I do wish the Academic was more of a character than he is in this game. (SPOILERS) A ghostly voice of the last victim you murdered directly, by your own hand, tormenting you with memories you tried to forget and forcing you to fix what you've done to the world, reluctantly providing guidance where it's needed. There was potential here.
@@danielgomes8745 The opportunity for a lot of the cool writing is already lost with how the character has been established, but yea, the team can probably still do something with him.
I actually like Academic more than the Ancestor. Ancestor is sassy asshole to you but you are actually fixing the mess he created, meanwhile Academic is hopeful and encouraging even if this time you made the mess (also the "You were my brightest student, my research partner, and my dearest friend." hurts so much after learning the full story) Just my opinion although I learned the story from YT because I'm stuck at 3rd confession :')
Yea, Academic is a sweet dude, Ancestor is an asshole. Also, for confession 3 try running a team with Man-At-Arms, get the combat item to apply taunt, and try to make sure all of the eye stacks are on the Man-At-Arms. Then, just make sure to keep him alive for the Limerence, while hitting the eye with all other heroes
100% agree, I always just saw it as the other way to do characters is to recontex them and not necesarily have to develope them. Also if you're stuck with the damn eye, there is a combat item that gives sneak, sneak removes the gaze tokens. Also consider graverobber for this fight. Thas how I beat it
@@ВасилийМедведев-з5в The funniest thing I saw was getting affinity to make it so my main damage moves kept applying dodge+ to a person, so I just made him my limerence/behold tank. The best part was the boss didn't even land a single behold/limerence as it kept dodging.
Oofff that shade thrown towards the road vs hallway debate... I will say I like that the road over the hallway because it's more interactive with the debris which the hallway did not have and it looks nicer which makes up for the longer time to traverse. (to me, of course) Edit: About the Gotcha machine. If you haven't gotten every item it unlocks new items (which can be found in the various places you can buy stuff) AND gives it to you for that run. Also I wish that memory recollection shrines were more plentiful because I feel like many of the heroes are just not very good without those unlocks and it seems to take forever to find them.
“Many of the heroes are not very good without those unlocks” = exactly. From what I’ve seen, this is most people’s #1 complaint about DD2- roguelite progression implemented in a way where you feel nerfed in the beginning, rather than like you’re gaining power. It’s a hard needle to thread, for sure
As far as the shrines go, it makes for a semi interesting gameplay loop if you don't mind grinding. Making new teams with the soul intention of hitting as many shrines as I could helped me learn A LOT about the game.
It's not exactly about beginning nerfed, but handicapped on what you can do. Sure in DD1 you don't begin with tier 5 abilities, but you can unlock all characters and abilities by a paltry sum of money. Meaning you can experiment since the beginning. Having a timegap for hero abilities seems like the perfect way to get people to quit the game before they get to experience the full game.
@@doctordice2doctordice210 After 3 or 4 weeks everything is unlocked, and you can start from there. Playing as slowly as possible, it's about 2 hours. How many hours to unlock all abilities for a single character in dd2?
Grabbed this on Switch! Loved DD1 on PS4. I’m a big Fire Emblem, Dark Souls, and H.P. Lovecraft fan so this is a perfect blend for me! I rebought DD1 on Switch for $10 with all the DLC content. The second one was on sale for a bit with DD1 but I don’t know if the sale is still active.
Your video was very well timed because I was weighing whether to get into the game at the best price point I could muster at present. I have long been interested in both games, in fact I spent some time messing around with Iratus: Lord of the Dead and then got curious about the game it was "reversing" for its concept. So! Thanks, and I plan to thoroughly enjoy myself. I've been itching for a dungeon crawl I can do without sacrificing too many souls in terms of time commitment.
@@ShuffleFM I expect I will! I paid attention to a lot of videos about how it was coming along before release and a bit after, and at some point I'll muster the courage to play the first too, hah.
Such a great guide for people looking into Darknest Dungeon 2, if know anyone looking into buying the game just direct them to this and if anyone is struggling with the game just direct them here in this channel, Shuffle and he's guides took me out of Death's Door.
In frst 5 days from realase beat the game now fun begins no dying all act bosses which in my opinion is easy game so much easier than frst my comp flag crusader higwyman pl doctor only tip for beating game is mind your frendship
Great review, Shuffle, you got me interested in the sequel again. :) I can't say your bias showed too much at all, except when you nerded out on speeds. But for obsessive DD1 players like myself (1200h), these are the kind of details that can be really important (e.g. along with how they might've overnerfed stunning in DD2) since if I start going at DD2, it's probably gonna be at least 500h... I just have to comment on one specific thing that I do disagree with - the hallways in DD1 *were* more fun to me, and I never minded the sizeable CC dungeons. In fact I wish DD1-DD4 (the dungeons) were more like those. I will admit I might be in a minority though, since I've always been a sucker for ridiculously oversized mega-dungeons since I was three years old and figured out was Zelda was. So your point isn't wrong, but the people who raise this an issue might be from the same crowd as myself.
i think for me the ultimate dd game would be to have 2’s combat with the hamlet and dungeon crawling of 1. i liked going back to the hamlet after every quest and managing it, i know 2 was supposed to be a rougelike but the lack of permanence (besides memories) always makes me gravitate more towards 1. A third game with everything red hook has learned from 1 and 2 could be absolutely fantastic i imagine
Very nice review all around! Something i'd personally wish to see is getting more rewards for doing the infernal torches, as it stands they're a good enough way to add replayability to the game and the vitrine unlocking a new skin is cool but i wish we got a bit more, maybe for completing all chapters every 2-3 full torch sets, so there's a bit more feedback on hey im getting something for doing this Also redhook plz let us change the names on heroes who already have memories why can't we do that :
The one thing that endlessly elevated DD1 for was permanence. Losing heroes permanently meant they actually felt like a precious life. I loved leveling them up, cultivating quirks and going into quests not with the main goal of beating it, but coming out alive. From my understanding, DD2 does not have this sort of system, being more of a real rougelike, where, when you lose a run, you just start a new one. This was what immediately put me off on release. Is this a correct assessment? I agree that the game looks amazing, and combat improvements are definitely welcome, but I just don't think rougelike is how I would want to play DD.
Though you're not encouraged to use it until after you've gotten many of the unlocks, there is a system that does this, memories. After winning a run, you can apply a minor buff to the hero, your options being randomly selected from a larger pool, and upon doing so you'll be able to select the same hero in the next run, same positive and negative quirks as well as diseases. You can still lock a positive quirk, and positive quirks are a lot more impactful than dd1 on average, so you definitely still feel that loss when your powerful 5 memory hero dies and a new recruit shows up in their stead
@@raymondtomas2294 I was mainly talking about immersion. But even then, on Stygian/Bloodmoon you literally lose the game after 12/16 heroes die. Also, the highest level you can get from the stagecoach is 4, so when you lose a veteran you have to grind for like 3 weeks replace them.
Not even close. You sometimes just threw entire parties away just to grind cash. If you're talking about your main teams that eventually you will need 3 in total for the final dungeon, then sure. But I'm not sure this is any more immersive than DD2's approach of fleeting memories of a shattered world. It's just different
The biggest dilemma I and many others have about the current scene of DD1 and DD2 is, how does one justify buying DD2 with the plethora of DD1 mods? Between Black Reliquary, Vermintide and the countless character mods, old and new, in DD1, how can a new player or old/returning players justify paying $40 for DD2 when DD1 provides an insane amount of free content after the original $25 payment? I want to see DD2 do well and be another chapter of success in Red Hook Studios library, but I really fear that the original launch state of the game has pushed away a lot of new fans and the die hard fans who've sworn by DD2 create a toxic environment of "Well its not DD1, get over it. If you don't like it, then don't play it or talk about it not having DD1 elements." In any case I hope for the best for the Darkest Dungeon community at large and Red Hook Studios. Great video as always Shuffle
It's kinda gross of you to call the people who call dd1 purest out "toxic" And it's kinda funny that you're doing so while pointing out why they shouldn't be lpl
Had the opposite effect for me. DD1 was way too grindy and if anything felt like any criticism on dumb enemies like the entirety of champion warren and especially weald dungeons were met with "get good". Because yes, giants shuffling the entire team because they hit 1 person while 3 people dodged is cool. Among 50 prot fungal mushrooms who crit for 75% of your health. If anything, I just remembered playing basically only 2 teams for weald. Any deviation from it felt like I was hitting myself against a brick wall trying to make it work. And yea, DD1 still exists with LOADS of mods, so it IS fair to say instead of constant complaining about DD2, if you prefer much longer drawn out progression, no token system, etc, the first Darkest Dungeon is still there. You will never find some DD2 player complaining about DD1 not being DD2. And if they do, they will 100% be met with get good (rightfully so).
On a side note, this game is goated on the steam deck due to it having a touch screen and saving constantly. It has some bugs at the moment sure but, if you have a steam deck I 200% recommend this. I find in general it's more friendly to play casually than DD1 on a steam deck. Biggest reason is DD1 has a lot of trinket swapping and team planning. DD2 also has these but at a comfortable level for play on the go. I can hop into a DD2 campaign that auto saved while on a bus and get my bearings quickly. I can't do that as much in DD1 because it's like "Oh what was I doing again last time?" and with the way maps and backtracking works it can lead to some stupid situations. DD2 very infrequently has this issue. Not any disrespect to DD1, I just find DD2 to be more portable friendly.
I have >1k hours in DD1 & that’s second only to Slay the Spire in total hours across platforms. I love all the DLCs although I will gripe abt CC maps being long. But I bounced off DD2 on PC a year ago. I bought it on Switch to try again, & it’s def improved over what it was. That said, I just haven’t found the gameplay loop addictive in the same way. Maybe I just need to keep playing, idk. If I were to give advice to devs, it would be that successful implementation of “roguelite” progression (where you force the player to unlock abilities or heroes) has to be done in a way that preserves a sense of fairness from the start. If you make the player feel nerfed in the first 20hr of the game, they just lose interest since there’s no reward in the risk/reward calculus. You still need an addictive gameplay loop where players can win & lose based on the tools available at the time. Hades & StS do this well. Can you win runs at the beginning? Absolutely, if you know how to play well.
