Info about Darkest Dungeon® II:

Official game description:
Just Updated
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“The toad, the snake and the spider will delight in the blackened dawn.”  
Our second Kingdoms adventure module - Secrets of the Coven - is available to play now in Darkest Dungeon II.  
Something strange is afoot. The unseen threads of witchcraft are at work, pulling at the seams of the Kingdom. Follow clues to uncover and eradicate this mysterious coven before their subversive influence takes root!  
Steam Workshop Added!
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Now includes Steam Workshop integration! Download mods made by the Darkest Dungeon II community or create your own and tweak the game to your liking. Click the header to check out the created mods and to learn about mod creation for Darkest Dungeon II!
About the Game
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Darkest Dungeon II is a roguelike road trip of the damned. Form a party, equip your stagecoach, and set off across the decaying landscape on a last gasp quest to avert the apocalypse. The greatest dangers you face, however, may come from within...  
**_New Game Mode - Kingdoms - Now Playable!_**  
_“This squalid Kingdom, these corrupted lands, they are yours now, and you are bound to them.”_  
Kingdoms is an entirely new stand-alone strategic campaign game mode available to play now in Darkest Dungeon II.  
Featuring a completely reimagined game structure, Kingdoms is a parallel game experience to the Confessions core game mode. You will be challenged to defend a crumbling realm against incursion from all new enemy factions.  
Manage a persistent roster of heroes, gather resources, and pursue an epic questline in order to track down and defeat the source of evil before all is lost.  
Progress in each game mode is tracked separately, and you can freely switch back and forth between active sessions of either.  
Kingdoms is being released in thematic modules, each focusing on a different enemy threat. The first two modules - “Hunger of the Beast Clan” and “Secrets of the Coven”- are available now!  
**_Gather your courage and ride out into the chaos of a world undone._**  
Four heroes and a stagecoach are all that stand between darkness and salvation.  
**_Tried and True Turn-based Combat, Improved_**  
The ground-breaking genre-defining combat from Darkest Dungeon returns, but everything from stats to rules has been refined and improved. The all new Token System helps make your decisions impactful while adding even more depth of play.  
**_Unforgettable Heroes_**  
Uncover and experience the tragic origin stories of each hero. Unlock their full potential via new skills, paths, items, and more.  
**_Roguelike Runs, Each With Its Own Emerging Story_**  
Each expedition lasts from 30 minutes to several hours. Even an untimely end will arm you with resources that can be spent to improve your next journey.  
**_The Altar of Hope_**  
Engage with a massive system of upgrades and boons that opens up new strategies for each expedition. Choose what’s important to you as you formulate your assaults on the Mountain.  
**_The Affinity System_**  
As travels progress, heroes bond with each other or grate on each others’ nerves, leading to desperately needed combat synergies or journey-ending dysfunction. Manage their stress and interaction to keep the team together until the bitter end.  
**_Nightmarish Environs_**  
From the burning Sprawl to the diseased Foetor, the long road to the Mountain will challenge your strategies and your endurance.  
Explore five distinct regions, each with their own unique creatures and challenges.  
**_A Moment’s Peace_**  
Rest your weary, shell-shocked heroes at the Inn, where you can relieve their stress and try to improve their relationships with a variety of diversions and delights.  
**_Face Your Failures_**  
Journey to the Mountain and face down five terrifying manifestations of your weaknesses.  
**_Signature Art Style, Evolved_**  
Darkest Dungeon’s genre-defining art now improved with no expense spared on 3D visuals, animation, and visual FX.  
**_A Feast for the Ears_**  
The audio team from Darkest Dungeon is back. Revel in an all new narration performance by voice actor Wayne June, a brand new expansive score by Stuart Chatwood, and bone-crunching sound effects from Power Up Audio.

