Darkest Dungeon 2 is in development at Red Hook Studios. The sequel to 2016’s grim RPG/management simulator was announced today, although not many details were shared about the upcoming sequel. No release information or platforms have been shared.
Red Hook Studios announced the game today with a short teaser trailer. The teaser features six of the hero classes from the original Darkest Dungeon. The Grave Robber, Leper, Man-at-Arms, Plague Doctor, Highwayman, and Hellion all appear to be returning in the sequel. Also returning to Darkest Dungeon 2 are the first game’s composer Stuart Chatwood, the narrator Wayne Jude, and sound effects crew Power Up.
Darkest Dungeon 2 is bringing the first game’s turn-based combat system back, although it is being significantly retooled. The metagame structure is also being reworked, but Red Hook Studios didn’t share exactly how.
PC Gamer interviewed Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa of Red Hook Studios and gleaned a bit more information from them about Darkest Dungeon 2. The setting of the game was one big question, as the trailer seems to showcase a different part of the world and is subtitled with “The Howling End.”
“In Darkest Dungeon 2, we’re giving players a glimpse of the supernatural apocalypse twisting and distorting the world beyond the estate… and that’s all we’re going to say about that for now.”
The team also touched on how difficult Darkest Dungeon was to develop, as the small team size caused a lot of mental and physical stress on them as the game was being developed. Red Hook Studios has grown to 14 and the developer wants to remain small.
Darkest Dungeon 2 will be launching into early access at some point in the future, following the release trajectory of its predecessor. The first Darkest Dungeon received two major expansions over its lifetime, with The Crimson Court and The Color of Madness expanding that game’s scope. Darkest Dungeon 2 has no release window or date attached to it.
