It’s hard to believe but Rogue Legacy 2 is finally here. The original will be turning ten in 2023 as it was initially launched in 2013 for PC platforms. Making a sequel to celebrate a momentous anniversary like this seems like a good idea. So, what has the team over at Cellar Door Games learned in this past decade?
Does Rogue Legacy 2 feel different enough to justify slapping a number two on it? The short answer is yes. The game is better on almost every level because it fine-tuned a lot of mechanics. It also added a lot. What are these additions over the original? Besides the art style, let’s break down the biggest changes in this helpful guide.
6 The Downward Strike
The first game allowed players to stab their swords down on enemies to bounce off of them. This was probably an homage to the DuckTales game which saw players bouncing on enemies with Scrooge’s cane. The downward strike attack returns albeit in a new form. It’s now like a twirl. It was probably changed because swords are no longer the only weapon. It wouldn’t make sense with a gun, for example.
Somewhat related to this technique is the air recovery system. If players are hit, they can perform a recovery in midair. Finally, if the game is proving to be too difficult then there are assist options. Players can decrease enemy health, for example, or even fly around freely.
5 Atticus The Living Safe
This is a new upgrade in the castle system. It’s not the first upgrade players will acquire but it is right below the starting position. This is a strong indication that Rogue Legacy 2 wants players to get it s soon as possible.
This upgrade will unlock Atticus the Living Safe. A portion of the money given to Charon, the ferryman, will be secretly stolen and kept in a safe by Atticus. Unfortunately, players can’t manually deposit gold into this safe to prevent Charon from taking any money at all. It’s a baby step in the right direction for this precious currency.
4 Biomes Are Locked
The first game had four biomes in it. Each biome had a boss. Once all four bosses were defeated, it unlocked a door in the entranceway for one final confrontation. Players could tackle these biomes in any order because there were no restrictions. There were Metroidvania-like abilities to help with traversal but no paths were ever blocked. Double jumping, as one example, just helped to get around easier.
Biomes in Rogue Legacy 2 are locked behind an ability wall meaning the game is overall more linear. Most of these abilities can be unlocked in the dungeon before the next one. Technically players could just get abilities and then kill the bosses in any order. Progression is still different. Also, there are more biomes in general.
3 How Classes And Weapons Work
Classes might be the biggest upgrade in Rogue Legacy 2. There are more of them, for one. They each have special traits that mostly carry over between runs. For example, Barbarians will typically get a shout ability that can freeze enemies within a certain range. Plus classes now have their own distinct weapons. The Chef has a pan and the Gunslinger naturally has a gun. Those are just two examples. The first game only had swords in it making some classes look weird.
What is a mage doing with a sword to cast spells? Finally, with an upgrade in the tree, classes can gain experience points like in a typical RPG. Leveling up a Chef, for example, will boost stats and make the overall family tree stronger. All class upgrades carry over between runs.
2 Portals And Fast Travel
There are more biomes in this game than ever before as previously mentioned. That makes getting around a pain. That is until players make it to the second area. About halfway through the level, they will meet Maria who is a pizza deliverer. Coincidentally Maria also knows a thing or do about shifting reality. This means she can unlock permanent portals for each biome in Rogue Legacy 2.
Once players pay a hefty sum of gold, these portals will remain open forever. It doesn’t lock the castle in place though. There is still an architect for that still in the main camp. There is one other small portal-related addition. There are switches players can jump into to traverse a small section in a room. These are mostly used for small puzzle challenges.
1 Other Miscellaneous Changes
There are several changes that won’t feel like a huge deal to some players. NPCs talk more, for example. They still aren’t voiced which is a bit disappointing. It’s still interesting to die and then come back to camp to hear some new stories from NPCs like the Enchantress.
Also on the subject of death, there is more animation on the death screen. In the first game, players got to see the number of enemies slain which was cool. This time, the map shows how players progressed in their roguelike run. Again, two small changes that may or may not get fans excited.
Rogue Legacy 2 was released on April 28, 2022, and is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.