Darkest Dungeon 2 – Review Roundup

When I found myself shouting in relief and frenetically raising my fist in the air after a hard battle ends in my favor, I can’t deny the following fact: Darkest Dungeon II is a harsh but fantastic game whose white-knuckled battles and hazard-filled exploration will trap you for hours. If you’re willing to make the needed sacrifices, it’s a journey well worth taking.

GameInformer rating: 8.5/10

It’s easy to appreciate what Darkest Dungeon 2 is, though; a gloomy road trip through a dying world, bolstered by excellent combat, and art design. Even though I think it feels like a somewhat conflicted game in terms of wanting players to experiment, but requiring significant progression to enable it, there’s a lot of fun to be had in exploring each region, fighting battles tooth and nail, and enjoying the nightmarish scenery and mood. It’s definitely not as obsession-inducing as the first game, but there’s still plenty to love, especially for those who enjoy the setting and will get a kick out of seeing it further fleshed out.

PCGamer rating: 75/100

Overall, I feel like Darkest Dungeon 2 works well, though I’d appreciate some node variety and finer tuning of some enemies. It may not exactly inspire a wave of pretenders like the original but adds its own disturbing twist on familiar genres while providing plenty of replay value. Ruin may have finally found players with its exit from early access, but it’s an enjoyable road to redemption regardless.

Gamebolt rating: 8/10

Darkest Dungeon II is easily accessible to players who are willing to push past their initial failures. All challenges can be overcome and you are never permanently locked out of victory. You have a variety of resources and strategies available to you that make you feel like you are in control. The road ahead can seem helpless, but you can’t give up hope. Eventually, you will beat the enemies at the Mountain and you will feel proud of the progress you made.

Checkpoint Gaming rating: 9/10

Darkest Dungeon II is not the game I wanted. It’s its own thing that is a darn fun game with a lot of interesting mechanics and beautiful artwork. One can’t pre-judge DDII based on a player’s opinion of the original. It shares a tone, a combat system, and a general aesthetic, but the flow and style of gameplay is so different that it is entirely its own thing. It will take hardened Darkest Dungeon players a bit to adjust to the change. If you’re willing to go with the flow, it’s an engaging and exciting title, if not quite the masterpiece of the original.

Worthplaying rating: 8/10