I have yet to clear all new content in 1.0, but as someone with ~60ish hours from playing the game in Early Access, I think I am in a well enough position to write a review.

To start off, DD2 is NOT DD1. Do not go into this game thinking it is more DD1, because it is not. DD1 is not even really a roguelike. DD1 is more like a long drawn out campaign where you are maintaining a roster of heroes in order to upgrade, get better, and eventually defeat the final bosses. You will lose people, you will recruit more, and you will keep all your persistent town upgrades to assist in that campaign.

DD2 retains some of these aspects through the Altar of Hope (Permanent upgrades on heroes, stagecoach upgrades, etc. that are akin to town facility upgrades). The similarities begin to fall off there aside from the combat format. DD2 is a roguelike unlike DD1, where each run is different and you take different heroes with you in order to defeat Confession bosses on a long roadtrip. If at any point you get a party wipe, you reset your run. Back to the Crossroads to create another party, spending or saving your candles to get permanent upgrades. If you do not like this, you will not like DD2! There is nothing wrong with not liking DD2's format but to call it a bad game because of it is an insult to it.

I'm personally a huge fan of the changes to combat thanks to the addition of the Token system. Long gone are the days of frustrating 95% chance to hit misses. These mechanics get simplified for the better imo, as there will always be a 100% chance to hit if there are no blindness or dodge modifiers. No more worrying about accuracy stats! Dodge has also been simplified down to tokens (50 and 75%), and you can also get guaranteed crit tokens through various skills and combat items. and you are given many tools to deal with it thanks to the addition of new skills added to our returning roster of DD1 heroes and the aforementioned combat items. I'm leaving a lot out in regards to this because there are so many changes with the addition of the Token system, but I feel it enhances the Darkest Dungeon combat formula for the better because it opens up so much synergy and potential.

That all being said, of course Darkest Dungeon 2 is not perfect. I feel there is too much RNG involving relationships and the tools provided to help them can instantly be undone just because of ONE roadside encounter. I feel like Hellion and Plague Doctor are just so insanely good that you almost have no reason not to bring those two on every composition. It's possible to miss every single first round hit on a creature den, leaving your heroes blighted, stunned, and leaving you wondering why you even bothered to visit one. I also believe Red Hook should have been more transparent with the pricing of the game, cloud save support, and Steam Deck support for Steam customers. 40$ is steep for this game, and while I love it to death and will praise it, I do understand that it may be off-putting.

Despite all of these grievances though, there is just so much good in this game to just pass it up. The shift to 3D models was excellently done while still capturing the art style of the original. Stuart Chatwood created yet another 10/10 soundtrack for the game. Wayne June nailed the narration just as he did before. Everything comes together to create an amazing doomer roadtrip that is a worthy successor to DD1. And if you *really* want to experience the heartbreak of getting attached to and losing your favorite hero just like in 1, you can replicate that pain with the Memory system once you've completed an act, since you can bring along that same hero with you to the next run.

Darkest Dungeon 2 is different. It is not entirely "more of the same." It is frustrating, yet rewarding. You will probably party wipe countless times and rage and claim BS. But when you finally finish a confession boss, there is no greater feeling than knowing you won because you used all of your tools efficiently. To me, that's what both Darkest Dungeon games are ultimately about. Utilizing our struggles to improve, be better, and come out on top. Darkest Dungeon 2 does this, just with a roguelike twist.

I have yet to clear all new content in 1.0, but as someone with ~60ish hours from playing the game in Early Access, I think I am in a well enough position to write a review. To start off, DD2 is NOT DD1. Do not go into this game thinking it is more DD1, because it is not. DD1 is not even really a roguelike. DD1 is more like a long drawn out campaign where you are maintaining a roster of heroes in order to upgrade, get better, and eventually defeat the final bosses. You will lose people, you will recruit more, and you will keep all your persistent town upgrades to assist in that campaign. DD2 retains some of these aspects through the Altar of Hope (Permanent upgrades on heroes, stagecoach upgrades, etc. that are akin to town facility upgrades). The similarities begin to fall off there aside from the combat format. DD2 is a roguelike unlike DD1, where each run is different and you take different heroes with you in order to defeat Confession bosses on a long roadtrip. If at any point you get a party wipe, you reset your run. Back to the Crossroads to create another party, spending or saving your candles to get permanent upgrades. If you do not like this, you will not like DD2! There is nothing wrong with not liking DD2's format but to call it a bad game because of it is an insult to it. I'm personally a huge fan of the changes to combat thanks to the addition of the Token system. Long gone are the days of frustrating 95% chance to hit misses. These mechanics get simplified for the better imo, as there will always be a 100% chance to hit if there are no blindness or dodge modifiers. No more worrying about accuracy stats! Dodge has also been simplified down to tokens (50 and 75%), and you can also get guaranteed crit tokens through various skills and combat items. and you are given many tools to deal with it thanks to the addition of new skills added to our returning roster of DD1 heroes and the aforementioned combat items. I'm leaving a lot out in regards to this because there are so many changes with the addition of the Token system, but I feel it enhances the Darkest Dungeon combat formula for the better because it opens up so much synergy and potential. That all being said, of course Darkest Dungeon 2 is not perfect. I feel there is too much RNG involving relationships and the tools provided to help them can instantly be undone just because of ONE roadside encounter. I feel like Hellion and Plague Doctor are just so insanely good that you almost have no reason not to bring those two on every composition. It's possible to miss every single first round hit on a creature den, leaving your heroes blighted, stunned, and leaving you wondering why you even bothered to visit one. I also believe Red Hook should have been more transparent with the pricing of the game, cloud save support, and Steam Deck support for Steam customers. 40$ is steep for this game, and while I love it to death and will praise it, I do understand that it may be off-putting. Despite all of these grievances though, there is just so much good in this game to just pass it up. The shift to 3D models was excellently done while still capturing the art style of the original. Stuart Chatwood created yet another 10/10 soundtrack for the game. Wayne June nailed the narration just as he did before. Everything comes together to create an amazing doomer roadtrip that is a worthy successor to DD1. And if you *really* want to experience the heartbreak of getting attached to and losing your favorite hero just like in 1, you can replicate that pain with the Memory system once you've completed an act, since you can bring along that same hero with you to the next run. Darkest Dungeon 2 is different. It is not entirely "more of the same." It is frustrating, yet rewarding. You will probably party wipe countless times and rage and claim BS. But when you finally finish a confession boss, there is no greater feeling than knowing you won because you used all of your tools efficiently. To me, that's what both Darkest Dungeon games are ultimately about. Utilizing our struggles to improve, be better, and come out on top. Darkest Dungeon 2 does this, just with a roguelike twist.