Darkest Dungeon® II

what a garbage, DD was brilliant, DD2 i dont even know what im doing, managed to get to the 1st Inn, had no idea what to do, where to click, and im playing games for the last 40 years, that says all. Refunded.

Great

Requested a refund after 14 minutes of playing discount Mario Kart in what was supposed to be a Darkest Dungeon sequel but, alas this sequel had no dungeons.

yes

better and worse in different ways than the first but is still enjoyable

Most of my hours on this game are through Epic, as that's where I had originally bought it. Switched to Steam so I could have an easier time with the workshop and mods. Excuse that I only have 16.2 hours, I have more through Epic. Darkest Dungeon 2 shines brightest when you go into it not expecting it to play like the original. Allow me to explain the differences and my own opinions on the matter: The Differences: - Travel between locations is more linear than DD1, such that you cannot backtrack to revisit any locations you missed and once you choose your path it's a final decision often referenced to Slay The Spire's map system. - While many find this a disappointing change, I think it gives the game a unique flavor compared to the first. Plenty of people complain about how it "changed too much" but to copy and paste the same dungeon crawler aspect from the first would make the game feel too much like it was trying to be like the first. - I personally like this change! It solidifies your actions and carry's more weight to consequence for what you choose. If you decide to take one path over another, you must face your actions regardless of the outcome. Something that I find Darkest Dungeon a staple for. - There is no longer a "Base" to the game. Instead of returning to an estate like the original, it now leans more heavily on the rogue-lite aspect of multiple different runs with upgrading between them. You collect "Candles" as you play, and after every run win or lose you choose what to do with them at what's called "The Altar of Hope". This is where you'll unlock new characters, their paths and upgrades, new items, etc etc. - This is where I find most people dislike the change. Whilst the estate was also a staple of the Darkest Dungeon franchise, experimenting with this new rogue-lite aspect was a breath of fresh air compared to the first. This game strives to be it's own thing while taking inspiration from its predecessor. It wasn't made to play exactly like DD1. That's the point and they did it well. - "The Crossroads". Instead of picking up stragglers like the first, you now build a singular party of four before every run. These four hero's will be the four that you play with until any of them meet an untimely demise. Then, upon reaching your next inn, you'll have a chance to swap them out for different hero's. You'll choose their "path", essentially changing their skills to fit the role you want them in, what skills to take and the order of which they will rank. - Another change that I think fits the personality of this game well, as opposed to copying the first. Once again your decisions are set in stone, even more so now. The death of a character is permanent during one run, meaning you cannot re-add them to your party at the next inn should you lose them. However this also doesn't guarantee your run's end like the first, where your main party's death meant you had to attempt to pick up the pieces of ruin with your off-party who was likely not as invested in. Now you can still attempt to finish the run by adding in other hero's to your party, as well as get more candles for delivering the "remains" of your fallen hero's to the inn. - The added relationship between hero's. This mechanic can make or break your runs if you neglect or nurture it to your best ability. Characters can now "buff" or "debuff" others in your party when using certain skills, winning or losing a fight drastically, as well as block attacks, heal stress, or follow-up an attack if the relationship is right. - Personally I've had both grief and joy from this mechanic, sometimes it ruins a run that's on the brink of victory through one little debuff. Other times it can bring a run that was dead in the water to that sweet, sweet taste of land that is the next inn. It's really about knowing how to balance the relationships without going too negative. It can be hard, but it's definitely possible. Overall I would highly recommend giving this game a try, especially if you were a fan of the first game. All I warn is that you don't go into it expecting a 1:1 sequel. Red Hook made a game that needed to stand on it's own without using the first as a support and not a crutch and I think they did that well. The game shines beautifully, as long as you don't try to compare it too harshly to the original.