FTR I still rec people buy the game. The fact that it’s not a 1000+ hour masterpiece like the games it gets compared to really shouldn’t be a knock against it. Also do yourself a favor & buy on a platform like Switch, bc you can avoid supporting Epic & IMO it feels infinitely more playable as a game while you’re on a flight or waiting at DMV. For me to sit down at my gaming PC it’s for graphically rewarding games like BG3, heavily modded multiplayer games, MMOs, etc. DD games are perfect for Switch
@@scarletsletter4466 I hate the balance of DD1 way more honestly. However, there are loads of mods that ""fix"" it so I guess it got that going for it. But honestly DD1 on my first playthrough was just too annoyingly grindy and the champion dungeons didn't feel fun at all and did not lend itself to experimenting by trial if you cared about not wasting many hours re-grinding which does not add to the experience. Grinding rarely does.
I agree. I played 1000 hours of DD1. I played about 100 hours and put this down. This game looks far better than DD1, but I still think DD1 is the better game. I’m not hating on DD2. It’s ok, but it feels watered down. I miss the managing the hamlet. I miss switching teams from mission to mission. I’m growing my roster of heroes. Somehow I’m less attached to the characters of each run in DD2. In DD1 I can run my “Deus Vult” 4 Crusader team and go ham. I can’t do that here. I agree with the D&D 3.5 to D&D 5e analogy. I commend red hook taking a risk with this game, but it’s not the game I wanted. I wanted Black Reliquary. I got Slay the Spire. Not a bad game but not what I wanted. I’d like a comparison between DD2 and Black Reliquary. I think there’s a lot to discuss there.
That has to be the most concise, tempered, and educational review I've ever seen. It's as if Shuff hit the Resolute trigger which is always a delightful surprise!
People talk a lot about the $40 price tag, but that's still a steal considering most high-quality games are $70+ these days. The first game was already cheap, and this game is still cheap for a video game. I got the 2nd with DLC's for a $38 sale. The only pass on this game you should do is passing your money to it so you can play.
40 dollars in this economy is like 20 bucks or less. It's gotten to the point where I don't really consider much difference between 60 and 40 price tag unless there are ALOT of dlcs, microtransactions, and grinds that do not respect your time at all. I feel like there's this huge epidemic of people always talking about price tags between 40, 60, and god forbid 70. When games have been costing 60 since I was a kid. The only caveat to this would be again microtransaction galore that alot of games do have.
Ayea. After Act* 1, all regions require you take a Trophy with you to reach The Mountain. If you're doing a fresh profile and have the Binding Blade DLC, note that the Crusader's Helm counts as a Trophy! So if you don't mind it not giving you any particular buffs, you can use it to get into the Mountain without challenging a Region boss while the quest is underway
Only one to access the mountain. Depending on your setup and heroes, to one you go against may differentiate the difficulty. Try General, out of all of them he is easiest, next to Librarian.
one thing that i dislike the most is the rank 4 obligatory for most bosses, things like the librarian or the act 3 boss(how to you beat these without hwm,hrl or occ?) i think we need more mechanic bosses that dont need you to have a concistent rank 4 damage(like act 1 and the general with unlocked combat items, not act 2 boss or the
You can actually use push to move books behind librarian and focus front rank damage on him. So long as you don’t put him all the way into 1 (in which case he will just back up again), the tactic allows front rank focused teams to perform very effectively, if not quite as good in the fight as flexible teams.
The librarian is easy. I beat it with shuffle nades/explosive combat items. Can also make it easy by pushing the books as said before like with leper. Generally before bosses, I change up my skills quite a bit. I had a party that could only even hit up to rank 2 and still beat him. IMO, DD2 is way easier without prior knowledge on bosses
Hi Shuffle! Good review. I'd like to share some thoughts on The Foetor (10:24) that have to do with the word itself and its pronunciation. Foetor as a word is a noun whose definition means a very foul or putrid stench. Its adjective is "Fetid," like a Fetid Heath. Foetor, at least in English, has two different spellings, both with an "o" and without an "o", so it can be Foetor or Fetor. The one you'll likely find in a dictionary or which grammar systems will try to auto-correct to is the one without the o, but both are correct to use and is more of a stylistic choice. Additionally they also have two different pronunciations with the first syllable, being "fee" and "feh" which are also both correct but the former is not so much with the 'sibling' word Fetid. For Fetid it'll usually depend on what word it is being concatenated with and to use "fee" or "feh" to make the language sound more fluent or even beautiful in its horrid description. I think adept linguists can better comment on that though. I personally, when it comes to Darkest Dungeon 2, say Foetor with the "fee" pronunciation because it also finds very interesting purchase in the way it phonetically sounds like the word "feeder" as in something that feeds. Like a Harvest Child!
Ever wondered why the music in darkest dungeon 2 sounds so similar to Fallout 3? Look up Inon Zur and Stuart Chatwoods collaborative work!! I.e Prince of Persia! I heard one of the iconic motifs Inon uses in the Fo3 ost in the Darkest Dungeon 2 soundtrack and immediately began looking for any kind of work they had done together in the past. Very pleased to see my ears hadn't deceived me.
Algorithm gang! As someone who loves DD1 so much and helped me out throughout the pandemic, I love DD2 and its improvements to the series. The balance is better. The enemies are more difficult to deal with. I prefer DD1 music, except Battle of the Mountain, shit slaps. Better designed bosses. Better overall combat. Enhanced quality to the heroes design, team composition and varied playstyles. I prefer DD1 storyline but I still enjoyed DD2 I personally believe that DD2 appeals to a wider audience simply because playing the heroes are much more personal as you go in a 3hr+ run, unlike the first game that allows 4 crusaders that you can't really connect to. With the exception of Reynauld and Dismas, I feel like the other heroes in my roster are mere soldiers rather than companions presented in DD2. Maybe my first SB and those broken heroes I have with the best locked and prismatic quirks in them, but its still not the same fulfillment I get with my 4 chosen heroes from the beginning upto the end. Sure there is still work to do in DD2. But let's not pretend that DD1 didn't have controversial patches in the past. Adding corpses was the biggest and even the Radiant update got some flack. The reason people don't call it out is because a lot of the fanbase started DD1 around the time where the game is already much better than its previous versions. DD2 got the short end of the stick because the series is already popular and people have a lot of unreasonable expectations. I think upon releasing mod support, new updates and the Kingdoms DLC this year, the game would be in a similar situation as DD1 in their release of CoM. So props to Red Hook for overcoming the challenges in 3D and making DD2. I also think that Kingdoms is their test bed for ideas in DD3, combining the strengths of both existing games. See you in 2069!
The point about heroes being easier to connect with is interesting. I felt the opposite way about DD2. In DD1 death of a hero meant something. Sure, it may've been one of many grave robbers that just died in a dungeon. But she had a unique name and you watched her climb the ranks, gain and lose quirks, risk her life again and again under your command, until she finally got unlucky. That was the end of this person's life. Whoever came next would live their own story. I couldn't help but assign personalities to specific people in my roster. In DD2 losing a hero just means your run is about to be over, at which point you'll go back to the crossroads, where the same people with the same names will step out of the shadows. They might not remember any of it, unless afflicted by specific quirks. But to you it's clear what's happening. As a result, I was not concerned about the lives of my characters, as much as I was concerned about the success of my run. Because regardless of whether I won or lost, the characters would come back just fine. I no longer felt like I was gambling with their lives, as they were effectively immortal.
This is an interesting take that may reflect views of a large portion of fans who are different from me. Personally, I don’t have much interest in hearing stories to bond w/ my units in a game like DD1. Don’t get me wrong- I love story-heavy games like BG3 too, but in a micromgmt tactics game I’m prob gonna click through dialogue to reach combat rolls. That doesn’t mean the storytelling is bad, just that the combat rolls are the addictive gameplay loop of the genre. Red Hook either misunderstood or intentionally ignored that the primary appeal of DD1 to a huge segment of the fanbase is as a micromgmt tactics game where you use upgradable units in creative ways to achieve the objectives of a long central campaign. If you love XCOM, I can almost guarantee you’ll love DD1, bc the loop is similar. If you love Hades, StS, or JRPGs… it’s a coin flip. DD1 shares elements with all those (turn based, rogue, & dungeon crawling), but it’s not sufficiently like any of them. DD2 feels more like an effort to make a rogue X jRPG rather than keep the overarching central campaign & upgradable tactics units. So folks who like storytelling enjoy it more, whereas strategy game fans may find it silly & frustrating. I’ve seen many posts griping about the relationships for example 😂
"Use upgradable units in creative ways" Upgrades in Dd1 are solely stats based and the creative ways of using them is how many stuns you have in your party. Let's be real, Dd1 isn't a good strategy game. Grinding levels and fighting the same bosses 3 times isn't good campaign.
@@scarletsletter4466 "Red Hook either misunderstood or intentionally ignored that the primary appeal of DD1 to a huge segment of the fanbase is as a micromgmt tactics game where you use upgradable units in creative ways to achieve the objectives of a long central campaign" objectively false. DD1 balance was pretty awful. It was either pure mark teams, stun chaining, or riposte spam to trivialize fights. Any deviation from it just made it feel significantly worse while in DD2, you don't always get the option to do the same thing everytime because of RNG trinkets and the like.
Yea, you're really harsh. I understand, we are the harshest on the things we love. I think this game is cash. I have only 84 hours and have only completed the first 2 confessions. I don't play religiously, I just play every now and then, but when I do play, I'm fully sucked in. I think that's a good tell for a great game.
This is the first video I've seen that actually breaks down the basic mechanics. I loved the first game and tried to watch reviews and beginner tip videos before purchasing the second. None of them mentioned the terrible UI or crappy text block tutorials. They did mention a lot of confusing mechanics that I didn't understand. So, I figure I'll play the game a bit and maybe those videos will make some sense. Nope. The UI and tutorials are a huge step backwards and I have no idea what I'm doing. The ridiculous amount of tokens that are represented by just symbols, keeping the flame lit, keeping stress down, the different stops on the map, etc. These were all things that felt pretty logical in the first game, but here are barely explained. I knew this "sequel" was a different animal, but how they managed to screw up basic things like the UI in this game is unfathomable to me. All it's done so far is make me want to go back to the first game. Feels like a waste of money right now. I hope it gets better.
