Darkest Dungeon II

IMPORTANT NOTE
If you already own DD1, don't make the same mistake I did - buy the Iron Crown bundle and get DD2 for £25.
Steam support unfortunately won't refund the difference.

DARKEST DUNGEON 1 PLAYERS PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING
DD2 is a fun and approachable standard 3 map rogulite with much of the great art and style of DD1. However, you have to go into this experience with the full understanding that this game is NOTHING LIKE Darkest Dungeon 1.
In the first game, there was a steep learning curve as the game punished you over and over again while you tried desperately to keep as many of your characters alive as possible through murky mechanics and unforgiving RNG. Over time, you learn the systems and improve all of your different recovery and gearing locations so that you get your people surviving longer and with better item prep. You got to know the ins and outs, the strength and weaknesses, and the quirks of each of the members of your teams. In the end, weeks... months.... years later, you may get to beat the game.
DD2 has none of that. As a standard 3 map roguelite, the whole point of the game now is to charge in and experiment aggressively. Once you get to the farthest inn you think you can make it to, you end the game, collect your candles to invest in the meta game, and get ready to try again; just like every other 3 map roguelike in exsistance.
So, this game is faster and more accessible with great art, and interesting story and approach and it has some interesting twists on the standard roguelite, but that is still what you are going to get this time. The irony is, they spent way more time in this game giving each "character" a back story and development, but in the end, there is no development as they just die and come back over and over with extremely limited permanency. You invest absolutely NOTHING in any one character despite the game saying you do. Instead, you are investing in the entire CLASS of character. Each individual means nothing.
In the end, if you are looking for a more polished DD1, this is NOT it. If you are looking for a much more normal roguelight set in the same universe as DD1 than you are good to go and will have a blast!

This game is undeniably incredibly stylish. But is it any good?
First thing first: the music, effects, voiceover, and visuals in Darkest Dungeon 2 are so, so great, the game is worth its price just for them. The combat music in Shroud... The Occultist playing with his knife afer a strike... The way the Man-at-Arms drags his morningstar when he hits... It's obscenely good. The kind of good that makes you go "nnnngh" and look around in embarrassment.
But what about the game itself — the design?
Here's a controversial opinion: I don't think DD1's design is particularly brilliant either. Or rather, it's good in the sense that it uses game design to evoke strong and particular emotions. But as a game, it relies too heavily on RNG and makes the player grind for no good reason. It becomes an endless slog. Sensible DD1 strategies include letting go of your mercs with subpar traits and treating them as resources rather than characters.
Where does that leave us when the roster management is removed?
On the one hand, this very controversial change is not necessarily bad. If a hero gets very unfortunate traits, you don't have to scrap them and invest in a new one — you can just abandon the run and start another, or better yet, try to grab as many candles (currency) and altars (permanent unlocks) before you do.
On the other, the game became much shallower — a whole layer of gameplay was scrapped, replaced with a weird Slay the Spire-like that's not particularly good at being Slay the Spire. Instead of building the base, you now have bog-standard unlocks. And aside from abilities, they aren't even that fun.
This is where the main issue lies for me — not in the change itself (I actually applaud the bravery of shifting the genre). Roguelites are all about variation and making suboptimal choices due to the modifiers the game throws at you. In DD2, variation is very limited. You explore the same biomes, only changing their order. After you unlock all abilities (that does, admittedly, take some time), you always have them available. Sure, advanced trinkets can change your strategies, but generally all runs begin to feel very similar... and yet you have to grind this world many times over.
All bosses in this game are puzzle bosses. Each features a unique mechanic — that the surrounding biome does nothing to prepare you for — and has a correct way of being "solved". Sure, there is some leeway — you can sometimes choose between playing the boss "the right way" or DPS racing them — but after you've figured out how they are supposed to be beaten, there's not much fun in repeated fights with them... of which there will be many. And generally speaking, there aren't that many different strategies in the game at all. You can't play without a healer. DoTs are king, as is dodge. The classes are so wildly different, they have abilities and paths to choose from, but fights feel the same.
So, even though the tokenized battles feel clearer and more fun than DD1, I feel that DD2 struggles with its identity much more. StS-likes can't have a 5-hour run. Roguelites require MUCH more build variety than this game. For a combat-oriented tactical game, the battles don't allow for different enough strategies — an unassuming deckbuilder Arcanium that doesn't even have full combat visuals blows DD2 so far out of the water as a tactical game, it's not even funny. The coach-riding is actually fine in terms of pacing — it gives you a respite between fights — but there's just not much in this game to look forward to aside from the standard dopamine loop of unlocking new stuff.
I play a lot of tactical games, and I can tell you that as a tactical game, this one is very mediocre.
The presentation and visual design are its trump cards. And for them, I'll give DD2 a thumbs up. But honestly, having unlocked all character and abilities, I can't say I'm particularly compelled to play more. And for a roguelite, that spells doom.
(Relevant: I've played MUCH more of this game outside of Steam during beta, so my playtime here is not representative.)

