Honestly, I tried my hardest to like this game. I didn't like it for the first two hours and I thought it just being different was my issue. It wasn't. I took a break from the Darkest Dungeon games (both one and two) just so I knew I was going in with a fresh perspective and sunk 30+ hours in. It's an okay game, but it's a crappy sequel.

As a game by itself, it's fine. If you were to tell me that this wasn't a sequel to DD1 I'd probably be saying a different thing along the lines of "it's fine, like a 6/10 with decent graphics and great animations with some some strange choices that reduce player engagement" but when you're coming off the back of Darkest Dungeon 1 it feels like they've somehow made an inferior game. Which sucks.

First of all, I should be able to see what skills are potentially up on the table for characters. I understand I'm going to be unlocking them in set orders but If I'm having to dedicate at least 5-10 hours of work just to get some abilities I don't like and one that I do, then I'm not going to bother.

Second, I'm genuinely convinced this wasn't playtested. Every time you lose a run, you're catapulted back to the start. After having 200~ hours in DD1, this isn't an issue. The issue, is the 5-15 minute slog I have to do to get back to the meat and potato's of a run and decide what route I'm going. I like the concept of slamming my head against a wall, I'm not a meta player. But I feel like if you're going to hammer home the point of "you're going to die, characters are going to die, it happens", MAYBE DON'T PUNISH THE PLAYER BY MAKING THEM SIT THROUGH THE MOST BORING OPENING SEQUENCE LITERALLY EVERY TIME.

I also just don't get the point of the carriage, in DD1 you were your vehicle for movement and you were ALSO your vehicle for safety and rewards. If you found a curio, you could CHOOSE to investigate it or not except if it was a quest one. In this, every curio is forced down your throat and you have to make a "meaningful decision" which will probably net you barely any resources and have you asking yourself "why the hell am I even stopping here"

I'm probably going to come back to this game in a year or two from now when the Mod Support has picked up a lot more and hopefully someone will make mods that transform this into an actual sequel for Darkest Dungeon. Because this feels like a New IP besides combat feeling similar and probably should have been a new IP.

Honestly, I tried my hardest to like this game. I didn't like it for the first two hours and I thought it just being different was my issue. It wasn't. I took a break from the Darkest Dungeon games (both one and two) just so I knew I was going in with a fresh perspective and sunk 30+ hours in. It's an okay game, but it's a crappy sequel. As a game by itself, it's fine. If you were to tell me that this wasn't a sequel to DD1 I'd probably be saying a different thing along the lines of "it's fine, like a 6/10 with decent graphics and great animations with some some strange choices that reduce player engagement" but when you're coming off the back of Darkest Dungeon 1 it feels like they've somehow made an inferior game. Which sucks. First of all, I should be able to see what skills are potentially up on the table for characters. I understand I'm going to be unlocking them in set orders but If I'm having to dedicate at least 5-10 hours of work just to get some abilities I don't like and one that I do, then I'm not going to bother. Second, I'm genuinely convinced this wasn't playtested. Every time you lose a run, you're catapulted back to the start. After having 200~ hours in DD1, this isn't an issue. The issue, is the 5-15 minute slog I have to do to get back to the meat and potato's of a run and decide what route I'm going. I like the concept of slamming my head against a wall, I'm not a meta player. But I feel like if you're going to hammer home the point of "you're going to die, characters are going to die, it happens", MAYBE DON'T PUNISH THE PLAYER BY MAKING THEM SIT THROUGH THE MOST BORING OPENING SEQUENCE LITERALLY EVERY TIME. I also just don't get the point of the carriage, in DD1 you were your vehicle for movement and you were ALSO your vehicle for safety and rewards. If you found a curio, you could CHOOSE to investigate it or not except if it was a quest one. In this, every curio is forced down your throat and you have to make a "meaningful decision" which will probably net you barely any resources and have you asking yourself "why the hell am I even stopping here" I'm probably going to come back to this game in a year or two from now when the Mod Support has picked up a lot more and hopefully someone will make mods that transform this into an actual sequel for Darkest Dungeon. Because this feels like a New IP besides combat feeling similar and probably should have been a new IP.