Rogue Legacy 2 Is Finally Coming. Here's What We Know So Far
The "Rogue Legacy" video game series is set to return for another round of rogue-lite-style action on April 28 with its newly announced sequel, "Rogue Legacy 2" for PC and Xbox consoles. According to Engadget, the sequel is set to build upon the notedly challenging 2D sidescrolling combat and platforming that made the original great, but it sounds like it does even more with the original's heir system that allows players to choose which of three heirs continues their journey each time they die.
In the original, each heir is allotted random variations to their appearance and skill set – which use nomenclature from the DSM, for instance, a character can have ADHD which gives them more agility, or far-sightedness which makes the camera appear distorted near the player character. And it sounds like the developer, Cellar Door Games, will be including an heirloom system in "Rogue Legacy 2" to complement its heir system as well.
This new heirloom system would allow certain abilities to be kept between characters, even after the player dies and is forced to reset. It's meant to make things even more approachable, especially since death is often far more brutal in the rogue-lite genre — in "Rogue Legacy," players are effectively forced to start over from the beginning of the game whenever they die, albeit there is already a degree of carryover between heirs, who keep their forebear's power level.
The original Rogue Legacy enjoyed a positive reception
Instead of reinventing the wheel, it sounds like "Rogue Legacy 2" will take the systems that made the original game so well-received and make them even more robust. Death happens often in "Rogue Legacy," but that's a feature, not a bug. Critics have praised the interconnecting systems, which largely rely on procedural generation (which mixes and matches various elements to create a "new" experience) for creating significant variation in gameplay styles. IGN and Nintendo Life gave it nine out of ten, but it wasn't just a critical success; VG247 reported on March 18, 2014, that "Rogue Legacy" had sold 100,000 units and broke even within one week of release.
"Rogue Legacy 2" sounds like it will continue the trend with even more weapons, spells, and environments. The sequel comes over eight years after the original, and PC users will be able to purchase it on both Steam and the Epic Games Store for $24.99 upon release. Meanwhile, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X owners will be able to purchase the game directly from the Xbox Store for $24.99. It's unclear whether or not it will be available on Xbox or PC Game Pass, but one thing is clear: It will not be coming to PlayStation or Nintendo consoles just yet. The original "Rogue Legacy" is currently sold for $14.99 on Steam and on the Xbox Store, and is free on the Epic Games Store until April 14 at 11 AM eastern time.