If You Are New To This IP, Welcome, Enjoy The Delightful Suffering With Us.
If You Are Fan Of The First One, This Sequel Might Disappoint You.
To me Darkest Dungeon 2 is a mixed bag. I am a fan of the original one. The gruesome Gothic artstyle and the superb narration really encapsulate me. The stress and resolve system are both pain in the butt, but frustratingly addicting. It is quite a unique turn-based RPG experience. Now the sequel is out of early access and I jump right into it. Most of the mechanics remain the same, yet many of the features that make the first one stand out, are either lacking or simplified in the sequel. Maybe it is done so to appeal to a wider audience, or maybe the dev shift the focus to something else. I still find the game enjoyable, nonetheless. It's just that the sequel loses what makes the first one so unique.
Things I Like About Darkest Dungeon 2:
1. Art, Animation, And Music
(I think it's official to call the 3D sequel "Risk Of Rain 2 Treatment".)
I hesitant to call the art direction of Darkest Dungeon 2 "improvement" because the original 2D art has its charm. Yet I cannot deny the 3D environment with the same artstyle looks extra lively, the burning city, the swampy rain forest, the misty fishing hamlet, etc. I also like how beautifully animated everything is. From idle animation, to preparing a skill, to executing said skill, to finishing the move, the animation feels so fluent, friends or foes alike. And finally, the music. This, at least, I am confident to say that sequel surpass its predecessor. Something about the melody just sticks with me, even after I have beaten the game. I can still find myself humming the music of traveling stagecoach.
2. Hero Story
This one of the new features of the sequel. It basically is the background story of each character narrated by the one and only Wayne June, and adding some special turn-based fights between chapters. I especially adore the latter. In my opinion it's a great way to make the player feel the struggle of the characters in the significant event of their lives. Plus, after each chapter, the character who just reflects on the past will receive a new skill, and can be assigned immediately.
3. Revamped Hero Skill And Path
Most of the cast receives multiple skills over-haul or adding some interaction with other heroes, mainly the Combo Mark. Introducing combo adds an additional layer of thought when it comes to forming team comp. Hitting combo always comes with additional benefit, so it is crucial to choose at least two people to work together(usually one to mark enemy, the other reaping that mark). However, this is not set in stone. Each hero also provides with Path when you upgrade them in alter of hope. Path is alternative playstyle which when chosen, it alters certain skills to fit a specific playstyle. For example, Graverobber has three Path to choose. Deadeye makes her an insane range DPS; Venomdrop allows her to pierce Blight resistance and blight enemies more consistently; Nightsworn turns her intargetable all the while adding more damage and flexible position.
4. Other Compliments
→Ahh, Wayne June. Your godly narration shall echo forever in my head.
→Customizable stagecoach, both cosmetic and utility.
→Crushing debris on the road sometimes yield good result, making the controlling the stagecoach a mini game.