Release date: 8 May, 2023

Categories: Roguelike, Turn-based Combat, Strategic Combat, Character Progression, Meta-Progression, Hero Management, Resource Management, Kingdom Management


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Overall Excellent & Addictive Game (weight 1): Players overwhelmingly praise the game as a fantastic, addictive, and highly enjoyable experience. Many consider it a masterpiece and a worthy successor to the first game, often preferring it due to its unique direction and improved elements. The game's ability to provide a challenging yet rewarding experience, coupled with its immersive atmosphere and replayability, keeps players hooked for hundreds of hours.
- Stunning Visuals & Animations (weight 0.37): The game's visual presentation, including its art style, graphics, and animations, receives widespread acclaim. Players highlight the successful transition to 3D while retaining the original's aesthetic, noting the improved detail, fluidity, and impact of character and enemy movements. This visual overhaul significantly enhances the game's dark, gothic atmosphere and overall immersion.
- Kingdoms Mode is a Game-Changer (weight 0.31): The recently added 'Kingdoms' mode is a major highlight, frequently described as a game-changer and a significant improvement. Players appreciate this free update for its strategic depth, replayability, and its successful blend of elements from both the first and second games, offering a fresh and engaging long-form experience that many had hoped for from the sequel.
- Improved & Strategic Combat (weight 0.28): The combat system is widely praised for its significant improvements, increased strategic depth, and reduced reliance on RNG, particularly through the new token system. Players feel more in control of battles, finding them more dynamic, predictable, and ultimately more satisfying. These changes make the game more accessible while maintaining a challenging and engaging experience.
- Deep Character Stories & Relationships (weight 0.2): The game's focus on character development, including detailed backstories and the new relationship system, is highly appreciated. Players enjoy uncovering the lore of each hero and forming attachments to them, finding that these elements add significant depth, personality, and emotional weight to the gameplay experience.
- Effective Roguelite Design (weight 0.11): The shift to a roguelite format is generally well-received, with players enjoying the run-based structure and meta-progression. This design choice is seen as a positive change, offering high replayability and a less grindy experience compared to the first game, while still providing a challenging and rewarding loop.
- Strong Developer Support (weight 0.1): Red Hook Studios receives significant praise for their ongoing commitment to the game, consistently releasing free updates, new content, and balance changes. Players appreciate the developers' responsiveness to community feedback and their dedication to evolving and improving the game post-launch.
- Exceptional Narration & Voice Acting (weight 0.06): The game's narration, particularly the return of the iconic narrator Wayne June, is a standout feature. His voice acting and grim poetry significantly contribute to the game's immersive atmosphere and overall presentation, enhancing the player's experience.

Common complaints:
- Grindy, unrewarding progression (weight 0.94): The game's progression system, particularly the meta-progression and character unlocks, is widely criticized as being too grindy, slow, and unrewarding. Players feel that runs often yield minimal progress, and the time investment required to unlock essential skills or items is excessive and tedious.
- Major downgrade from DD1 (weight 0.73): Many players feel the game is a significant downgrade from its predecessor, Darkest Dungeon 1. They express disappointment with changes to core mechanics, atmosphere, progression, and overall gameplay loop, often stating it lost the 'soul' or 'magic' of the original.
- Tedious stagecoach travel (weight 0.63): The stagecoach travel mechanic is a major point of contention, described as boring, tedious, and a significant time sink. Players feel it unnecessarily prolongs runs and detracts from the core gameplay, lacking the exploration and engagement of the first game's dungeon crawling.
- Lack of content and hero variety (weight 0.62): Players express dissatisfaction with the limited variety of enemies, bosses, and locations, leading to repetitive combat encounters. Additionally, the hero progression system is seen as minimal, with characters feeling weaker and less customizable than in the first game, and a lack of new heroes.
- Unfair difficulty and RNG (weight 0.44): Players frequently report that the game's difficulty feels unfair and relies too heavily on random number generation (RNG) rather than player skill or strategy. This leads to frustrating losses, especially against bosses with specific, often unclear, gimmicks that require very particular team compositions.
- DLC locks core characters (weight 0.08): A significant number of players are upset that beloved characters from the first game, such as the Crusader, are locked behind paid DLC. This is perceived as a greedy move, especially given the game's initial price and perceived lack of content.

