Oppression and hopelessness are somehow transformed into admirable traits in Darkest Dungeon II. Forgoing its predecessor's structure for a run-based format, cracking through the sheer brutality reaps the best of rewards.
Darkest Dungeon II‘s oppressive grip will echo in my mind for years to come.
The series’ reputation is one I am all too familiar with. One of desperation, harrowing difficulty. A grueling quest to fight back death from the razor’s edge.
And it may be that thorny reputation that has prevented me from touching Darkest Dungeon until now with its sequel. Darkest Dungeon, a crucible survived only by the sturdiest of players who have tussled with constant defeat, clawing their way to victory after dozens of hours and a sprinkle of luck. Would I truly want my heart to be torn asunder by such dire odds?
Like many games which are called back upon and referenced, Darkest Dungeon has always tempted me. But throwing myself headfirst into Darkest Dungeon II was also an assuredly safe bet. In fact, the pronounced fascination with the sequel has pushed my intrigue to a point of no return where sooner than later, I will consume anything the series has to offer.
Forgive my ignorance of developer Red Hook Studios’ maiden voyage, especially as it gives me little context into the differences between the Darkest Dungeon games. That being said, I am aware that the first game allows players to prepare and build towards increasingly strenuous dungeon crawls in the hopes of reaching the titular Darkest Dungeon. Rather than mildly iterate upon the foundation created in the first, Red Hook Studios translated numerous hallmarks into a more unpredictable, run-based spectacle.
Darkest Dungeon II is, as expected, a deluge of defeat. Red Hook Studios informs players of such when booting up the game. But as players have progressively learned over the years, death is one of many lessons, a key towards opening other doors.
The crown of fangs frocked by Darkest Dungeon II is one that continuously tutorializes the player throughout numerous runs. Gameplay is housed in a relatively standard turn-based container where the player unleashes a series of moves and skills with the opposing forces responding in kind. Red Hook Studios is moderately kind in the opening hours, relinquishing knowledge and mortality so the player is able to acclimate to the blizzard of information that is to come.
To make Darkest Dungeon II instantly palatable, simply imagine it as a turn-based RPG–fundamentally no different than an early Final Fantasy, or Chrono Trigger, or Persona. The player is granted a party of four heroes who typically battle on the left side of the screen against right-side opposition, potentially of four or less enemies. Each party member can be one of over a dozen archetype heroes–a pistol Highwayman, a plague doctor that heals and poisons, a party-buffing jester, and even a man who morphs into a beast. The player’s goal is to decimate all foes in their path until they reach an ominous mountain in the distance, which is potentially the source of all evil flooding into the land.
Immediately, however, each new mechanic twists the screw, making Darkest Dungeon II further complex and a labyrinth of potential danger.
Tantamount to the Darkest Dungeon experience is the mental well-being of the player’s party. This is expressed through each hero’s stress and the interpersonal relationships between the four members. During combat, taking damage, being inflicted with status ailments, and even using skills can inflict stress on a hero. Upon receiving too much stress, a hero can have a Meltdown, causing their health to drop and also be inflicted by negative traits that are kept until removed at a hospital. But there is a small chance that the hero will become Resolute, healing them and granting a positive buff.
Meltdowns are not only dangerous in the thick of battle but because they cause the hero to lose affinity points with members of the rest of the party. In Darkest Dungeon II, the relationship between the four heroes is constantly in flux. Players should strive to always have the four members get along, doing so will provide significant boosts to a hero’s skills, while also affecting actions during combat. Heroes can take damage for each other, or swoop in for a follow-up attack when their compatriots have been struck. A poor relationship will cause the entire party to struggle, adding stress and often causing heroes not to act properly.
Darkest Dungeon II is framed as a perilous stagecoach ride to the mountain that seethes with cosmic evil. Each run tasks players with with taking the stagecoach and navigating it through the land, visiting different areas and encountering random events and battles.
Existing as a roguelike–and in a kind of departure from the first Darkest Dungeon—Darkest Dungeon II deems every new run more or less fresh. Heroes’ progress and items gained are lost when the party wipes and the bell of defeat has been rung. Candles of Hope are the persistent currency that players earn for progressing through a run and completing quests and challenges. And at the Altar of Hope, players use the Candles to invest in a wide range of permanent benefits that expand the possibility of surviving better.