I’m sorry but if you don’t understand the UI in this game you are genuinely brain dead. It’s literally match the token symbols to the text, are you not able to colour inside the line as well
This comment section has been so polite. I wish people in FGC were this nice about comparing older games and respecting people's opinion and shit. This is a great problem Red Hook has, making two titles that are both great and are different enough that people can have a preference. I think DD1 was creepier and more terrifying crawling around in the dungeons. And some of the lerchs and groans from the music were sooooo good. Red Hook seems like decent developers and want to make good products. I love DD1 and DD2 they are just soooo good. This game is straight cash, homie. I can assure whomever reads has wasted far more on far less.
375 hours here. I really wish they would add a fast forward button like they had in Monster Train. Watching the carriage crawl along, or seeing the animations over and over has taken its toll on my attention span.
I have about 59 hours in so far. Its a grind but i love all the unlocks and boss challenges. Currently working on Chapter 3 / unlocking shrines for characters / candle unlocks and character upgrades etc.... I feel like in terms of the actual gameplay loop I'm more invested in than DD1 and love the animations and art style. I hope to see some new characters and a new location would help break up the runs a bit more . I have seen complaints about the carriage but i actually prefer this to hallways as he mentions in this (back-tracking / court maps / large maps vs medium or small). I think the carriage travel function and scouting paths works great.
Have been with this game since it first appeared on epic, still remeber the ounce strat and how Denial was powerhouse. RH went long way and gave us great game, with more on horizon, and gameplay that is just as enjoyable as first game. Its worth the price, only thing, its not same as first game why people give it mixed reviews. Is it good Darkest Dungeon sequel? That subjectvie. Is it good game? Yes, Wayne June, Music (Shroud theme goes extra hard), graphics and effects, its more like steal for this price.
loved your videos shuff this is my new interest but you shouldve mentioned to vets how there are 11 skills instead of 7 so the characters are not entirely the same
I'm just going to talk about my thoughts on binding blade because why not. Raynald the Crusader I think they did a really good job translating him. He's got everything he had in the first game and fulfills a very similar role. his paths also allow for unique things like back line support, not just front line support/ damage. Duelist just doesn't feel very good. It always feels like duelist doesn't have everything you want them to have. Because in the start they won't have a stance, that doesn't feel very good do you want to go in with a move to get a stance, but then you don't have repost. Okay turn 2 you get the repost, but then you're dead, her health is so low and her stance can't be relied to heal or make her get Dodge she just feels so inconsistent slow and clunky. Not to mention she's so difficult to play. It feels like you need to make a team around her but that's just so much effort for such a mid reward. It feels like Rogue and man at Arms it's just better 99% of the time. I am a new player but that's just my thoughts.
I’ve put in a lot of time into the first game and can make it to the mid game consistently before getting crushed, but for some reason with the second I just cannot survive the first areas and idk what I’m doing wrong.
@@lesterabinguna341 no it’s a game I’ve never been able to beat, I can make it comfortably to the mid/ early late game and then get stuck and lose all my best people.
@@TheXenomorphwarrior Oh okay. DD1 is a hard turn based game for sure. You will have a hard time in the second game because the enemies are way more difficult. Keep trying though! Everyone starts somewhere.
@@lesterabinguna341 that’s what confuses me, everyone keeps saying the second game is way easier than the first and yet I make a ton more progress in the first game than the second.
@@TheXenomorphwarrior I think people believe the second game is harder because they have the experience in the first. Players who have played and completed DD1 already have a good understanding with its basics and core combat mechanics, especially stress management. Its a similar situation with Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3, a lot of players in the community saying that DS3 is easier. But there's no way DD2 is easier than DD1. Fundamentally speaking, the enemies that have a lot more gimmicks now, are just way too much to deal with in the second game. Also the second game takes away some broken optimized play styles from the first game. For example, stuns are the best way to play DD1 because of the nature of turn based combat. Not only it stops an enemy making a move on you, but you also do something aside from it either chipping damage or debuffing. Red Hook realized that stuns in the first game are so accessible that players abuse it to the fullest, and with the introduction of daze, setting up stuns are now harder, making the enemies difficult to beat. Trust me on this, use Plague Doctor's Blinding Gas, its arguably the best move in DD1, or the Hellion's scream skill forgot the name. You will win most of your fights.
DD2 is a fantastic game! Hours of fun. My critique is that it lacks the overall agency of the player. It’s RNG on a massive scale! Because of this, it takes away from the immersion of an amazing art-piece brought to life …and the replay value. Shame.
Does it not do this in the first game? I assume taunts could always be "bypassed" by using aoe/cleave, so long that it hits the taunted target. Same goes for stealth.
@@pungoblin9377 Ah, I guess I'm thinking of bypassing stealth enemies then. Either way, this is a good thing. Taunt is extremely strong along with defense token spam, which is why it was nerfed. It's just something to take note of that if taunting, either enemy COULD use a cleave of choice that at least targets the taunter or a strong 1 target dmg on it which makes skill choice less braindead as it was in DD1. All I remembered in DD1 was spamming riposte, marks, or stuns. Any deviation from it made the game significantly harder, especially early champion runs.
Just got this game for PS5 ur vids help alot....is their a way to permanently save custom character names....I can't find a way, I can only save each of their skills to the slots and a 4 person party load out but custom names don't save once I re enter the game???
I mean, we are desperately missing "back to the pit!" And "executed with impunity!" When we crit something. The dopamine rush isn't the same. But my most hated feature of 2 is how long it takes to get a run going. The altar should have a button to skip if you so wish, if I get megawiped by the act 2 boss just let me go and start team-building again. Even after beating all confession bosses you still have to forcefully listen to the lore and see the stagecoach drive again and again.
I think DD2 is worth it. But I do think 39,99$ is reaching aswell. 20-25$ is way more reasonable since although DD2 has a decent amount of content it’s only really fun the first couple of times you play it. I also find the actual goal of the game quite empty. I liked the gameplay of maintaining and using the old HUB area way more. The only interactive locations in DD2’s hub area is the working fields, the woods. In DD1 the whole entire hub area was useful and important to maintain. It also had more meaningful upgrades for the heros aswell. I think DD2 is really close to being a really solid game, but we’ll see after 2024 how the game holds up after some long awaited content.
I recently 100% finished Darkest Dungeon 1 on Switch using some of your guides. My go to was 3 Man at Arms and the Bleeding Whip Dude. I'm curious if 2 will offer anything to tempt me now that it's out on Switch.
It’s a totally different game, but if you have the $ you may as well get it for switch. It runs well & you can still tap the screen. I don’t like it as much as DD1 but this type of game is good on Switch/ portable platforms
I did play the game for 17 hours on release last year. I was thinking of jumping back in a year later. Should I go with a the same save (spent about 300 candles) or go with a new one?
i have a cumulative amount of some 120h between epic and steam on this game. while i love the look and sound of it, the combat particularly around the lair/mountain bosses is what i've consistently struggled to find the fun in; most have skillset requirements or specific strategies, in addition to party-wide damage which almost means, in order to defeat them, you must play with certain comps from beginning to end, imo foreclosing on variety of play, and that's if you make it to the end, where its easy to make an obtuse mistake that leads to an overly prolonged defeat after investing 3+hours each run. I still don't really understand how this game is any easier to "get" than DD1. I keep wanting to love this game but it seems designed to make you lose.
This game still keeps the amazing gameplay. Biggest criticism of course is the relationship system (its too controlling). The next one is the new slay the spire like map traversal. My gripe is that we go from 30-60 min dungeons to 3-4 hour journeys. Also collector is a big thumbs down for me only because he appears randomly.
30 to 60min.... but then you have to do multiple to level the heroes which is literally the same thing... dd2 is 3 hours total per mayor boss but you can play until the first inn so 60 minutes, I've stopped midway through a map I really don't get why just stopping after a node is so difficult.
I'll gladly deal with affinity in DD2 compared to the annoying asf enemies in DD1 that gave you diseases constantly and only 2 characters realistically being able to remove them during camps, only to get diseased by a random ass enemy attack the very next fight.
I remmember this chanel from long ago where the rants for the Leper being unviable in Darkest Dungeon 1 higher difficulties were plentiful yet not unreasonable since he does misses a lot so your expertise in the franchise is definitely more valid than your archnemsis Bear if not a bit tainted since your review suspiciously conicedes with the console release, I just wish you could have touched upon the new item and trinket system since its management and usage seems more prominent than in the last game and perhaps as I plan to purchase this game on console I just hope to god I can use a mouse type cursor stick select instead of a d-pad to dive trough the menus and inventory which quite honestly will bother me if its on the damn d-pad.
This is a prime example of why you should just make a new game entirely rather than riding off the coattails of the first game's success with an entirely different and unrelated game.
$40 being to much for an indie title is the worst take ever, the game has constant updates, full narration, fantastic art, replayability and people can get 100s to 1000s of hours on it, it goes to sell often (40% off at the time of this comment), as a content creator relying on this game to make your content you should be ashamed of even suggesting that
I'm not a shill, which is why I gave an opinion on the price. People have complained about the cost since it released. The 40% sale is a sale, not the base price. I even said as much.
I don't agree with OP's tone since everyone is entitled to opinion on price, esp since a lot of indie games are cheaper when viewed in this scope. However, in the same breath, I can't see how much 10 dollar dlc that only goes on sale for 8 makes it easier to digest. Base game price which goes on sale for more, has way more content obviously than 2 dlcs and 1 questline. You can easily play for a while without the dlc. As for the cost, in this economy, I personally can't understand video game price complaints outside of triple A game deluxe editions cutting out content in favor for their 160 dollar version with multiple dlcs. Yes, there are games much cheaper than 40 dollars, but by that logic, all indie games should be 30 or less. For some, they swear by 20 and others 10 even before sale. However, effort among them aren't the same, such as vampire survivors and among others that maybe enjoyable, but relatively low effort. I will say i do hate enemy speed of ordained and how resistances work (almost making me default to alchemist if I want to blight anything. Vendomdrop or orphan paths always seem to have constant resists as well). However, without special modifiers like infernal torches, I think dd2 is way more enjoyable and less frustrating. I hated champion weald and warren dungeons in dd1 for example. And I dislike having to always just put the same trinkets on say leper because of his crap acc. I much prefer token system more than stupid high prot of fungal mushrooms and 1 billion dodge enemies. And the giant bypassing dodge with his shuffle just because he hit 1 person out of 4.
