Dungeons 2 first impressions

Developer Realmforge's new game, Dungeons 2, was released on Steam today.  My first couple hours through the campaign were enough to show that it's not so much a sequel as a rework.  Dungeons: The Dark Lord, dubbed a "stand alone expansion" was more in line with a traditional sequel, where a game takes the same mechanics and expands on them.  Dungeons 2, while staying true to the vision of the original, takes a completely different approach to execution.

Those who played the first two games will remember the core gameplay of setting up a dungeon for heroes to traverse while collecting gold and slaying your minions, then swooping in and finishing them off once they've acquired enough "soul energy" - which you in turn use to improve your dungeon.  

The throne room and dungeon heart, from which you spawn your minions.

The sequel throws all of that out the window along with all associated mechanics.  You still dig out a dungeon with the help of your loyal minions and ward off invading heroes, but there the similarities end.  

And this is entirely a good thing.

Go forth, my soldiers!

You're playing because you want to essentially be Sauron or Diablo (heck, your character is even called the Prime Ultimate Evil). This means raising an army to sally forth from the depths of the earth to ravage the kingdoms of man and the game pushes you swiftly in this direction.  

Rather than getting into the nitty gritty of interior dungeon design, it takes a much more streamlined approach than its predecessors.  Once you dig out your corridors and select your various chambers, your minions start decking out your dungeon halls with evil swag on their own, providing the satisfaction of having created your own evil lair without getting caught up in deciding just how far the torches will be spaced along the wall.  This ensures that when the heroes come knocking, you can devote your full attention to wiping them out.

Looks plenty sinister for my tastes.  The minions do good work. 

The hero system is another improvement - when they show up, your goal is to kill them.  That's it.  There's no question of entertaining them and waiting until just the right moment when they have the most soul energy - the only right moment you'll be concerned with is when they're walking into an ambush.  This feels far more natural and villainous - when the good guys invade your lair, you send your minions to dispatch them.  Simple.

Your dark army could unionize on you if you're not careful.

The minions, on the other hand, are the ones you have to keep happy.  While most of the time it's a matter of having enough gold in the treasury when they collect their pay, some of them need a bit extra.  The orcs, for instance, won't be satisfied with a paycheck but also demand a steady flow of beer to stave off sobriety.  If the minions feel like they aren't receiving their due, you could have a strike on your hands just as the forces of good are at your door.

It's very satisfying to watch your power blight the landscape.

However most of the time, you'll be taking the fight to them, with the ground cracking open and trees withering as your army passes.  Enemies, gathered under the banner of "The Alliance", include dwarf warriors, elven rangers and wizards in addition to the standard knights in shining armor.  I haven't been able to create any truly massive battles yet but I'm happy to say I think the campaign's building up to them.  

What I do miss from the old Dungeons though, is the Dungeon Lord himself, known here as the "Ultimate Evil".  Aside from a brief tutorial in the beginning of the campaign, he hasn't been able to take the field in either story or skirmish modes.  So far he's been restricted to hovering over his throne in an incorporeal state, as opposed to slicing through adventurers.  

Overall, Dungeons 2 is gearing up to be a great ride.  I'll post again once I complete it with my full thoughts.