Initially, the Candles of Hope are used to unlock trinkets and stagecoach items that will be added to the loot pool on every subsequent playthrough. The first time a player unlocks a trinket at the Altar of Hope, they will be added to the inventory to be equipped immediately for that run. Trinkets can be hero specific or universal, capable of adding important boosts, usually coupled with a non-advantageous effect. As players progress through the various areas of Darkest Dungeon II, they will unlock new sections of the Altar of Hope, providing more opportunities to spend Candles on, especially Memories that can be applied to heroes at the start of a run to give them permanent buffs specific to that run.
The implementation of Candles as the form of meta-progression in Darkest Dungeon II cleverly empowers players but its benefits are not always felt immediately. When I began my first few runs in the game, I noticed that my selected heroes felt relatively innocuous against enemies during the regular flow of battle. Combat rounds in the game are by no means fast and can last several rounds. Damage numbers rarely push into triple digits and success is often reliant on juggling the numerous status effects that can be applied.
During the first few runs, players not only have a small pool of heroes to choose from but those heroes aren’t in possession of a full skill set. Over the course of multiple runs, Candles can be used to unlock new heroes and expand the capabilities of their skills used in combat.
Darkest Dungeon II is an intricate game that can feel daunting if players attempt to absorb everything at once. On hero selection at the beginning of a run, it’s possible to see a hero card that breaks down the numerous stats and resistances found in the game. Skills can be assigned and good and bad quirks–as in buffs and debuffs–can be analyzed. While heroes normally have base stats, their quirks are often randomized and can be the difference between whether or not players opt to use them during a run. A dense glossary can be pulled up to scan through the wealth of tips and technical information until icons become second nature.
Players needing a rapid pace for battles are likely to be turned away by the taxing pace inherent in Darkest Dungeon II. This is a game obsessed with minor details that could potentially turn the tide of battle. Extensive planning may not be on the scale of the first game but does exist here. Red Hook Studios designed each hero to operate effectively based on their placement in battle. Skills often require a friendly or an enemy to be placed in the right position for it to be most effective or even work properly. The Highwayman is great in the backline because he can typically attack any spot in the enemy ranks. The mace-wielding Man-at-Arms struggles to hit the back rank but is also capable of knocking enemies back, shifting their placement in the lineup.
There is a deep learning curve to not only understand the flow of battles but to understand how the multitude of enemies operate. Much like the player, groups of monsters will often work together, buffing each other or swapping places to take advantage of positioning. Depleting health doesn’t always mean an enemy is dead, often requiring multiple hits to completely destroy them. Corpses ominously linger, instilling fear into the player on whether or not the dead can come back.
Few battles are guaranteed in Darkest Dungeon II, especially as players get deeper into their journey. I cannot even guess how many times I scraped through thinking I would lose, only for a hero to survive on 1HP and manage to be lucky enough to live. Difficulty is metered, not being too oppressive to completely destroy player morale.
It may feel like Darkest Dungeon II works against the player and in ways, that’s true. Few roguelikes can be toppled from an entirely new save with no permanent upgrades unlocked. Yet it’s possible with enough skill. But here, sometimes skill simply isn’t enough. Obstacles exist literally and figuratively that are meant to push players’ backs against the wall so they learn, restarting a run to push back against the darkness.
There is a kind of beauty in watching one key moment of bad luck or failure cascade into a burnt run. Perhaps one stress-induced meltdown causes a domino effect among the other heroes. Perhaps the dice roll keeps that boss alive for one final breath, enough to employ a devastating attack. This is merely the brutal logic behind Darkest Dungeon II. But it is never meant to be an insurmountable brick wall.
Opportunities crop up throughout the course of the game to not only grow in power but savor the cruelty of the world and its few fragments of light. Players may run into event opportunities along the stagecoach drive, perhaps to assist hapless travelers hoping to survive or simply meeting an ambush head-on. Each hero has the opportunity to respond and based on which of the four options players choose, a relationship may flourish or flounder. Moments like these help build the personality of the characters. Stopping at an inn provides the chance to heal and lower stress, or perhaps hire a new hero if someone in your party has fallen.
