Darkest Dungeon II Reviews

Darkest Dungeon II is ranked in the 83rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Unscored
Nov 1, 2021

In the transferral to true roguelike, Darkest Dungeon 2 has got a little lost in the woods. But from what I've glimpsed through the trees, it'll be a handsome coach when it finally arrives, done and dusky. I'll happily hop aboard then.

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May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon 2 takes everything about the first game and amplifies it. It's darker, and more brooding, but oozes more personality. It's not easy, but the long exhale after a successful expedition is difficult to match.

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4.5 / 5.0
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon II isn’t an easy experience to dive into, but it is a worthwhile one. Those willing to muscle through its punishing design and RNG elements will find one of the best roguelike titles around, and can expect to be drawn back into its world for months or years to come.

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8 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

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.

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9 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon II is a gruelling experience where you constantly fail and luck isn't on your side. But as you learn from your mistakes and unlock more resources, the challenges can be conquered, and it feels mighty good to do so. Veterans of the previous game will be surprised by the reworked mechanics, and it will take some time to adapt. Though that doesn't take away from the huge amount of enjoyment the game is able to instil and the exhilaration you get when exploring Darkest Dungeon II with an open mind. For a roguelite experience that pushes your creativity and tolerance to the limit, you'll struggle to find much better than Darkest Dungeon II.

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83 / 100
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon 2 is not trying to replace the first game. It aims to occupy a spot right beside its predecessor. There are some things the sequel does well and some things it doesn’t. The streamlined (in a good way) combat, reduced grind and improved character dynamics comes at a cost of the removal of the comfy base management of the original.

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8 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon 2 is a wholly different beast from the original, wrapping branching paths and compelling combat into a rogue-lite package. There are some hiccups and it may not appeal to all fans of the original, but it's still a fun journey to suffer.

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7.8 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon II is a new fight against the eldritch horror, but this time the roguelite formula doesn't fit perfectly with the title. Despite some stiff parts, the intense and cruel battles are still at the core of the experience.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Recommended
May 8, 2023

A copious and often brilliant, if not quite unmissable reworking of a powerfully grim fantasy.

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9.5 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

Red Hook Studios refined the art of Darkest Dungeon in every sense, making it extremely difficult to find any defects. It's a brutally challenging strategy games and it's well suited to embrace the new roguelite form. Do yourself a favour and try it right now.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

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.

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8 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon II creates a new framework for the stress inducing cosmic horror series, and is just as challenging as its predecessor.

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9 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon II conquers us with its tense and macabre journey. The sequel dares to completely change its style, offering a more focused and lean roguelike structure without leaving aside the atmosphere full of complications. Combat is the most notable point with its countless nuances and interesting possibilities, which result in dense and complex tactical clashes. The pilgrimage is not free of problems: unpredictability and bad luck take away the player's control, creating unpleasant and annoying situations. In addition, there is a lack of a greater variety of events and situations. Luckily, there's plenty of content to explore in the form of characters, challenges, and campaigns, which eases the sense of repetition. Frustration, anguish and heartache await those who decide to explore the dangers of Darkest Dungeon II. The road is dangerous and exhausting, but it's worth crossing.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

7 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon 2 is a game that offers a good amount of content and replay value. However, its rogue-lite focus and slowness between battles make the experience less satisfying than the first game. Despite its graphical improvements and gameplay changes, it lacks some of the charm that made the original so special.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Dexerto
Top Critic
May 8, 2023

Yet all in all, Darkest Dungeon 2 is a worthy sequel to the 2015 original. It’s a fearless alteration of a well-known formula, while also building a game that you really don’t need any context for. Despite issues with some of the best aspects of the game being thinned by its new formula, Darkest Dungeon 2 remains one of the most exciting strategy games in a while.

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9 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

A sequel that at first sight seemed to be unnecessary, has managed to crown itself as one of the best role-playing experiences of the last few years. Suffering, masochism and injustice are part of the fun in this incredible roguelite.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Unscored
May 8, 2023

While Darkest Dungeon II’s emphasis on the interpersonal is apt for a game that’s more road trip than dungeon crawl, it also makes it a decidedly more hopeful experience than the first game, as it leaves the door open for your adventuring party to face seemingly insurmountable odds and come out the other side stronger. There’s also more comedy and just plain joy in knowing that as intimidating as all those monsters may seem, your biggest challenge is getting your ragtag band of rascals to stop bickering and get along.

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7.8 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

In conclusion, Darkest Dungeon II has taken a different path than its predecessor but its hardcore soul is intact and clearly visible.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
May 8, 2023

Darkest Dungeon II continues the legacy of the original game as a brutally dark and difficult roguelite turn-based RPG. Much like the characters in the game, riding out in a hopeless effort to stave off the apocalypse, the player will find themself pushing forward despite certain defeat, with only a weak promise that next time it will be a little easier. It’s impressive that such a relentlessly challenging game can still have the player coming back for more.

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8.5 / 10.0
May 9, 2023

Darkest Dungeon 2 is truly a 'streamlined, unnecessary genres dropping and infinitely expanding' evolution of its predecessor. This beautiful work of harmoniously coexisting design and mechanics reminds me of an enormous roguelike jug filled to the brim with horrifyingly hardcore gameplay, many difficult choices, huge 50+ hours long campaign and a whole bunch of Lovecraftian horror! Oh and there are cute pets riding on your stagecoach too.

Review in Slovak | Read full review