Red Hook Studios unveils Darkest Dungeon 2

Red Hook Studios have revealed a sequel to its Lovecraft-inspired dungeon crawler, Darkest Dungeon. In Darkest Dungeon, the player controlled an inheritor to a decrepid estate, hiring mercenaries to explore dungeons, reclaim your heritage and uncover the crimes of your mysterious ancestor. Darkest Dungeon 2 widens the scope, taking the player out of the estate to the icy wastes of the Howling End.

Since its release in 2016, the original Darkest Dungeon was supported by many updates and official expansions. These added new classes, like the Flagellant and the Shieldbreaker, as well as new areas and gameplay tweaks. However, this is a fully fledged sequel that promises to create a “completely different” structure for its metagame. However, many aspects are also returning from the original, such as the familiar classes shown in the teaser trailer. Perhaps most importantly, the iconic flowery narration, once again supplied by Wayne June, is also coming back for the sequel.

In an interview with PC Gamer, Red Hook Studios stated that, similarly to the first game, Darkest Dungeon 2 will be debuting on Early Access. This is in order to “get [the game] into fans’ hands faster”, and to give those fans “the opportunity to help shape the finishing of the game”. The original Darkest Dungeon went through many developments as a result of fan feedback during its stint in Early Access, so it will be interesting to watch the sequel evolve as players engage with it.

Moving away from the corrupted estate setting of the first game, the developers promise that Darkest Dungeon 2 will show players “a glimpse of the supernatural apocalypse twisting and distorting the world beyond the estate”, however they are remaining tight-lipped on details for now.  The change in setting will give the sequel a distinct identity, as Darkest Dungeon 2 is “a game about enduring a gruelling journey, not cleaning up your backyard”.

We don’t yet know when Darkest Dungeon 2 will become available on Early Access, but hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to dive back into the franchise’s dark and mysterious setting.