Being new to the game, the series and even the genre, I've already gotten more time of enjoyment out of this game than games I've spent $70 on and been happy with my purchase. $40 really is a bargain, IF you're enjoying it. I think they need to offer a trial of some sort cuz I was hesitant to drop that much on it not knowing what it really was or if I'd enjoy it. Glad I took the plunge though.
One thing you forgot to mention which is a HUGE issue is that mod support is missing. I don't know how you can go trough this game for 1200h+ without getting mentally burned out and end up with same haircut as Cloud Strife, but mod support helps shake things up and devs deciding to prioritize it last was a big mistake.
The other problem with mods is that with the new engine and visual style, we're going to see a LOT less stuff than you got for DD1 and it's 2D art. They aren't all good, but DD1 has dozens or hundreds of character mods to try out; I'd be surprised if DD2 gets a fraction of that.
I think the game needs some thematic work. I've noticed that a lot of the dialogue and themes resemble the idea that the journey is grueling, exhausting, and extremely long, but I really don't think that makes for an enjoyable game. The narrator often says things like "Fight through the fatigue"', and talks about how long and hard the journey is. These themes need to be somewhat present given the repetitive genre of the game, but I think its a bit too much. Honestly, the themes are correft but in the wrong way. You always have to fight 2 whole fights before the lair boss, a cultist boss every region, and then 2 more cultist fights right before the boss. It feels like the game is dragging you down, not in a particularly engaging way, but in an exhausting way that makes you wonder if it's even worth it to keep playing. I like the game and have like 1500 hours, but the fundamental idea of any game is that it should be fun. Being hit with unnecessary fights over and over does not bring joy and likely never will. As for solutions, I would consider removing the first fight on the beginning road. I would look at the 2 prerequisite fights before the lair boss, and I would definitely look at the two cultist fights before the chapter boss. It's just mean to fight deacon and cardinal right before ravenous reach
I think that first fight at the start is good for non-expert players, as it gives a chance to test any new team building they've done to see if it works, before they hit a more specialized regional-enemy fight.
I don't know. I felt the same way in DD1. A lot of the early champion runs were just annoying in how you had to approach it and how only 2 characters could remove diseases, only to get diseased immediately after sometimes. To the point where sometimes, you purposely grinded to get the correct disease you want sometimes (cough rabies). And almost no flexibility on estate upgrades in DD1.
I love this game. But i got bored of It after they made the progressive system an endless grind. Never fineshed the final act. Also, the pre nerfed act 3 Boss was total BS. But im excited for this new mode. Cant wait to see what they are planning.
There is objectively less grinding in DD2 than DD1. You can go in memory less into any confession and win easily. Or die and then just go again and be at the confession boss again in like 1 hour.
Is it just me that cant stand the visuals? I was so hyped for its release and love dd1, but something about how the game looks and the ui just seriously puts me off...
I been really wondering lately why do i not enjoy dd2 as much as dd1 and it mostly came down to the replay ability and gameplay loop in dd2 after i completed 5 chapter i had nothing to do, hard difficulties aren't fun they dont make the gameplay loop more fun or challenging it only felt sluggish and i felt like there wasn't much replay ability because it just came down to using the best of the best teams or be up to rng if i get good region trinkets and such. Where in dd1 after i played the game once i had a had i wanted to try out hard difficultys and i had so much more fun with bloodmoon and torchless runs. Also one thing about narration dd1 there was mystery around ancestor i was wondering who he is and this feeling of. Can i really trust this guy? I had more fun learning about him and his motivation. Where in dd2 oh theres a nerd who is good and thats it. There no mystery or motives he just wants to help and thats it. i had never cared about him because hes just kinda boring. And i wish for the best for this game but i dont feel the best with the fact that this game asking price is quite high for the base game and the paid dlc the game still dosnt feel that fun after the 5 chapter i would personally say pass.
Even disregarding the aneurysm I had trying to discern the content of this, your critiques of the Academic seem quite unfounded. I really wish they expanded on him more but trying to paint him out as having no backstory and "just good" (???) is quite disingenuous.
... lol passing dd1 is the same thing there is nothing to work on cause you in an infinite time loop eldritch hell. All your struggles are meaningless. Also you are who became like the ancestor but you have a chance to right your wrongs which the ancestor failed to do an damned the heir.
It’s a shame that redhook clearly lucked out with DD1 and they have no clue why it was so popular, now we’re going to be subjected to countless sequels and spin offs that fail to capture the fun and charm of the original in any way. Always sucks why bad devs make a good game 😢
Here’s my take. The game provides a lot of progression but it’s too slow for casual players to reap the true benefits of and since most players are casual players, the game will feel like a waste of money at $40 unless you convert into a non casual and start grinding progression. Because of this, your math doesn’t make any sense. $40 is too much for an indie title but $10 for only 2 heroes is worth the price? Huh? Not to mention crusader being paywalled. Bottom line is if you plan to spend MANY hours playing, the game might be worth it if you can get past all of the problems with it. If you don’t plan on playing that much, then $40 is absolutely not worth it.
Having to grind for stuff has been a thing even more prominent in DD1. I didn't feel like there was much grind in DD2, but it's obviously more grinded than some streamlined triple A game
@@welkingunther4298 if you want to simply unlock all of the skills for all of the characters in DD2 you will need to play longer than an entire DD1 playthrough on Darkest with average skill and luck. And thats just to unlock the skills, not even to then play with and figure out team comps and then try to win. Most players will not reach this level of grind in DD2.
It's shocking how, after all this time, the main sticking point is the feel of the game. Yeah DD2 has better graphics,better sound design, more content, more mechanical complexity... Yet DD1 is still YOUR story. It's that every encounter is tense, because it's YOUR only heroes. Death is a problem now, and 60 hours down the line, not "welp time to restart". Every Hamlet upgrade is a choice with pros and cons, not a "you are required 100 hours of play to get the full game". You can bring your A team of Chad Lepers, in DD2 there is one leper. Not your leper, The leper. And I think it's the interesting part of DD1. The narrative that you create beyond the game. Sure, the combat is enjoyable, but the tales of failure, and survival by the skin of my teeth, are what I will remember forever.
I will say I'm still not a fan of how you can still get negative relationship increase if you heal a character with a bandage even though nobody else is bleeding. This (and many other similar problems) have persisted since early access and I still don't like that it hasn't been changed.
Lower their stress/ control stress as much as possible. Another trick is give smelling salts held by your healer to the negative banter hero and it will cancel their banter when you heal the one who needs it. Anything at 7 stress or higher is an almost guaranteed negative banter.
Darkest Dungeon 1 is 3.5 dnd, gritty, customizable, infinitely interesting. 2 is like 5e, everything is constantly samey and its streamlined to the point of having 0 charm or fun leftover
DD2 has 11 usable combat skills with 4 paths that doesn't devolve into stun spam. I really disagree with this assessment, as much as I am pathfinder pilled :P
The goal is to make sure the viewer knows I have a lot of information. No one wants the review where the person says "yeah I saw the trailer but I didn't play it"
I do wish the Academic was more of a character than he is in this game.
(SPOILERS)
A ghostly voice of the last victim you murdered directly, by your own hand, tormenting you with memories you tried to forget and forcing you to fix what you've done to the world, reluctantly providing guidance where it's needed. There was potential here.
You should spoiler that or at least warn about the major spoilers
@@sauce5097 Yea, true. Done.
Ty
I hope that kingdoms explore his character a little more
@@danielgomes8745 The opportunity for a lot of the cool writing is already lost with how the character has been established, but yea, the team can probably still do something with him.
Leper is still an absolute chad so i would say 10/10 game
Subjective considering we now have the ultimate sigma, Crusader.
@@ExtremeMan10 The wall team comp is back
@@lesso3272 Insert Mark Henry THE WALL
We are ready to go.
I've waited about 4 years for this game....and it does not disappoint.
With the additional free content on the horizon and the addition of modding tools I'd say it's a great time to dip your toes into darkest dungeon 2.
What free content is coming?
@@kaidenb.7299 15:35 in the video, the new gamemode called "Kingdoms"
@@kaidenb.7299 Entirely new game mode that looks like a hybrid between DD1 and DD2.
Hope the modding scene is not as dry as dd1
Even on console?
This was a really good one Shuffle
I actually like Academic more than the Ancestor. Ancestor is sassy asshole to you but you are actually fixing the mess he created, meanwhile Academic is hopeful and encouraging even if this time you made the mess (also the "You were my brightest student, my research partner, and my dearest friend." hurts so much after learning the full story)
Just my opinion although I learned the story from YT because I'm stuck at 3rd confession :')
Yea, Academic is a sweet dude, Ancestor is an asshole. Also, for confession 3 try running a team with Man-At-Arms, get the combat item to apply taunt, and try to make sure all of the eye stacks are on the Man-At-Arms. Then, just make sure to keep him alive for the Limerence, while hitting the eye with all other heroes
@@grajowiecpl2942 apply stealth and it removes tokens from the eye
100% agree, I always just saw it as the other way to do characters is to recontex them and not necesarily have to develope them.
Also if you're stuck with the damn eye, there is a combat item that gives sneak, sneak removes the gaze tokens. Also consider graverobber for this fight. Thas how I beat it
@@ВасилийМедведев-з5в The funniest thing I saw was getting affinity to make it so my main damage moves kept applying dodge+ to a person, so I just made him my limerence/behold tank. The best part was the boss didn't even land a single behold/limerence as it kept dodging.
This game lets me feel the power of flashing a piece of holy paper and kill demons with it so its a Great/10
Oofff that shade thrown towards the road vs hallway debate... I will say I like that the road over the hallway because it's more interactive with the debris which the hallway did not have and it looks nicer which makes up for the longer time to traverse. (to me, of course)
Edit: About the Gotcha machine. If you haven't gotten every item it unlocks new items (which can be found in the various places you can buy stuff) AND gives it to you for that run.
Also I wish that memory recollection shrines were more plentiful because I feel like many of the heroes are just not very good without those unlocks and it seems to take forever to find them.
“Many of the heroes are not very good without those unlocks” = exactly. From what I’ve seen, this is most people’s #1 complaint about DD2- roguelite progression implemented in a way where you feel nerfed in the beginning, rather than like you’re gaining power. It’s a hard needle to thread, for sure
As far as the shrines go, it makes for a semi interesting gameplay loop if you don't mind grinding. Making new teams with the soul intention of hitting as many shrines as I could helped me learn A LOT about the game.