At the inn or along the path, players can purchase trinkets, combat items, and consumables using currency earned during battles and events. The stagecoach can be equipped with objects and modifiers to aid in battle. But players must also be aware of where they are headed along the path. Perhaps one path will lead to a hospital. Another may lead to a watchtower that will reveal the further path ahead. Running over rough roads can damage the stagecoach and if the wheels break, a battle ensues with one hero staying out to repair the stagecoach. Along the journey, Loathing may increase which increasingly puts players at a disadvantage based on how higher it is.
The stagecoach holds a flame that is meant to be kept bright, signifying mankind’s burning, yet dwindling hope. When the flame burns bright, heroes have an advantage while enemies enter battle slightly blind. Letting the flame progressively fizzle out runs the risk of enemies getting the first attack in a round or the party being hunted. As with all other aspects of Darkest Dungeon II, varying mechanics will cause the flame to burn brighter or soften and items earned can modify it further.
While mechanically dense, Darkest Dungeon II would be nothing without its outstanding world-building. Narrated by the gravely-voiced Wayne June, Red Hook Studios capitalizes on the eldritch terrors ensconced in its hopeless world. Constantly moody, actions mid-battle and across the game are written with adjective-laden prose, dripping with style. June’s voice gives weight to these soundbites, ensuring they avoid cheekiness, playing with melancholy and despondent dread.
Carrying over the story of Darkest Dungeon, the player and their band of heroes is hired by the Scholar to reach the mountain for some mysterious purpose. The deeper players go into Darkest Dungeon II, the more is revealed, primarily at the onset of a run or when venturing from an inn. Momentarily the player watches the stagecoach wander through a shadowy realm as narration and visual cues breadcrumb the narrative.
Each hero also gets their moments to shine when visiting Shrines of Reflection. These Shrines will allow players to dive into the backstory of a selected hero. These stories are often played out using the turn-based mechanics in unique ways that aren’t necessarily done at the service of combat. As players learn more about heroes, new skills will be unlocked, making Shrines an important stop to help expand their capabilities. At inns, mastery points are used to upgrade a skill once during a run and many later skills work best when used as a combo with another hero’s skills.
Darkest Dungeon II may not incorporate the strict 2D artstyle of the first game but its 3D models are still contained to a side view. The game’s aesthetic is impeccably bleak and stylish, blending steampunk, medieval, and gothic tones to craft a roster of enemies, NPCs, and heroes that could be viably ripped from a number of source materials. The eldritch creatures seen here–especially the bosses–are true cosmic horrors that are not only monstrous but the kind of creepy that seeps into the pores, leaving you with a sickly feeling. But character animation is extremely fluid as well. I loved the touch of the Man-at-Arms always dragging his mace with a scrape of sparks after bashing a foe. Or the flash of a portrait when there was a friendly counter.
So much of Darkest Dungeon II is a monolith of struggle. Daunting is a word I felt bubbling to the surface, especially when navigating the game on controller and its varying menus and walls of information. Daunting was the difficulty, as frequent deaths would prevent me from not only felling a central boss but progressing beyond a few hundred leagues on my stagecoach. But I never felt as if my agency was being stripped away by one edge of the blade or another. And ultimately, the game is stronger for its unyielding efforts to trip the player up.
Again, based on my lack of knowledge of the first Darkest Dungeon I can’t make a solid determination on which is the “better” game. My impression is that Red Hook Studios took the formula of the first and chose a different direction. Rather than building out dozens of new heroes, skills, stories, and elements just to be “the same but more”, the path of a run-based journey allows a fresh approach on each new cycle. The permanent upgrades work to give value to the player’s overall investment while also allowing them to conquer progressively more intense challenges.
Why must the sequel be distinctively better than the original? Well, it simply doesn’t need to be. Knowing that an untimely death yields different degrees of sourness in either game, Darkest Dungeon II meets that challenge in spades. A run that ends in defeat is not wholly lost. It teaches for the next tenuous, fragile road the stagecoach traverses and the player gains new resolve, ready not only to conquer what previously bested them but to push on further.
Darkest Dungeon II is a thrilling knock at the door of death. Who will answer? Red Hook Studios offers little solace for hopeful players wishing for vacancy. This is an unquestionably difficult game, often a selling point for this generation of players. While Darkest Dungeon II may constantly test the mettle of players and unceremoniously send them packing with little effort, it is that singular vision constantly escalating players’ interest. In such a dreary world there is light to be found, whether it be victory or that itch to try again, in spite of the odds.
