Making a sequel to a game like Rogue Legacy is always a risky endeavor. The original game took the indie scene by storm with unique and interesting mechanics, excellent procedural level design and a fun factor so high that it was hard to put the controller down once you got going. Now, Cellar Door Games is back with the sequel and after an early-access period on PC, Rogue Legacy 2 has made its way to consoles!
What’s interesting about Rogue Legacy 2 is how familiar it is while still maintaining the feel of a new game as well. Ironically, it’s almost as if the heir to the previous game had reincarnated as a new game. Now, if you’ve never played Rogue Legacy before, you won’t get that, so let’s get into what you actually do in the game. There’s not much plot to speak of here, but souls and giant locked doors are involved and you play a knight who’s on his way to search a castle for riches. Well, sort of.
Sure, you play that knight but at some point, you’re going to die and when you do, you play that knight’s heir. Then that knight dies and you play their progeny. Rogue Legacy 2 is just like the first game in which you literally play through the lineage of the knight that starts the adventure and each child picks up where their parent left off. They also pick up a wild variety of traits and genetic benefits and deficiencies that are passed down the bloodline and pop up randomly to plague you. Some can be pretty strange too, such as turning blue or seeing everything like a vintage movie filter. The screen might flip upside down, your hit points might drop, or you might just be bulky and powerful. There are also some powerful abilities that get passed on, along with spells and other interesting positive traits.
That’s part of the magic of the rogue-like experience in Rogue Legacy 2. Not only do you get a randomized level each time, but your characters change randomly too. At the start of the game there are only a few options, but as you die and are reborn as a descendant, your wealth carries on into permanent upgrades for your castle, additional weapons and armor at the blacksmith, upgraded character perks and more. You’ll also slowly unlock special abilities which will allow you to fight the massive bosses in each level.
You can’t just run through Rogue Legacy 2 either. Not only is the game different every time but the levels are also noticeably bigger than the first game, leaving you to slowly wend your way through a massive labyrinth in order to progress. Occasionally you’ll come across memories that give you bits of backstory and provide clues to beating bosses. Other times you’ll find statues that warp you to a trial that will unlock new abilities, allowing you to progress further. As long as your traits aren’t crippling and your luck is decent with the dungeons, things can progress fairly quickly. Lose sight of the goal for an instant though and that’s a different story. All it takes is one unexpected enemy pattern and you can be wiped out in an instant in Rogue Legacy 2.
There are six levels in Rogue Legacy 2 and each one has a unique design, a significant improvement from the first game. You start in the citadel but work your way through pirate ships, snow, towers, studies, and even lakes as you slowly defeat the estuaries (bosses) and unlock the golden door. Each boss is both excellent and challenging and the gameplay loops is remarkably compelling, driving the ‘just one more run’ mentality with such efficiency that you’re definitely going to need to make up some sleep!
The new environments, flashy bosses, and charming designs aren’t all Rogue Legacy 2 has to offer though. A big game needs a big cast of characters and Rogue Legacy 2 doesn’t disappoint there either. The number of playable character types has expanded since the first game, reaching 15 character types this time around, many of which are different from those in the first game! With unique abilities for each, you’re going to want to try being everything from a Chef to a Dragon Lancer. There are Bards, Pirates, Ronin, Valkyries, and even an Astromancer!
With this class expansion comes an equally robust item expansion. Tons of new relics abound in Rogue Legacy 2. However, finding out what they all do definitely comes at a cost. Until you have taken each relic (and they spawn randomly in dungeons), you’ll have no idea what they do. You just have to hope for the best. Some of them will absolutely hobble your run which is remarkably irritating. Others will be incredibly powerful but by the time you get them, you’re already near death, leaving you limited chance to benefit. Either way, taking relics costs resolve. The more resolve you have, the easier it is to take relics. Unfortunately, if you go below 100 resolve, you start losing health and that means putting your run in jeopardy. This means that you’ll have to balance out resolve versus upgrades during each run. There are of course modifications that will help you in this respect, but it always pays to pay attention!
As you work your way through the dungeons over and over, you’ll slowly uncover blueprints and runes as well. Runes can be activated through the Enchantress in town for a cost in gold and blood (dark, that!) and blueprints work through the blacksmith the same way but with metal ingots replacing the blood. Eventually you’ll earn soul stones from bosses as well, allowing you to unlock the higher tiers of other portions of the game! You’ll also find heirlooms that are permanent boosts to your abilities. There’s a lot to do here and between the gameplay loop, the upgrades and the excellent procedurally generated dungeons, there’s a lot to love!
Rogue Legacy 2 also looks amazing. The visuals have been upgraded making this game more 2.5D than 2D and adding a cartoonish flair to the original design aesthetic. With the shift in backgrounds for each biome, the expressive characters, and the interesting monsters and enemies, this is a smooth and seamless visual treat of a game. There are no graphical glitches and no weird issues with getting stuck anywhere so common to procedurally generated games. The controls are equally smooth, transitioning well to the Switch controller. A Switch Pro controller is of course recommended, but either way, Rogue Legacy 2 is responsive and well-designed. Sound is equally well-done and smooth. The soundtrack is solid and the sound effects are myriad and compelling, pulling you deeper into each level as you shatter enemies and pots alike with gratifying crunches!
Added in for good measure is a House Rules setting in the settings menu. The original Rogue Legacy was quite challenging until you upgraded sufficiently and found your groove but Cellar Door decided to add in full modifications for those of us who want a more relaxed experience or less challenge. Need to weaken some enemies to get through a particularly challenging area? No problem, drop their HP! Don’t like to walk? Toss in some flight! Tired of irritating traits breaking your runs? Shut them off! It’s a fantastic system that more games should adopt. Not only is it more accessible for more players but the House Rules system gives you the ability to tailor your experience to your preferences and skills, something very few games account for. Not all of us have unlimited free time or high skill levels with platformers after all.
All in all, Rogue Legacy 2 is everything you could ever have hoped for from a sequel to one of the best roguelikes ever released. The gameplay is expanded, the abilities and playable characters are expanded, the level design and visuals are improved, and everything about the game simply oozes polish. You’re going to get a ton of hours out of Rogue Legacy 2 and every minute of it is enjoyable. The major pitfalls in sequels have been entirely avoided here and the extended time in early access only helped to make the game even better! Rogue Legacy 2 is legitimately one of the best indie gaming experiences out there and showcases how fun games can still be! This is the best $25 you can spend on a game! Don’t even think about hesitating on this one! Kudos to Cellar Door Games for another absolutely spectacular release!
This review is based on a digital copy of Rogue Legacy 2 provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and was equally brilliant in both! Rogue Legacy 2 is also available on Xbox One and PC on Steam and Epic Games.
