Darkest Dungeon II PS5 Review: A Mountain Worth Climbing

Over eight years ago, the original Darkest Dungeons was released in early access. The roguelike role-playing game found a huge audience thanks to its mix of tough yet rewarding gameplay, gothic art style, and a satisfying gameplay loop that kept players wanting to keep going back in despite many runs ending in failure. Now its sequel, the appropriately named Darkest Dungeon II, is coming to consoles alongside its The Binding Blade DLC. Thankfully, the second time around is just as thrilling as the first.

The most immediately noticeable difference from the first game is how you get around. Rather than having your characters walk around from room to room in a dungeon, you’re now using a stagecoach to drive around to various points of interest and running into dangerous fights along the process. This is a much more interactive experience as you can lead the stagecoach over piles of debris, potentially getting items as you drive around the hauntingly gorgeous regions in the game. While this change has proven somewhat divisive, I appreciate the extra immersion of driving through the world and letting runs breathe rather than constantly being in nonstop combat as you attempt to make it to the Mountain.

Speaking of combat, the battle system has largely stayed the same from the first, which is a good thing, while being refined with a better user interface and the implementation of a new token system that implements status effects. Battles are still turn-based affairs that focus on the placement of your team, making party composition a key component. Single encounters are rarely all that deadly, as real danger occurs from staying out on the road during your journey and getting worn down over time. Most runs wind up being a war of attrition, which really tests your planning and strategies as it winds up being very easy to get into too many scraps early on and then get wiped out quickly afterward.

Another improvement from the first is the overall presentation. Darkest Dungeon II is truly a beautiful game to look at, with a wonderful art style and dazzling attack animations. Throw in intriguing story quests — that include some interesting storytelling decisions via its narrator — and detailed character backstories that can be explored, and you’ve got an interesting world that is a joy to explore in each run.

Nothing has been lost in the console port, which is content-complete and plays well with a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard. That means the only blame for a failed run is on your own decisions and mismanagement. The gameplay loop still shines thanks to its unique stress system that determines your party’s chemistry based on your own choices in and outside battles and the massive upgrade system that allows you to make long-term progress by bettering your chances of future survival with various upgrades you can purchase with candles.

It’s worth noting that there are two versions of Darkest Dungeon II hitting the PlayStation Store, the base game and the Oblivion Edition. The difference between the two is that the latter includes The Binding Blade DLC, which adds in The Warlord roaming mini-boss and two character classes — The Crusader from the first game and a new one called The Duelist, who uses both defensive and aggressive stances in combat and is quite versatile whether she is in the back or front of your lineup. I highly recommend getting the Oblivion Edition, as it’s only $5 more than the base game. Both of the classes are a lot of fun to play, and the additional mini-boss adds some extra variety to an already content-filled game.

Darkest Dungeon II PS5 Review: Final verdict

Darkest Dungeon II is just as fun on PlayStation 5 as it was on PC. If you waited for the console release, then you’re in for a highly polished roguelike that encourages experimentation and learning from your own failures. As gorgeous as it is rewarding to play, Red Hook Studios’ sequel is well worth playing.

SCORE: 8.5/10

As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8.5 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.

Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Darkest Dungeon II PS5 review. Reviewed the Oblivion Edition on version 1.002.000.