Gameplay feedback:
- Genre shift to roguelike (weight 0.33): The game has fundamentally shifted its genre from a dungeon crawler with town management (like DD1) to a roguelike/roguelite experience. This means gameplay is now centered around self-contained, run-based expeditions with less emphasis on persistent progression and more on starting fresh each time.
- Major differences from DD1 (weight 0.33): The game introduces significant changes from its predecessor, DD1, particularly in its core gameplay loop, progression systems, and the removal of hamlet management. While retaining the art style, characters, and turn-based combat, the overall experience is distinct.
- High difficulty and learning curve (weight 0.2): The game is consistently described as difficult, punishing, and unforgiving, requiring significant strategic thinking, patience, and a willingness to learn from repeated failures. Players should expect a steep learning curve and many restarts.
- Candle-based meta-progression (weight 0.16): The game features a meta-progression system where 'Candles of Hope' are earned from runs (even failed ones) and spent at the Altar of Hope to permanently unlock new heroes, items, character paths, and minor stat upgrades, making subsequent runs smoother.
- New 'Kingdoms' mode (weight 0.15): The new 'Kingdoms' game mode offers a longer, campaign-based experience that reintroduces elements of kingdom management, base defense, and persistent hero progression, reminiscent of the first game's style. It provides an alternative to the roguelite 'Confessions' mode.
- Refined token-based combat (weight 0.13): Combat has been refined with the introduction of a token system for buffs and debuffs, which aims to reduce RNG and provide more transparency and strategic depth. This system influences decision-making and character synergies in battles.
- New hero relationship system (weight 0.13): A new relationship system between heroes significantly impacts gameplay, with positive bonds providing buffs and negative ones causing conflicts in combat. This system requires active management and adds a layer of complexity to party dynamics.
- Challenging, gimmick-based bosses (weight 0.12): The game features multiple challenging bosses, including regional and final 'Confession' bosses, each with unique mechanics that often require specific team compositions and strategic understanding to overcome. These bosses serve as major milestones in each run.
- Revised hero management (weight 0.08): Hero management has changed; characters are no longer permanently lost upon death in 'Confessions' mode but reset their progress for the next run. Each hero has unique paths and unlockable skills, with a focus on building a cohesive team for each expedition.
- Confessions mode like Slay the Spire (weight 0.07): The primary game mode, 'Confessions,' is a roguelite experience with a map layout and progression style similar to 'Slay the Spire,' focusing on single-run expeditions to a final boss. This mode emphasizes replayability and strategic pathing.

Performance notes:
- Mixed performance and bugs (weight 0.02): Player feedback on performance is mixed. While some users report good optimization and no issues, others experience minor bugs, lag, and loading screen freezes. This suggests inconsistent performance across different systems or specific scenarios.
- Improved and optimized graphics (weight 0.02): The game's graphics are well-optimized and look good, even in 4K. The transition from 2D to 3D is noted, with players generally finding the visuals and fidelity improved.
- Great atmosphere and world design (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the game's atmosphere and the visual design of its environments. The sectors and biomes are described as looking good and effectively conveying the game's thematic elements.
- Inconsistent Steam Deck support (weight 0.01): There are conflicting reports regarding Steam Deck compatibility. Some users state the game runs well, while others experience issues with the built-in controller.
- Retains original aesthetic (weight 0): Despite changes, the game successfully retains the core aesthetic and 'vibes' of its predecessor, which is important for maintaining continuity for fans.
- 3D CG doesn't hinder combat (weight 0): The introduction of 3D CG has not negatively impacted the combat tempo, suggesting a successful integration of new visual elements without compromising gameplay flow.
- Animation speedup option (weight 0): An experimental speedup option for animations is available, which is a positive feature for players who prefer faster gameplay.
- Console overheating concern (weight 0): One player noted that their console gets hot during summer gameplay, which could indicate high resource usage or a need for better cooling.