It's not exactly about beginning nerfed, but handicapped on what you can do.
Sure in DD1 you don't begin with tier 5 abilities, but you can unlock all characters and abilities by a paltry sum of money. Meaning you can experiment since the beginning.
Having a timegap for hero abilities seems like the perfect way to get people to quit the game before they get to experience the full game.
@@adriadelafuente3648eh, with the entire estate needing repairs dd1's start is a lot more limiting and cut throat tbh
@@doctordice2doctordice210 After 3 or 4 weeks everything is unlocked, and you can start from there. Playing as slowly as possible, it's about 2 hours.
How many hours to unlock all abilities for a single character in dd2?
Grabbed this on Switch! Loved DD1 on PS4. I’m a big Fire Emblem, Dark Souls, and H.P. Lovecraft fan so this is a perfect blend for me! I rebought DD1 on Switch for $10 with all the DLC content. The second one was on sale for a bit with DD1 but I don’t know if the sale is still active.
Your video was very well timed because I was weighing whether to get into the game at the best price point I could muster at present. I have long been interested in both games, in fact I spent some time messing around with Iratus: Lord of the Dead and then got curious about the game it was "reversing" for its concept. So! Thanks, and I plan to thoroughly enjoy myself. I've been itching for a dungeon crawl I can do without sacrificing too many souls in terms of time commitment.
Hope you have fun :)
@@ShuffleFM I expect I will! I paid attention to a lot of videos about how it was coming along before release and a bit after, and at some point I'll muster the courage to play the first too, hah.
Darkest Dungeon 2 might have some problems, but man this game is so beautiful! I loved this art style since the first one.
Such a great guide for people looking into Darknest Dungeon 2, if know anyone looking into buying the game just direct them to this and if anyone is struggling with the game just direct them here in this channel, Shuffle and he's guides took me out of Death's Door.
In frst 5 days from realase beat the game now fun begins no dying all act bosses which in my opinion is easy game so much easier than frst my comp flag crusader higwyman pl doctor only tip for beating game is mind your frendship
Thank you so much for making an updated review for this game. DD fans appreciate it.
Great review, Shuffle, you got me interested in the sequel again. :) I can't say your bias showed too much at all, except when you nerded out on speeds. But for obsessive DD1 players like myself (1200h), these are the kind of details that can be really important (e.g. along with how they might've overnerfed stunning in DD2) since if I start going at DD2, it's probably gonna be at least 500h...
I just have to comment on one specific thing that I do disagree with - the hallways in DD1 *were* more fun to me, and I never minded the sizeable CC dungeons. In fact I wish DD1-DD4 (the dungeons) were more like those. I will admit I might be in a minority though, since I've always been a sucker for ridiculously oversized mega-dungeons since I was three years old and figured out was Zelda was. So your point isn't wrong, but the people who raise this an issue might be from the same crowd as myself.
i think for me the ultimate dd game would be to have 2’s combat with the hamlet and dungeon crawling of 1. i liked going back to the hamlet after every quest and managing it, i know 2 was supposed to be a rougelike but the lack of permanence (besides memories) always makes me gravitate more towards 1. A third game with everything red hook has learned from 1 and 2 could be absolutely fantastic i imagine
5:37 "respectfully" 😂
Very nice review all around!
Something i'd personally wish to see is getting more rewards for doing the infernal torches, as it stands they're a good enough way to add replayability to the game and the vitrine unlocking a new skin is cool but i wish we got a bit more, maybe for completing all chapters every 2-3 full torch sets, so there's a bit more feedback on hey im getting something for doing this
Also redhook plz let us change the names on heroes who already have memories why can't we do that :
The one thing that endlessly elevated DD1 for was permanence.
Losing heroes permanently meant they actually felt like a precious life. I loved leveling them up, cultivating quirks and going into quests not with the main goal of beating it, but coming out alive.
From my understanding, DD2 does not have this sort of system, being more of a real rougelike, where, when you lose a run, you just start a new one.
This was what immediately put me off on release.
Is this a correct assessment?
I agree that the game looks amazing, and combat improvements are definitely welcome, but I just don't think rougelike is how I would want to play DD.
Though you're not encouraged to use it until after you've gotten many of the unlocks, there is a system that does this, memories. After winning a run, you can apply a minor buff to the hero, your options being randomly selected from a larger pool, and upon doing so you'll be able to select the same hero in the next run, same positive and negative quirks as well as diseases. You can still lock a positive quirk, and positive quirks are a lot more impactful than dd1 on average, so you definitely still feel that loss when your powerful 5 memory hero dies and a new recruit shows up in their stead
I don't get this statement.Many veterans say you're not supposed to care about your characters. in darkest dungeon one
@@raymondtomas2294
I was mainly talking about immersion.
But even then, on Stygian/Bloodmoon you literally lose the game after 12/16 heroes die. Also, the highest level you can get from the stagecoach is 4, so when you lose a veteran you have to grind for like 3 weeks replace them.
@@ovbrook3057honestly this, it's still the same sting but without the added days worth of grind
Not even close. You sometimes just threw entire parties away just to grind cash. If you're talking about your main teams that eventually you will need 3 in total for the final dungeon, then sure. But I'm not sure this is any more immersive than DD2's approach of fleeting memories of a shattered world. It's just different
The biggest dilemma I and many others have about the current scene of DD1 and DD2 is, how does one justify buying DD2 with the plethora of DD1 mods? Between Black Reliquary, Vermintide and the countless character mods, old and new, in DD1, how can a new player or old/returning players justify paying $40 for DD2 when DD1 provides an insane amount of free content after the original $25 payment?
I want to see DD2 do well and be another chapter of success in Red Hook Studios library, but I really fear that the original launch state of the game has pushed away a lot of new fans and the die hard fans who've sworn by DD2 create a toxic environment of "Well its not DD1, get over it. If you don't like it, then don't play it or talk about it not having DD1 elements." In any case I hope for the best for the Darkest Dungeon community at large and Red Hook Studios.
Great video as always Shuffle
It's kinda gross of you to call the people who call dd1 purest out "toxic"
And it's kinda funny that you're doing so while pointing out why they shouldn't be lpl
Had the opposite effect for me. DD1 was way too grindy and if anything felt like any criticism on dumb enemies like the entirety of champion warren and especially weald dungeons were met with "get good". Because yes, giants shuffling the entire team because they hit 1 person while 3 people dodged is cool. Among 50 prot fungal mushrooms who crit for 75% of your health. If anything, I just remembered playing basically only 2 teams for weald. Any deviation from it felt like I was hitting myself against a brick wall trying to make it work.
And yea, DD1 still exists with LOADS of mods, so it IS fair to say instead of constant complaining about DD2, if you prefer much longer drawn out progression, no token system, etc, the first Darkest Dungeon is still there. You will never find some DD2 player complaining about DD1 not being DD2. And if they do, they will 100% be met with get good (rightfully so).
On a side note, this game is goated on the steam deck due to it having a touch screen and saving constantly. It has some bugs at the moment sure but, if you have a steam deck I 200% recommend this. I find in general it's more friendly to play casually than DD1 on a steam deck. Biggest reason is DD1 has a lot of trinket swapping and team planning. DD2 also has these but at a comfortable level for play on the go. I can hop into a DD2 campaign that auto saved while on a bus and get my bearings quickly. I can't do that as much in DD1 because it's like "Oh what was I doing again last time?" and with the way maps and backtracking works it can lead to some stupid situations. DD2 very infrequently has this issue. Not any disrespect to DD1, I just find DD2 to be more portable friendly.
That's really good news
I have >1k hours in DD1 & that’s second only to Slay the Spire in total hours across platforms. I love all the DLCs although I will gripe abt CC maps being long. But I bounced off DD2 on PC a year ago. I bought it on Switch to try again, & it’s def improved over what it was.
That said, I just haven’t found the gameplay loop addictive in the same way. Maybe I just need to keep playing, idk. If I were to give advice to devs, it would be that successful implementation of “roguelite” progression (where you force the player to unlock abilities or heroes) has to be done in a way that preserves a sense of fairness from the start.
If you make the player feel nerfed in the first 20hr of the game, they just lose interest since there’s no reward in the risk/reward calculus. You still need an addictive gameplay loop where players can win & lose based on the tools available at the time. Hades & StS do this well. Can you win runs at the beginning? Absolutely, if you know how to play well.
FTR I still rec people buy the game. The fact that it’s not a 1000+ hour masterpiece like the games it gets compared to really shouldn’t be a knock against it.
Also do yourself a favor & buy on a platform like Switch, bc you can avoid supporting Epic & IMO it feels infinitely more playable as a game while you’re on a flight or waiting at DMV. For me to sit down at my gaming PC it’s for graphically rewarding games like BG3, heavily modded multiplayer games, MMOs, etc. DD games are perfect for Switch
@@scarletsletter4466 I hate the balance of DD1 way more honestly. However, there are loads of mods that ""fix"" it so I guess it got that going for it. But honestly DD1 on my first playthrough was just too annoyingly grindy and the champion dungeons didn't feel fun at all and did not lend itself to experimenting by trial if you cared about not wasting many hours re-grinding which does not add to the experience. Grinding rarely does.
I want dd1 with these graphics. I am one of those people that believes dd1 is 100x better than 2, but 2s graphics slap
I agree. I played 1000 hours of DD1. I played about 100 hours and put this down. This game looks far better than DD1, but I still think DD1 is the better game. I’m not hating on DD2. It’s ok, but it feels watered down. I miss the managing the hamlet. I miss switching teams from mission to mission. I’m growing my roster of heroes. Somehow I’m less attached to the characters of each run in DD2. In DD1 I can run my “Deus Vult” 4 Crusader team and go ham. I can’t do that here. I agree with the D&D 3.5 to D&D 5e analogy. I commend red hook taking a risk with this game, but it’s not the game I wanted. I wanted Black Reliquary. I got Slay the Spire. Not a bad game but not what I wanted. I’d like a comparison between DD2 and Black Reliquary. I think there’s a lot to discuss there.
It isn't that bad of a game, but I still prefer the original one, even before the DLC.
Fair!
That has to be the most concise, tempered, and educational review I've ever seen. It's as if Shuff hit the Resolute trigger which is always a delightful surprise!
