World Wide

Canada

United States

United Kingdom

France

Germany

Russia

Sweden

Norway

Denmark

An all-new highway to hell awaits intrepid travelers in Darkest Dungeon II. Billed as a "roguelike road-trip of the damned", the hotly anticipated sequel ups the ante with a new role for the player: shepherding four adventurers on a desperate quest to avert an apocalypse. The game has big boots to fill following the breakout success of its predecessor, so Intel Gaming Access jumped aboard a stagecoach with game design director Tyler Sigman, and creative- and art-director Chris Bourassa, co-founders of Red Hook Studios in Vancouver, Canada, to find out just how big their feet are.
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/DD2_Gap_Assets/DD1..jpg" alt="" />
Darkest Dungeon was Red Hook Studios' first game, and one of those out-of-the-blue smashes that gets everyone’s attention. That level of success also turns up the heat on any sequel, which the team has responded to with a game that both builds on everything that was great about the first one, and takes players on a completely new journey. As with the first game, Darkest Dungeon II is set in a gothic-horror, low-fantasy, HP Lovecraft-inspired world where evil powers are threatening to consume everything. This time, however, the player assumes new responsibilities in the fight to save the world from the fallout of previous mistakes.
"The core of Darkest Dungeon II is the turn-based tactical combat that made the original game a success," said Tyler. "However, the system has been rebuilt from the ground up and refined, with new 3D art and animations that stay true to the distinctive Darkest Dungeon art style. It’s designed to appeal to players new to the Darkest Dungeon world, not just those who have played the first game."
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/DD2_Gap_Assets/DD2.jpg" alt="" />
The game is structured around five 'Confessions', each a challenging expedition in which you assemble a party of four heroes and navigate a series of deadly regions on a quest to reach an imposing end boss. The journey is made via stagecoach, and along the way you need to not only equip and sustain your heroes, but choose your routes strategically in order to make best use of your limited resources. "The biggest evolution we made is in the metagame loop," Tyler explained. "We leaned into a true roguelite structure where you play individual quests, but they’re linked together by a metagame progression hub, called 'The Altar of Hope'."
In Darkest Dungeon II, you experience each hero’s backstory via five narrative chapters, which unlock new, persistent skills for the hero. It’s noteworthy that two of each hero’s chapters are lovingly crafted, interactive vignettes where the experience is communicated through the turn-based combat system. "These are some very memorable scenes that are quite unusual to see expressed as combat," said Chris. "For example, the Plague Doctor reflects upon her early days at University arguing with her professor, or the Jester delves into the madness of the melodies in his head."
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/DD2_Gap_Assets/DD3.jpg" alt="" />
Fresh Dungeon Vibes
"Darkest Dungeon II strikes a different thematic tone than the original," Chris continued. "We’ve eschewed nihilism for a more hopeful message of atonement and self-sacrifice—facing down great evils at great cost, for the benefit of all. But we’ve sacrificed none of the horror and awfulness players have come to expect." 
Inspiration for the sequel came from a range of sources, including the WWII movie Fury, Lovecraft’s stories Thing on the Doorstep and Mountains of Madness, and JRR Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings. "We wanted to explore the idea of a small, imperfect group of adventurers who must endure a desperate journey through a hostile world," said Chris.
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/DD2_Gap_Assets/DD4.jpg" alt="" />
"Art-wise, Darkest Dungeon has always been distinctive thanks to Chris’s unique art style," Tyler said. "But in this sequel, we carried that style forward into 3D with full animation. The result is a game that is still clearly Darkest Dungeon, but to new, eye-pleasing and jaw-dropping excess."
The community has been instrumental in helping the team build up Darkest Dungeon II to the game it is now. A ton of player feedback was received and implemented throughout the Early Access phase, all of which helped guide decisions on new features and improvements to some of the game’s bigger systems. "The Darkest Dungeon community is a dedicated and passionate bunch," said Tyler. "We have a thriving Discord community and modding support on Darkest Dungeon has been incredible." 
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/DD2_Gap_Assets/DD5.jpg" alt="" />
Optimizing Darkest Dungeon II for PC is one of the team’s top priorities, for good reason. "Darkest Dungeon has sold over 6.5 million copies, and over five million of those copies are on PC," Tyler explained. "That means our biggest audience is PC, and it’s vital that we deliver them a game that runs well, even though the graphics are now more intensive due to being 3D."
The Darkest Dungeon journey has been a transformative one for Red Hook Studios, and as the launch of Darkest Dungeon II hoves into view, it’s one that’s far from over. "Our focus right now is on delivering the best game we can on May 8th, but we already have some plans for post 1.0 support and additions, including free content and quality-of-life updates," said Tyler. "We also plan to eventually support Steam Deck, and potentially other operating systems."
"If we are fortunate enough for the game to find an audience, then we also plan to create DLC, something that was well-received for Darkest Dungeon," Tyler continued. "DLC is great because it allows us to keep adding to the game, thanks to players who support us by purchasing it." Judging by the popularity of the first game, the audience is ready, and all the signs are that Darkest Dungeon II will give them just what they’re waiting for.
Wishlist Darkest Dungeon II on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1940340/Darkest_Dungeon_II/">Steam</a> or at <a href="https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/darkest-dungeon-2">Epic Games Store</a>.

Preview: Darkest Dungeon II is Ready for Adventure