Style wins out in a lot of cases when it comes to video games. Fun gameplay is essential, but for games that really carve out their own world and encapsulate the player in a unique experience, other shortcomings are easier to overlook. That’s the case with Darkest Dungeon 2, the follow-up to Red Hook Studios’ popular Rogue-lite that embraces the dark and asks players to give into eerie theming and fast-paced action. After spending time with the game on the Nintendo Switch, let’s talk about what works and what isn’t quite hitting the mark.

Red Hook produced a sequel to the beloved Darkest Dungeon that actually mixes up the formula quite a bit. Rather than focus on a campaign, Darkest Dungeon 2 offers players an opportunity at multiple gut-wrenching runs toward a mountain that offers the characters traveling on a rickety, dim light-guided carriage toward salvation. You still get stronger each time you make a run, including mentally by learning the cracks and crevices of your opponents. Still, it’s a gamble to mess with what works, and Red Hook pulls it off.

You’re surrounded by gloom and terror as you traverse toward the mountain, and the story does offer you bits and pieces of lore along the way to find out why things ended up so awful here. As you steer the carriage forward on paths through really spooky settings, you’re able to pick up loot and choose splits in the road that take you to various challenges. Hit too many pieces of debris or rough terrain and you’ll break down, forced to fight for your life. Of course, between traveling the horrifying path of Darkest Dungeon 2 is the beloved turn-based combat of the first game.

With your four-person team of doomed survivors, you take on an array of enemies that vary based on the paths you take on the road. Enemies have familiar things like resistance buffs, special attacks, and other sneaky attributes that you’ll need to identify to be successful. You’ll also need to get to know your team well enough to use their skills and abilities effectively. Unfortunately, unlike the first time, runs of Darkest Dungeon 2 are shorter and result in a re-roll once a run is completed, leaving you little time to truly learn the characters or become attached to them.

With such a rich array of attributes and in-game conditions to learn, I’m disappointed that it felt so difficult to learn all of the symbols associated with gameplay mechanics. You have a handy glossary that tells you what each icon means, but you lack the ability to quickly identify what all the different symbols mean without pulling out a huge in-game guide that’s not all that fun to navigate. Coupled with the decision to offer shorter, truncated pieces of the story rather than an overarching campaign, Darkest Dungeon 2 can feel a bit staggered, even in its brightest moments.

With some of the more negative aspects of the game addressed, let’s talk about what really works. The stylization of Darkest Dungeon 2 is wonderful. The visuals, which are now in 3D, are remarkable and one of a kind. Our incredible narrator (Wayne June) from the first game returns, the aggressiveness of the character and enemy designs as well as the world itself offer so much dread and depth. Rogue-lites are a dime a dozen nowadays, but Darkest Dungeon 2 offers enough intrinsic artistry to make it stand out.

Another element I love is that combat still feels wonderful. You’re also rarely going to be doomed just because one character dies during a run. Make it to the next inn checkpoint and you’re able to recruit a new member from a random class. You’ll lack the cohesion that the original group develops in battle, but you have a fighting chance. That’s a good thing considering it took me dozens of hours to really feel like I was invested in the game loop.

There’s a good chance that fans of the first Darkest Dungeon will have two experiences. Firstly, they’ll see the changes as a developer choice and still find the core aura of the first game in its sequel. The others may find too many changes to enjoy the new experience. The depth of systems and drastic art style may also make some newcomers feel a bit overwhelmed from the start. With about 38 hours into my time with the game, I feel like I finally have my groove. Not every gamer is going to have that curiosity and time to commit to a less-than-sure thing, however.

Darkest Dungeon 2 excels in providing an expanded experience from its original, critically acclaimed game. I’d always rather see a studio take chances on new elements than revisiting already traveled paths. Not every moment in Darkest Dungeon 2 feels fine-tuned and fantastic, but much like its in-game world, you’re working with what you have to carve out the journey you can. For me and my time with the game, that resulted in a good amount of fun that may not earn many more of my gaming hours moving forward into a busy fall and winter of releases.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Darkest Dungeon 2 was provided by Red Hook Studios for the purposes of this review.

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Darkest Dungeon 2

$39.99

6.5

Score

6.5/10

Pros

• Wonderful art style and character/world design
• Turn-based combat still feels fun
• Minor improvements to the Rogue-lite loop are noticable

Cons

• Player interface is not very accessible to newcomers
• Lack of investment in the characters
• Dense mechanics leave you feeling like you're solving puzzles more than enjoying a great Rogue-lite