Oblivion’s Ramparts are fights against tough cultist enemies but generally manageable if prepared for properly. Surviving these fights isn’t guaranteed as, at the end of the region, players still have to contend with the gatekeeping Oblivion’s Rampart node before making it to the next inn safely. Lairs are multiple fight events against two waves of region-specific enemies and an extremely difficult mini-boss. This difficulty increase starts with the second chapter, as lair nodes become mandatory due to needing to equip the trophy won from one of them to even fight the Mountain boss. There are five chapters in total that each add a bit more of the player’s backstory while making the route to the Mountain more difficult. Every bit of descriptive dialogue is delightfully delivered by the droll Academic, the game’s narrator, voiced again by the returning Wayne June.Ī basic run of Darkest Dungeon II will have players traverse through ruinous regions and climb the Mountain to fight a chapter boss. The Mountain and these backstories are where the nameless player and the heroes confront their decisions that have led to crumbling psyches born from madness, anger, frustration, and guilt that they wish to atone for. Four of these heroes hop in the stagecoach and travel through ruinous regions to reach the Mountain. With the focus still on gameplay, this leaves a few paragraphs of backstory that can be found for each of the twelve playable heroes in the game. The story and world building of Darkest Dungeon II has small compelling stories littered throughout the experience. Even the best laid plans can be waylaid by random chance though, so for every bit of strategy utilized there’s still a nail-biting conclusion to make sure it works.

Brutally hard combat still pervades every step of the way, needing careful strategy and some luck to survive making every step forward feel like an accomplishment. Red Hook Studios took the familiar side-view roguelite tactical gameplay of its first title, blending it with a new travel perspective and different mechanics to give a fresh experience to Darkest Dungeon II.

Some games build a reputation for being difficult, and this can be a significant challenge to balance that difficulty in a fresh way that still feels true to the experience.

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