One good roll might get you through a harrowing encounter, but one bad roll might kill your run right then and there. Individual runs are much more prone to luck, and it often goes against the player. While all - even failed - attempts produce candles of Hope (the currency for all new unlocks), the progression doesn't feel as meaty as building up your sinister town in the first Darkest Dungeon. Unfortunately, some of these efforts are either misguided or still a work in progress in terms of creating meaningful gameplay. It's commendable that Red Hook Studios has dared to tear down and rebuild such massive parts of the original game. For example, the game no longer wants you to slow play an encounter and heal up (a common tactic in the first Darkest Dungeon), as potent healing abilities have long cooldowns, minimum health requirements or both. And the road to victory will be a rocky one, as the unforgiving difficulty level and sheer amount of bad luck can end even the most promising of runs in an instant. But it's all a rather slow burn, as unlocking new item types, characters and abilities takes a long time to become impactful. They also come with their own backstories now, explaining their origins and gaining new skills as you delve deeper into them bit by bit.

Most of the characters from the first game are still here, with some having their skills greatly adjusted to the new gameplay formula.

The game is no longer about managing a group of 'gladiators', but rather choosing a team of four for each run. Instead of handling a village full of the occult and evil, in Darkest Dungeon II the player is now pushed on the road in a more traditional roguelite spirit, where each playthrough is different, and full of random events and happenings. The first game rose to fame after several years and big patches, so Red Hook Studios might be able to repeat the same success even after the divisive first impressions. Darkest Dungeon II is a tough one to review due to its past.

Darkest dungeon ii review