Recommendations:
- Mixed Recommendation, Price Sensitive (weight 0.39): Player sentiment on recommending the game is highly varied, ranging from strong recommendations to outright warnings against purchase. Many suggest buying only during sales due to perceived high full price. The game's appeal often depends on player preference for specific genres or challenging experiences.
- High Player Ratings (weight 0.05): Many players rate the game highly, often giving it 9/10 or 10/10 scores. They praise its overall quality, design, and atmosphere, considering it a masterpiece or a very strong entry in its genre.
- Roguelike Appeal Varies (weight 0.02): The game's roguelike elements are a major point of discussion. It is generally recommended for fans of the roguelike genre, particularly those who enjoy brutal, turn-based combat. However, some feel it lacks the variety or replayability of other roguelikes.
- Anticipation for Future Content (weight 0.02): Players express excitement for future updates and DLCs, indicating a desire for more content. Some recommend waiting for more content or purchasing the game with all available DLCs for a complete experience.
- Purchase Regret and Refunds (weight 0.01): A small but vocal group of players express regret over their purchase, citing bugs or overall dissatisfaction, and wish they could refund the game. This indicates some significant negative experiences.
- Variable Long-Term Engagement (weight 0.01): Some players have mixed feelings about the game's long-term engagement, with some stopping after a relatively short time while others keep returning. There's also a suggestion that modding can improve the experience.
- Game Feels Unfinished (weight 0.01): Some players feel the game is unfinished or requires further refinement. They hope for future patches to address existing problems and improve the overall experience for the average gamer.