→The fact that any broken relationship can be fixed with excessive alcohol will never not be funny to me.
Things I Like And Dislike About Darkest Dungeon 2:
1. Instead Of Clones, Individuality Stands Out
The "Hiring" system in Darkest Dungeon 2 function as choose-your-fighters rather than that of the first one which is just picking from completely randomized clones.
→Like: This design fleshes out each character as important individual with stories and motive, instead of random number generator. Shrine Of Reflection is an interesting way to tell those stories. It also makes building character's specialty less RNG-based.
→Dislike: Because each character is one of a kind now, hilarious team compositions can no longer be achieved in Darkest Dungeon 2. No longer can you have dual Highwayman and keep spamming Duelist Advance. No longer can you have four evasive, repelling old men on the battle field.
2. Stress And Resolve
This system works more or less the same, but the result is different.
→Like: Stressed-out and Resolution has been vastly tone-down to two results, Meltdown and Resolute. As a result, a stressed-out character will no longer speak death sentence to your team comp, and you have more time and opportunity to fix that problem.
→Dislike: On the same note, having a Resolute character also has way less benefit to your team comp. You can no longer massively turn the tide of battle with one virtuous character. Another issue about simplifying virtue and affliction is that it removes a lot of painfully or amazingly special moment which makes the first game so iconic.
Things I Dislike About Darkest Dungeon 2:
1. The True Roguelike Experience
I don't think Darkest Dungeon, as a formula, work well with modern definition of "Roguelike", as in "getting slightly stronger after each encounter". Yes, you do become stronger after each region. You can get temporary buff through Inn items and upgrade your heroes' skills once with mastery points. That`s it. Other than skill upgrade, none of the buff you get is permanent. They will always disappear when you reach the next inn. As a result, it always feel like you are collecting enough resources to maintain those temporary strength, instead or slowly growing stronger. I bring this up mainly because Darkest Dungeon 2 in many ways, is trying to chase a lot of modern roguelike trends but still wants to keep the old formula which only works for relatively short, mission-based gameplay.
2. Other Complaints
→Icon and its explanation should be baked in to the UI instead of a separate note you can call out.
→One more full-fledged region would make multiple runs less repetitive.
→Maybe it's just me, but I feel like 80% of the bosses are DPS race.
→Where the hell is Reynauld?? What have you done to The Crudsader Red Hook??
中文小簡評
→黑暗地牢續作褪去許多一代的傳統，嘗試了現今較流行的Roguelike配方，適合完全沒接觸過一代的玩家，但對系列粉絲多少有點失望。
→3D建模配上獨特哥德式畫風，別有一番風味。
→角色動作十分流暢耐看。
→音樂有種令人沉癮的旋律。
→角色故事配上特殊回合制戰鬥的敘事手法非常有趣。
→大多一代角色技能翻新，搭配新機制和技能風格，更注重團隊合作。
→先祖的配音已深植我的腦海。
→客製馬車造型及實用道具。
→撞倒路邊的土堆有時會到錢或道具，讓駕駛馬車不會太無聊。
→大量的酒精可以修復感情這點莫名好笑。
→因為角色是獨立個體，不再像以前一樣是複製人大軍，沒辦法安排派出重複角色，有好有壞。
→壓力系統精簡化，崩潰不再像以前幾乎沒救，給了玩家更多空間補救，但是這也失去了讓一代如此特別的特色。
→一代的配方套上現代Rogulike架構明顯不合。
→圖示和其說明應該要想辦法融入戰鬥UI裡面，而不是另外放在一個視窗裡。
→希望能再多一個完整區域。
→可能是我打法問題，但是怎麼感覺有8成的Boss都在拚傷害阿。