Thank you :)
Great content again Shuffle
People talk a lot about the $40 price tag, but that's still a steal considering most high-quality games are $70+ these days. The first game was already cheap, and this game is still cheap for a video game. I got the 2nd with DLC's for a $38 sale. The only pass on this game you should do is passing your money to it so you can play.
40 dollars in this economy is like 20 bucks or less. It's gotten to the point where I don't really consider much difference between 60 and 40 price tag unless there are ALOT of dlcs, microtransactions, and grinds that do not respect your time at all.
I feel like there's this huge epidemic of people always talking about price tags between 40, 60, and god forbid 70. When games have been costing 60 since I was a kid. The only caveat to this would be again microtransaction galore that alot of games do have.
hey, I'm starting chapter 3 and I have a question. In chapters 3-5, do you have to kill the lair bosses to be able to fight the mountain boss?
Idk bro
Ayea. After Act* 1, all regions require you take a Trophy with you to reach The Mountain.
If you're doing a fresh profile and have the Binding Blade DLC, note that the Crusader's Helm counts as a Trophy! So if you don't mind it not giving you any particular buffs, you can use it to get into the Mountain without challenging a Region boss while the quest is underway
To clarify you only need to beat 1 lair per run, not all 3. That's p hard lol
@@ShuffleFM thanks
Only one to access the mountain. Depending on your setup and heroes, to one you go against may differentiate the difficulty.
Try General, out of all of them he is easiest, next to Librarian.
one thing that i dislike the most is the rank 4 obligatory for most bosses, things like the librarian or the act 3 boss(how to you beat these without hwm,hrl or occ?) i think we need more mechanic bosses that dont need you to have a concistent rank 4 damage(like act 1 and the general with unlocked combat items, not act 2 boss or the
You can actually use push to move books behind librarian and focus front rank damage on him. So long as you don’t put him all the way into 1 (in which case he will just back up again), the tactic allows front rank focused teams to perform very effectively, if not quite as good in the fight as flexible teams.
The librarian is easy. I beat it with shuffle nades/explosive combat items. Can also make it easy by pushing the books as said before like with leper. Generally before bosses, I change up my skills quite a bit. I had a party that could only even hit up to rank 2 and still beat him.
IMO, DD2 is way easier without prior knowledge on bosses
Great vid as always!
I am playing on ps4 and some bugs aside the game has been alot off fun thanks for the guides shuff!
Hi Shuffle! Good review. I'd like to share some thoughts on The Foetor (10:24) that have to do with the word itself and its pronunciation.
Foetor as a word is a noun whose definition means a very foul or putrid stench. Its adjective is "Fetid," like a Fetid Heath. Foetor, at least in English, has two different spellings, both with an "o" and without an "o", so it can be Foetor or Fetor. The one you'll likely find in a dictionary or which grammar systems will try to auto-correct to is the one without the o, but both are correct to use and is more of a stylistic choice. Additionally they also have two different pronunciations with the first syllable, being "fee" and "feh" which are also both correct but the former is not so much with the 'sibling' word Fetid. For Fetid it'll usually depend on what word it is being concatenated with and to use "fee" or "feh" to make the language sound more fluent or even beautiful in its horrid description. I think adept linguists can better comment on that though.
I personally, when it comes to Darkest Dungeon 2, say Foetor with the "fee" pronunciation because it also finds very interesting purchase in the way it phonetically sounds like the word "feeder" as in something that feeds. Like a Harvest Child!
Ever wondered why the music in darkest dungeon 2 sounds so similar to Fallout 3? Look up Inon Zur and Stuart Chatwoods collaborative work!! I.e Prince of Persia! I heard one of the iconic motifs Inon uses in the Fo3 ost in the Darkest Dungeon 2 soundtrack and immediately began looking for any kind of work they had done together in the past. Very pleased to see my ears hadn't deceived me.
Algorithm gang! As someone who loves DD1 so much and helped me out throughout the pandemic, I love DD2 and its improvements to the series.
The balance is better. The enemies are more difficult to deal with. I prefer DD1 music, except Battle of the Mountain, shit slaps. Better designed bosses. Better overall combat. Enhanced quality to the heroes design, team composition and varied playstyles. I prefer DD1 storyline but I still enjoyed DD2
I personally believe that DD2 appeals to a wider audience simply because playing the heroes are much more personal as you go in a 3hr+ run, unlike the first game that allows 4 crusaders that you can't really connect to. With the exception of Reynauld and Dismas, I feel like the other heroes in my roster are mere soldiers rather than companions presented in DD2. Maybe my first SB and those broken heroes I have with the best locked and prismatic quirks in them, but its still not the same fulfillment I get with my 4 chosen heroes from the beginning upto the end.
Sure there is still work to do in DD2. But let's not pretend that DD1 didn't have controversial patches in the past. Adding corpses was the biggest and even the Radiant update got some flack. The reason people don't call it out is because a lot of the fanbase started DD1 around the time where the game is already much better than its previous versions. DD2 got the short end of the stick because the series is already popular and people have a lot of unreasonable expectations.
I think upon releasing mod support, new updates and the Kingdoms DLC this year, the game would be in a similar situation as DD1 in their release of CoM. So props to Red Hook for overcoming the challenges in 3D and making DD2. I also think that Kingdoms is their test bed for ideas in DD3, combining the strengths of both existing games. See you in 2069!
The point about heroes being easier to connect with is interesting. I felt the opposite way about DD2.
In DD1 death of a hero meant something. Sure, it may've been one of many grave robbers that just died in a dungeon. But she had a unique name and you watched her climb the ranks, gain and lose quirks, risk her life again and again under your command, until she finally got unlucky. That was the end of this person's life. Whoever came next would live their own story. I couldn't help but assign personalities to specific people in my roster.
In DD2 losing a hero just means your run is about to be over, at which point you'll go back to the crossroads, where the same people with the same names will step out of the shadows. They might not remember any of it, unless afflicted by specific quirks. But to you it's clear what's happening. As a result, I was not concerned about the lives of my characters, as much as I was concerned about the success of my run. Because regardless of whether I won or lost, the characters would come back just fine. I no longer felt like I was gambling with their lives, as they were effectively immortal.
This is an interesting take that may reflect views of a large portion of fans who are different from me. Personally, I don’t have much interest in hearing stories to bond w/ my units in a game like DD1. Don’t get me wrong- I love story-heavy games like BG3 too, but in a micromgmt tactics game I’m prob gonna click through dialogue to reach combat rolls. That doesn’t mean the storytelling is bad, just that the combat rolls are the addictive gameplay loop of the genre.
Red Hook either misunderstood or intentionally ignored that the primary appeal of DD1 to a huge segment of the fanbase is as a micromgmt tactics game where you use upgradable units in creative ways to achieve the objectives of a long central campaign.
If you love XCOM, I can almost guarantee you’ll love DD1, bc the loop is similar. If you love Hades, StS, or JRPGs… it’s a coin flip. DD1 shares elements with all those (turn based, rogue, & dungeon crawling), but it’s not sufficiently like any of them.
DD2 feels more like an effort to make a rogue X jRPG rather than keep the overarching central campaign & upgradable tactics units. So folks who like storytelling enjoy it more, whereas strategy game fans may find it silly & frustrating. I’ve seen many posts griping about the relationships for example 😂
FTR I haven’t completed DD2 yet so maybe the storytelling will speak to me more later, I’m just talking about the crux of the gameplay loop
"Use upgradable units in creative ways"
Upgrades in Dd1 are solely stats based and the creative ways of using them is how many stuns you have in your party.
Let's be real, Dd1 isn't a good strategy game. Grinding levels and fighting the same bosses 3 times isn't good campaign.
@@scarletsletter4466 "Red Hook either misunderstood or intentionally ignored that the primary appeal of DD1 to a huge segment of the fanbase is as a micromgmt tactics game where you use upgradable units in creative ways to achieve the objectives of a long central campaign" objectively false.
DD1 balance was pretty awful. It was either pure mark teams, stun chaining, or riposte spam to trivialize fights. Any deviation from it just made it feel significantly worse while in DD2, you don't always get the option to do the same thing everytime because of RNG trinkets and the like.
I just wish they would increase their pace with new or reworked characters
Yeah that's one unfortunate outcome of the release schedule
For those who are curious i looked up the correct pronunciation of foetor and it's apparently "feetor"
Yea, you're really harsh. I understand, we are the harshest on the things we love. I think this game is cash. I have only 84 hours and have only completed the first 2 confessions. I don't play religiously, I just play every now and then, but when I do play, I'm fully sucked in. I think that's a good tell for a great game.
This is the first video I've seen that actually breaks down the basic mechanics. I loved the first game and tried to watch reviews and beginner tip videos before purchasing the second. None of them mentioned the terrible UI or crappy text block tutorials. They did mention a lot of confusing mechanics that I didn't understand.
So, I figure I'll play the game a bit and maybe those videos will make some sense. Nope. The UI and tutorials are a huge step backwards and I have no idea what I'm doing. The ridiculous amount of tokens that are represented by just symbols, keeping the flame lit, keeping stress down, the different stops on the map, etc. These were all things that felt pretty logical in the first game, but here are barely explained.
I knew this "sequel" was a different animal, but how they managed to screw up basic things like the UI in this game is unfathomable to me. All it's done so far is make me want to go back to the first game. Feels like a waste of money right now. I hope it gets better.
I’m sorry but if you don’t understand the UI in this game you are genuinely brain dead.
It’s literally match the token symbols to the text, are you not able to colour inside the line as well
This comment section has been so polite. I wish people in FGC were this nice about comparing older games and respecting people's opinion and shit. This is a great problem Red Hook has, making two titles that are both great and are different enough that people can have a preference. I think DD1 was creepier and more terrifying crawling around in the dungeons. And some of the lerchs and groans from the music were sooooo good. Red Hook seems like decent developers and want to make good products. I love DD1 and DD2 they are just soooo good. This game is straight cash, homie. I can assure whomever reads has wasted far more on far less.
We're fortunate enough to have a lot of good people in the community
375 hours here. I really wish they would add a fast forward button like they had in Monster Train. Watching the carriage crawl along, or seeing the animations over and over has taken its toll on my attention span.
Came here from the future (2069) and can confirm the problems were addressed a few years ago.
I have about 59 hours in so far. Its a grind but i love all the unlocks and boss challenges. Currently working on Chapter 3 / unlocking shrines for characters / candle unlocks and character upgrades etc.... I feel like in terms of the actual gameplay loop I'm more invested in than DD1 and love the animations and art style. I hope to see some new characters and a new location would help break up the runs a bit more .
