After pushing the entrance into Early Access back by a month, Rogue Legacy 2 has finally made its arrival onto the Steam platform.
Featuring the brilliant Metroidvania rogue-like that captivated fans back when it released on June 27, 2013, where a family tree attempted to thwart an evil castle, while simultaneously dealing with afflictions that ranged from brutal to hilarious, and everything in between.
Seven years later and Rogue Legacy 2 has arrived, although with an admittedly barebones shell of what the title could one day be. Roughly seven enemy variations, one boss, and two biomes are currently in the game to explore as you see fit.
It takes roughly an hour to beat in its current iteration, leading many to wonder precisely what content they were working on before the title launched into Early Access.
We’ve seen barebones Early Access titles before, with Rimworld and Dead Cells immediately coming to mind with a bit of a shallow depth when they originally launch; they both went on to be nearly unrivaled masterpieces.
As it stands, it’s difficult to deny that there is a wild lack of content available within the title, and that could push some away from the investment necessary to join into the Early Access journey; along with a lack of update patterns as the title has only just launched, and it wouldn’t be outlandish to consider waiting a moment or three until there’s a bit more meat on the table.
What is there, however, is delicious and shows that the developers at Cellar Door Games haven’t necessarily been sitting on their heels as the Metroidvania genre has been pushed to new heights with massive titles such as Dead Cells and Hollow Knight.
The movement feels far more fluid, the characters now have specific weapons that match their classes, and battling enemies feels infinitely cleaner in Rogue Legacy 2 than they did in Rogue Legacy.
Along with the remastered mechanics and controls comes a mechanic that Cellar Door calls ‘Traits 2.0’ where you can make your runs brain-meltingly difficult in exchange for a larger increase of gold on your runs, which you can then use to invest in your family’s castle to further the chances of your heirs.
Presuming that Cellar Door Games stays committed to fleshing out the world and diversity of Rogue Legacy 2, everything that is there thus far is sound and an easy step forwards from its predecessor that is now almost a decade old. With a bit more snark and loads more fidelity to be offered, the only thing you still actually need to ask yourself is which child you want to send to their death.
