Once I began enjoying Dungeons of Dreadrock for the primary time, I had no concept the quantity of difficult surprises that have been awaiting me. It was the mixture of intelligent wrinkles in addition to their novelty that made it considered one of my high video games of 2022. With a sequel, although, how do you recapture that very same magic? Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 has a couple of new tips up its sleeves to maintain veteran gamers on the hook, however I am undecided any of the improvements right here will win over any new followers.
Return to Dreadrock
The App Retailer description for Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 precisely describes it as “episode 2” of what now appears to be a sequence. This recreation takes the very same look, really feel, setting, and story of the unique Dreadrock and continues pushing it ahead.
On this recreation, you play as a priestess of the Order of the Flame and use your distinctive, magical skillset to resolve 100 extra puzzles inside a special a part of Dreadrock’s dungeons. This implies you may nonetheless be scooting a hero character round single-screen, grid-based hallways, however you may be making the most of powers imbued in your employees and different collectibles and objects to resolve more and more intricate challenges.
Extra story, extra motion, extra dread
With this in thoughts, Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 wastes no time getting instantly sophisticated within the ways in which made the primary recreation such a sudden delight. On high of that, this recreation leans extra closely into its story, which each assist flesh out the world but additionally present good breaks between stretches of puzzling.
By beginning considerably sophisticated, although, Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 looks like it has to seek out more and more byzantine methods to stretch its mechanics in later levels of the sport to really feel prefer it’s persevering with to up the ante. Whereas a few of this outcomes a few of the identical highs that made the primary recreation world really feel so actual and controllable, there are additionally occasions the place the envelope feels prefer it’s pushed a little bit too far. Whether or not it is the boundaries of the sport’s single-finger management scheme, ranges of abstraction that disrupt the in any other case grounded really feel, or some mixture of the 2, late-game areas can really feel onerous to get pleasure from exterior of appreciating their design on a considerably educational degree.
New gamers beware
If you’re questioning at this level whether or not this recreation is for you, I might say that should you loved the primary Dungeons of Dreadrock and noticed it by way of to the top, then there’s so much to love in 2. In any other case, I am not so positive. In a number of methods, the primary recreation looks like a prerequisite to this one, to the purpose {that a} new participant will probably have a tough time following the story or understanding recreation ideas which might be extra gently launched within the unique recreation.
All that stated, Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 may be very accommodating in relation to determining the right way to transfer ahead in it. Each degree has a number of hints gamers can use at their discretion, with the ultimate trace supply sometimes spelling out precisely what you’ll want to do to achieve the following place it’s a must to get to.
The underside line
I’m nonetheless enamored with the best way the Dreadrock video games set up a constant logic and tight scope to each considered one of their puzzles. Even when tasked with juggling what looks like a barely unwieldy set of ideas on this newest recreation, there are nonetheless these magic moments the place every little thing clicks and you see a wild answer immediately. Maybe Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 may have performed with rather less envelope pushing, however I’m glad it exists nonetheless.
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