I have seen complaints about the carriage but i actually prefer this to hallways as he mentions in this (back-tracking / court maps / large maps vs medium or small). I think the carriage travel function and scouting paths works great.
Have been with this game since it first appeared on epic, still remeber the ounce strat and how Denial was powerhouse.
RH went long way and gave us great game, with more on horizon, and gameplay that is just as enjoyable as first game.
Its worth the price, only thing, its not same as first game why people give it mixed reviews. Is it good Darkest Dungeon sequel? That subjectvie. Is it good game? Yes, Wayne June, Music (Shroud theme goes extra hard), graphics and effects, its more like steal for this price.
loved your videos shuff this is my new interest but you shouldve mentioned to vets how there are 11 skills instead of 7 so the characters are not entirely the same
Glad you are honest about the game Shuff! :)
I love atmosphere of this game! You should try graveyard gunslingers it also has this dark atmosphere and it's roguelite
I'm just going to talk about my thoughts on binding blade because why not. Raynald the Crusader I think they did a really good job translating him. He's got everything he had in the first game and fulfills a very similar role. his paths also allow for unique things like back line support, not just front line support/ damage.
Duelist just doesn't feel very good. It always feels like duelist doesn't have everything you want them to have. Because in the start they won't have a stance, that doesn't feel very good do you want to go in with a move to get a stance, but then you don't have repost. Okay turn 2 you get the repost, but then you're dead, her health is so low and her stance can't be relied to heal or make her get Dodge she just feels so inconsistent slow and clunky. Not to mention she's so difficult to play. It feels like you need to make a team around her but that's just so much effort for such a mid reward.
It feels like Rogue and man at Arms it's just better 99% of the time. I am a new player but that's just my thoughts.
I’ve put in a lot of time into the first game and can make it to the mid game consistently before getting crushed, but for some reason with the second I just cannot survive the first areas and idk what I’m doing wrong.
Curious were you able to finish DD1?
@@lesterabinguna341 no it’s a game I’ve never been able to beat, I can make it comfortably to the mid/ early late game and then get stuck and lose all my best people.
@@TheXenomorphwarrior Oh okay. DD1 is a hard turn based game for sure. You will have a hard time in the second game because the enemies are way more difficult. Keep trying though! Everyone starts somewhere.
@@lesterabinguna341 that’s what confuses me, everyone keeps saying the second game is way easier than the first and yet I make a ton more progress in the first game than the second.
@@TheXenomorphwarrior I think people believe the second game is harder because they have the experience in the first. Players who have played and completed DD1 already have a good understanding with its basics and core combat mechanics, especially stress management. Its a similar situation with Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3, a lot of players in the community saying that DS3 is easier.
But there's no way DD2 is easier than DD1. Fundamentally speaking, the enemies that have a lot more gimmicks now, are just way too much to deal with in the second game. Also the second game takes away some broken optimized play styles from the first game.
For example, stuns are the best way to play DD1 because of the nature of turn based combat. Not only it stops an enemy making a move on you, but you also do something aside from it either chipping damage or debuffing. Red Hook realized that stuns in the first game are so accessible that players abuse it to the fullest, and with the introduction of daze, setting up stuns are now harder, making the enemies difficult to beat. Trust me on this, use Plague Doctor's Blinding Gas, its arguably the best move in DD1, or the Hellion's scream skill forgot the name. You will win most of your fights.
Wow shuff it would be really cool if you made your channel dedicated to this game series.
Great Review!
DD2 is a fantastic game! Hours of fun.
My critique is that it lacks the overall agency of the player. It’s RNG on a massive scale! Because of this, it takes away from the immersion of an amazing art-piece brought to life …and the replay value. Shame.
"The part you didn't skip to right?"
Uhhh...
My least favorite part of the game is that heroes with the taunt token still provoke group attacks. That killed my PD but I still love this game >:(
Does it not do this in the first game? I assume taunts could always be "bypassed" by using aoe/cleave, so long that it hits the taunted target. Same goes for stealth.
@@welkingunther4298 well the first game doesn’t have tokens, much less taunts. I guess there’s the mark system, but that’s a bit of a different thing.
@@pungoblin9377 Ah, I guess I'm thinking of bypassing stealth enemies then. Either way, this is a good thing. Taunt is extremely strong along with defense token spam, which is why it was nerfed. It's just something to take note of that if taunting, either enemy COULD use a cleave of choice that at least targets the taunter or a strong 1 target dmg on it which makes skill choice less braindead as it was in DD1. All I remembered in DD1 was spamming riposte, marks, or stuns. Any deviation from it made the game significantly harder, especially early champion runs.
@@welkingunther4298 I know, I just miss my PD. She was Amorous with the Flagellant and I thought they were a cute couple but then she died :(
Just got this game for PS5 ur vids help alot....is their a way to permanently save custom character names....I can't find a way, I can only save each of their skills to the slots and a 4 person party load out but custom names don't save once I re enter the game???
I think you can only save specific stuff like names and Quirks and such for heroes that have survived one or more Expeditions to the mountain
great review shuff
I mean, we are desperately missing "back to the pit!" And "executed with impunity!"
When we crit something.
The dopamine rush isn't the same.
But my most hated feature of 2 is how long it takes to get a run going. The altar should have a button to skip if you so wish, if I get megawiped by the act 2 boss just let me go and start team-building again.
Even after beating all confession bosses you still have to forcefully listen to the lore and see the stagecoach drive again and again.
18:42 can't wait!
The game looks great. It only need to be a sequel.
I think DD2 is worth it.
But I do think 39,99$ is reaching aswell. 20-25$ is way more reasonable since although DD2 has a decent amount of content it’s only really fun the first couple of times you play it. I also find the actual goal of the game quite empty. I liked the gameplay of maintaining and using the old HUB area way more. The only interactive locations in DD2’s hub area is the working fields, the woods. In DD1 the whole entire hub area was useful and important to maintain. It also had more meaningful upgrades for the heros aswell. I think DD2 is really close to being a really solid game, but we’ll see after 2024 how the game holds up after some long awaited content.
Bros casually just sitting on 2500 candles. Bruh.
A new region is coming? The developers comfirmed this? I can't find anything about that.
Btw awesome video man!
It was a foot note in an article, kinda weird
@@ShuffleFM I also couldn't find anything on it, seems like that one's not happening, or at least is not confirmed. Sadge.
I recently 100% finished Darkest Dungeon 1 on Switch using some of your guides. My go to was 3 Man at Arms and the Bleeding Whip Dude. I'm curious if 2 will offer anything to tempt me now that it's out on Switch.
It’s a totally different game, but if you have the $ you may as well get it for switch. It runs well & you can still tap the screen. I don’t like it as much as DD1 but this type of game is good on Switch/ portable platforms
@@scarletsletter4466 yeah, I'm going to miss the Ancestor
"slowly, gently, THIS is how a life is taken"
100 hrs in stuck on obession 4. Hearing you say 50 hr full obsession clears hurt my soul
Don't worry these are just very general estimates
I got both game and dlc for 32 it was on sale for the switch
-40% on steam untill 6 th November, i got my self new pc so i can try it now
Worth getting it on Switch? Im on edge here. Kingdomes dlc is comming soon right?
Kingdoms soon and it's free. Not entirely sure how it performs on the switch though
I bought on ps5. It’s clunky and needs work. Still love IT
"Since then, ive become a staple, and burned out on the game"
The only burnout I have is the one I left in front of your house in my sick ass stagecoach. I got 2 horsepower in that thing.
@@ShuffleFM Singular comeback!
@@ShuffleFM😂 ok this is a cute comeback lol
I did play the game for 17 hours on release last year. I was thinking of jumping back in a year later. Should I go with a the same save (spent about 300 candles) or go with a new one?
No reason not to boot up the old one unless you want to see a few shrines again :)
Hey bro. Good video!
i have a cumulative amount of some 120h between epic and steam on this game. while i love the look and sound of it, the combat particularly around the lair/mountain bosses is what i've consistently struggled to find the fun in; most have skillset requirements or specific strategies, in addition to party-wide damage which almost means, in order to defeat them, you must play with certain comps from beginning to end, imo foreclosing on variety of play, and that's if you make it to the end, where its easy to make an obtuse mistake that leads to an overly prolonged defeat after investing 3+hours each run. I still don't really understand how this game is any easier to "get" than DD1. I keep wanting to love this game but it seems designed to make you lose.
Can I play Darkest dungeon 2 without play the firts?
Yes
Game = good imo
This game still keeps the amazing gameplay. Biggest criticism of course is the relationship system (its too controlling). The next one is the new slay the spire like map traversal. My gripe is that we go from 30-60 min dungeons to 3-4 hour journeys. Also collector is a big thumbs down for me only because he appears randomly.
30 to 60min.... but then you have to do multiple to level the heroes which is literally the same thing... dd2 is 3 hours total per mayor boss but you can play until the first inn so 60 minutes, I've stopped midway through a map I really don't get why just stopping after a node is so difficult.
@@Mobius-GS1 you are also still losing a character in dd2. In terms of memory upgrades and traits/ locked in traits from hospital visits.
I'll gladly deal with affinity in DD2 compared to the annoying asf enemies in DD1 that gave you diseases constantly and only 2 characters realistically being able to remove them during camps, only to get diseased by a random ass enemy attack the very next fight.
@@welkingunther4298 you aint never got diseases in dd2?
I remmember this chanel from long ago where the rants for the Leper being unviable in Darkest Dungeon 1 higher difficulties were plentiful yet not unreasonable since he does misses a lot so your expertise in the franchise is definitely more valid than your archnemsis Bear if not a bit tainted since your review suspiciously conicedes with the console release, I just wish you could have touched upon the new item and trinket system since its management and usage seems more prominent than in the last game and perhaps as I plan to purchase this game on console I just hope to god I can use a mouse type cursor stick select instead of a d-pad to dive trough the menus and inventory which quite honestly will bother me if its on the damn d-pad.
Reviews near release are common. You won't get the Deadpool movie review 19 months from now :P
@@ShuffleFM just kidding Shuffle xd your review was excellent and you are right about the price tag, respekt from Serbia
I was waiting but quite long time for them to release on n.switch. until i gave up and bought it on pc. Next week later it releases on switch.
idk, for me the 1 is way better
$40 is a steal for this game imo.
