4 squares, where you will have to place your adventurers to make the most of their abilities. However, we will appreciate the appearance of a frieze which displays the initiative of the characters. Another change, active charged objects (bandages, holy water, etc.), to be used previously on the fly or outside of combat, must now be equipped by the heroes in order to give them a 5th ability, free if used first . Finally, some elements seem to have disappeared to simplify the formula a bit, such as the appearance of buffs after a critical hit. The same goes for hero customization by the way, since here an ability can only be improved once at the inn and only charms to improve stats are back.
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Finally, it is impossible not to note the visual change made. If the dark, hallucinated and hallucinating artistic direction of the first Darkest Dungeon is fortunately still there, many elements are now in 3D. And, surprisingly enough, it works wonders. The slightest animation, and in particular the preparations for attacks, the attacks or the events between characters are a real pleasure for the eyes, encouraging me to let out small cries of contentment each time. The work done is mind-blowing and you have to see it in action to believe it, and it's not the ever solid narrator who will spoil the feast for the senses that is Darkest Dungeon II.
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Darkest Dungeon II: our first impressions
I'm going to need a lot of willpower not to relaunch Darkest Dungeon II while waiting for version 1.0. This sequel is a real one, as some central systems of the first opus have been modified, refined, or simply deleted. Some new elements will obviously still require a little balancing work, and others might deserve to come back, but as it stands the game is already solid and stunning on many levels, starting with its visual identity again more striking than the first game.
In addition to its increased difficulty, with its new progression system, this new opus already promises a solid lifespan, and there is no doubt that Red Hook Studios still has it under its feet. The most impatient can therefore return to go crazy right now, but waiting for at least a little balancing can also prove to be a reasonable solution. It now remains to be seen whether this new formula, which may prove to be a little less original than the previous one at certain levels, will work better than that of the first game, which is difficult to beat.
Darkest dungeon ii is available in early access on PC exclusively on the Epic Games Store since October 26.
