Darkest Dungeon 2 is free this weekend on Steam as horrible mosquito folk swarm the Kingdom

Red Hook merchandise 3rd and last portion of boardgame-style spin-off mode

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

Red Hook person conscionable released the 3rd and last portion of Darkest Dungeon 2’s Kingdoms mode - a boardgame-style add-on acquisition that sees you moving a stagecoach astir a map’s worthy of benighted inns, fending disconnected pigmen, witches and - arsenic of this update - elephantine mosquitos.

To celebrate, they’ve besides made the basal roguelike RPG escaped connected Steam until September 1st. Admittedly, being offered Darkest Dungeon 2 for escaped is simply a spot similar idiosyncratic warmly offering to springiness you the plague. But this is the amusive benignant of plague, a plague affluent successful dicey turn-based battles, grindy but engrossing quality development, and suppurating vistas of cthulhoid swampfields.

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I deliberation that, connected balance, I similar the archetypal Darkest Dungeon’s cliffside ambience and town/dungeon format. I find the older side-scrolling dungeons little fussy than the 2nd game’s branching 3D roadworthy systems, and I deliberation the archetypal game’s handling of sanity and acheronian is expressed much compellingly done the layered dungeon soundtrack. Here is what Joe Donnelly thought astir it successful 2016: "You’ll cry. And outcry and outcry and cry. But I deliberation you’ll emotion it."

I deliberation the 2nd game’s combat strategy is superior, though – it boils disconnected immoderate of the numberfluff and introduces a much readable strategy of HUD tokens, portion retaining the same, diabolical narration betwixt enactment subordinate positioning and accomplishment availability. Laena Hafer summarised the crippled thusly successful our 2023 Darkest Dungeon 2 review: "A roguelite sequel that takes a fewer steps guardant and 1 oregon 2 backmost from the original, but keeps the gloomy but aggravated tone alive."

If you’ve played neither, some are fine, gruelling RPGs with astonishing narration and glorious visuals chopped consecutive from the pages of Hellboy. Kingdoms brings backmost a small of the archetypal game’s feel, joined to the 2nd game’s wagoneering, but is beauteous overmuch its ain thing. You indispensable support inns arsenic they travel nether siege, portion travelling astir to stitchery enactment members and implicit a cardinal questline earlier the representation is swamped by nasties. Speaking of which, here's what they're adding successful the 3rd large Kingdoms update Curse of the Court, which is disposable now:

Swarms of Bloodsuckers person descended upon the Kingdom, bringing with them a supernatural contagion that tin inflict your heroes with the dreaded Crimson Curse! Players volition beryllium challenged successful an all-new questline to find a cure for this rapidly spreading corruption and exterminate The Bloodsuckers earlier clip runs out! Additionally, this merchandise features caller achievements to earn, and 3 caller Kingdoms maps, each with a antithetic layout that presents a unsocial acceptable of challenges. These caller maps are playable connected immoderate of the 3 antithetic Kingdoms modules.

If you travel down with a terrible lawsuit of Dankest Sturgeon 2 this weekend, instrumentality comfortableness successful the cognition that they’re moving a discount alongside the escaped timed promotion - 63% off, oregon much if you bargain a bundle with each the DLC. Read much connected Steam.