Darkest Dungeon II

Darkest Dungeon II isn't an easy experience to dive into, but it is a worthwhile one. Those willing to muscle through its punishing design and RNG elements will find one of the best roguelike titles around, and can expect to be drawn back into its world for months or years to come.

The Darkest Dungeon II Kingdoms mode shakes up the series’ core gameplay in such an interesting and intense way without sacrificing anything that makes the series great.

Darkest Dungeon II continues the legacy of the original game as a brutally dark and difficult roguelite turn-based RPG. Much like the characters in the game, riding out in a hopeless effort to stave off the apocalypse, the player will find themself pushing forward despite certain defeat, with only a weak promise that next time it will be a little easier. It’s impressive that such a relentlessly challenging game can still have the player coming back for more.

Darkest Dungeon II had some pretty big shoes to fill, considering all the love the original entry managed to get through the years. And while this sequel made same odd choices that fans of the original may not be all too comfortable with, if given a chance, it has tremendous promise, and the soul of the original game remains intact.

Darkest Dungeon II brings fresh ideas to an already stellar series. Red Hook Studio should be praised for continuing to strive for better mechanics and overall gameplay experience. Fresh UIs and the pairing down of excessive elements makes this installment a prettier version alongside gorgeous, macabre visuals. City management as we knew it has been streamlined and contained into one hub, which makes for an easier management of upgrades and unlocks. You still get the experience of "dungeon" crawling by stagecoach as you navigate through procedurally-generated maps. With various shrines and com...

Darkest Dungeon II is a roguelike road trip of the damned. Form a party, equip your stagecoach, and set off across the decaying landscape on a last gasp quest to avert the apocalypse. The greatest dangers you face, however, may come from within...

Darkest Dungeon 2 is a monster-slaying good time, as illustrated in our video review. After several years in production, the long development cycle proved to really benefit the final product. Specifically, the game’s combat and gameplay loop kept us coming back for more. We also admired Darkest Dungeon 2’s art style and diverse environments.

Darkest Dungeon 2 had me feeling mixed at first. Ultimately, this sequel feels more fleshed out, and I grew to appreciate the direction it took, giving our heroes more life by giving them backstories and how they interacted with each other in the world.

Ride into the heart of hell in this road trip reimagining of Darkest Dungeon.

Darkest Dungeon 2 is a fantastic roguelike that excels in a multitude of ways, but has some issues on the Steam Deck. I would hold off for a little, but if you can't wait, this is still playable with compromises!

Despite all the things I don’t like about it, Darkest Dungeon II isn’t a terrible roguelike. It’s just fairly middle of the road, with plenty of replay value, but gameplay that fails to distinguish itself from the crowd or live up to its predecessor. If you like your roguelikes hard, you might enjoy this one, but it wasn’t to my taste at all.

I might sound negative in this critique, but that is only because I enjoy so much what the game was trying to do. In fact, I’ve really had a great time with Darkest Dungeon 2 so far, and will likely forge on to the end of the game. However, I do worry that once I have sunk to the depths of The Mountain for the last time, I won’t come back to it, or think about it as much as I did its predecessor. Darkest Dungeon 2 does not lack content or challenge though, so I guess I should keep my thoughts on the road, and the near-insurmountable tasks along it.