This is a prime example of why you should just make a new game entirely rather than riding off the coattails of the first game's success with an entirely different and unrelated game.
Skip?! I didn't skip! You skipped!
bought 2nd time on steam
$40 being to much for an indie title is the worst take ever, the game has constant updates, full narration, fantastic art, replayability and people can get 100s to 1000s of hours on it, it goes to sell often (40% off at the time of this comment), as a content creator relying on this game to make your content you should be ashamed of even suggesting that
I'm not a shill, which is why I gave an opinion on the price. People have complained about the cost since it released. The 40% sale is a sale, not the base price. I even said as much.
With your logic RH should be ashamed of themselves for not hiring Shuffle as community manager despite doing everything for the game
I don't agree with OP's tone since everyone is entitled to opinion on price, esp since a lot of indie games are cheaper when viewed in this scope. However, in the same breath, I can't see how much 10 dollar dlc that only goes on sale for 8 makes it easier to digest. Base game price which goes on sale for more, has way more content obviously than 2 dlcs and 1 questline. You can easily play for a while without the dlc.
As for the cost, in this economy, I personally can't understand video game price complaints outside of triple A game deluxe editions cutting out content in favor for their 160 dollar version with multiple dlcs.
Yes, there are games much cheaper than 40 dollars, but by that logic, all indie games should be 30 or less. For some, they swear by 20 and others 10 even before sale. However, effort among them aren't the same, such as vampire survivors and among others that maybe enjoyable, but relatively low effort.
I will say i do hate enemy speed of ordained and how resistances work (almost making me default to alchemist if I want to blight anything. Vendomdrop or orphan paths always seem to have constant resists as well). However, without special modifiers like infernal torches, I think dd2 is way more enjoyable and less frustrating. I hated champion weald and warren dungeons in dd1 for example. And I dislike having to always just put the same trinkets on say leper because of his crap acc. I much prefer token system more than stupid high prot of fungal mushrooms and 1 billion dodge enemies. And the giant bypassing dodge with his shuffle just because he hit 1 person out of 4.
Being new to the game, the series and even the genre, I've already gotten more time of enjoyment out of this game than games I've spent $70 on and been happy with my purchase. $40 really is a bargain, IF you're enjoying it. I think they need to offer a trial of some sort cuz I was hesitant to drop that much on it not knowing what it really was or if I'd enjoy it. Glad I took the plunge though.
Insightful
One thing you forgot to mention which is a HUGE issue is that mod support is missing. I don't know how you can go trough this game for 1200h+ without getting mentally burned out and end up with same haircut as Cloud Strife, but mod support helps shake things up and devs deciding to prioritize it last was a big mistake.
Mods didn't feel like a necessary point since they're coming in a couple weeks
The other problem with mods is that with the new engine and visual style, we're going to see a LOT less stuff than you got for DD1 and it's 2D art. They aren't all good, but DD1 has dozens or hundreds of character mods to try out; I'd be surprised if DD2 gets a fraction of that.
its good but yeah all the menus are complicated af also checking the glossary... last boss feels cheap af too
Has anyone ever told you that you kinda sound like that In Praise of Shadows dude? 😂
I think the game needs some thematic work. I've noticed that a lot of the dialogue and themes resemble the idea that the journey is grueling, exhausting, and extremely long, but I really don't think that makes for an enjoyable game.
The narrator often says things like "Fight through the fatigue"', and talks about how long and hard the journey is. These themes need to be somewhat present given the repetitive genre of the game, but I think its a bit too much.
Honestly, the themes are correft but in the wrong way. You always have to fight 2 whole fights before the lair boss, a cultist boss every region, and then 2 more cultist fights right before the boss. It feels like the game is dragging you down, not in a particularly engaging way, but in an exhausting way that makes you wonder if it's even worth it to keep playing.
I like the game and have like 1500 hours, but the fundamental idea of any game is that it should be fun. Being hit with unnecessary fights over and over does not bring joy and likely never will.
As for solutions, I would consider removing the first fight on the beginning road. I would look at the 2 prerequisite fights before the lair boss, and I would definitely look at the two cultist fights before the chapter boss. It's just mean to fight deacon and cardinal right before ravenous reach
I think that first fight at the start is good for non-expert players, as it gives a chance to test any new team building they've done to see if it works, before they hit a more specialized regional-enemy fight.
I don't know. I felt the same way in DD1. A lot of the early champion runs were just annoying in how you had to approach it and how only 2 characters could remove diseases, only to get diseased immediately after sometimes. To the point where sometimes, you purposely grinded to get the correct disease you want sometimes (cough rabies). And almost no flexibility on estate upgrades in DD1.
I love this game. But i got bored of It after they made the progressive system an endless grind. Never fineshed the final act. Also, the pre nerfed act 3 Boss was total BS. But im excited for this new mode. Cant wait to see what they are planning.
There is objectively less grinding in DD2 than DD1. You can go in memory less into any confession and win easily. Or die and then just go again and be at the confession boss again in like 1 hour.
Is it just me that cant stand the visuals? I was so hyped for its release and love dd1, but something about how the game looks and the ui just seriously puts me off...
dd2 failed the aesthetic vibe check :(
At first I thought it looked like every bad mobile game commercial I've ever set to 2X speed
Hey good video
I been really wondering lately why do i not enjoy dd2 as much as dd1 and it mostly came down to the replay ability and gameplay loop in dd2 after i completed 5 chapter i had nothing to do, hard difficulties aren't fun they dont make the gameplay loop more fun or challenging it only felt sluggish and i felt like there wasn't much replay ability because it just came down to using the best of the best teams or be up to rng if i get good region trinkets and such. Where in dd1 after i played the game once i had a had i wanted to try out hard difficultys and i had so much more fun with bloodmoon and torchless runs. Also one thing about narration dd1 there was mystery around ancestor i was wondering who he is and this feeling of. Can i really trust this guy? I had more fun learning about him and his motivation. Where in dd2 oh theres a nerd who is good and thats it. There no mystery or motives he just wants to help and thats it. i had never cared about him because hes just kinda boring. And i wish for the best for this game but i dont feel the best with the fact that this game asking price is quite high for the base game and the paid dlc the game still dosnt feel that fun after the 5 chapter i would personally say pass.
Paragraphs and sentence structure are important.
Even disregarding the aneurysm I had trying to discern the content of this, your critiques of the Academic seem quite unfounded. I really wish they expanded on him more but trying to paint him out as having no backstory and "just good" (???) is quite disingenuous.
... lol passing dd1 is the same thing there is nothing to work on cause you in an infinite time loop eldritch hell. All your struggles are meaningless. Also you are who became like the ancestor but you have a chance to right your wrongs which the ancestor failed to do an damned the heir.
It’s a shame that redhook clearly lucked out with DD1 and they have no clue why it was so popular, now we’re going to be subjected to countless sequels and spin offs that fail to capture the fun and charm of the original in any way. Always sucks why bad devs make a good game 😢
This is some weak ass bait.
@@ShuffleFMgotta be an easy life being able to disregard any opinion you disagree with as “bait” lmao enjoy life in your bubble
Pass
Here’s my take. The game provides a lot of progression but it’s too slow for casual players to reap the true benefits of and since most players are casual players, the game will feel like a waste of money at $40 unless you convert into a non casual and start grinding progression. Because of this, your math doesn’t make any sense. $40 is too much for an indie title but $10 for only 2 heroes is worth the price? Huh? Not to mention crusader being paywalled. Bottom line is if you plan to spend MANY hours playing, the game might be worth it if you can get past all of the problems with it. If you don’t plan on playing that much, then $40 is absolutely not worth it.
Having to grind for stuff has been a thing even more prominent in DD1. I didn't feel like there was much grind in DD2, but it's obviously more grinded than some streamlined triple A game
@@welkingunther4298 if you want to simply unlock all of the skills for all of the characters in DD2 you will need to play longer than an entire DD1 playthrough on Darkest with average skill and luck. And thats just to unlock the skills, not even to then play with and figure out team comps and then try to win. Most players will not reach this level of grind in DD2.
It's shocking how, after all this time, the main sticking point is the feel of the game.
Yeah DD2 has better graphics,better sound design, more content, more mechanical complexity...
Yet DD1 is still YOUR story. It's that every encounter is tense, because it's YOUR only heroes. Death is a problem now, and 60 hours down the line, not "welp time to restart". Every Hamlet upgrade is a choice with pros and cons, not a "you are required 100 hours of play to get the full game". You can bring your A team of Chad Lepers, in DD2 there is one leper. Not your leper, The leper.
And I think it's the interesting part of DD1. The narrative that you create beyond the game. Sure, the combat is enjoyable, but the tales of failure, and survival by the skin of my teeth, are what I will remember forever.
Pass until they release a real campaign (Kingdom mode)
I will say I'm still not a fan of how you can still get negative relationship increase if you heal a character with a bandage even though nobody else is bleeding. This (and many other similar problems) have persisted since early access and I still don't like that it hasn't been changed.
Lower their stress/ control stress as much as possible. Another trick is give smelling salts held by your healer to the negative banter hero and it will cancel their banter when you heal the one who needs it. Anything at 7 stress or higher is an almost guaranteed negative banter.
Yeah I do kinda wish there was some comeback mechanic after surviving negative relationships and getting positive relationships afterward
Darkest Dungeon 1 is 3.5 dnd, gritty, customizable, infinitely interesting. 2 is like 5e, everything is constantly samey and its streamlined to the point of having 0 charm or fun leftover
Best way to explain it tbh, simple and condensed ≠ better. I miss the gamba feeling of DD1 with percentages to hit
DD2 has 11 usable combat skills with 4 paths that doesn't devolve into stun spam. I really disagree with this assessment, as much as I am pathfinder pilled :P
@@Linkueigman I mean the token system is more complex than acc percentages, but sure
@@ShuffleFM Okay but which Pathfinder
1e dude
Not too fond of presenting opinions as facts (which makes a very small part of this), but otherwise, this is a good review.
The absolutely ruined the art style with this game.
You cant start a "should I" video with " I played 1200+ hours".
The goal is to make sure the viewer knows I have a lot of information. No one wants the review where the person says "yeah I saw the trailer but I didn't play it"
@@ShuffleFM "Married for 30 years, but, was it worth it?"
@@Abolistableur dumb as bricks