Other player notes:
- Strong story and themes (weight 0.1): The game's narrative elements, including the overarching story, character backstories, and thematic depth, are generally well-received. Players appreciate the detailed character development and the exploration of themes like hope, suffering, and human nature.
- Valuable DLCs and expansions (weight 0.04): The game offers various DLCs and expansions, including the free 'Kingdoms' mode. While some DLCs are paid, they add significant content like new maps and characters, and players are generally looking forward to future additions.
- Exceptional soundtrack (weight 0.02): The game's soundtrack is highly regarded, with many players finding the music to be memorable, atmospheric, and a significant enhancement to the overall experience.
- Modding support limited (weight 0.02): The transition to 3D models has made modding more challenging compared to the first game. Modders currently lack essential tools, limiting the scope of community-created content, though some cosmetic and gameplay mods are available.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.3): Players feel satisfied by the game's deep, rewarding, and challenging gameplay, especially when overcoming difficult runs and mastering new mechanics. The game's engaging combat, strategic depth, and successful reinterpretation of the series, along with its high replayability and improved accessibility, contribute significantly to this positive emotion. The rich character stories, stunning art style, captivating narration, and consistent developer support further enhance the overall enjoyable experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Frustration stems from tedious mechanics, an imbalanced early game, and perceived unfair difficulty spikes, often exacerbated by unfavorable RNG and punishing mechanics like losing all progress after a run. Players are also annoyed by slow travel, long animations, and a clunky UI, alongside developer decisions that invalidate strategies or nerf characters. The relationship system and specific boss mechanics are frequently cited as sources of irritation.
- Disappointment (weight 0.13): Disappointment arises from the game's perceived stripping away of compelling features from the original, such as hero progression and the Hamlet system, leading to a feeling of reduced strategic depth and lower replayability. Players express dissatisfaction with the roguelike progression system, which often makes runs feel like a waste of time, and a general sense that the game does not live up to the quality or expectations set by its predecessor.
- Excitement (weight 0.06): Excitement is driven by the game's brutal difficulty, tactical gameplay, and the constant rush of epic fights, animations, and music. The introduction of new content, particularly the 'Kingdoms' mode, and the anticipation of future updates, significantly contribute to this emotion. Players are also thrilled by the improved combat, hero depth, and the game's overall addictive nature and engaging elements.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Players experience enjoyment from the game's overall strategic challenge, high replayability, and immersive run-based nature. The engaging combat, compelling atmosphere, and new mechanics, combined with the appealing art style and turn-based combat, contribute to a fun and addictive experience. The game's ability to provide a challenging yet rewarding journey, along with its character backstories and overall quality, solidifies this positive feeling.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Appreciation is felt for the developers' consistent support, regular updates, and willingness to take risks and innovate, especially with the addition of new game modes like 'Kingdoms'. Players value the game's high artistic quality, including its stunning art style, music, and narration, as well as the detailed character backstories and the overall effort put into the game's design and atmosphere.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger is primarily caused by unreasonable design choices, perceived unfairness in gameplay, and frustrating mechanics that lead to wasted time and progress. Players are particularly incensed by developer decisions regarding DLC characters, balance changes, and game systems that feel inconsistent or lack a sense of achievement. Specific boss encounters and instances of bad RNG that result in unavoidable deaths also fuel this emotion.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy is experienced through the game's overall fun factor, engaging gameplay, and successful progression. Players find delight in the game's distinctiveness, quality, and the introduction of new content like the 'Kingdoms' update. The familiar characters, mechanics, humorous in-game interactions, and the narrator's voice further enhance this positive and often addictive experience.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration is directed towards the game designers' skill in world-building, narration, and the overall quality of the combat system and art style. Players are impressed by the developers' commitment, free content updates, and their willingness to experiment and innovate. The game's stunning graphics, animations, and the iconic aesthetic, including Wayne June's narration and Stuart Chatwood's music, are also highly admired.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game stems from its overall immersive experience, often becoming a favorite single-player game due to its compelling characters, new themes, and addictive roguelike elements. Players deeply appreciate the game's improvements, features, and its ability to fulfill expectations, particularly its aesthetics, combat, and the unique pressure, tension, and stress it evokes.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom is primarily caused by the game's repetitive gameplay loop, particularly monotonous travel time in the stagecoach and repetitive mob battles. Players feel a lack of variety in content and map changes, leading to long and unengaging runs. The game's slow pace and the feeling of a prolonged 'foreplay' before engaging with core gameplay also contribute to this sense of tedium.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance arises from forced mechanics like the carriage ride, a mouse-unfriendly UI, and repetitive actions. Players are irritated by perceived incompetence in balancing the path system, clunky inn phases, and the long, grindy meta-progression. Unbalanced heroes, useless subclasses, and negative relationship mechanics also contribute to this feeling of irritation.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is generated by the game's continuous improvement through ongoing updates and the potential for future content and modding. Players express a desire for new characters and balance changes, believing that current issues can be resolved. The game's ability to provide a reason to try again after setbacks also fosters this positive outlook.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise occurs when the game exceeds initial expectations, often being better than first impressions or mixed reviews suggested. Players are unexpectedly delighted by the game's quality, especially after overcoming initial skepticism or having to re-learn mechanics. The latest free updates and the game's ability to feel more alive also contribute to this positive surprise.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stems from the game's unclear design, particularly regarding upgrade systems, ability descriptions, and illogical relationship mechanics. Players struggle with initial story clarity, PC controls, and a convoluted token system. The introduction of new game modes and difficulty mechanisms without clear explanations also contributes to this bewilderment.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement is derived from the game's challenging nature, often in the face of difficulty and character loss, and the absurdity of certain in-game events. Players find humor in the 'Ancestor's' voice lines, the game's unique and dark emergent storytelling, and the chaotic nature of character relationships and stress breakdowns.
- Challenge (weight 0.01): The emotion of challenge is directly caused by the game's high difficulty and steep learning curve. Players find the game brutal and demanding, requiring significant time commitment to overcome its inherent obstacles.
- Nostalgia (weight 0): Nostalgia is triggered by comparisons to the first Darkest Dungeon game, particularly missing its campaign structure, hero persistence, and customization options. Players long for the original game's permanence, the ability to manage a large roster of characters, and the overall essence of the first installment.
- Addiction (weight 0): Addiction is driven by the game's compelling gameplay loop, even in the face of repeated failures. The game's engaging qualities and inherent challenge create a strong desire for continuous play.
- Relief (weight 0): Relief is experienced when the game becomes less frustrating compared to its predecessor, particularly with the removal of permadeath and the introduction of consistent progression. Players feel a sense of ease when the game becomes more manageable, reaches a recommendable state, or offers streamlined mechanics and balanced randomness.}