After almost two years in early access we finally got it. The second part of Darkest Dungeon, beloved by masochists, has officially come out, and we can say that the game finally looks exactly the way the developers imagined it. Does everyone like this look? No, definitely not. Many fans of the first part say that this sequel is worthless, but there are also voices of enthusiastic approval on the Internet, saying that all the changes were steps for the better. True, as it happens somewhere in the middle. It’s definitely not a title for everyone, but it wasn’t the first part after all.
FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC SO SAVE IT AND SAVE THE WORLD
Darkest Dungeon 2 is a dark roguelite strategy game that takes you and a group of heroes on a journey through a collapsing world. Reality is infected, and the source of all the evil that has filled this land is hiding under an ancient mountain. Your goal is none other than to survive the journey to the mountain, defeat the corrupted parts of reality and save the whole world. Whore. The game offers 5 chapters/missions, which can be played over and over again, and at the end of each of them, the aforementioned boss battle awaits you. This is, in fact, the whole story that the title has to offer. You will rarely see a beautiful cutscene, but otherwise the story will be revealed little by little by a mysterious narrator who talks to you between each hike up the mountain. So technically speaking you can still explore story of individual heroes – find out how they got to where they are – but that’s just a story.
We will immediately solve the simplest – the audiovisual side of the game is simply amazing. Music, sound effects and voice acting are accurate and fill the whole world with personality. The transition from 2D to 3D is definitely a success, and the individual animations that heroes and enemies perform during combat really bring the skirmishes to life. Every time I saw Audrey tossing away a bottle of absinthe after curing herself with it and gracefully swinging her knife arm back into a fighting stance, or Barristan dragging a sprinkler heavily on the ground after successfully hitting an enemy, I almost blushed. from how unnecessarily perfect these animations.
MORE SMOOTH AND COMPLEX COMBAT SYSTEM
The main aspect of the game is turn-based combat. They are basically the same as in the first part, but they have undergone considerable polishing. An important change is, for example, stamina buff, which no longer have a predefined duration, but are consumed as soon as you cast them. For example, blindness, which gives you a 50% chance to miss on your next attack, remains on your character until he attacks, so you can’t just wait and not attack until the effect wears off. I’m happy with this change because I think it makes the fights more exciting. Another great remake limited healing during combat – this puts even more emphasis on various healing items and defensive abilities.
However, how do you get into solo fights? Stagecoach! Each mission (road to the mountain) consists of a long journey through the ruined land. There are multiple areas to visit, each with a different look, hiding different enemies, events, and mini-bosses. You will have access to map of the whole area, which can, for example, be revealed through the observation tower, and according to which you can plan where to go. Would you rather visit the hospital or jump into the next fight? Will you ride on a broken road that will destroy the wheels of your stagecoach, or will you whistle through a cloud of hatred that will dampen the mood of your group? The decision is yours and I admit that this was one of the most fun and frustrating aspects of the game for me, especially in the beginning. Think about what events I want to attend and decide what will this expedition serve me for?, was stressful entertainment. The game contains many different random events that can greatly affect your journey, which is really great, although it is true that after a few hours of playing, all kinds of events they start to merge. Although something new happens every time, the result is always a normal meeting with no greater depth. Because of this, it can happen that your first try is the same as the last one, which is not exactly ideal.
An inn awaits you at the end of each area. Inns – places of rest, in which you can heal your heroes, equip them with bonus items and improve their abilities. You can also add upgrades to the stagecoach here, or decide to forgo the path to the mountain and take everything you’ve acquired with your tail between your legs. Although it may not seem like it, being able to finish the quest is very important, because if you don’t die at the very beginning, one expedition will give you it may take up to 3 hourswhich is definitely not for everyone.
GOING ROGUELITE – DOUBLE SWORD
As I said, Darkest Dungeon 2 belongs to the roguelite genre. Metaprogress here is provided by Candles of Hope. You collect them as treasures or as rewards for completing quests. Between quests, you have the opportunity to visit the Altar of Hope, where these candles can be spent on upgrading the stagecoach, heroes, unlocking new characters, buying items for the next expedition, or unlocking memories. So dying and failing a quest is never a bad thing., because you always get at least some candles with which you can simplify the next quest. And this is the most controversial topic of the whole game. While in the first game you carefully chose which characters to invest your time in and then were devastated by the fact that your favorite died, in the second game, thanks to the roguelite aspects, you don’t have to upgrade or die your heroes much. .
This change is not necessarily bad. The first game was focused on YOU, the player for whom the characters were just tools. Despite the fact that you spent your time on them, there was no emotional connection between you, because you knew that the hero could die at any moment. Moreover, if you have one good strategy, you clung to her like a tickbecause any experiment can go awry and end in disaster. Due to the fact that in the second part you expect your fighters to fall at a certain point from the very beginning, the game can shift the focus on the personality of your heroes. In the moment when death is not final, you can afford to explore the history of your characters, get to know their character and create a real relationship with them. This is only emphasized by the fact that relations can also arise between individual fighters. Thanks to your decisions and random moments, the characters gain positive or negative points, which, when enough points are accumulated, are combined together and give the two heroes one of several possible designations. Two characters may respect or even love each other, but also suspect or outright hate each other. Then it will keep changing How useful are they in fights?. Characters with positive relationships will support each other, while negative relationships will harm the couple.
On the other hand, aspects of roguelite made him the whole game is much more superficial. While it’s great to be able to experiment with different characters and abilities without ruining the whole game, one full layer of complex game mechanics is a pain in the ass. If in the first part you strategically built your base, then here you only have at your disposal perfectly normal unlock often passive upgrades. Ultimately, it really does feel like you’re just waiting until you have enough candles to unlock all of the game’s upgrades and buffs. It’s not about gaining experience and making the most of a bad situation. It’s about it the situation is slowly improving…
Well, how would all this somehow summarize. Darkest Dungeon 2 is fundamentally different from its predecessor. The audiovisual part has undergone amazing changes and has reached divine qualities. Likewise, the combat system has been tweaked to its final form and feels more complete. Aspects of roguelite encourage experimentation and shift the focus to heroes, their stories and characters. However, not everyone will like it., because it takes away the severity of stressful situations and makes the whole game a lot more superficial. For many players, this game will offer nothing less than a dopamine loop of discovering new things. In other words, Darkest Dungeon 2 has its flaws and is definitely not for everyone. At the same time it is a great game that we can recommend for 8 points out of 10.
Verdict
Darkest Dungeon 2 is a game that has very successfully managed to avoid following in the footsteps of its predecessor. Switching to roguelite will not appeal to all fans, as it reduces the difficulty of the game. On the other hand, it will definitely appeal to players who are more interested in experimentation than difficulty.
Source :Indian TV
