Admission of shame: I’ve never beaten the original Rogue Legacy despite having an obscene hour of numbers—in the triple digits—played. Despite being quite bad at the indie metroidvania game that arguably brought the genre back to prominence, I still love all of its weirdness and unabashed love for its influences. It’s a great joy–after a lengthy wait–to see that the first Rogue Legacy 2 gameplay trailer is showing just what the sequel is bringing. A new aesthetic, an expanded world that will take players outside of the castle, and a smoother-looking experience that appears to borrow some visual flair from Hollow Knight. Fans won’t have to wait long as the game hits Steam and EG early access in July, with an announcement of more platforms once early access is complete.
The most striking feature of the trailer is the new art style and aesthetic, which doesn’t deviate from the original design but certainly brings a new, less pixel-inspired look. The bosses and enemies featured have this sunken-eyes type of design that reminds me immediately of the bosses from Hollow Knight, which is certainly a fine game to draw inspiration from. The biggest takeaway from the trailer is that your quest to end the curse will venture outside the castle walls and into an entire kingdom covered in shadow, with locations such as a snowy peak and a pirate ship making an appearance. That alone feels like enough evidence to confidently say this game will be larger than its predecessor.
The trailer also features a number of interesting hidden elements that keen-eyed viewers and fans of the first game will no doubt be analyzing in great detail. We get to see a number of new genetic traits that will make gameplay hilarious, fun, and difficult, as well as new abilities and upgrades in the fight against the mysterious curse.
It appears that Rogue Legacy 2 is only on Steam and EG for early access, but the promise of more announced platforms once the testing period is over should be a relief for fans. After all, Rogue Legacy seemingly came to every console imaginable–even the PlayStation Vita (which means “Life,” by the way).
Those of the PC persuasion can get ready to jump back into the cursed castle at the end of July while the rest of us await an assured PlayStation 4 announcement (and maybe PS5 too?). Here’s hoping–after all, I need to buy this game on as many platforms as possible and then proceed to not beat it on any of them. Yet again.