Steam Reviews can be a bit tricky sometimes when you are pondering on "What game should I buy next?" situation.
I loved DD1, and when I heard that DD2 was coming out I was beyond thrilled to get my boots back into its cryptic world and amazing storytelling. After its release on steam, before buying, as many of us do, I took a glance at the Steam Reviews and the Red Thumb Down reviews caught me off guard.
"It doesn't live up to the first game...", "Huge disappointment...", "A step backwards from the first game...", "The story is not as good as the first one...". "Odd and poor decisions on the mechanics..." etc.
That, plus after watching some YT reviews, I hesitated and wondered: "Is it really that bad?". Took me a while to take a decision, but finally, in a weakness of curiosity, I bought it.
After an hour in game, I began to realize what those reviews tried to warned me about and felt that same disappointment. "They could've just improved on what they did on DD1...", "What in Cthulhu's name have they done...?". "I have zero idea what the story is even about...", I berated.
Time went by afterwards, I stopped playing it and moved on to other games.
Then, it dawned on me. A glimpse of an inner debate that perhaps developed there since that disappointing hour, and thought, "Let's play DD2 without the expectations of DD1, as if its just its own thing and not exactly a sequel". It was a bit difficult mind you as, the obvious "2" on the title made it hard to "pretend" it was just a "new" game, nothing to do with the 1st one besides aesthetics. Shortly after... surprisingly enough, I began to enjoy it.
I realized that, when I first opened DD2, I had my brain wired on the expectations that it was going to be an improvement on DD1... and *there* lay the fault, the "pesky" pebble in the shoe that didn't allow me to enjoy DD2 for what it was: "A new perspective on the Darkest Dungeon Franchise", "A Frankenstein of risky, experimental but certainly fun ideas".
The reason why I said that Steam Reviews can be sometimes tricky when deciding where to invest our money into is due to the realization that, we all experience games in a different way. What is trash and poor writing for some, could be gold or exciting to others and, from what I could gather, most negative comments come from, I believe, the expectation on what DD2 could've been and not what it *is*.
I'm not defending its flaws, DD2 sure has some questionable things going on that, for someone who enjoys rougelites as I do, can be quite annoying and unnecessarily overly cryptic. But heck, I'm a masochist when it comes to difficulty, I don't like tutorials, I don't like me being explained every single mechanic as I would rather figure it out myself. But that's me, those are my quirks and I won't berate against someone who doesn't share the same opinion.
I enjoy DD2 for what it is, in spite of flaws and everything. I like the DD aesthetics combined with the new mechanics and perspective that the devs took the risk implementing on. I don't quite sure understand why they did it but I'm enjoying it now that I have changed that initial perspective I had.
If after reading this you feel that perhaps you and me flow through the same wavelength... maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to have that fun I'm now having with DD2. A new perspective, atop what makes Darkest Dungeon interesting.
I definitely recommend it, but mind you, please, not to buy this game if you are truly seeking an improvement on DD1 because you'll find yourself empty handed. This is a new intake into DD, it's its own thing, and it shines because of it, in my humble opinion.
"Many Fall In The Face Of Chaos, But Not This One. Not Today."

A distinctly different and bold take on a new "flavor" of Darkest Dungeon, but one that still has all the same spirit and energy of the original, most enjoyers of which will still appreciate the new.
Don't go into this expecting the insane grind or base-establishing/roster-micromanaging of the first. They did away with it to make room for new mechanics to make the roguelite take more palatable. If you go in knowing that, you'll still find plenty to enjoy.

If you liked the peril of losing permanent progress and the slow, incremental build up of a team culminating into an epic cosmic showdown from the first game, this game isn't for you.
If you're like me and you have around 70 hours of playtime in Darkest Dungeon 1, consisting of multiple separate save files where you get about 12-15 hours in, lose a lynchpin of your team, and drop the game rather than keep playing, then good news; Darkest Dungeon 2 is a much better game on that front.
I beat Darkest Dungeon 2 in about half the playtime I have on the first game, and it was an enjoyable experience all the way through. This is Darkest Dungeon for people who want a game that respects their time.